Playwrights and documentarians, Jonathan Kidd and Sonya Winton-Odamtten are the physical manifestation of a stellar collision. While Jonathan grew up in the farmlands of Mansfield, Ohio, Sonya was reared by her creative-hippie parents in the metropole of Los Angeles. No one could have predicted that their paths would cross while pursuing their PhD’s at Yale University...changing their lives forever...
Jonathan earned his Bachelor’s degree with honors from The University of Michigan in African Studies, African American Studies, and English. He received his Master’s of Art, Master’s of Philosophy, and Doctoral degree from Yale University in African American Studies and English.
Sonya earned her Bachelor’s degree with honors from Spelman College, where she majored in Political Science. She received her Master’s in Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, a Master’s of Art, and Master’s of Philosophy in African American Studies and Political Science from Yale University. Sonya received her Doctorate in African American Studies and Political Science from Yale University.
In 2001, while at Yale, Jonathan and Sonya founded a non-profit theater company, Adam, Eve, & Steve Productions (AES) and directed and produced a number of successful theater productions that include: Jonathan’s There Must Be A God Somewhere, Jan Henson Dow and Robert Schroeder’s Shaka, and Sonya’s Matri-focal Concentric Zones of Violence Revisited: Part One.
After stints as professors, playwrights, and documentarians, Sonya and Jonathan turned their eye toward a television career and were chosen for the Warner Brothers Television Writers Workshop in 2009. In addition to staffing on a number of shows, most notably ABC's THE WHOLE TRUTH; FOX's TOUCH; and AMAZON’s OASIS, Kidd/Winton- Odamtten found success in selling several of their spec pilots: THE 4TH REICH (Showtime with Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal); Warner Horizon, the 1970s period drama RODEO DRIVE; and Lifetime, the dynastic family drama, SOUTHERN GOTHIC. At the close of 2018, Kidd/Winton-Odamtten signed an overall with HBO to develop new projects while continuing their work on LOVECRAFT as CO-EP’s. Finally, through their philanthropic work Kidd/Winton-Odamtten recently launched the Feed Black Covid-19 Health Workers Challenge. After partnering with Frontline Foods, the duo recruited over 40 other Black Hollywood writers in order to support health care workers in underserved Black communities around the country.
Shana C. Waterman is currently Head of Television of One Race TV. One Race produces dynamic, tough-minded, commercial entertainment for a multi-cultural world. ORTV is currently developing The Chronicles of Riddick, a companion series based on the sci-fi, feature trilogy, and is also in production on Netflix’s Fast and Furious: Spy Racers. Prior to her tenure at One Race, Waterman served as Senior Vice President, Event Series Development & Production at Fox Broadcasting Company. In this capacity, she commissioned special events and long-form series including 24: Live Another Day, Wayward Pines, Grease Live, People v. OJ: American Crime Story and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Before taking that role, Waterman was Senior Vice President of Current Programming where she oversaw several prime-time, scripted series including House, Glee, Fringe, Raising Hope, Family Guy, American Dad and The Mindy Project. Also while at Fox, Waterman produced the company’s inaugural Seizing Opportunities Forum, spurring dialogue among creative partners about shifting racial and ethnic audience demographics. In addition, she conceived and oversaw the Fox Innovators Group; an internal think tank designed to foster entrepreneurial thought and innovation among Fox employees. For her efforts, Waterman was named a 2014 NAMIC Next Generation Leader and in 2012 she was awarded a FOX Excellence in Innovation Award for her forward-thinking efforts. Sustaining her ongoing interest in the theater and performing arts, she served as Board Chair of Cornerstone Theater Company and currently sits on the Yale School of Drama Advisory Board. Alongside her professional pursuits, she was a recent member of Angel City Chorale and a Big Brother/Big Sisters mentor. Waterman is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School.
