A true visionary indeed!
Media mogul Issa Rae is set to receive the Producers Guild’s Visionary Award, Deadline reports.
Issa Rae burst onto the scene with her Awkward Black Girl series, leaving the internet in a comedy chokehold and parlaying her online success to even more lucrative and successful projects. Now, the award-winning actress is a multi-hyphenate creative, also serving as producer, writer and director in a number of big-name projects. Her hit series, Insecure, on HBO has received several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and Rae shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
In 2020, she launched Hoorae, a media company aimed at consolidating Rae’s television, film and digital offerings. The new venture brought Rae’s Insecure and A Black Lady Sketch Show under the same roof, as well as her Seen & Heard documentary about the history of Black television, and Sinkhole, a movie Rae is set to star in and co-produce alongside Jordan Peele.
In 2021, she upped the ante by inking a five-year, multi-figure film and television deal with WarnerMedia, expanding her previous first-look HBO deal to include all of the media giant’s platforms including HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, and New Line. That same year, Rae announced she’d been casted in the highly anticipated animated sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Part One. Needless to say, Rae has been working, her television and film projects giving just a small glimpse into her growing empire which includes tech ventures, podcasts, and an entire record label.
Rae’s relentless hustle has not gone unnoticed, and the Producers Guild of America (PGA) just announced that she will be the 2022 recipient of their Visionary Award, honoring those “who share inspiring, uplifting stories that add unique value to society and culture.”
“Issa makes us excited for the future of television. With her series Insecure, she achieved the highest levels of comedy, perspective and performance possible, and her sharp wit and distinct voice will undoubtedly continue to drive quality entertainment featuring underrepresented voices. Beyond Issa’s prolific work, she is a role model and inspiration to the next generation of creatives through her mentorship programs like ColorCreative, and more recently, Project Greenlight. We are thrilled to honor Issa this year,” said PGA presidents Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher via statement.
Rae will join an elite group of past PGA Visionary Award recipients including Octavia Spencer, Kenya Barris, and Ava DuVernay. The 33rd annual Producers Guild Awards takes place on March 19th at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, California.
Congratulations, Issa!
Photo Courtesy of Today Show