Power Book II: Ghost co-stars, Michael Rainey Jr. and Gianni Paolo, are teaming up in real life. The two actors that play the roles of Tariq St. Patrick and Brayden Weston, respectively, in the Starz crime drama have created the production banner Twenty Two Entertainment. The new partnership will be a hub for television, film, podcast, and digital productions.
Rainey Jr. and Paolo have produced their first project called The Crew Has It, a podcast based on the behind-the-scenes of the Starz series that will launch this spring across audio-visual streaming platforms.
Kenan Thompson, known for his longtime residency on Saturday Night Live, along with John Ryan Jr., are funding the venture through the full-service artists incubator Artists for Artists (AFA). AFA, which contains a commerce division and bespoke management representation, serves to provide artists with an opportunity to co-own their business instead of simply licensing their brands.
“We are excited to partner with John and Kenan at AFA,” Rainey Jr. and Paolo said in a statement. “They are big supporters of artists, and they allow artists to have control and ownership of their work, which is important in this new multimedia wave of the industry.”
“Any artists looking to build a company, come see us,” Thompson said. “John and I are excited to develop companies with talent that are owned and operated by the talent. We’ve all been part of projects we as artists wish we owned a bigger piece of, so we knew it was time to start a company that reflected that.”
