Hollywood Power Couples: Part 2

Creative Power Couples

It seems like the actors and actresses on the screen are the ones who get the most shine, but in reality, power couples like the Bythewoods are responsible for various films and TV shows in Hollywood.

Reggie Rock Bythewood and Gina Prince Bythewood have been writers in Hollywood for over 20 years and have managed to write for TV shows and movies such as South Central, A Different World, Shots Fired, Love & Basketball, Disappearing Acts, The Secret Life of Bees, and Beyond the Lights. Not only are the Bythewoods working writers in Hollywood, they are also skilled cinematographers, directors, and producers as well.

The Beginning: Reggie Rock Bythewood

Reggie Rock Bythewood actually started his path in the entertainment world as an aspiring actor. He soon became enamored with writing and began to pursue his craft full time. Bythewood's goal with his writing was to entertain while also spreading consciousness to the public.

Not only did Bythewood actively pursue a writing career, he also wore many hats as a writer/producer for the drama series, New York Undercover. Bythewood also had the opportunity to work with a legendary director, Spike Lee, on the film titled Get On The Bus.

The Beginning: Gina-Prince Bythewood

Gina Prince Bythewood always had a love for telling stories. For five years, she worked as a staff writer on classic 90s TV shows such as A Different World (along with her husband), and South Central. In the year 2000, Gina Prince Bythewood wrote her first feature film Love & Basketball, which depicts two high school sweethearts who share a deep love and commitment for the sport.

She went on to write other dramatic films such as Disappearing Acts, The Secret Life of Bees, and Beyond the Lights. All three of these films had a predominantly African American cast and touched on sensitive topics such as family secrets, the cost of fame and fortune, and day to day struggles in relationships.

The Bythewoods

It all began on the set of the classic TV series, A Different World. Reggie Rock Bythewood landed his first staffing job as a TV writer for the series and ended up meeting his future wife and fellow writer, Gina-Prince Bythewood.

The aspiring writers clicked instantly and discovered how much they had in common on and off the set. It wasn't long before they began bouncing story ideas off one another, and thus their creative process was born.

Family Life + Career

Like many people in society, it can be a challenge to effectively manage the daily responsibilities of family life and the constant demands of a career. The Bythewoods are no different.

Reggie and Gina have managed to include their two sons as part of their creative process as well. They invite their sons to the set frequently after school and allow them to watch their creative projects come to life on screen.

Tough Love

One might think that couples under the Hollywood microscope would have a difficult time working together, but the Bythewoods have definitely made it work. Gina Prince-Bythewood explained that they both want to ensure one another's success by making sure none of their projects are sent out into the world before they are ready.

In the early stages of their relationship, the Bythewoods started out critiquing one another's work and overtime that became their natural process. The Bythewoods both have a mutual understanding that they have a mission that is bigger than themselves, which is to impact the entertainment industry in a positive and intellectually honest light.

In order to protect one another from unnecessary rejection, they are one another's toughest critics when it comes to story structure, dialogue, plot, story world, and concept. After all, if you can't be honest with your spouse, who can you be honest with?