Hello and Welcome to Medi8tor,
Medi8tor is a blog dedicated to helping up
and coming artists, entertainment business professionals, and lovers of the
entertainment industry, further comprehend the business. But first, lets take a
walk down memory lane. When Medi8tor
first started, we did a series of profile posts about Fame Management: and
chronicled such artist as Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, and T.I. In our inception we also celebrated artist
like Beyoncé, Donald Glover, and movie executive Andrew Stanton. Today we will add another spotlight profile
to our illustrious list. Medi8tor
greatly admires this young woman’s product, work ethic, wonderful sense of
humor, and go-getter attitude for creating a space for herself in the
entertainment industry. Ladies and
Gentleman I give you the Queen of Awkward, a digital media mogul in the making,
the comedic web series’ Shonda Rhimes, and one of Medi8tors’ Artistic heroes,
Issa Rae.
A graduate of Stanford University, as well
as the New York Film Academy, Issa Rae has found unprecedented success with her
web series “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl (ABG).” The show is Issa’s third web series and
follows the everyday life of J, an awkward, black girl in her twenty’s,
navigating through life, love, and career. The show is witty, real, clever, and
hilarious. In addition ABG’s success has
opened a plethora of doors for Issa’s company, Issa Rae Productions. According to issarae.com the goal of her
projects are “to fight against the
narrow, mainstream portrayal of people of color in the media…(IRP) lends a
voice to a demographic that largely goes unheard.” ABG has also started a major dialogue across
mainstream entertainment sectors about the profitability, marketability, and
sustainability of original content being distributed through digital media.
These are the preliminary things that you
need to know about this incredible woman, but rather than rehash a botched version
of Issa’s rise to fame, I will let her tell you her own story in the interview
below:
Medi8tors there are so many valuable
lessons that we can all learn from Issa’s story, here are 10 key takeaways:
1.) Know
yourself, and write what you know.
- In Issa’s case she self reflected, and realized:
2 .) Once
you have a realization, find others who have the same realization. Get your message out there.
“
-"I can’t be the only Awkward & Black person out
there.”
3 .) Independently
create and release your own work first. You have to believe in your product before
anybody else will.
-Issa self produced and presented a finished product for ABG
before asking for help.
4 .) Find
and take advantage of the various distribution channels that work for your
product.
- Issa distributed her work through YouTube, and on the Awkward Black
Girl website.
5 .) If people like what they see, they will support
your work.
- Issa had an incredibly
successful Kickstarter campaign to finance Season 1.
After Issa did the
groundwork superstar Pharrell Williams asked her to air Season 2 of ABG through
his Google Channel “I am OTHER”.
6.) Independent
work could open the door to mainstream work.
- Currently, Issa is writing a
sitcom for ABC with powerhouse TV writer Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy and
Scandal) called “I Hate L.A. Dudes.”
How cool is that!
7 .) Make your fan base feel a part of your work.
- Issa doesn’t just take her fans money and run, she incorporates them in her
shows, creative process (cast, crew, etc.) and promotion.
8 .) Diversify
your bonds! Once you have the ball rolling on one successful project, do not
hesitate to start another one or help someone else achieve his or her dreams.
- Issa
also executive produces the web series "RoomieLoverFriends", as well as 3 other shows. She is not afraid to help other up and coming
artists in the business.
9.) Stay
current and up to date about your industry.
-Issa stays abreast of how digital media is affecting the rest
of the entertainment industry as well as old media, and is preparing accordingly
for the future.
10.) Remain
humble, have fun, and enjoy what you do.
- Although Issa is wildly successful
she is down to earth, approachable, fun,
and finds pleasure in her work.
Medi8tor would like to salute you, Issa Rae,
for your amazing efforts in helping underrepresented voices be heard in the
entertainment marketplace. Medi8tor
would also like to thank you for your courage and bravery as a new media
entrepreneur, and for blazing a creative trail that new artistic entertainment
entrepreneurs can follow. Keep up the great work! We hope you enjoyed this post.
See you next time!
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