

Hulu Series ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Will Be Your New Obsession
Raamla Mohamed created Hulu's latest series centering Black women, Reasonable Doubt. And we love anything created by a Black woman for Black women.
Mohamed is best known for her flawless work on "Little Fires Everywhere," but now she's leaving no crumbs behind with the debut of her new legal drama. Joined by Kerry Washington who executive produced and directed the series, and the legendary Larry Wilmore who co-produced the series, Mohamed also had an all-Black writer’s room to tell an authentic story of Black love, power and the law.
Centered around Jax Stewart (Emayatzy Corinealdi), Reasonable Doubt is about a lionhearted L.A. native and defense attorney who essentially knucks and bucks through the justice system. Her questionable ethics and wild interpretations of the law and life in and outside the courtroom encapsulate this high-powered woman. Like most Black women, Jax is trying to figure out how to be everything to everyone all the time, and she finds herself in a few entanglements — one of which happens to be with her former client, convicted murderer Damon (Michael Ealy).
There is so much intentionality behind this series that even the series and episode titles are inspired by Jay-Z's discography, from his debut studio album, which inspired the series’ name to episodes titled, "N**** What, N**** Who," "99 Problems", and "Song Cry." While there's nothing like it, the show is reminiscent of Scandal and Insecure, two beautiful reflections of Black women.
“I felt it from the moment I read the script. Oh, this is different. We don't always get to see Blackness, but also now tied into a woman who's professional and good at her job. It doesn't have to be either or,” Corinealdi told xoNecole. The actress shared that it was important to Mohamed that Blackness was represented in the most authentic way.
Michael Ealy also told xoNecole why he loves Black women and why Corinealdi’s role as Jax is so important. “I think Black women are not a monolith. Black people are not a monolith. I think there's an expectation that all Black women believe the same thing. I think that when you see a character like Jax, you see a character that is doing what most Black women have to do, which is they do it all,” said Ealy.
Reasonable Doubtpremiered Tuesday, September 27, on Hulu.
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Joce Blake is a womanist who loves fashion, Beyonce and Hot Cheetos. The sophistiratchet enthusiast is based in Brooklyn, NY but has southern belle roots as she was born and raised in Memphis, TN. Keep up with her on Instagram @joce_blake and on Twitter @SaraJessicaBee.
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Revolt's Alison Threadgill Talks Career Pivot And Changing The Game In Entertainment
Switching things up in our careers---and thriving at doing so---is nothing new to us. Since, as ambitious Black women in our own right, we're often tasked with challenging ourselves, pushing ourselves past the status quo, and fighting to live out the best careers we can.
Alison Threadgill, senior director of talent relations at Revolt, made a pivot from serving as a publicist to working with top entertainment personalities in talent relations, and in her more than 15 years of experience, she's been able to elevate through the ranks of entertainment---previously at TV One and its sister companies Radio One, iOne, Reach Media and One Solution.
"I get to cast and highlight artists and creators and cultural leaders who are really driving the culture forward," she said. "At Revolt, we are very unapologetically hip-hop, and so I'm always searching for fresh voices and undiscovered artists. Revolt really is a platform that's for people like that to be showcased to the world. ... It's exciting to work in this world where I have the opportunity to really elevate Black voices and Black audiences."
I caught up with Alison to talk about why she chose to shift from PR to her current post, how we can all truly lift as we climb--even in industries that might have reputations for being super-competitive, and how she's working the job of her dreams to the max.
Marcus Ingram / Contributor/Getty
xoNecole: You mentioned pushing the culture forward. What does that specifically mean for Revolt as a network?
Alison Threadgill: One of the things that makes Revolt unique is that we represent a very Gen Z and millennial voice. What the status quo is, is not what we're about. We are sparking conversations that are going to bring about change, to make people think differently, to get people to realize that just because something has been a certain way, doesn't mean that's the way that it should be or should continue to be. We pride ourselves on being very disruptive and bringing about voices that showcase that.
We have a new show that's coming later this year where there will be lots of different voices.
We're coming up on an election year, and so being able to have voices in our community that are talking about issues that are important to us and understanding that there's a lot wrong in the world, our people are so often overlooked and mistreated, and so what do we as a community need to do to really impact change? Who are the people we need to empower who are not just going to give us lip service but are actually going to do things to create change?
It's about starting those conversations and understanding, for our audience, that Revolt is a place you can come to hear that and see that.
xoN: You pivoted from PR to talent relations. What transferable skills have helped you in doing so?
AT: One of the things that is a skill set that you have to have for both is working with very different personalities. Working in PR, I worked very closely with talent all of the time. I think that was probably the key skill set between the two---understanding that, especially in the celebrity world, you can work with very challenging personalities, whether it be on the management or agent side, to the talent themselves. Just understanding how to work with all kinds of personalities to be able to get your job done, I would say, would be the No. 1 skill between the two.
xoN: What advice do you have for young women who want to pursue a pivot into talent relations?
AT: Can I speak to entertainment in general? This is something that can work in both. I think one thing that a lot of people---especially for [those] who are not in large markets--a New York, an Atlanta, an LA--it can be daunting. How do I break in? [It's by] volunteering, even with something at the local level, so that you're gaining experience in entertainment. What you're doing as a volunteer may not be something you absolutely love, but it's giving you the exposure to all these other entertainment jobs, what other people are doing, that you didn't even know existed that interests you. Volunteering is huge in figuring out what you want to [do] and giving you exposure to other areas.
The other thing that I think we don't do enough, especially as Black people---and sometimes as women--- is using our network---talking to your network. Telling your friends, colleagues, and associates about things that interest you in entertainment.
It's important to put yourself out there because if people don't know, they can't help you. It may not be a situation where it's something they know about, but a friend of [a] friend might mention that they're looking for somebody or know somebody.
It's easy to not share because you assume people may not be tapped in, but you don't know who they know---so just really be open to putting yourself out there. So much about this industry is about relationships, and doors open because of your relationships.
Also, using LinkedIn as a tool if you don't know anybody in entertainment or there's a role you're interested in.
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Featured image by Shawne Turrentine/Art Trends LLC