Janine Nabers: 5 Things To Know About The HBIC Of 'Swarm'

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Janine Nabers is a Black woman you want to know. Nabers has production credits for Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce, HBO’s Watchmen and Atlanta. And she’s proving herself to be an accomplished showrunner of the likes of Shonda Rhimes and Issa Rae. The rising talent has so much more on her horizon. Currently, it’s Swarm, the latest Black series to snatch our wigs.

Swarm has taken over social media conversations for its on-the-nose critique of the perils of “standom.” For its protagonist, portrayed by rising star Dominique Fishback, an obsession with a famous singer can lead to dark paths. Donald Glover, co-creator of Swarm, first collaborated with Nabers on an episode for season three of his hit show Atlanta. Now, they are merging their talents again to create this fictionalized portrait of a growing concern for the younger generation’s unregulated idolization. Now that all seven episodes of Swarm are available to stream on Amazon Prime, here are five things you should know about its incredible Black woman creator

1) H-Town Native

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Nabers was born in Houston, Texas, just like the not-so-alleged inspiration for her latest show’s idol. Her H-town upbringing is a recurring theme in her writing. Swarm’s protagonist, Dre, is from the southern city as well. It’s no coincidence that Nabers, Dre and the fictionalized artist Ni’jah all hail from the area. Her previous work, including acclaimed play Annie Bosh is Missing, focuses on a recovering addict trying to make sense of herself and her surroundings in a post-Katrina Houston.

2) Signed The Dotted Line With Amazon Studios

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It was unveiled by The Hollywood Reporter in June 2021 that Nabers signed an overall deal to produce original content for Amazon Studios, with the content to be released under the Prime streaming service. On the news of this historical partnership, Nabers stated, “As a playwright and TV writer, I’m committed to writing original and subversive character-driven stories. I’m very excited for the road ahead.”

3) Swarmed With Acclaim For Playwriting

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From the MacDowell Colony Fellowship to Sundance Theatre Labs, Nabers’ groundbreaking work has been acclaimed by her peers for its deep character study and complex narratives. Her play, Serial Black Face, detailing a Black family’s journey of grief and trauma during the Atlanta Child Murders in the late ’70s, won the coveted Yale Series Drama prize in 2014. Did we mention she’s a graduate of the playwriting fellowship at Julliard, too?  She’s even written a musical!

4) A Girl(friend)’s Girl 

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Before becoming a pivotal voice on the final two seasons of Atlanta, Nabers dipped her toe into television with Bravo’s first scripted series, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce. Her contributions towards the five-season long series including story editing, writing and production credits throughout its entire run. Her success led her to her producer role on Watchmen, for which she won a Writer’s Guild of America Award for Best New Series.

5) Married Fellow Writer In A Covid-Conscious Brooklyn Wedding 

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Her union to Person of Interest writer Etan Marciano was covered by Brides magazine, which detailed their switch from a posh Palm Springs ceremony to an intimate and socially distanced Brooklyn affair. Their revised 2020 nuptials included cultural elements from their distinct Jewish and Black backgrounds, such as breaking glass and jumping the broom. Now, living in Los Angeles, the couple is thriving in their marriage as well as their similar careers. MN says “Mazel Tov” to that!

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