How Issa Rae is building a media conglomerate

Issa Rae's ambitions know no bounds, the multi-hyphenate mogul said “I want to do what Disney and Oprah did’. Some of their tactics aren’t relevant for Issa, who got her start on the internet. She developed her own playbook, but still learned from those who came before. 

Issa Rae was born as Jo-Issa Rae Diop on January 12, 1985, in LA. She spent part of her childhood along with her four siblings in Senegal. Later, her family moved to Inglewood, California, where her father, Dr. Abdoulaye Diop, continued to practice as a paediatrician. Her mother, Delyna Diop, was a teacher. Issa studied at Stanford University. Issa and launched Dorm Diaries: a YouTube series on black life at the university. She used clever marketing strategies to drive viewers to the series by using Facebook to create groups and add new friends. This was a masterstroke from her. 

The 37-year-old first garnered attention for her work on the YouTube web series ‘The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl’ which she created in 2011. Awkward Black Girl took off because of its strong base and word of mouth throughout the groups she created for Dorm Diaries. Issa launched a Kickstarter for season 2, where she raised over $56k. A book with the same name came 5 years later - The collection of essays quickly became a New York Times bestseller, and she earned a very healthy advance for her work on the title. 

When her web series which she is most known for was adapted into a television series titled ‘Insecure’ which is shown on HBO, she participated as the creator, co-writer executive producer, and stars in it, which has earned more than 20 prestigious awards & nominations, and landed her in some of the elite lists like Glamor Magazine’s ’35 Under 35′,‘Forbes30 Under 30’ and ‘Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world’. The show became an instant hit, the series went on to become a defining television show for a generation of Black viewers thirsty for representation. Even though Issa doesn’t own Insecure, HBO does, she has leveraged the intellectual property for building a media conglomerate.

Issa Rae Playbook

Paid Membership Community

Issa launched a Pateron community, where she charges a membership fee to provide exclusive content to her fanbase including behind the scenes interviews and access to events and other perks. That Patreon revenue is used to support other diverse and talented creators.

Hoorae

Hoorae launched in 2020 as an umbrella banner to consolidate her various film, television, and digital content companies. Hoorae comprises a film and television division, Raedio audio content (launched in 2019), ColorCreative management, and digital brands

Hoorae takes a 360-degree approach to production. The best example of the company’s synergy lies in “Rap Sh*t,” which is co-executive produced by Yung Miami and JT of hip-hop duo City Girls. Rae created the series and executive produces while Raedio handles music supervision for the show, and the Hoorae digital team creates online-first content around it.

In addition to the film, TV, and digital projects HOORAE produces the Emmy-winning “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and the HBO Max reality show “Sweet Life”. The success of “A Black Lady Sketch Show” has been an important proof of concept for the Hoorae model of development and production and its future at HBO.

Since Insecure premiered, Rae has either produced, co-written, or co-starred in TV shows like BoJack Horseman, A Black Lady Sketch Show, and Coastal Elites as well as films like The Hate U Give, Little, Hair Love, The Photograph, and The Lovebirds. All of her work on those titles surely lined her pockets well, though how much she makes for her talents must vary widely.

HBO / WarnerMedia

In March 2021, Rae's production company, Hoorae, signed a five-year film and television deal with WarnerMedia valued at $40 million over five years and expands her reach across the company’s properties. The partnership gives HBO, HBO Max, and Warner Bros. television exclusive rights to Rae’s work in television, plus a first-look film deal that spans WarnerMedia brands, including Warner Bros. Pictures Group, New Line, and HBO Max. She currently has projects in development at Netflix, Lionsgate, Sony, and Universal.

The fact that she’s now in a place to create a TV series on premium cable that explores that very kind of internet-y dynamic is both timely and meta; it’s also what makes Rae one of the clearest voices of the millennial generation.

​​Raedio

​​Raedio has been coined as an  “audio everywhere company” that does everything from music supervision and publishing to podcasts and events. She partnered with Warner Music Group label, Atlantic Records to launch her record label Raedio. The artists she signs will likely get their music played in Insecure and Issa’s other TV, Film and digital  properties. Raedio recently acquired a music supervision company to oversee the use of music in both film and TV and she has a deal with Kobalt to collect publishing revenue and manage its catalogue. 

ColorCreative

ColorCreative is a management company dedicated to supporting diverse creators and producing inclusive content. ColorCreative is a sister company to Hoorae and now is led by former CAA exec Talitha Watkins. ColorCreative clients Entrepreneur, Angelica Nwandu, founder and owner of the TheShadeRoom and writer of the upcoming Hoorae feature film, Juju; Camille Corbett, writer (Netflix’s Dad Stop Embarrassing Me); Actress DeWanda Wise (Netflix’s She’s Got To Have It/Universal Pictures Jurassic World), Author Shayla Lawson (This is Major: Notes on Diana Ross, Dark Girls, and Being Dope (Harper Collins); Winter Dunn producer of the motion picture Jezebel (Netflix) and many more.

As you can see from the picture below you can see the flywheel Issa Rae is creating. Each business reinforces another. This looks similar to Walt Disney’s synergy map from the 1950s. It’s been the blueprint of Disney’s strategy for decades

Ventures

Not only is Issa building a media empire, but she has also launched businesses outside of that sphere. Starting in 2019, Rae partnered with Ajay Relan and Yonnie Hagos the founders of Los Angeles-based Hilltop Coffee & Kitchen to open a second, and then a third location, turning the popular cafe into a local chain launching. She is also co-founder and is the face of Sienna Naturals, a hair care brand that creates eco-friendly products specifically for Black women and is listed in Target and Nordstrom.. On top of all of that,  Rae also uses her clout to support projects like Destination Crenshaw, an infrastructure and economic development project celebrating Black art and culture on that very street

Brand Deals

Issa Rae made more than $3m as a brand ambassador for popular brands. In 2021 alone, she teamed up with both Converse and Madewell. With Converse, Rae has designed her own signature line of sneakers. Her past collaborations have included COVERGIRL, Customs By Tai Etsy Store, Samsung, and many more.

Conclusion

Over the past decade, Rae has gone from digital darling to Peabody Award-winning TV creator to film star, and as she transitions to the next level in Hollywood, her sphere of influence only gets larger. The company is Rae’s next step toward world domination — or at least to becoming a media mogul. Rae has earned perhaps $8m in the last year. In total from all of her work in the entertainment business and through her books, Issa Rae is estimated to have had a gross income in the region of $14m. A big achievement from a black girl from Senegal and her ultimate goal is so admirable “I want to truly enter my mogul era, and that comes from empowering and building other moguls of color,”