LiveWorld Transcripts

Showtime presents

Felicia D. Henderson
Co-Executive Producer, "Soul Food"

September 27, 2000

Co-executive producer of Showtime’s dramatic series, “Soul Food,” Felicia D.Henderson, chats about the series and her previous work in television.

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Showtime: Please welcome Felicia D. Henderson, who is co-executive producer of and developed Showtime's successful dramatic series, "Soul Food." Bringing to life the passionate characters of "Soul Food" is just one of Henderson's Hollywood success stories. Landing her first television job as a creative associate at NBC, she soon became part of the network's executive team on shows such as "A Different World," "Carol & Company," and "Fresh Prince of Bel Air." Despite her hectic schedule, Felicia is actively involved in programs for underprivileged youth in Pasadena and remains a committed member of The Literacy Program and Each One Teach One. Welcome, Felicia.

Felicia: Thank you! I'm really excited to be a part of this. I've been hoping for a chance of actually speaking to people who watch the show for a long time.

Latin Cutie: Hi, Felicia. My name is Silvia, and I wanted to know how you began your current profession.

Felicia: Hi, Silvia! I began my career as a television writer about six years ago when I was accepted into the Warner Brothers Workshop, which was a program for young writers trying to break into sitcom. The first show I wrote on was "Family Matters," or the 'Urkel Show', as most people know it.

Shaun: What exactly does a co-executive producer do?

Felicia: As the writer who created the show for television, based on the 1997 film of the same name, my biggest responsibility is to write or co-write or supervise the scripts for each week's episode. I'm also involved in casting, wardrobe decisions, music selection, and interfacing with the actors.

CoffeeBean: Did the idea for your show, "Soul Food," come from your experiences with your family?

Felicia: As you know, the idea for the television series came from the film, "Soul Food," but because I am one of six girls in my family--I also have two brothers--I have material and ideas and stories that could take us over the next ten years on this show.

Shaun: What do you like about your job?

Felicia: The best thing about my job is an opportunity to do the one thing I like doing more than anything else in the world--writing. Particularly, writing something that is so close to my heart and with quality I can be very proud of.

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