As reported by the Hollywood Reporter, Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions has hired Kamil Oshundara as a “cultural executive,” a move rarely seen in the movie industry. Oshundara’s responsibilities include academic and cultural research to be woven into character development and storylines. Her work will also include what Hollywood Reporter terms “deep diving” into genre material in order to create work that better represents historically marginalized cultures in Monkeypaw’s films.

In addition, Oshundara is overseeing Monkeypaw’s Wendell and Wild, their stop-motion animation feature which is being developed for Netflix and directed by Henry Selick. The two title characters will be voiced by Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael-Key.

Jordan Peele explains, “Kamil’s dedication to rigorous cultural research is tremendous, and her focus of creating artistic platforms for underrepresented voices is both inspiring and exactly the spirit in which Monkeypaw was founded on.”

Oshundara is already slated to appear at Comic Con, representing Monkeypaw Productions and sitting on a panel discussing the political landscape of Black Panther, and she will also be conducting interviews and hosting a roundtable discussion with Black punk women at Afropunk Brooklyn.

The Philadelphia born Oshundara is a scholar, queer community organizer, author, activist, and artist who curates inclusive art based events in Los Angeles. She holds a joint degree from UCLA in African-American studies and world arts and cultures. At UCLA, she did research on art for revolution by the women of the Black Panther Party and also Black speculative arts with a focus on Black horror and the mobilization of fear, fantasy, and futurism in that genre, exploring the material realities of oppression and resistance for Black women.