Issa Rae on Media Representation

Born Jo-Issa Rae Diop, writer, director, actress, and producer Issa Rae grew up in Los Angeles, California; Potomac, Maryland; and Dakar, Senegal (where her father was born). She grew up often feeling like an outsider, a narrative that would shape her shows’ eventual storylines, most transparently in her breakthrough YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl.

Rae achieved further success through Insecure on HBO. This dramedy redefined depictions of young Black people and simultaneously was an answer to the lack of diversity in mainstream television shows. Rae created and starred in the show, celebrating complex female characters and defying Black tropes in the TV and film industry. Rae received nominations for multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards, wrote a New York Times–bestselling memoir entitled The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, and landed on the annual TIME100 list of the most influential people in the world. She also provided voice work for Hair Love, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

Media representation reflects people and their narratives in the media, which encompasses theater, film, TV shows, newspaper articles, and more. Cisgender, straight, white people have long held excessive capital and power in the media industry, working as executive producers, star actors, and award-winning directors and writers. This has meant that mass media often showcases that group’s narratives, leaving out other groups of people, such as people of color, those with disabilities, and sexual and gender minority groups (LGBTQ+ people).

Issa Rae recalls watching Black-led shows growing up but noted that writers’ strikes in Hollywood, changing trends in television, and the dawn of reality TV made television less diverse. In college, she watched the TV show Flavor of Love and noted, “This was all that the world was seeing of Black women at the time, and it was not what I recognized.” Of the characters, Issa recalls, “They were fun to watch as characters but to think of that as the sole representation of Black females on screen was really disturbing.” This propelled Rae and her friends to create their own content, borrow equipment from the school, and write scripts. “If I don’t see what you want, make what you want to see,” Issa says.

Recently, activism led by people of color, critics, and social media users have pushed for more diverse representation in the media. A lack of representation can make the unrepresented group feel unseen and unheard, leading to self-esteem, mental health issues, and harmful stereotypes. Historically, when underrepresented groups appear in shows and films, they have been cast as negative stereotypes, leading to more significant unconscious bias and poor connotations associated with the depicted group.

A lack of representation leads to cyclical issues: Producers believe stories about a particular group of people won’t perform well at the box office, so they don’t invest in it, so there’s no representation for said group. However, critical successes like Moonlight and financial blockbusters like Crazy Rich Asians show the short-sightedness of those views, opening new doors to underrepresented groups in digital media. The entertainment industry has the power to sway public opinion and make popular culture more inclusive, so media representation matters because it creates more opportunities, more significant systemic equities, and fewer divisions.

Issa has built a loyal audience and has become a trailblazer for creatives looking to drive their own stories. Consider Issa’s tips for finding an audience for your work:

1. 1. Build your audience. Video and social media platforms make it possible to find and build an audience. For her part, Issa began releasing content on YouTube. “There are so many gatekeepers in this industry and they come in the form of studios, networks, [and] executives,” she says. “It's hard to break in and get people to see your work on a large scale. And the reason why you rely on these networks and studios is that they have the distribution [and] access to the audience you want to reach. But I think with the internet, what changed is that you have immediate access to whoever you want.”
2. 2. Create additional content. It is essential to promote your work with a variety of content. “I encourage people to think about the ancillary content that'll help promote your series, whether that is additional videos or a talkback featuring the characters in your series,” Issa says. “There are just so many ways to bring attention back to your content that can attract a whole new audience that you didn't expect.”
3. 3. Find your niche. When building an audience, knowing what makes your content stand out is essential. She says, “In thinking about trying to get your content out there, you have to ask yourself, ‘Why is my stuff different than anybody else's? What's gonna make somebody want to watch my stuff when there are hundreds of millions of videos out there for people to watch at any time? Why is my stuff special?’” Part of this process involves finding the right platform to share your work.
4. 4. Market your work. Self-producing requires you to wear many hats. “Don't be afraid to seek outside help,” Issa adds. “You can promote and market to your network of people…there's also an opportunity to reach out to other creators and collaborate to showcase your own work or to actually be featured solely on another creator's channel as a means of getting your work the most eyeballs possible.”

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.