Ilene Chaiken
Ilene Chaiken | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Television director, producer and screenwriter |
Years active | 1988–present |
Known for | The L Word |
Partner | LouAnne Brickhouse |
Children | 2 |
Ilene Chaiken (born June 30, 1957) is an American television producer, director, writer, and founder of Little Chicken Productions. Chaiken is best known as being a co-creator, writer and executive producer on the television series The L Word, and was recently an executive producer on Empire, The Handmaid's Tale, and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Early life and education
Chaiken was born in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania[1] to a Jewish family.[2] She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and graduated with an undergraduate degree in graphic design in 1979.[3]
Career
She began her career as an agent trainee for
Chaiken co-created
In 2007, she and a group of women in the entertainment and tech industries launched a social networking site called OurChart for lesbians and their friends.[4] OurChart was online until 2008, when it was shutdown.[6] At that time, a spin-off show of The L Word entitled The Farm was in development and two pilots were being written by Chaiken, although Showtime never bought the series.[7][8]
Chaiken produced a documentary for
Chaiken is credited with first developing the TV adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale, which became a successful Hulu original show. Chaiken left the project during development to become the show-runner on Fox's Empire, but was still credited as an executive producer.[11]
In January 2019, Showtime announced that it had ordered a full season of the sequel to The L Word.[12] The show aired December 8, 2019, titled The L Word: Generation Q, and picks up where the original series ended, set ten years later.[13]
More recently, her company, Little Chicken Productions, signed an overall deal with Universal Television.[14] In 2020, Chaiken co-created the show Law & Order: Organized Crime, a spin-off of the long-running series Law & Order.[15] The following year, she worked as a writer and showrunner for the series, but was replaced by Barry O'Brien part-way through production of the second season.[16][15]
Personal life
Chaiken has been married to LouAnne Brickhouse, a former executive at
Chaiken is co-parent to twin daughters Tallulah and Augusta with her former partner, English architect Miggi Hood.[18]
Filmography
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1988 | Satisfaction | Associate Producer |
1996 | Barb Wire | Screenwriter |
2000 | Dirty Pictures
|
Screenwriter |
2002 | Damaged Care | Screenwriter |
2014 | L Word Mississippi: Hate the Sin | Producer |
Television
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1991–1992 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Producer |
2004–2009 | The L Word | Co-creator, writer and producer |
2010–2012 | The Real L Word | Creator and producer |
2015–2020 | Empire | Executive Producer |
2017–present | The Handmaid's Tale | Executive producer |
2019–2023 | The L Word: Generation Q | Co-creator and executive producer |
2021–2022 | Law & Order: Organized Crime | Co-creator, writer and executive producer |
Awards
Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | Barb Wire | 17th Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Screenplay | Nominated |
2000 | Dirty Pictures | 58th Golden Globe Awards | Best Miniseries or Television Film | Won |
2008 | The L Word | 20th GLAAD Media Awards | Davidson/Valentini Award | Won |
2016 | Empire | 73rd Golden Globe Awards | Best Television Series- Drama | Nominated |
2017 | The Handmaid's Tale | 69th Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | Won |
2017 | The Handmaid's Tale | PGA Awards 2017
|
Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama | Won |
2017 | The Handmaid's Tale | Writers Guild of America Awards 2017
|
Drama Series | Won |
2017 | The Handmaid's Tale | Writers Guild of America Awards 2017 | New Series | Won |
2018 | The Handmaid's Tale | 70th Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated |
2018 | The Handmaid's Tale | PGA Awards 2018
|
Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama | Nominated |
2018 | The Handmaid's Tale | Writers Guild of America Awards 2018
|
Drama Series | Nominated |
See also
- List of female film and television directors
- List of lesbian filmmakers
- List of LGBT-related films directed by women
References
- ^ "Ilene Chaiken is a breakout star of 2004". EW.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ^ Jewish Journal: "The Jewish writer and actor who’s ‘the voice of black America’" by Curt Schleier September 11, 2015
- ^ "RISD XYZ Spring/Summer 2015". Issuu. June 2, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ^ a b "Biography of Ilene Chaiken for Appearances, Speaking Engagements". www.allamericanspeakers.com. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ a b "L Word Creator Ilene Chaiken on Her 'First Romance' and Coming Out: 'I Didn't Know How to Lie'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ^ "OurChart.com Pulls the Plug". www.advocate.com. November 22, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ^ Chen, Joyce (July 11, 2017). "'The L Word' Sequel in Works at Showtime". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ "Showtime Won't Buy "The Farm"". AfterEllen. April 3, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ a b Goldberg, Lesley (May 28, 2014). "Showtime Orders 'L Word' Documentary From Ilene Chaiken". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ "'Black Box' Canceled by ABC After One Season - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com". August 8, 2014. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ^ "'The L Word' creator Ilene Chaiken on what fans can expect from the reboot". NBC News. February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ^ Janes, DeAnna (August 23, 2019). "The L Word: Generation Q Is Coming This Fall! Watch the Trailer". The Oprah Magazine.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 10, 2020). "Ilene Chaiken Inks Overall Deal With Universal Television, Joins 'Law & Order: Organized Crime' As Showrunner". Deadline. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ a b Alter, Rebecca (February 28, 2022). "Law & Order: Organized Crime Replaces Showrunner Ilene Chaiken". Vulture. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ Caruso, Nick (February 26, 2022). "Law & Order: OC: Barry O'Brien to Replace Ilene Chaiken as Showrunner". TVLine. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ a b "From 'L Word' to 'Empire': Ilene Chaiken Has Changed Television Twice". September 21, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
- ^ Strohm, Deidre (January 22, 2004). "A Conversation With Ilene Chaiken". POWER UP. Archived from the original on November 5, 2007. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
External links
- Ilene Chaiken at IMDb