Creatorverse: Issa Rae Says Hollywood’s ‘Identity Crisis’ Is Leading the Industry to Creators
Hey Creatorverse readers,
When Issa Rae posted the first episode of “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl” on YouTube in 2011, she felt like there was “a dearth of representation” in Hollywood. The success of Rae’s critically-acclaimed YouTube show eventually led to her partnering with HBO to make “Insecure,” a series that earned 13 Emmy nominations during its five-season run.
“It felt like this was my opportunity to put an archetype into the space that didn’t exist at the time,” the producer, actor and creator told TheWrap’s Raquel Calhoun during TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood Summit last Wednesday, an event that connected industry professionals with major names in the creator economy to discuss the future of the entertainment industry.
Now, a decade after the premiere of “Insecure,” Rae will be returning to the digital world. “Screen Time,” Rae’s first microdrama seriescreated by her production company Hoorae Media, will premiere on TikTok as part of a new content deal with the platform. The move is a reaction to an industry that Rae believes has gotten “lazy,” especially when it comes to finding and supporting diverse storytellers.
“And now, even after so much progress, we’re kind of back to limited representation and having to stake claim of our stories,” Rae said. “We’re back where we started, in a way, but wiser.”
Depressingly, Rae’s experience isn’t abnormal. Throughout late 2024 and 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Disney, PBS and Amazon all either restructured or shuttered their DEI programs, a trend accelerated by the Trump administration’s “anti-woke” policies affecting the entire country. This cultural pullback has already made an impact on screens. UCLA’s Diversity Report for 2025 found that the percentage of film roles given to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) actors fell from 29.2% in 2023 to 23.1% in 2025. This is despite the fact that theatrical movies with casts composed of 41-50% BIPOC actors had the highest median global and domestic box office grosses. TV hasn’t been much better. In 2024, nearly 80% of leads in the most-watched streaming comedies and dramas were white actors, according to UCLA.
“Hollywood has gotten a bit lazier in their discovery, whereas they’re not reading as much,” Rae said. “It’s been disheartening to see Hollywood not make the extra effort to discover other voices outside of what’s already been risen to the top as popular.”
The Hoorae Media founder also said that she feels Hollywood is having “an identity crisis” right now. “They’ve turned to creators and social media in an attempt to try to bring them into the system,” she said. “I don’t think that that’s the right model.
Clearly, Hollywood needs to do better if it wants to keep talented voices like Rae’s in its mix. But Rae also noted that Hollywood’s laziness means there’s an opportunity for creators. Now if you can prove yourself online, chances are high you can catch the industry’s attention.
Now onto the rest.
Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com
What’s New
Ticket sales for “The Amazing Digital Circus” set a presale record for Fathom
Two episodes of “The Amazing Digital Circus” are coming to theaters thanks to Fathom Entertainment. Episode 8 and the series’ finale will premiere in theaters across the U.S., Canada, Latin America and Japan on June 5, two weeks before the finale’s YouTube release.
Just four days after a trailer announced the series’ theatrical debut, Fathom sold $5 million in presale tickets, shattering the company’s previous presale records. And considering the fact that we still have about seven weeks to go before the show’s theatrical debut, that number is only going to go up.
IShowSpeed is getting an anime from Brian Robbins and “One Piece” showrunner Matt Owens
IShowSpeed (52.2 million YouTube subscribers) is getting his own anime. Speed will voice act in the untitled anime-inspired series, which comes from Big Shot Pictures, the production startup from former Paramount co-CEO Brian Robbins. The series will be written by Matt Owens, who was the showrunner for the first two seasons of Netflix’s live action “One Piece” before he stepped away from the series. Considering that Speed is a massive “One Piece” fan, it seems like a good fit.
Speaking of animated creator projects, Adam Reid, the creator of “Tiny Chef” (502,000 YouTube subscribers), will be partnering with the MLB on a new kids’ YouTube channel called “MLB Clubhouse.”If you need a reminder, “Tiny Chef” was unceremoniously cancelled at Nick last year in a move that broke all of our hearts.
Jorge Ramos and Johnny Harris scored News and Documentary Emmy nominations
Jorge Ramos (1.6 million Instagram followers) and Johnny Harris (7.7 million YouTube subscribers) — two independent journalists with sizable social media followings — were nominated for News and Documentary Emmy Awards. Ramos was nominated for Outstanding Journalist in Spanish Language as well as Outstanding News Program in Spanish, and Harris was nominated for Outstanding Graphic Design: News.
This is big news considering that YouTube has been campaigning hard to get a Primetime Emmy nom for creators. Speaking of the platform, YouTube also added four new tools to help its live creators increase their engagement and earnings.
Creators x Hollywood Summit
Issa Rae wasn’t the only one who spoke at TheWrap’s first creator summit. Here’s a full roundupof what you may have missed. And if you’re looking for a panel-by-panel breakdown, I have that for ya too:
- NFL head of social, creator and content marketing Ian Trombetta spoke with creators Adam W and Ross Smith about how the NFL’s partnership with creators is a win all around.
- Webtoon president Yongsoo Kim, Warner Bros. Animation head Sam Register and creator Rotania explained why web comics are Hollywood’s hot new source for IP.
- Fox Entertainment’s Rob Wade and Tony Vassiliadis sat with Dhar Mann to break down why vertical series are all the rage right now.
- Lionsgate’s Brad Haugen, 3 Arts Entertainment’s Dunia McNeily, Tubi’s Kudzi Chikumbu and Loeb & Loeb’s John Kulback explore how deals with creators are being made these days.
- Josh Richards, King Bach and Michelle Khare shared their storytelling process with Shira Lazar.
TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood was presented in partnership with global creator agency Whalar and The Lighthouse, both part of the Whalar Group. It is sponsored by City National Bank, Fox Entertainment, Lionsgate, Loeb & Loeb LLP and WEBTOON.
By the Numbers
Podcasters on Patreon earned $629 million in 2025
Podcasting continues to be big business. Last week, Patreon revealed that podcasters on the direct-to-fan platform earned $629 million in 2025. That’s a 33% increase compared to the previous year.
Meta is expected to dethrone Google as the world’s biggest digital ad player
This year, Meta is expected to surpass Google when it comes to net ad revenue, according to a new report from eMarketer. Meta is expected to hit over $246 billion in 2026 compared to Google’s predicted $240 billion. These estimates reflect revenue after deducting traffic and other content acquisition costs.
Week 1 of Coachella 2026 generated over 105,000 posts on TikTok
Last weekend was predictably dominated by Coachella. The first weekend of the music festival generated over 105,000 posts on TikTok. Justin Beiber’s headlining set was the most discussed moment of the weekend, and Pinterest searches for “Coachella 2016 outfits” were up 740% before the festival, according to CreatorIQ.
“The biggest shift I expect to see in Coachella 2026 creator content is a move from lifestyle documentation to editorial storytelling,” Alex Rawitz, CreatorIQ’s director of research and insights, told me. “Instead, I think that the creators who generate the most engagement this year will likely be sharing more personal perspectives.”
Movers and Shakers
Jesser unveils new parent company JesserCo
Sports creator Jesse “Jesser” Riedel (40 million YouTube subscribers) launched a new parent company last Friday. JesserCo will bring together a portfolio of businesses that include the creator’s content business Jesser Media, his apparel brand Bucketsquad and future ventures. Jesser will remain founder and CEO of JesserCo, and Zach Miller will serve as president.
WEBTOON adds Leah Goeun Yeon as its newly created Chief Business Officer
WEBTOON, the digital comics company with a strong creator base, announced a company reorg yesterday. The Chief Operating Officer role will be eliminated, and David J Lee will continue to serve as chief financial officer as well as president of Wattpad. Additionally, Leah Goeun Yeon will join the company as its first chief business officer, and Yuki Chae will be elevated to chief product officer for WEBTOON Entertainment
Smith & Saint adds Hailey Polk, Salomé Andrea, Jules Jacobsen and Noah Malone to its roster
The talent agency Smith & Saint added four digital creators to its client list this past week. Hailey Polk (339,000 TikTok followers), Salomé Andrea (1.6 million TikTok followers), Jules Jacobson (172,000 Instagram followers) and Paralympic athlete Noah Malone have all joined the boutique agency known for its sports, digital and culinary talent.
@sydneyyeds2 #greenscreen classic claudia #fyp #syttd #weddingdress #wedding ♬ Club Penguin Pizza Parlor – Cozy Penguin
Who to Watch
Sydney Taylor
You know your friend who just wants to curl up on the couch and dunk on dumb reality TV? That’s Sydney Taylor (243,000 TikTok followers). She’s grown her following by distilling full episodes and plot lines from “Say Yes to the Dress” and “Dance Moms” into addicting minute-long snarkfests. Nothing beats the dopamine rush you get from ripping on an atrocious wedding gown, and now you can get that fix in the time it takes to make a bag of popcorn. Taylor truly has a sassy gift. Someone get this woman on a commentary show, stat.
Bonus Content
- What’s Really Going on With Alex Cooper and Alix Earle? (via Rolling Stone)
- AI Influencers Are ‘Everywhere’ at Coachella (via The Verge)
- Creator Scandals Have Turned Morality Clauses into Brands’ Go-to Exit Strategy (via Digiday)
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This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.
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