Emory professor moves from classroom to HBO set
Erica Dunbar has worked on The Gilded Age since its first season and will teach a related course this spring.
By Olivia Reed ·
An Emory University historian is helping shape the stories HBO tells about 1880s New York as The Gilded Age prepares for its Season 4 premiere.
Erica Dunbar, chair of Emory's African American Studies Department, joined the series as a historical consultant at the start and worked on storylines set in the period. She contributed to expanding the roles of African American characters on the show. Dunbar was among the first Black creatives to serve as a producer on the series, and by the time Season 1 aired she had been promoted to co-executive producer.
Dunbar said the series reaches an audience far larger than a classroom typically does. The Gilded Age is made to entertain rather than teach, she said, but she hopes viewers finish an episode "maybe a bit smarter." Her television work has also fed back into her teaching. She said she wants her students to benefit from what she has learned about reaching audiences through television writing and production.
This spring semester, Dunbar will lead "Lights, Camera, Action: Black Life and Culture in HBO's The Gilded Age" at Emory.
The Gilded Age Season 4 premiere is approaching.
Source: FOX 5 Atlanta
