Intimacy coordinator Brooke Haney releases a new book The Intimacy Coordinator’s Guidebook: Specialties for Stage and Screen.
Brooke Haney is an intimacy coordinator who specializes in authentic representations of queer stories. They are one of the first intimacy professionals to be recognized by SAG/AFTRA, and now they are sharing their expertise on the art of intimacy coordination in their new book.
The Intimacy Coordinator’s Guidebook: Specialties for Stage and Screen covers the challenging and essential topic of how to approach intimacy in media. Haney hones in on cultural competency, communication, and choreography in their new book as a means to ensure comfortability while still creating a moving intimate scene.
The book goes in-depth on a variety of topics surrounding intimacy coordination. Haney’s experience has allowed them to explain how to ethically approach intimate scenes featuring minors, legality, stories of trauma, and intimacy within minority spaces, such as working with overweight actors, Black Americans, and queer intimacy.
Along with discussing how to approach intimacy coordination, the new work shares stories of other intimacy coordinators and Hollywood insider experiences, including a discussion with Olivia Luccardi, a producer and actor on the first show to have an intimacy coordinator. Conversations with those with firsthand experience allow for nuanced discussion regarding how to best approach these scenes to make them feel authentic. This deep dive into specialties within the practice can largely benefit the acting industry. Actors, media crew, and viewers all benefit from the work of intimacy coordinators. The Intimacy Coordinator’s Guidebook: Specialties for Stage and Screen allows these practices to be more accessible.
Queer narratives are incredibly important for visibility and representation. However, queer media often falls short in producing intimate scenes that feel real. Queer intimacy in media can feel forced, run by the male gaze, or unnatural. Haney’s specialization in queer stories can meditate on this issue and create sex scenes that feel authentic and free of stereotypes.
