Issa Rae Built a Hollywood Career on Her Own Terms. Next, She'll Build an Empire

The YouTube and HBO star is as talented as she is ambitious

It’s a Friday afternoon in late August, and Issa Rae—the creator, star and executive producer of HBO’s Insecure—is leaving the bar at The London hotel in midtown Manhattan. But before she can make her way back to her room, a nervous woman stops her. Apologizing, the woman says that she never asks celebrities for photos, but on this particular occasion, felt compelled to make the effort.

Styling: Jason Rembert; Hair: Felicia Leatherwood; Makeup: Joanna Simkin

A few moments later, after Rae has obliged the selfie request with a wide grin and left to get ready for a party for Insecure’s Season 2 soundtrack, the woman explains: Rae, she says, is “a hero for women 25 and up with melanin.”

Rae,

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This story first appeared in the Oct. 9, 2017, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.