Anyone who has worked on Star Wars over the last decade or so has worked to some degree with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. Many more will likely do so in the near to distant future. As a staple in the company's operations, her involvement on various projects is widespread. Thankfully, creators such as Steven Knight don't mind.
Knight was formerly working to co-write the upcoming New Jedi Order Star Wars film, which means he's coordinated with a lot of different people at once to get the final story of the project just right. Though he has since moved on, there don't seem to be any hard feelings in either direction. When asked in a recent interview what it was like working with Lucasfilm and Kennedy, he had nothing but good things to say in response.
"It was such a great experience," he said. "And I’m not just saying this. They were great people. Kathleen Kennedy is a pleasure to work with."
Kennedy recently had to officially debunk rumors that she would soon be retiring from her role at Lucasfilm thanks to rampant internet rumors. But Knight's positive experience working with the legendary film producer really goes to show that Kennedy remaining right where she's at is exactly what the franchise needs.
She is, to date, an eight-time Academy Award-nominated film producer, and has worked in the industry for decades with mounds of successes to show for it. Kennedy is associated with projects like E.T. and Jurassic Park, just to name a few of many movies that largely exist due to her involvement. It is likely the dream of many actors, writers, directors, and others to get to both work with her and be able to say they did as a little shameless humble brag.
It's nice to see successful creators in the industry acknowledging that Kennedy knows what she's doing, even those who have had to step away from projects she is working on for various reasons. She isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and Hollywood is a lot better off for it.