Issa Rae

Jo-Issa Rae Diop — Issa Rae — built a media empire by starting where the gatekeepers couldn't stop her: YouTube. Her web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, launched in 2011, resonated with millions of viewers who saw themselves in her portrayal of a young Black woman navigating life with humor, vulnerability, and a healthy disregard for respectability politics. That web series led to HBO's Insecure, which ran for five acclaimed seasons and established Rae as one of the most important voices in modern television.

Born in Los Angeles in 1985, Rae grew up between L.A. and Potomac, Maryland, attending Stanford University where she began creating content. After graduation, she struggled to break into Hollywood through traditional channels — a frustration that became the fuel for her digital-first approach. "I'm rooting for everybody Black," she famously said at the 2017 Emmys, crystallizing a sentiment felt by millions.

Beyond Insecure, Rae has built Hoorae Media, a production company with a first-look deal with WarnerMedia, and launched a record label (Raedio), a venture capital fund investing in minority-led startups, and multiple television and film projects. She is a bestselling author, a CoverGirl, and a model for how Black creators can own their narratives and build businesses around their authentic voices.