Tracee Ellis Ross and her production company Joy Mill Entertainment have signed a multi-year deal with Fox Entertainment Studios. The partnership includes a first-look deal for scripted content and an overall deal for unscripted content produced by Joy Mill.
Joy Mill’s scripts span comedy, drama and animation, with unscripted and reality formats to be developed as well. Adriana Ambriz will continue in her role as Joy Mill’s Head of Development, a position she has held since 2020.
Ross is best known for her starring role as Dr. Rainbow Johnson on the Kenya Barris-produced sitcom Black-ish, which aired for eight seasons on ABC from 2014 to 2022. Before that, she led the role of Joanne Carol Clayton on Mara Brock Akil’s comedy Girlfriends for eight seasons on UPN and then on The CW. Her other notable credits include the 2020 film The High Note, in which she starred and executive produced, the 2023 film American Fiction, and the Season 7 Black Mirror episode “Common People.” In 2022, Hulu and the Oprah Winfrey Network premiered “The Hair Tales,” a documentary series created by Ross about the history and importance of black hair. She is also the founder of the hair care brand “Pattern Beauty”.
Ross is repped by Artists First, UTA, Origin Public Relations, and Hansen, Jacobson & Teller.
“Tracy is original, purposeful and an undeniable cultural anomaly,” said Hannah Pillmer, Head of Scripted, and Alison Wallach, Head of Unscripted, Fox Entertainment Studios. “Her instincts, curiosity, and drive make her an exceptionally creative and prolific partner. We are excited to work with Tracy and Joy Mill Entertainment to create work that inspires, entertains, and reflects the world through their uniquely authentic lens.”
“Joining the Fox Entertainment Studios family is an exciting next chapter for Joy Mill Entertainment,” said Ross. “At Joy Mill, we are focused on creating and producing entertaining, culture-changing stories centered around identity and joy. From our first conversations with Fox, it was clear that they shared the same vision. We are excited to work with Hannah, Alison, Fernando Sheu, Tommy Crump and their incredible team as we continue to expand our platform.”
