Mara Brock Akil
Birth Name:
Mara Dionne Brock
Birth Place:
Los Angeles, California, United States
Profession
Producer, Writer, Director, Actress
Fast Facts
- Won her first Image Award in 2012 for "The Game" after previously earning her first nomination five years prior for "Girlfriends"
- Earned a journalism degree from Northwestern University
- Quote: "A lot of times, I am a black woman selling a black show․ You are so far away from the vision, you don't even know what to do․ There is so much compromise․"
- Quote: "I am a winner․ Even if it doesn't look like I'm winning, I believe I'm winning․"
- Quote: "For people who want to do what I do, first you have got to believe that you can do it! Second, have a vision, a point-of-view and be yourself․ Love what you do and don't be afraid to work․"
- Began her career in the entertainment industry as a writer for the Fox series "South Central", eventually working her way up to the supervising producer position for "The Jamie Foxx Show" by the late '90s
- Co-founded Happy Camper Productions with her husband, Salim Akil
Awards
- 2005BET Comedy Award - Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series:Winner
- 2007Image Award - Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series:Nominated
- 2012Image Award - Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series:Winner
- 2013Black Reel - Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted:Nominated
- 2014Black Reel - Outstanding Screenplay (Original or Adapted), TV Movie or Mini-Series:Winner
- 2014Image Award - Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series:Nominated
- 2015Image Award - Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series:Nominated
- 2016Image Award - Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series:Winner
- 2017Jury Prize - Best Short Film:Nominated
- 2018Black Reel - Outstanding Drama Series:Winner
- 2024Primetime Emmy - Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking:Nominated
- 2025Black Reel - Outstanding Drama Series:Nominated
- 2025Black Reel - Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series:Nominated
- 2025Gotham TV Award - Breakthrough Drama Series:Nominated
- 2026Independent Spirit Award - Best New Scripted Series:Nominated
- 2026Independent Spirit Award - Best New Scripted Series:Nominated
- 2026WGA Award (TV) - Episodic Drama:Nominated