Punahou alum Susan Soon He Stanton recently won her second Primetime Emmy Award as a producer and writer on the HBO series "Succession."
The four-season show won Outstanding Drama Series for the second year in a row and the third time overall.
The 75th Primetime Emmys were planned for September but had to be postponed to January 2024 due to the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
The use of artificial intelligence in movies and television was a big issue for both unions.
"I think, for me and a number of other people, it was just trying to have protections against AI. And it felt like this was the one time where we could really push back against that," she said. "I'm glad to be on the other side of it. We're still sort of feeling the effects of it. It was a long one, but I'm glad we're through it."
"Succession" centers around the rich and powerful Roy family led by patriarch Logan Roy, the owner of the multibillion-dollar company Waystar-Royco. Throughout the series, audiences watched as the four Roy children vied with other family members and company executives for control of the company.
"For the writers of the show, I mean, none of us grew up anywhere close to any of that. But, you know, we all put sort of our family stories, our childhood memories, our relationships," Stanton said. "It's kind of a stew where we take real historical events and events from the news, but also things that have happened, kind of, in our own lives or to friends."
Stanton said she tried to bring the production to Hawaiʻi a couple of times, but it wasn't practical for the shooting schedule.
"In season four, I got the Roys to do karaoke, which was I feel like a real Hawaiʻi victory for me," she said.
Stanton said she's working on a new play with Maui director Mina Morita. She hopes to be at the helm of her own television series someday.
This story aired on The Conversation on Feb. 12, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
