Chinaka Hodge on Running Her First Writers Room & Creating Marvel Magic | IN PROXIMITY: IRONHEART

From the Def Jam Poetry scene to the set of a major Marvel TV show, Oakland-raised writer, poet, rapper, actor, playwright, and screenwriter Chinaka Hodge knows how to tell an epic story. Her most recent project, the Marvel TV series IRONHEART, released to Disney+ in June. Starring Dominique Thorne, IRONHEART tells the story of “bad girl genius” Riri Williams on a mission to be the greatest inventor of her generation, which she says doesn't mean much without the resources to bring her ideas to life. Riri resorts to alternative means to get said resources, meeting a host of friends and foes, including an A.I. based on her best friend, N.A.T.A.L.I.E. (played by Lyric Ross), and Parker Robins, also known as “The Hood” (played by Anthony Ramos). To give us insights into pitching, writing, and running IRONHEART, Chinaka sits down with IN PROXIMITY host Paola Mardo and her longtime friend, Proximity Media founder and IRONHEART executive producer, Sev Ohanian. Learn more and read the transcript at ProximityMedia.com Shop our Prox Recs at Bookshop.org Watch/Listen to IN PROXIMITY on YouTube , Apple Podcasts , Spotify Follow Proximity Media on Instagram , TikTok , ProximityMedia.com ((3:25) Get Reel (5:31) Chinaka and Ironheart’s Origin Story (21:14) Writing Ironheart Was Personal (33:58) SUITS (40:17) Unmatched Energy On Set and Beyond (45:54) Into Chinaka’s Office (48:09) Sev and Chinaka in Film School (57:05) Chinaka as a Playwright (1:00:10) The Ironheart Writer’s Room (1:08:14) Prox Recs In Proximity is a production of Proximity Media Ironheart is a production of Proximity Media and Marvel Studios Executive Producers: Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Paola Mardo Host, Director, and Producer: Paola Mardo Editor, Sound Mixer, Sound Designer, and Mix Engineer: Ken Nana Director of Photography: Jonathan Chung Theme Song and Additional Music: Ludwig Göransson Production Assistant: Isabella Miller Design and Social Media: Alexandria Santana Production Intern: Jun Sawada Special Thanks: Patrick Epino, the Proximity Media team, and our listeners