Actress & Creator
Issa Rae
Jo-Issa "Issa" Rae Diop is an American actress, writer, director, producer, and web series creator. She first attracted attention for her work on the YouTube web series The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl. She subsequently gained further recognition for creating, co-writing, and starring in the HBO television series Insecure. Issa Rae's content has garnered over 23 million views and over 200,000 YouTube subscribers (and counting). In addition to making Glamour Magazine's "35 Under 35", Forbes' "30 Under 30" and Entertainment Weekly's "Breaking Big" lists, Issa's hit series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl was the recipient of the coveted Shorty Award for Best Web Show. Issa's first book, a collection of essays, is a New York Times Best Seller and her latest project, Insecure, a half-hour comedy show for HBO, premiered in the fall to rave reviews and earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Issa has received national attention with major media outlets including The New York Times, CNN, ELLE, Seventeen, Rolling Stone, BuzzFeed, Fast Company, MSNBC, Essence, Fader, Variety and more. She was also recently featured in Drake's For What music video.