Northwest Passages to welcome Mandi Price, producer of upcoming Amazon series ‘Daisy Jones & the Six,’ as panelist for celebration of young Black voices

The cast of Spokane native Mandi Price’s latest streaming show spent its time during the COVID-19 pandemic learning a completely different talent than acting.

“All of our actors, during the pandemic, became musicians,” said Price, a credited producer on the adaptation of “Daisy Jones & the Six,” an Amazon original series that debuts March 3.

Before that show launches, Price will be a panelist as part of the Northwest Passages book club’s Black Voices Symposium on Wednesday at the downtown Spokane Central Library . The event will feature the artistic work of Black high school students in Spokane, and Price will be joined by Spokesman-Review columnist Kiantha Duncan and author Stephaine Courtney.

Price said she was excited to support the storytelling of high school students through outlets that weren’t available when she was a student at Shadle Park High School in the mid-2000s.

“I’m excited to see artists and to read artists, their work and their stories,” Price said. “The expression of art, and personal views, is so important.”

The Shadle and Gonzaga University alumna has become a sought-after producer, with her previous project, “Archive 81,” becoming Netflix’s No. 1 show in January 2022. “Daisy Jones & the Six” continues her work with the Hello Sunshine production company, co-founded by actress Reese Witherspoon. Price was also a producer on the adaptation of “Little Fires Everywhere,” which starred Witherspoon and Kerry Washington in a Hulu series based on Celeste Ng’s novel.

“Daisy Jones & the Six” tells the story of a fictional 1970s band, with a cast featuring Riley Keough, Camila Morrone, Sam Claflin and Suki Waterhouse , that hits it big before a tumultuous breakup. It’s based on a New York Times best-selling novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid and is loosely based on the recording of the Fleetwood Mac album “Rumours.”

“It’s a sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll story,” Price said.

Like her last project, which topped Netflix’s charts but was not picked up for a second season, “Daisy Jones & the Six” comes with a built-in audience. In this case, it’s both the fans of Reid’s books, which have won multiple prizes for historical fiction, and also fans of the music in the series. “Regret Me,” a single recorded by the cast of the show , has been streamed more than 1 million times on iTunes.

“It’s all authentic music,” Price said.

Price said her next project will be an even more personal story, focusing on the life of Bass Reeves, the first Black U.S. marshal who worked west of the Mississippi River. The streaming series, created by Taylor Sheridan of “Yellowstone” fame, takes place in that universe and features British actor David Oyelowo as the lawman.

“They were very specific in, we want a Black post-producer to help us tell this story,” said Price, noting that it’s been suggested Reeves and his exploits were the inspiration behind the “Lone Ranger” character that dominated the airwaves in the early 20th century. “I was invited by them to join this team. We want to tell this story in the most authentic way possible.”

Price said she expects the series, which will air on Paramount+, would launch later in 2023.