Before Issa Rae was starring in and showrunning her own TV series or playing President Barbie, her journey started on YouTube. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The multi-hyphenate worked on two web series before starring in her own, making her uniquely qualified to speak to the moment Hollywood finds itself in as the creator economy booms and disruption is rampant \u2014 topics she discussed at length at TheWrap\u2019s Creators x Hollywood Summit on Wednesday in Los Angeles, in partnership with Whalar and The Lighthouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rae knew that mainstream Hollywood in 2011 would never pick up a show like hers, so she decided to commit fully to building her own digital audience with “Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl.” This strategy paid off when the show gained popularity organically, reaching its target demo and later receiving additional promotion from YouTube itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI started \u2018Awkward Black Girl\u2019 because there was a dearth of representation in the industry, and it felt like this was my opportunity to put an archetype into the space that didn’t exist at the time,\u201d the producer told TheWrap\u2019s Raquel Calhoun, who moderated the \u201cPaving the Way: Creators in Hollywood\u201d panel Wednesday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t