00:00Ooh, can I just say this is one of my favorite rooms to be in, and I know I'm not alone when I say that.
00:06Essence has been so warm and so welcoming, and so I am honored to sit on this stage,
00:12and I thought it was only right to introduce this next honoree with a quote from another incredible black woman and multi-hyphenate.
00:20Eartha Kitt once said, my recipe for life is not being afraid of myself, afraid of what I think or of my opinions.
00:27An absolute creative force, this executive's embrace of her community, keen entertainment sensibilities, and fearless opinions
00:36have helped shape the future of TV and set precedent for all the ways the black experience can show up in media for nearly a decade.
00:44And can I just take a second to say how inspired I am by this individual?
00:47Let me spell out, this is going to be a real quick, quick, like, glimpse of her resume.
00:52This does not do her justice, but let me take a second to say how integral she's been in the success of so many of our favorite shows.
01:00From bringing us Amazon's very first drama series, Bosch, to launching Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It at Netflix, Narcos,
01:06the list goes on and on, to being a creative producer at Hulu.
01:10Again, a quick scan of her resume.
01:14So when she joined us at Freeform, it was truly a gift, and she helped us launch season five and six of Grown-ish.
01:20But can I say, we felt even luckier when she decided to make her mark as president of Onyx Collective.
01:30And, you know, she has already come out strong with Summer of Soul, the 1619 Project,
01:37getting our fave Kerry Washington back on our screens weekly with Unprisoned.
01:42And her effortless sense of style and discernment is both clear in her impeccable fashion and the impeccable shows that she gets on air.
01:51For me, her presence serves as a constant affirmation that there is indeed a seat for us at the table,
01:56but there is even more space when we make the table ourselves.
02:00As president of Onyx, she's carrying the baton further by doing the work to make sure the talented creators of color
02:06have the opportunity to tell our stories through our lens for the world to see.
02:11She ensures that our humanity, the many ways we carve paths through the world for ourselves and thrive,
02:17are on full display.
02:19And she fearlessly helms a new reality by not just changing how our television screens look,
02:23but by changing infrastructure, leading an inclusive team of incredible executives who advocate for black creators
02:30and creators from our global community.
02:32She is creating the blueprint and proof of the magic that can happen when the people behind the camera look like the world around us.
02:39And she does this while creating incredible content that keeps us coming back for more.
02:44The truth is, with executives like Tara Duncan in the room,
02:47we can tune in every day and continue to see shows that serve as a constant reminder that we define us.
02:53And most importantly, that there's power in our presence, value in our stories,
02:58and the world benefits when we sit in our purpose.
03:01I'm so lucky to count her as both a boss and a mentor.
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