Emory Professor Serves as Co-Executive Producer on HBO's 'The Gilded Age'

Erica Dunbar, chair of Emory University's African American Studies Department, has served as a co-executive producer on HBO's The Gilded Age since its first season. The show's fourth season is set to premiere, and Dunbar has worked on the series since it began.

Dunbar joined the production first as a historical consultant, helping build storylines set in 1880s New York. She also contributed to expanding the roles of African American characters in the show. She was among the first Black creatives to serve as a producer on the series, and by the time the first season aired, she had been promoted to co-executive producer.

Dunbar said the series gives her a large audience for stories grounded in history. The Gilded Age is made to entertain rather than teach, though she said she hopes viewers finish an episode "maybe a bit smarter."

Her television work has also carried into her teaching at Emory. Dunbar said she hopes her students benefit from her experience reaching audiences through television writing and production. During this spring semester, she will lead a course called "Lights, Camera, Action: Black Life and Culture in HBO's The Gilded Age."