KJ Booze is an Oklahoma-raised, Los Angeles-based television producer. He currently serves as a Vice President at Khalabo Ink Society (KIS), which is the production company of “Black-ish” writer, Kenya Barris. At KIS, KJ helps to oversee the development process of a film slate with projects at multiple studios, including Netflix, Disney, 20th Century, and Paramount.
KJ sat down with the L.A. Sentinel for an exclusive interview on both his career and his hopes for greater diversity for behind-the-camera roles in the Film and TV industry. First, he explained the responsibilities of an executive producer both on and off set through his own, real-life example.
“I was watching ‘Top Boy,’ and there were some episodes that almost made me tear up. And I went, ‘who’s the director?’and it was this guy, William Stefan Smith. I went and met with him and was like, ‘we’re doing this show, the Vince Staples Show, we gotta get you on this.’ He ended up doing episodes on the show for us.”
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As a co-executive producer for The Vince Staple Show, KJ was instrumental in ensuring that the project reached Kenya Barris, while also recruiting the creatives he knew would enhance the show. In this way, being a producer provides KJ the privilege of engaging both the business and creative sides of his brain; it’s his job to build relationships with managers and agents to recruit great scripts, and it’s also his responsibility to consistently consume art to discover promising talent. Having more diversity in the behind-the-scenes work can lead to diverse and daring casting, allowing a myriad of artists the platform to be seen and valued in a new light.
A significant aspect of KJ’s success was the development of a strong community within the entertainment industry. “My network, not just at [KIS] but throughout Hollywood, is great. I’ve built a really strong and dependable network,” he mused.
A graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, he acknowledged how the school greatly impacted his trajectory.
“USC really helped give me a foundation by meeting people and connecting with people who can also just hang out socially. I try to have genuine connections, and that helps.
“The cool thing about being a producer is you have a lot of say and more control, and we need more of us at the table making decisions for our stories. I do think there should be more examples of Black men doing things like this,” KJ admitted.
With such a gratifying career, KJ is looking forward to inspiring melanated creatives to pursue this field.
“I’m at a point in my career, I would love to become a part of some programs where I’m mentoring and guiding young Black and Brown people who have no idea what this is because this career is so fulfilling.”
