Hailing from Chicago’s South Side, writer, producer, and actor Lena Waithe is currently at the helm of Showtime’s new drama series THE CHI and was named one of The Hollywood Reporters’2015 “Ten TV Breakout Stars.”Lena penned THE CHI for Fox 21 Television Studios with Kapital Entertainment and Common producing. The pilot will star Jason Mitchell and Jacob Latimore with Rick Famuyiwa (DOPE) directing. Lena also has TWENTIES, a half-hour comedic pilot in vein of INSECURE and ATLANTA. Lena wrapped shooting on Steven Spielberg’s READY PLAYER ONE and is a series regular on Netflix’s MASTER OF NONE. She has also appeared in TRANSPARENT and THE COMEBACK.

Lena is a producer on STEP SISTERS at Broad Green with Charles Stone III directing.

Name done of Variety’s 2014 “Top 10 Comics to Watch,” Waithe also produced the Sundance darling Dear White People.