Davita Scarlett is setting up shop at CBS Studios. The writer and producer has signed a multi-year overall deal to develop new projects for the studios on all platforms, Deadline reports.
“The Good Fight,” “Truth Be Told,” and “Queen Sugar” are among Scarlett’s credits. She developed a pilot for “Kin,” her family drama about three generations of women, for Starz with Reese Witherspoon’s “Hello Sunshine.”
“Davita has been doing incredible work on two of our most cherished shows, so we leapt at the chance to formalize our relationship further and be a part of bringing her storytelling to life,” said Bryan Seabury, EVP Drama Development for CBS Studios.
In an episode of “The Spectrum Lounge” podcast Scarlett revealed that she grew up shy and found it difficult to speak up, qualities that made her transition to TV writing difficult. “I feel like the first thing I sort of learned is that working in television is really just as much about talking as it is about writing,” she explained. “You kind of have to prove yourself by being able to pitch, and being able to present your ideas in a room. Television writing is kind of group writing in some respects.” She admitted to “struggling with that” in the beginning of her career.
Scarlett recalled, “I sort of had to get to a place where I was like I want to be a television writer, and if I want to be a television writer, I have to come out of my shell and I have to be able to present my ideas in a room and pitch confidently so that I can make it. I basically just amped myself up and was like my voice is needed. My ideas are needed.” She emphasized, “I want to tell stories about underrepresented communities and people that we don’t get to see on television a lot.”