Issa Rae

In 2011, Issa Rae was writing, producing, and starring in The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, her own web series on YouTube inspired by her life. The series defied stereotypical portrayals of Black people on television, and fans loved it so much they contributed nearly $60,000 to help with production. The success and dedicated fandom caught the attention of HBO, and in 2016, Rae became the first Black woman to create and star in her own show with the premiere of Emmy-nominated Insecure. Rae has been on a mission to tell universal stories with Black casts ever since, signing on as an executive producer for HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show while running Color Creative, a production company dedicated to developing and showcasing the work of minority writers. In 2020, she starred as the lead actress in two movies, The Photograph and The Lovebirds. For her next step in “rooting for everybody Black,” Rae will in the middle of producing Seen & Heard, a two-part documentary about the history and stories behind Black television.