Emory Professor's HBO Role Adds History to Period Drama
Erica Dunbar has worked on the series since its start and will teach a course on it this spring.
By Yasmin Nasser ·
Erica Dunbar, chair of Emory University's African American Studies Department, has worked on HBO's The Gilded Age since its first season. She joined as a historical consultant and was promoted to co-executive producer by the time season one aired.
Dunbar was among the first Black creatives to serve as a producer on the series. She has helped shape storylines set in 1880s New York and contributed to expanding the roles of African American characters.
Dunbar said the show reaches an unusually large audience for stories informed by history. The Gilded Age is made to entertain rather than teach, she said, and she hopes viewers finish an episode "maybe a bit smarter."
Her television work has also changed how she teaches. This spring semester, Dunbar will lead a course titled "Lights, Camera, Action: Black Life and Culture in HBO's The Gilded Age." She said she hopes students benefit from her experience working to capture an audience through television writing and production.
Season 4 of The Gilded Age is set to premiere.
