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September 21, 2011
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s e rv e r.c o m
4 Mis-Ad ventures’ Show a Hit on YouTube
Series was created to
break black stereotypes
(AP) — A fter growing tired o f watching stereotypes
of people o f color on the screen, Issa Rae created her
own vision of reality with "The M is-A dventures of
Awkward Black Girl."
The W eb-based show follows J, played by Rae, and
her mishaps and successes in work and love.
"The Web series cam e about because I really didn't
see anybody like me on the screen, nobody that I could
relate to," said Rae, the show's producer, w riter and
director. "There's are ju st so many lim ited archetypes
for black fem ales in particular, and ju st people of color
in general, and it's frustrating to look at the screen and
only be able to relate to people like Tina Fey or Amy
Poehler, people who don't look like me."
Since the series first posted online in February, the
debut episode has garnered more than 240,000 hits.
Subsequent episodes have received more than 100,000
hits and 1,000 view er com m ents. Nearly 17,000 people
are dedicated to the show ’s Facebook page.
Rae said she and co-producer Tracy O liver are pack
aging "Awkward Black Girl" as a half-hour comedy to
sell to a cable network, but are strongly thinking about
keeping it online to build the audience and maintain
stronger contact with viewers.
"Social m edia is what made the show honestly," Rae
said. "Had it not been for social media, this show just
w ouldn’t have been what it is today. I couldn't have
done this 10 years ago."
Susan Fales-Hill, who produced and wrote for the
long-running NBC sitcom "A Different W orld," called
Rae's work fresh, incisive, and non-stereotypical.
"She is showing an educated, African-Am erican
woman leading an integrated life and a professional
woman with friends o f many different nationalities and
backgrounds, and just trying to make her way," Fales-
Hill said.
She said Rae's guerrilla approach to TV making is
brilliant and an inspiration to veterans in the industry
like her.
Rae, 26, born Jo-Issa Rae Diop, created the concept
for the show two years ago while on a public theater
fellow ship in New York. A Los Angeles native, she
didn't know anyone in New York, and that provided
Producer, director and writer Issa Rae,
creator o f the YouTube series "The Misad
ventures o f Awkward Black Girl," poses for a
photo at her home in Los Angeles.
many awkward experiences. After returning to
the W est Coast, Rae gathered a few friends to
help her begin shooting the series with her own
cam era equipm ent in January.
"I knew if I didn't shoot it m yself it was never
going to get done," said Rae, who attended
Stanford U niversity and the New York Film
Academ y in Los Angeles.
Rae recruited her friend Andrew Allan James to
star as A, her annoying co-worker and admirer.
The diverse cast now includes J's best friend CeCe,
an Indian-American, played by Sujata Day, and
her love interests White J, played by Lyman
Johnson, and Fred, an African-American, played
by Madison T. Shockley III.
"Diversity is im portant to the series just
because it exists in my life," Rae said. "In real
life, I do happen to have a Bengali-A m erican
best friend."
Since "Awkward Black Girl" launched, Rae
has signed with United Talent Agency and 3
Arts E ntertainm ent.
She hopes her suc
"We carry your heart in our hands, with compassion and care"
cess will lead to more
opportunities for mi
norities to tell their
stories.
"I think it sends a
m e ssa g e to m a in
stream media that we
don't have to have
these white male and
"Ask fo r M argret Neal"
female leads for ev
funeral Direcfor/Owner
erybody to relate to
them," Rae said. "It's
sort o f unfair to think
that, so I hope that
this show influences
future casting deci
sions just based off
what we've been able
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ate Heart
Funeral Hom e
1093 SW Tobias Way Aloha, Oregon 97006
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