COURTNEY A. KEMP

Great partnerships thrive because the people need each other.

When you pretend to be an authority on everything, it forces your subordinates to defer to your opinion - which may not be the most informed in the room. If you have humility concerning the gaps in your experience or ability, it allows others to shine.

You don't keep your job if you don't make a great show.

If I weren't a showrunner, I'd be a much more accomplished mother; if I were not a mother, I would be a much more accomplished showrunner. I have to be okay with getting a B in both.

50 Cent is a brilliant marketer.

I don't write scenes where one person is right and one person is wrong. It's very much by design that everyone has a point of view that you as an audience member can understand.

If you look at the back pages of 'New York Times Magazine,' and they talk about these 6.5-million-dollar condos with a great view, like you're going to pay for a great view. Well, the top floor of the projects have a great view, too.

I really do love male characters, in some ways, for the fact that they get surprised when they're vulnerable. Women are more surprised by their strength.

As a writer of fiction, you don't ever want to limit the characters you create to the life you've lived. That's insanity to me.

Around me, there's always music playing. It just calms me down; it soothes me. It helps me write. It helps me with my mood.

Being a showrunner is doing a bit of everything. It's not just writing. It's also management: managing actors, managing producers, managing a crew, being kind to people, being a good boss, observing deadlines.

People are realizing that there is a financial consequence to not opening doors. It doesn't mean that they are any more inclusive in their hearts - it means they're more inclusive in their wallets.

I am not going to say that only people of color can write people of color, because that means only white people can write white people, and that's not OK.

I love 'Archer.' That's one of the best-written shows out there.

I had to figure out that finding my place was not about race but about creativity, and connecting with other artists helped me find my voice.

I think television is about the characters you want to see again, and so you want to invite these people into your home. And certainly, seeing them get into bad situations and then watching them have to get themselves out, that's always super satisfying.

The show runner's the boss until the network shows up. And then they're the boss, because it's their money.

When I was pitching 'Power,' I had an executive say, 'Well, I already have a black show.' He said that right to my face.

There's hip-hop music in 'Power,' but the show is not about the hip-hop industry.

I am a black woman, and I'm proud of that, but as a showrunner, I want to think about what makes me unique beyond my race.

Every writer should be able to write anything if you do the research and you're sensitive enough to ask the questions.

I'm from an upper-middle class background. But because there was no one of my race where I grew up, I was very isolated. I felt different from everybody else.

My experience as a black woman in the industry is simply that often I was the only one in the room. Often I would be the only woman and the only person of color. Sometimes I would be one of several women but the only person of color. Sometimes I would be one of several people of color, but the only woman.

I don't want to be seen in a way where all I can do is what people expect of me.

It's ridiculous that we let broadcast and cable shows compete against each other at the Emmys. They are not the same animal.