Made in New York: ‘Survival of the Thickest’ Celebrates Three Seasons of Empowering Women and People of Color

Survival of the Thickest has always been about what happens when you stop shrinking yourself to fit in. The farewell season brought that same energy behind the camera.

Inspired by star, co-creator, writer, director and executive producer Michelle Buteau’s acclaimed book of essays, the comedy series centers on Mavis Beaumont. Black, plus-size, and looking for love, while loving herself, Mavis works hard to grow her brand and establish herself as a stylist of note. She’s determined to not only survive but thrive with the support of her chosen family, a body-positive attitude, and a cute v-neck with some lip gloss.

In its third and final season, the show’s executive producers were all women, and four out of five were women of color. The writer’s room was entirely people of color. All eight episodes were directed by women of color (not to mention two were first-time directors, including Buteau herself).

Across department heads, over 70% were women and roughly 50% were people of color. Overall, the comedy employed over 525 cast and crew, as well as 2,900 extras and daily hires. Across the show’s entire crew, over 50% were women and roughly 45% were people of color.

“I hope this show leaves a legacy of diversity and inclusion. It’s so important because if you don’t see someone like you do something, then how do you know you can actually do it?” Buteau said. “To create a truly diverse dynamic environment lets everybody just win. And we’re setting everybody up for success, and we know it’s rare and we know it shouldn’t be.”

Survival of the Thickest also helped train the next generation of above and below-the-line talent. Five Next Up IATSE Training (NUIT) program participants worked on Season 3 across camera, grip, electric, sound and video. Throughout its three-season run, Survival of the Thickest brought in participants from the PA Placement program, Studio Mechanics Bootcamp Training, the IATSE Camera Loader Training, the IATSE Hairstylist Training and Jax Jobs. One NUIT graduate, Susan Therancy, was even hired full-time as a payroll accountant.

“This program gave me an opportunity to put my skills to the test, gain hands-on experience, and build lifelong friendships,” said Tiffany Moore, a NUIT participant in the camera department. “Survival of the Thickest Season 3 will always be special to me because it marked the beginning of the career I’ve worked hard to build.”

Most recently, series showrunner and director Amy Aniobi hosted a career talk on June 11 for emerging filmmakers in the NewFest New Voices program. Supported by Netflix and based in New York (just like Survival of the Thickest), this ongoing initiative supports emerging directors with funding to create new work that celebrates LGBTQ+ stories and perspectives – in addition to mentorship, networking and professional development opportunities.

Many of the crew members on the show, which filmed in New York City for more than 130 days across all three seasons, were also native New Yorkers, helping cement the show’s on-screen authenticity. “Everyone who works on this show is so talented,” said Aniobi. “Everyone is a storyteller and an artist, and getting to have them empowered by the vision that Michelle created — that is priceless.”

In addition to filming at several local Brooklyn favorites like Drink Lounge & Cafe, Franklin Park, Bushwick Ice House and Richard Beavers Gallery, production also traveled to several neighborhoods across New York City, including Bed Stuy, Bushwick, Crown Heights, Fort Greene and Williamsburg in Brooklyn, as well as Lower Manhattan, Midtown, the Upper East Side, Queens and Times Square.

Additionally, Survival of the Thickest worked with roughly 300 vendors per season, including Alias Costume Rentals, Cooper Classics, ISS Props and Henry’s International Cuisine.

Production also relied on local vendors to source cleantech used on set. All three seasons of Survival of the Thickest utilized a variety of clean technologies, low-carbon fuels, and sustainable practices on the set, including solar-powered trailers, electric batteries and vehicles, and electric grid tie-ins. These technologies and practices reduced the reliance on diesel generators, making production quieter and cleaner. In Season 3, overall generator fuel use was reduced by 45% compared to what it would have been without clean technologies.

Since making Netflix Studios Brooklyn our New York City home base in 2021, we’ve filmed numerous titles at the studio, including The Night Agent, The Watcher and Next in Fashion.

All three seasons of Survival of the Thickest are now streaming — only on Netflix.

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