Background:
LOS ANGELES--James
Tripp-Haith is now a veteran at a
career he has grown to love. As producer
of the hit UPN series "Eve,"
he is now reaping the rewards of his
hard work-the key, he says, to success
in a truly challenging business.
"Eve," has taken on a number
of hot-button topics. Recently, the
"Testing, Testing, HIV"
episode of "Eve" addressed
the rising rate of HIV/AIDS in the
African American community, focusing
on awareness and prevention. Meg DeLoach
serves as executive for the show that
is in its second season.
Through entertainment, says Tripp-Haith,
you are still able to raise awareness
about a number of truly important
issues.
But "Eve" is simply another
rung on the ladder to success in television
for Tripp-Haith, 51. He plans to one-day
fulfill his dream of "owning
his own production company and developing
the kind of film and television productions
that take on cutting-edge issues,
through characters who are not only
dimensional, interesting and entertaining
but also familiar, especially to African
American audiences."
Tripp-Haith wants to take the steam
out of debilitating stereotypes by
creating "characters that reflect
life-neighbors, family members, fellow
workers-through familiar experiences.
We identify with characters we know
are us."
Industry doors opened for Tripp-Haith
through black productions, because
"that's the reality of it,"
he says. You get into the industry,
often, through people you know who
are already working in the industry.
But his goal of bringing more black
characters to the large and small
screens is not a restrictive and myopic
"black only" look at the
world.
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