Forbes Recognizes Baylor Alumna
Amira Lewally, BBA ’15, is a supervising producer for cable network A&E, which is owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. She works for A&E’s Indie Films Brands and has produced documentaries including The Secret Origins of Hip Hop and Biography: TLC.
In November, Lewally was named to the 2022 Forbes Hollywood and Entertainment 30 Under 30 list. It is a professional recognition of which she has dreamed for years. In 2013, she taped pictures of that year’s honorees on her wall as inspiration.
“It feels like reassurance that I’m doing what I’m meant to do, which is what we all want,” she said. “I happen to love what I’m meant to do.”
Already a business major, Lewally became interested in film and TV while at Baylor and added a film and digital media minor. She decided to pursue a Master of Fine Arts while taking a screenwriting class.
Lewally earned an MFA in writing and producing for television at Long Island University in New York. Thereafter, she decided to enter the production realm of the entertainment industry. She joined A&E in 2017 as a programming coordinator and was promoted to associate producer in two years. Lewally was promoted to supervising producer last year. Her current role allows her to work on a variety of projects and help people tell their stories.
“As a writer, I feel like you tell your own story. I get to tell a hundred people’s stories and fight for the stories to be told in different ways,” Lewally said.
Additionally, Lewally co-hosts The Table is Ours, an A&E podcast that highlights how Black people across industries have created their own “seat at the table.” The podcast debuted in February 2021. Lewally is involved in several diversity initiatives at A&E, and she is excited about the direction the industry is heading.
“Our whole industry is shifting to be more inclusive,” Lewally said. “I do a lot behind the scenes to make sure not only is our content inclusive on screen, but also behind the scenes because it matters who is telling the stories.”