Alumni Shukree Tilghman '12 and Sherman Payne '09 Create ‘Diversity Hires Podcast’

Film alumni Shukree Tilghman '12 and Sherman Payne '09 recently started the Diversity Hires Podcast on listennotes.com. The podcast, which had its first episode premiere on September 2nd of this year, is about the two professional screenwriters living and working in LA discussing the craft, culture and business of writing for Film and TV from a decidedly Black point-of-view. Six episodes on subjects like pitching, what a diversity hire is, and the Emmys, and social justice, are currently available for streaming. 

Sherman Payne is an American writer and director. He recently wrote the feature film Charm City Kings which won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and screened at SXSW Film Festival. He also wrote episodes for the TV shows Shameless and Legacies. 

Shukree Hassan Tilghman is a film and television writer and documentary filmmaker. Tilghman has written and directed several short films and penned several feature screenplays. In addition to writing and directing, Shukree has also served as an associate producer on the Marco Williams feature documentary Banished, an Official Selection of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Hi TV credits as a writer and producer include This Is Us, Independent Lens and The Vampire Diaries.