LOS ANGELES — For Tommy and Codie Elaine Oliver, “Black Love” is more than just the name of their company. It’s a mission. They’re using their platform to bring authentic portrayals of Black love and family dynamics back to screens — filling what they saw as a major gap in representation.

“We know that there are lots of amazing, loving couples and families, and we just didn’t see enough of it,” Tommy said. “So we very much believe in creating the world that we want to see and that we want our kids to see.”

The Olivers started with the docuseries “Black Love,” which captured couples talking candidly about the joys, challenges and unique realities of love in the Black community. But the work didn’t stop there. Since the series launched, they’ve branched out into podcasts, articles, and live events like the Black Love Summit — all with the aim of celebrating Black love.

“When we launched the Black Love docu-series, there was definitely something left to be desired as far as how Black people were represented,” Codie Elaine said. “When you would Google Black love 10 years ago, you would see, like, gyrating images of brown bodies. Like, it was crazy. In addition to the representation in reality shows, it was just often very negative.”

Their observations were spot-on. According to new Nielsen data, Black audiences still feel misrepresented on screen, even as the presence of Black talent grows. It’s a disconnect the Olivers are tackling head-on staging their seventh annual Black Love Summit.

“Seeing them in the flesh, seeing people talk about these things that are meaningful and they matter for our lives, for our relationships, it’s part of how we continue to showcase it intentionally,” Tommy said.

At the Black Love Summit, Cassandra Freeman, who plays Aunt Viv in “Bel-Air,” led other actors from the show in conversation about Black love on- and off-screen. She agrees there’s a lot to be done to get back to a time when Black family shows offered rich portrayals. She remembers a golden era in the ’90s when Black love and family dynamics were a regular part of TV life.

“We were lucky enough to grow up in the ’90s, but we had some really great shows,” Freeman said. “Like Moesha — her parents were still together. Of course, 'The Cosby Show,' 'Family Matters.' There was 'Good Times' even before them. And we had, like, actual great relationships on TV.”

Today, Black talent has a higher share of screen than other historically excluded populations. However, despite the gains, audiences still say they want more genuine portrayals of Black relationships and families.

“I just think, in general, people need to say, like, all the types of romantic love and actually the type of love that exists between, you know, men,” Freeman said. “We’re still, like, on the precipice of all the great storytelling that can still be done today.”

And if it’s up to the Olivers, those stories will get told.

“We work very hard to showcase the breadth of who we are and our love,” Codie Elaine said. “And that doesn’t even mean that love is so different from other people. It just means the representation is lacking. And so we do the work, as they say, to make sure that representation exists.”