Issa Rae Movies and TV Shows

Born Jo-Issa Rae Diop in Los Angeles, Issa Rae first made her mark with her YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl. The first season’s popularity led to a partnership with Pharrell Williams, who hosted the second season on his channel and expanded her audience. The show’s success grabbed the attention of Hollywood and led to the creation of her Golden Globe– and Primetime Emmy award–winning HBO series Insecure with cocreator Larry Wilmore. The show starred Issa, Yvonne Orji, and Jay Ellis, and the final season aired in 2021.

Issa has starred in films and television shows such as The Hate U Give, The Photograph, A Black Lady Sketch Show, and the romantic comedy The Lovebirds on Netflix. In 2014, she founded ColorCreative, a management company that supports diverse creators and inclusive content. Her autobiographical book, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, became a New York Times bestseller in 2015. Despite her mainstream success, she continues to provide content on her YouTube channel, promoting the work of Black people and calling attention to police brutality.

Beyond her prolific career and recognition as a winner and nominee for multiple awards, Issa Rae has led an exciting and colorful life. Here are a few fast facts about Issa:

1. 1. She lived in Senegal as a child. Though born in Los Angeles, Issa’s father is Senegalese, and Issa Rae spent part of her childhood living in Dakar, Senegal. Her family eventually returned to the United States, first to Potomac, Maryland, then in the View Park-Windsor Hills area of Los Angeles.
2. 2. Time Magazine listed her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world—twice. She received the honor in 2018 and 2022. Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list included Issa in 2012. Issa appeared on the front cover of Essence Magazine’s Game Changers issue next to luminaries such as Shonda Rhimes, Debbie Allen, Ava DuVernay, and Mara Brock Akil.
3. 3. She almost went to law school. Before her entertainment career began, Issa considered going to law school or business school. Instead, she attended Stanford University, graduating in 2007 with a degree in African and African-American Studies.
4. 4. She went viral off a red-carpet comment. At the 2017 Emmy Awards, Issa Rae told reporters, “I’m rooting for everybody Black.” The quote went viral, eventually appearing on T-shirts and even as a lyric in the rap song “Sue Me” by Wale.
5. 5. She’s an activist. Issa uses her platform to speak out against police violence. After police shot and killed Alton Sterling in 2016, Issa raised $700,000 to help pay for his children’s college educations.

Issa Rae has proved herself one of the most successful writers and showrunners. You can look forward to these five highlights and more from her class on creating outside the lines:

1. 1. Build a unique environment. A unique setting “can draw people in that wouldn’t necessarily be attracted to your story to begin with,” Issa says. “With Insecure, I knew I was going to create a character based on myself, and where I lived at the time was Inglewood. But every time I’d seen South LA depicted on television, it was for a crime. . . . So I wanted to showcase it as I saw it. And that came from wanting to fill a void.” You’ll learn to identify a unique environment for your story that you know well in a way that appears fresh and new to the rest of the world.
2. 2. Generate story ideas you can actually write. According to Issa, coming up with ideas doesn’t cause problems, but fleshing out an idea into a full script can be challenging. “I don’t believe in bad ideas; I believe in bad execution,” she says. “There are certain ideas I’ve had that I was really excited about, even based off of news stories, and then I sat down to try to write it and been like, I’m not smart enough for this!” You’ll learn to try new ideas without wasting time until you find the right story for your script. She adds, “Give yourself a time limit on whether or not the first idea you have sticks, and then don’t be afraid to move on to the next one.”
3. 3. Identify your point of view. Issa believes in bringing your unique self into the story you want to create. “Every good story should have a strong point of view,” Issa says. “What is your specific worldview that’s going to make this story interesting? Are you cynical? Are you optimistic? Are you from another country? What is your unique perspective?” Her class will help you establish your point of view to help you create a story no one has seen before.
4. 4. If you don’t see what you want, make what you want to see. Many of the shows Issa has written stemmed from her disappointment in not seeing herself and Black women like her represented in films and television. “You might be thinking, ‘There’s nothing for me on television, there’s no one who looks like me, there’s no one who thinks like me, there’s no one that has the shortcomings I have, or the disabilities I have, or who thinks about the world the way that I do.’ So make that! Create that character,” she says. “Tell that story. People might not be aware that it doesn’t exist until you tell that story.” Learn more about media representation.
5. 5. Set up active characters. Issa will teach you how to create believable, multidimensional characters, including how their conflicts and goals inform the overall story you want to tell. She says, “Who are we following on this journey? What is specific about these characters? The more time you spend honing your characters and deciding who they are, the more special the story will be.” You’ll learn how she leans into creating active characters, which helps the audience stay engaged. Issa adds, “You have to think about how your character is actively making decisions to forward the story . . . . You have to make your character in charge of the journey.”

To learn more about television writing and storytelling, try one of these classes from MasterClass instructors:

1. 1. Aaron Sorkin on the craft of film and television screenwriting: An award-winning television and film screenwriter, director, and playwright, Aaron Sorkin has mastered the art of fast-paced dialogue in hit shows and movies such as The West Wing and The Social Network. Watch Aaron’s class to learn his tips for aspiring screenwriters and how he created The West Wing characters.
2. 2. Judd Apatow on how to write, produce, and perform comedy for television: A television and film screenwriter and executive producer, Judd Apatow has created some of the funniest movies and television shows ever made, including hits like The 40-Year Old Virgin and the cult hit Freaks and Geeks. Watch Judd’s class for his tips on how to set up comedic moments in film and how to tackle the first draft of your screenplay.
3. 3. Shonda Rhimes on writing and creating hit television series: Shonda Rhimes has applied her natural storytelling skills to create award-winning and long-running shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and Bridgerton. Watch Shonda’s class to learn how to avoid clichés in your writing and succeed in a writers’ room.

All you need is a MasterClass Annual Membership and our exclusive video lessons from prolific multi-hyphenate Issa Rae, the creator and leading lady of the hit HBO series Insecure (not to mention a bona fide music video star, executive producer, author, etc.). With Issa’s help, you’ll be writing, polishing, and pitching your pilot; finding your voice, and more in no time.