CHEO HODARI COKER is the creator, executive producer, and showrunner of Marvel’s Luke Cage. Coker, a Stanford graduate, (Class of 1994) started his career in journalism, writing entertainment profiles for the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Premiere, Vibe, The Source, XXL, Essence and numerous national publications.
He’s the author of the book “Unbelievable: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G.” Coker co-wrote (with Reggie Rock Bythewood) 2009’s NOTORIOUS, and segued into television writing.
He started out as an Executive Story Editor on SOUTHLAND, where he eventually rose to Supervising Producer and won an NAACP award for the Season Four episode “God’s Work”.
Coker followed SOUTHLAND with stint as a Supervising Producer on CBS’ NCIS: LOS ANGELES, and Co-Executive Producer for Fox’s ALMOST HUMAN, and Showtime’s RAY DONOVAN.
Coker’s other feature film credits include LOWRIDERS (co-written with Elgin James) (2017), and the upcoming CREED 2.
Sneak Peek Into What You’ll Learn…
03:11 – Cheo tells us about the storyline of Marvel’s Luke Cage and the history of the character.
07:46 – Cheo explains the Marvel universe and how the different characters fit together.
09:25 – Cheo addresses the dearth of Black superhero characters and how he views the opportunity to lead Marvel’s Luke Cage.
14:25 – Cheo explains what it means to be the Showrunner and Executive Producer of Marvel’s Luke Cage.
18:39 – Cheo tells us what we can expect from Season 2 of Marvel’s Luke Cage.
27:47 – Cheo discusses his career journey that led him from being a journalist to being the Showrunner for Marvel’s Luke Cage.
30:00 – We learn about Cheo’s early career as a music journalist and his interviews with Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and the Notorious B.I.G.
32:12 – How did the death of Biggie Smalls lead Cheo to write for the TV shows Southland and Ray Donovan? Cheo explains.
34:07 – Cheo provides concrete advice for anyone interested in working in the entertainment industry.
38:48 – Cheo shares more about his family life an dhow he balances his massive role as Showrunner of Marvel’s Luke Cage with being a father of 3 kids.
46:45 – Brass Tacks: The lightning round of concrete advice and tips
Quotable quotes:
“[on being a Showrunner] You basically have to be P.T. Barnum, Puff Daddy, and Ernest Hemingway simultaneously.”
“If you’re going to be an entrepreneur and you’re going to start something [creative], you have to look at yourself as a business, take it seriously, and put in the work. There are no shortcuts…”
“You have to have the discipline…sometimes you’re only going to find 15 minutes of good writing a day, but if you can stay consistent with those 15 minutes, you’ll be surprised with how much that can turn into.”
“[on being a writer] You just have to be focused in small ways, consistently.”
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Links to Resources
Season 2 of Marvel’s Luke Cage is available on Netflix beginning June 22, 2018.
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