Hollywood actress and producer Tasha Smith has been tapped to direct the pilot and second episode of the upcoming FOX drama, “Our Kind of People.”
The forthcoming project is inspired by the book by Laurence Otis Graham and produced by Karin Gist (“Star,” “Mixed-ish”) and Lee Daniels (“Star,” “Empire.”)
“Magic is something you create, and Showrunner Karin Gist has given new life to the special story that is Our Kind of People,” says Smith. “I am honored and thrilled to bring Karin’s work to life alongside Executive Producer Lee Daniels, who is a wonderful producer and mentor to me.”
Smith is mostly recognized for her role as Angela in Tyler Perry’s hit movies, “Why Did I Get Married?” and its sequel “Why Did I Get Married Too?.” She also landed a recurring role as Carol Holloway on the Fox musical drama series “Empire.”
However, her director portfolio has been steadily growing too.
The esteemed actress has served as executive producer on the STARZ series, “Black Mafia Family,” where she also directed the pilot and multiple episodes. Smith has also directed episodes on ABC’s “Big Sky,” STARZ hit drama “P-Valley,” several episodes of FOX’s “911,” and The CW’s “Black Lightning.”
During an interview with The Grio, Smith spoke highly of fellow director Tyler Perry.
“I feel God just gave him a gift and he is able to relate to what is going on in the world right now and bring it to TV and Film. He dreams big and he is fearless and will put his money where his dream it,” she said. “A lot of us sit around and say ‘I want to do this or I want to do that,’ but we never do it because we don’t have the money. Tyler invested his life into his dream, and did whatever he had to do by whatever means necessary to make his dreams come true. He goes after his dreams not knowing what the return on his investment is going to be.”
It seems God has blessed Smith with similar talents.
