Issa Rae is officially entering her next chapter — and she’s doing it with Paramount.
The multi-hyphenate creator, writer, producer, and actor has signed a three-year first-look film and television production deal with Paramount, joining a growing roster of top-tier creatives under the David Ellison–led studio. The deal begins this month and places Rae among other high-profile partners at Paramount, including Will Smith and the Duffer Brothers.
Under the agreement, Rae will develop projects across film and television while working closely with Paramount Pictures Co-Chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, Paramount Television Studios President Matt Thunell, and Motion Picture Group President Don Granger.
The South L.A. native rose to prominence as the creator and star of HBO’s Insecure, which earned multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations along with a Peabody Award during its run. Following the series’ success, Rae launched her media company Hoorae, built with a mission to expand representation and push storytelling forward across film, television, and digital platforms.
Through Hoorae, Rae has backed a wide range of projects, including The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Sweet Life: Los Angeles, Rap Sh!t, Project Greenlight, and Seen & Heard. The company also produced Sony’s R-rated sleeper comedy One of Them Days.
Rae’s recent on-screen and producing credits continue to span genres and audiences, with work on American Fiction, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Barbie further solidifying her influence across the industry.
With this first-look deal, Paramount is betting on Rae’s proven ability to build culturally resonant stories — and Rae is gaining a major studio partner to scale the kind of work she’s been intentional about from the start.