The Faith & Purpose of Creating New Black TV: Imani Robinson Interview

Photos Courtesy of Imani Robinson

In a time where the future of TV seems so uncertain amongst streaming cancellations, executive shake ups and the impending WGA writer’s strike, the careers of up-and-comers seems uncertain — how do you break into an industry that’s not only gatekept, but also getting more constrictive by the second? For a select few with entrepreneurial spirit, talent for the TV biz and maybe even a very supportive mother, they’re able to break down barriers of entertainment and take matters into their own hands. Lucky for us, Imani Robinson has all three.  

Imani Robinson is the founder and CEO of Faith & Purpose Productions, a production studio that houses 3 Blind Mice, the half-hour drama Imani created and wrote. Before she became a TV mogul, Imani had a long journey of artistic and professional success starting in elementary school and eventually landing at HBO, though her journey is still reaching new heights.

 Imani grew up around the arts —she had a love for theater from a young age and enrolled at the Baltimore School of the Arts. “I began acting when I was 9-years-old,” says Imani. “I just felt most confident on stage because I was extremely shy growing up, but because I had a script memorized that gave me the confidence to go up there and become someone new.”

Imani’s clear passion, and the support of her mother led to her getting cast on season 4 of “The Wire” when she was 14, was the start of a long working relationship with HBO.

“After I graduated college, I got an on-set production assistant job on HBO’s ‘The Deuce.’ After the show got picked up, I got hired to work as the writer’s assistant.” In the succeeding season, Imani was promoted to the executive producer’s assistant.

The proximity Imani had to the technical process of storytelling, as opposed to interpreting a finished product as she was used to in acting, unlocked a new passion. “I got to have experience learning how to format a script correctly [and] how to create a story; that opened up a new love and interest for me, which was screenwriting”.

“While all that was happening, I was also attending UCLA’s professional program in screenwriting and I wrote my own pilot episode ‘3 Blind Mice’ because I knew with all the experience I had in those writing rooms and on those different jobs that I wanted to create my own work. I started my own production company Faith and Purpose Productions LLC.” 

Imani began production on her show 3 Blind Mice in 2019, writing and arranging for the shoot of the pilot. The script went through 75 revisions and several false-starts. “For the first two years I was doing it on my own but each time it just fell through — I definitely had to learn a lot, grow a lot,” says Imani as she reflects on the experience. 

“In terms of trying to find the right production company, I went through two but ultimately decided to house this project under my own production company instead. I looked for different producers and they were able to assist with finding the right [director of photography], the right grip electric, the right crew members and also the right resources like the Baltimore Film Office. I definitely learned as I went along and learned from the mistakes I made in the past,” she says. “The whole hiring process is definitely an art in its own … it’s very hard to find people who believe in a project as much as you do. I think you can only find those people by trial and error, really.”

Fortunately, the trials weren’t for naught, as Imani found her executive producer in her biggest supporter. “My mom saw how much work I was doing and how important it was today so she decided to come in and help me bring it to fruition. It was a long journey but together we made it happen.” 

 Imani Robinson (left) and her mother, Noni Robinson (right).

The intergenerational aspects of the show don’t end there; though 3 Blind Mice centers on millennial characters, the style and voice of the show is very much inspired by ‘90s sitcoms like “Living Single,” “A Different World” and “Moesha.” It seeks to represent a wide range of experiences amongst black women as they traverse coming of age into adulthood. “Many different generations and different races will all be able to relate to this project in some way because it surrounds the concept of identity and sense of belonging, or lack thereof. There’s a ‘90s nostalgia twist to it which feels really comforting.”

Imani also based the show on her own sense of community growing up, which is why she set out on her own homecoming to Baltimore, Maryland to shoot the series. “My mom and [dad] had me when they were attending Lincoln University, and I grew up seeing my mothers relationships with her two best friends … at the time I was really longing for [genuine] black female relationships. I wasn’t having that, so I wrote what I wanted … I also wished I went to an HBCU many times. But also the mere fact that I love “Living Single” and “A Different World” and the fact that people tuned into those shows every week and you didn’t need [violence], sex, or drugs to have an impactful black story. I feel like we kind of lost that in today’s programming so I wanted to bring that back, [while also creating] a character that I could play myself because at the end of the day I wanted to write [roles] that I could act in instead of waiting for someone to cast me.”

Cast of 3 Blind Mice.

In this way, Imani is one of many creators working to open their own doors in the industry by creating space for underrepresented stories — not just for herself — but for the next generation of up-coming-filmmakers. Through Faith and Purpose Productions, Imani provides theater education to children and young adults as a vendor of the New York Department of Education, and is also providing script consulting services. While 3 Blind Mice rounds the festival circuit and awaits being picked up, Imani has continued writing and recently finished her first feature film script. 

While Imani writes coming of age stories, she has more than found her footing with her passions, intertwining the arts of writing, producing and acting to create work that is emblematic of her values and dreams for herself in the film industry. “[In the near future], I definitely see myself being called,” she laughs. “Whether [someone] wants me to be performing in their project or they want me to help produce a project. I see myself being respected in the film industry and having a large and positive name for myself.”You can keep up with Imani’s work on Instagram @imaniniarobinson and @3blindmice_television, and at the official website of Faith & Purpose Productions for any of your production needs.