Deija Zavala
Storytellers
Brittani Nichols
Meet some of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
“Breaking into scripted comedy when you’re not a straight, cis white guy continues to be a huge challenge,” says Brittani Nichols. The Abbott Elementary co-executive producer jokes she overcame it “via sorcery,” and now her hit Emmy-nominated ABC series is entering its fourth season.
“I try to create comedy that makes you feel like you’re part of a community while you’re watching them,” Nichols says. That feeling of community, particularly for Black and queer people, is evident throughout Nichols’s work. She won accolades for her 2016 feature Suicide Kale, which she wrote, produced, and starred in, and she served as an actor on Prime Video’s Transparent (2016) and writer on A Black Lady Sketch Show (2019).
On Abbott, Nichols has helped create an environment that’s accessible without compromising the uniqueness of the community portrayed on screen. “It’s been interesting seeing how few people attribute the success of Abbott to our diverse writing staff,” she says. “The show is distinctly American, and it is uniquely Black American just as it is Philadelphian and queer and beautiful.” @bishilarious
Stacey Yvonne
Stacey Yvonne is a critic and entertainment journalist who can be found in Los Angeles eating snacks at events. She loves to uplift the LGBTQIA+ community and specifically highlight Black and female members. She can be found at SYvonneCreative.com
Stacey Yvonne is a critic and entertainment journalist who can be found in Los Angeles eating snacks at events. She loves to uplift the LGBTQIA+ community and specifically highlight Black and female members. She can be found at SYvonneCreative.com
Ron Amato
Mark Cortale
Meet some of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Ron Amato
Broadway has long been home to many great LGBTQ+ artists and businesspeople throughout the years, and producer Mark Cortale is proud to be a part of that legacy. The producer of the three-time Tony-nominated new musical Days of Wine and Roses by Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel served as producing artistic director at the Art House in Provincetown before moving to Broadway last year, and he’s not slowing down.
In September, he produced Table 17 by Douglas Lyons off-Broadway, and coming up in April, he’s partnering with Lincoln Center to produce Tina Landau and Adam Guettel’s musical Floyd Collins. “The LGBTQ+ community is comprised of incredibly compassionate, intelligent, and talented people,” Cortale says. “We are your sons, your daughters, your brothers, and your sisters. Embrace us — we are here to stay.” @cortalemark