RUN THE WORLD — Q&A with Leigh Davenport

Creator Leigh Davenport in conversation with Dr. Timeka N. Tounsel

RUN THE WORLD, now airing on Starz, is the story of a group of Black women who work, live, and play in Harlem as they strive for world domination. They’re not only surviving – but thriving together. The eight-episode half-hour series holds a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Leigh Davenport is a writer and director with a focus on creating content that explores the intersection of the woke and whimsical. Davenport is the creator of RUN THE WORLD, which is loosely based on her life as an ambitious twenty-something living in Harlem, New York. Additionally, Davenport wrote the screenplay for the upcoming Netflix film THE PERFECT FIND starring Gabrielle Union and the screenplay for Lifetime’s Wendy Williams Biopic. Davenport is the former Editorial Director of HelloBeautiful.com, where she led the site to record breaking traffic as the leading site for Black women.  Over the last decade, Davenport has worked in entertainment media in various capacities including writing for THE BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Awards and in unscripted production at BET, TV ONE and VH1. Davenport is a native of Chicago, Illinois and a proud graduate of Spelman College.

Dr. Timeka N. Tounsel is a cultural studies scholar with expertise in race, gender, and the media. She currently works as Assistant Professor of African American Studies and Media Studies at The Pennsylvania State University. Timeka studies the stories that society tells about Black women and the narratives that Black women craft about themselves. Her aim is to better understand how Black women make sense of themselves, the world, and their place within it. Her work has been published in several scholarly venues as well as popular outlets including Essence and Elle.com. Timeka’s first book BRANDING BLACK WOMANHOOD: MEDIA CITIZENSHIP FROM BLACK POWER TO BLACK GIRL MAGIC is forthcoming from Rutgers University Press.