HBO Max launches 'Scene In Black' Celebrating Black Talent

HBO Max is “rooting for everybody Black” with a new social-first initiative, Scene In Black.

Celebrating our stories, the cable network and its streaming affiliate is putting Black talent first, front, and center – where it belongs. Scene In Black focuses on connecting HBO and HBO Max’s Black talent, creatives, and fans.

Sampling Issa Rae’s energy, the initiative is “rooting for everybody Black” with the intent to amplify Black voices. HBO Max and HBO’s SVP of multicultural marketing, Jackie Gagne, describes the launch as “our destination for the telling of stories from the Black perspective.”

“For Scene in Black, we really see an opportunity to occupy the future,” – noting the fact that not only will it highlight Black content and talent, but also the creators and creatives to share their stories and points-of-view.

With an award-winning catalog to include Insecure, The Wire, The Deuce, and A Black Lady Sketch Show, the channel is equipped to deliver. In addition, Black classics, A Different World, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and more will be mixed in rotation.

Gagne tells Variety, “HBO has a really rich history of amplifying Black stories and talent, and this is an evolution or an extension of that and it allows our team to really take our expertise to HBO Max and work to amplify the wonderful storytelling on the platform.”

Scene In Black joins other audience-specific experiences like Human By Orientation – curated for the LGBTQIA+ audience and HBO Max Pa’lante for the Latinx community. In addition to streaming Black-dominated series Scene In Black will offer original content via social media segments:

Hot Takes – Talents give their take on hot topics and culture-relevant subjects.

The Chapter That Changed You – Talents share a moment in television or film that has impacted their personal or professional paths.

Notes to Creatives that Look Like Me – Talents give advice to their younger selves.

Issa Rae expressed her support for the new platform.

“HBO has served as a home for our Insecure and our A Black Lady Sketch Show family and provided a space for me to produce the stories that I’ve longed to see. Its bittersweet that we’re at the end of Insecure, but with all the amazing content coming to HBO Max, I feel more confident knowing that Scene In Black can serve as a home and space for people who look like me.”