Sista Brunch is a relaxed and fun interview-style podcast where Black women+ (cis-, transgender & non-binary) in the media reveal how they broke into—and now thrive in—one of the world’s toughest industries, with candor and humor.
The show is hosted by NAACP Award-winning director Anya Adams (Blackish, Fresh Off the Boat, G.L.O.W.) and Fanshen Cox, award-winning playwright, and co-author of the Inclusion Rider, made famous by Frances McDormand in 2018. Our guests are Black women+ working in all areas of entertainment. It’s a blend of the casual, contemporary nature of BuzzFeed’s Another Round with the in-depth interviews on NPR’s Fresh Air with industry leaders and trailblazers.
Sista Brunch’s mission is to share first-person stories of Black women+ across media / entertainment—building community around what can be an isolating experience—and inspire young people to reach for their dream careers.
Why the name “Sista Brunch”?
Several years ago, black women mentors of the Directors Guild of America trainee program began inviting their mentees to casual bi-monthly gatherings to talk about their experiences on set and offer guidance to their trainees and each other. This gathering came to be affectionately known as the Sista Brunch.
Eventually, the Sista Brunch came to include women+ beyond the directing program. Our show’s co-creator and co-host Anya became the regular brunch host, and after being introduced to Fanshen by mutual friends, invited her to join.
Fanshen’s first Sista Brunch got her riled up. In working on the Inclusion Rider, she and her co-authors constantly faced pushback on including crew positions on the Rider. They were told ‘there aren’t enough underrepresented people to hire in these positions—why are you forcing us to do this?’ Yet here she was—breaking bread with Black women+ at various levels in their careers—and all talented and smart and committed to the work. She called Anya shortly after and asked, “How can we share this with the world!?” and the Sista Brunch podcast was born.
