Screen Actors Guild Foundation and Backstage have partnered for a filmed Conversations series in celebration of this year’s Emmy nominees. Please join us on August 11th with Keegan-Michael Key, Emmy Nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy for his performance in Key and Peele. We'll be screening an episode followed by a Q&A.
Moderated by Mark Peikert, Editor-in-Chief, Backstage.
SYNOPSIS
The hit five-time Emmy-nominated sketch series and Peabody winner Key & Peele, returns on July 8 at 10:00 p.m. for the fifth season. The show features Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, who are best known for their impressive ability for improv, celebrity impressions and conjuring up original characters including “Obama and Luther,” "The Valet Guys," "Meegan and Andre," "Wendell and Carlos," "Mr. Garvey, the Substitute Teacher,"and the players from the annual "East/West College Bowl." The series has become a true multiplatform phenomenon and boasts over a billion streams across multiple digital platforms.
The show utilizes filmed sketches to examine life in a provocative and irreverent way, from two men used to being on the outside looking in. Whether it’s satirizing the President, spoofing musical acts, or taking on religion, Key & Peele showcases their chemistry, camaraderie and unique point of view, born from their shared background and experiences growing up biracial in a not quite post-racial world.
PANELIST BIO
Keegan-Michael Key - Actor/Writer/Creator
As an actor, writer, and creator, Keegan-Michael Key has become one of the most creative and in-demand faces in Hollywood with his extraordinarily diverse skill set and wide-ranging talent in both comedy and drama, Key redefines what it means to be a chameleon and multi-hyphenate in the worlds of film, television, and theater.
Key is the co-creator and co-star of Comedy Central’s Key & Peele with Jordan Peele. For his work on the show, Key was nominated for five 2015 Emmy Awards including “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy” and “Outstanding Variety Sketch Series.” The show won a 2014 Peabody Award and an American Comedy Award for “Best Alternative Comedy Series.” The show has become a TV and viral sensation, with four Emmy nominations and over 700 million online hits. The series’ fifth season will premiere on July 8th, 2015.
On film, Key, along with Jordan Peele, is currently developing Substitute Teacher for Paramount. The film is based on the hugely popular Key and Peele sketch of the same name, which has over 77 million YouTube views. The duo are also working on New Line’s Keanu and Police Academy in which they will produce and star. He was most recently seen in Pitch Perfect 2 alongside Anna Kendrick, Horrible Bosses 2 and Let’s Be Cops.
He will next be seen in Warner Brothers and New Line’s Vacation reboot opening on July 29. He will also voice roles in Columbia and Sony’s Hotel Transylvania 2 opening September 25, Columbia’s Angry Birds on May 20, 2016, and The Wild Bunch.
On television, Key has recurred on the Emmy-winning FX series Fargo, USA’s Playing House, Adult Swim’s Children’s Hospital, and NBC’s Parks & Rec. He was also a series regular on FOX’s MADtv for six seasons and CBS’s Gary Unmarried.
Key was named among TIME magazine’s “Most Influential People of 2014” and ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’s “Entertainers of the Year of 2012.”
Key’s additional film credits include: Wanderlust, Just Go With It, Role Models, Hell Baby, Afternoon Delight, and Due Date. Additional TV credits include: The League, The Middle, How I Met Your Mother, Bob’s Burgers, Reno 911! and ER.
Key is a veteran of Detroit and Chicago’s The Second City Theater. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Theater from Pennsylvania State University. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife.
