Janet Mock Makes History with Netflix Deal

Transgender writer, producer, and director Janet Mock has announced a first-of-its-kind deal with Netflix, reported Variety.

Mock has made history as the first Black trans woman to establish an overall deal with a major studio. The deal is a three-year contract giving Netflix the exclusive rights to projects from Mock as well as a first-look option on feature films.

Mock announced the deal with a video posted to Twitter.

“I… will be writing and directing and developing a few hush-hush projects that I can’t really talk about,” she said. She revealed a few details about the upcoming series: one will be a half-hour drama series, another will follow a young transgender woman in college, a series will be about New Orleans after the abolition of slavery, and one will be a “reboot of a classic sitcom.”

“This is the first deal of its kind for a trans person, no less a trans woman of color,” Mock said. “There’s potential now with Netflix’s worldwide audience to introduce hundreds of millions of viewers to trans people.”

This is not the first time Mock has made television history. She became the first transgender woman to direct an episode of television when she directed an episode of Ryan Murphy’s Pose after already writing for the show.