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Issa Rae is opening up about a pivotal moment in her career that nearly drained her savings. In her new essay collection, “I Should Be Smarter Now,” the 40-year-old “Insecure” creator reflects on how her impulsivity has influenced her career in Hollywood. “My impulsivity, the character trait I’ve benefited from and paid dearly for, is both a gift and a curse,” Rae wrote, according to Us Weekly. “The gift is that I can be fearless in the pursuit of anything I want to achieve…The curse is, of course, that I don’t properly think through the consequences of my actions,” Rae continued. Rae pointed to 2014 as one of the toughest periods, when she and producing partner Deniese Davis tried to launch three TV pilots at once, per Us Weekly. Despite having an early interest, they didn’t secure investors before moving forward. “I was so excited about our undeniable idea and confident that we eventually would [find investors], so we proceeded anyway,” Rae shared with Us Weekly. “We found some...
Issa Rae, the Emmy-nominated actress and producer behind the HBO hit “Insecure,” is once again proving that her impact goes far beyond the screen by partnering with a private equity firm to grow her business footprint. Rae’s company, ColorCreative, has entered into a significant strategic partnership with HarbourView Equity Partners, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR). Rae was set to announce the deal during the Cannes Lions Festival on Tuesday, the outlet reported. While the terms of the deal have not been made public, the partnership is expected to help ColorCreative grow its talent representation and production capabilities. It will also support the creation and ownership of original content, pushing the company into its next phase of global storytelling. “We built ColorCreative to be a home for visionary talent and distinct, multifaceted stories,” Rae told the Hollywood Reporter. “Partnering with HarbourView allows us to dream even bigger, while staying true to our...
Issa Rae doesn’t just produce hit shows — she creates cultural experiences, too. The entertainment mogul and serial entrepreneur has expanded her hospitality footprint with the recent launch of Downtown Dough, a funk-inspired pizzeria and cocktail bar in downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported early May 2025. According to the publication, Downtown Dough is the latest collaboration between Rae and her partners, Yonnie Hagos and Ajay Relan, under their growing hospitality group, Good Vibes Only ( GVO) . By day, the 6,000-square-foot space continues as Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen, a beloved community hub Rae helped scale across Los Angeles . By night, it transforms into Downtown Dough, which its website states is a “vibrant dining experience that is inspired by the free and forward era of the ’70s.” As far as the menu, expect wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pizzas with garlic oil-brushed crusts, and toppings such as truffled cream fondue, Fresno chiles, and Manila clams. Beyond...
Issa Rae refers to Sienna Naturals’ expansion with Sephora as a “dream come true.” Rae co-founded the award-winning hair care brand Sienna Naturals, which was first envisioned by Hannah Diop in 2012. Diop, reflecting on her own challenges in finding hair products that met her needs, recalls how clarifying shampoos fell short in restoring her hair’s health during her time on the swim team. This firsthand experience played a pivotal role in shaping Sienna Naturals, a brand founded on a proprietary clean chemistry approach that prioritizes scalp health , according t o the brand’s website. The haircare line is powered by hydrating, abiotic, pH-balanced ingredients (H.A.P.I.). “The first impression I want people to have when they use Sienna Naturals is how beautiful their hair is. So that wet-feel design is very intentional,” Diop told AFROTECH™. Photo Credit: Sienna Naturals When Rae discovered Sienna Naturals, she was in the process of learning how to best care for her natural hair...
Issa Rae proudly represents her home state as a powerhouse actress, producer, and entrepreneur. The Los Angeles, CA, native, well known for her rise from “ Awkward Black Girl” to “Insecure” continues to stretch herself in new ways. “ One of Them Days,” featuring SZA and Keke Palme r, made its way to the big screen in 2025, marking Rae’s first feature film released under her production company, Hoorae. According to Variety and Collider, the film made $22.2 million after its first two weekends, including the extended Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Issa Rae (@issarae) Just a few months earlier, Rae made a new dent in the hospitality space, opening Somerville in South Los Angeles, a restaurant offering a “progressive American dining experience.” This marked her second food and drinks venture, as she had expanded Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen to the city in 2023, per Forbes. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Issa Rae (@issarae) Rae has...
Issa Rae transformed her online presence from an “awkward Black girl” to a media mogul with several hit series. Now, she’s channeling her success into empowering the next generation of creators, helping them forge their own paths in the industry. As shared in a press release, the award-winning actress, writer, and producer’s management firm, ColorCreative, which promotes women and minority talent, has partnered with Tubi to launch Stubios. The program will help five creative teams develop debut projects that will premiere on the streaming platform. ColorCreative will provide mentorship, while Tubi will fund the productions, according to TubeFilter. “I am deeply passionate about creating pathways to sustainable careers into Hollywood for creatives of diverse backgrounds,” Issa Rae previously said in a statement. “We at ColorCreative are thrilled to see Tubi taking this important and bold step, and we’re excited to support and guide Stubios creatives on their first long-form...
Issa Rae has expanded her business empire with yet another venture that caters to creatives. Business Insider reports that the media mogul has launched Ensemble, a company that works to connect brands with Black and brown creators. Moreover, the ultimate mission is to be a part of closing the creator pay gap between creators of color and their white counterparts. Funded by Rae, the company is already working with 50 creators such as comedian Mark Phillips, who is co-founder of the popular social media collective RDCWorld. What’s more, several major brands have joined Ensemble’s roster, such as Pepsi, Chili’s, and Popeyes. “We want Ensemble to be seen as a general market company,” said Montrel McKay, president of development and production at Hoorae Media , Rae’s media and entertainment company. “We want to go after media budgets. We don’t want to go after small allocations that are for diversity buys. That’s why it’s important to work with Pepsi out of the gate — we want to show the...
There is a saying regarding the fine arts that suggests art often imitates life. And if anyone ever took this phrase seriously, it is our favorite self-proclaimed awkward Black girl, Issa Rae. As the creator of the YouTube series “The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl” and the cult-classic “Insecure,” Rae has been given the world a loosely based look into her life. Her characters are relatable and accurately depict the cohort of millennials she represents. What’s more, they bring the very much-needed comedic relief necessary for surviving adulthood. With an array of awards and honors under her belt, it is safe to say that Issa Rae is that girl! But before the fame and the large platform, one of the most relatable qualities about Rae was that she worked hard and got it out the mud like many future, current, and aspiring creatives. So much so that when she once lived in Harlem, New York, she went six months without paying rent and was in for the surprise of her life when the...
Ghetto Film School (GFS) — the award-winning nonprofit created to help future storytellers by educating, uplifting, and supporting their development — is backed by some of Hollywood’s best including Issa Rae and Yara Shahidi. Now, it plans to amplify its efforts further as Montea Robinson has become the first Black woman CEO. “Whether you know how to write a script or point a camera, we’re going to put a camera in your hands and get you to shoot something with it,” she said in an exclusive interview with Variety. “You’re writing, shooting, directing all of the work…We see filmmaking as a craft that we want to teach our students, but also as a secondary education that helps them understand the agency they have over their own story.” Robinson will be responsible for increasing GFS’s reach and influence while focusing on developing and creating career opportunities for participants. In addition, Robinson plans to make GFS programs more accessible to students while strengthening...
Now more than ever, creatives need resources to help propel themselves to the next level. To do that, Steve Stoute’s UnitedMasters headed to Brooklyn, NY on May 5, 2022, to build a better future for creators at the fourth annual SelectCon. Programming throughout the afternoon included DJ Drama, Coodie, Hit-Boy, and Jim Jones to help emerging artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs prepare for the future. There was even a fireside chat with Stoute and Issa Rae that was fitting for a grand finale in the evening. Before a DJ line-up featuring DJ Drama, Angel + Dren, and more invaded, though, Issa Rae talked the music industry, what’s next, and more. Check it out below.
Patreon has created a new program to help underserved creatives get themselves and their ideas funded. The creator-focused membership platform has announced Pull Up — an incubator to help creators of color not only gain access to capital but also resources and community to grow sustainable and profitable businesses — according to a press release. Anyone who identifies as a creator/ creative of color is able to join the community. Pull Up is supported by and builds on experiences of some of the biggest creators of color driving culture today including Issa Rae’s HOORAE, Amanda Seales’ Smart Funny & Black, Durand Bernarr, Jade Novah, Nicole Cardoza, Tim Chantarungsu, Blair Imani and Tina Yu, and more. “We are excited to be a part of Pull Up, powered by Patreon’s Creator Success team, who continue to be a champion for HOORAE on and off the platform,” said Issa Rae, creative partner for Pull Up powered by Patreon, according to the press release. “We share a core set of values in...
Following her being a temporary Airbnb host through Valentine’s Day weekend, according to our sister site Travel Noire, Issa Rae has joined the company for a new initiative to support South LA. According to a press release, the Inglewood native has partnered with Airbnb, along with Nasdaq, to announce a $100,000 donation to LeadersUp, a nonprofit organization that works to help create an inclusive, antiracist economy — per its website. The press release shares that the new donation will go toward creating an impact fund for South LA residents to be provided access to educational, mental health and wellness, and technological resources. The collaborative effort to support underrepresented communities is also financially assisting LA-based organizations Central Neighborhood Health Foundation and Brotherhood Crusade.
