Tanya Saracho, creator and showrunner of the upcoming Starz drama “Vida,” has set a three-year overall deal with the Lionsgate-owned pay cabler.

“Tanya Saracho’s unique voice brings a fresh and real perspective to Latinx programming,” said Carmi Zlotnik, Starz’s president of programming. “We’re thrilled to have an overall deal with this tenacious playwright-turned-TV writer/executive producer who doesn’t pull any punches when bringing these characters – who are not usually seen in mainstream media – to life.”

“Vida,” a half-hour series set to bow May 6, revolves around two very different Mexican-American sisters growing up in East Los Angeles. A native of Mexico, Saracho grew up along the Texas border and then moved to Chicago as a young adult. She gained notice as a playwright in Chicago, and has since produced plays in New York, Denver and via the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, among other venues. She founded the Teatro Luna theater company and is a co-founder of Alliance of Latino Theater Artists. At present she is developing legit projects with Southern California’s South Coast Repertory and New Jersey’s Two River Theatre.

“I was a playwright who was still learning the ropes when Starz took a chance on me to create and showrun ‘Vida,’ ” said Saracho. “They nurtured and supported me during every step of the strenuous process and that is a debt that cannot be repaid. They now open their doors and offer me a home – a fertile ground to grow and amplify my voice as I continue my mission of bringing Latinx and Queer characters to the screen and I am steeped in gratitude.”

Prior to creating “Vida,” Saracho worked as a writer and producer on such series as HBO’s “Girls” and “Looking,” ABC’s “How to Get Away With Murder,” and Lifetime’s “Devious Maids.” She’s repped by UTA and Mark Orsini at Bret Adams, Ltd.