- Company
- Hoorae Media
- Role
- Founder & CEO
- Est. Net Worth
- $5 Million (Est.)
- Stage
- Emerging
- Industry
- Retail
Issa Rae
Founder & CEO at Hoorae Media
About
Issa Rae built a media empire from a YouTube web series. 'The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,' which she created, wrote, and starred in from her apartment, attracted millions of viewers and led to an HBO deal for 'Insecure' — a critically acclaimed series she executive-produced for five seasons. She founded Hoorae Media, a production company with a first-look deal at Warner Bros., and launched ventures spanning audio (Raedio), coffee (Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen), and a prosecco brand. Rae has become one of the most influential media entrepreneurs of her generation, proving that authentic, culturally specific storytelling can build mainstream commercial success.
Current Company
Hoorae Media — Founder & CEO
From YouTube to HBO to Media Empire
Issa Rae created 'The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl' in 2011 from her apartment, filming episodes with friends and posting them to YouTube. The web series — raw, funny, and unapologetically specific in its portrayal of a young Black woman navigating social awkwardness — attracted millions of viewers and critical acclaim in an era when mainstream media offered few such stories.
HBO picked up Rae's pitch for 'Insecure,' which ran for five seasons and earned multiple Emmy nominations. The show made Rae a household name, but more importantly, it demonstrated that culturally specific storytelling — rooted in Black Los Angeles, natural hair, code-switching, and the complexity of Black female friendship — could attract diverse mainstream audiences without diluting its voice.
Building Hoorae
Rae founded Hoorae Media as the holding company for her expanding empire: a production company with a first-look deal at Warner Bros., Raedio (an audio content company producing podcasts and curating music), Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen (a café chain in Inglewood and South LA), and partnerships across fashion, wine, and consumer products.
What distinguishes Rae from other entertainment entrepreneurs is her insistence on investing in her own community. Hilltop Coffee was opened in historically Black neighborhoods; Hoorae's productions prioritize Black writers, directors, and crews; and her business partnerships favor founders and brands from underrepresented backgrounds. Rae has built a media company that treats cultural authenticity not as a niche strategy but as a competitive advantage.