Ryan Coogler has recruited former HBO exec Kalia Booker King to oversee the TV division of his Proximity Media production company.
King, as vp drama, had a hand in developing such HBO originals as Lovecraft Country, Outside, I Know This Much Is True, His Dark Materials and the upcoming untitled Lakers drama and Parasite update, among others.
At Proximity, King will report to Coogler, Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian and work with writers, producers, directors and other talents to create scripted and unscripted projects for the company’s overall deal with Disney.
“We couldn’t be happier about having Kalia on board to help us scale our television business. We are major fans of her storytelling instincts and her reputation for championing artists. It’s an honor to have her on board at Proximity,” partners Ryan and Zinzi Coogler and Ohanian said in a joint statement Wednesday.
Related Stories
In addition to managing a roster of more than 20 series, King helped to broker overall deals at HBO with the likes of Tessa Thompson and husband-and-wife showrunners Malcolm and Nichelle Spellman while also helping to maintain pacts with the likes of Issa Rae and Mahershala Ali. Before HBO, King was an exec at Universal Content Productions and worked on Sam Esmail’s Mr. Robot and Homecoming, among others.
King has focused on discovering and amplifying underrepresented voices and creating new avenues for storytellers. She was active in WarnerMedia’s Access program and created a companywide initiative with Spelman and Morehouse colleges that helped open a direct pipeline for talent of color at the conglomerate.
“It is an honor to join the Proximity Media Team. I’ve always sought to develop and shepherd transformative content and partnering with one of the most prolific filmmakers of our generation provides a platform and resources to share this vision. I can’t wait to hit the ground running with the incredible Proximity family,” King said.
Proximity inked a Disney overall deal in February. The first project under the pact is a Wakanda-based Disney+ TV series, and Coogler will also have a hand in other shows set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Proximity’s upcoming features include Bitter Root, Creed 3 and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Wrong Answer.
