Issa Rae Has Been Appointed To Serve On Television Academy’s Executive Committee

Throughout her career as an actress and producer, Issa Rae has established herself as a woman with great entrepreneurial mindsets. Focused on telling stories about real women Rae has garnered attention for her YouTube web series “Awkward Black Girl” and contributed to the expansion of content created by people of color. Because of her, the television sphere has become a whole heck of a lot more colorful and no doubt more WOC are receiving more approval and acclaim for their work.

Her HBO television series “Insecure” has been nominated for multiple Golden Globes Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards and in 2015 her memoir, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl became a New York Times best-seller. Now, Rae is bringing her experience and viewpoint to the Television Academy.

Recently, The Television Academy revealed that Rae is now a member of the Executive Committee.

Her appointment to the Television Academy comes at a time when the organization is refocusing its attention on increasing diversity in the entertainment industry. While an increase in representation of actors of color has occurred in recent years, diversity among television executives has remained lackluster. In 20202, UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report revealed that “women hold only 32.0% of studio chair and CEO jobs; minorities just 8.0%.”

In a statement about her new role the Academy explained “We are thrilled to be able to leverage the collective expertise of this talented group of Television innovators as we navigate this extraordinary time in the history of our industry… Their leadership provides invaluable insight that will allow the Academy to play an integral role in shaping the evolution of the medium.”

Award-winning writer, producer, director, and actress Gloria Calderón Kellett also joins the ranks of Television Academy executives.

Calderón Kellett is an award-winning writer, producer, director, and actress who served as the executive producer, co-creator, co-showrunner, director and actress on the sitcom “One Day at a Time.” According to the Emmy website, Calderón Kellett “spent her early years as a writer/producer on numerous shows including Devious Maids, Rules of Engagement, and How I Met Your Mother; has directed episodes of Mr. Iglesias, Merry Happy Whatever, United We Fall, and the Mad About You revival; and recently sold her first feature film, We Were There Too.”

News of Rae’s new role as an executive is proving to be just another milestone of accomplishment for the actress. In October, Rae revealed that she was launching a new production company called Hoorae.