500 - EMMY-WINNING WRITER/PRODUCER/PERFORMER- LENA WAITHE

In this episode Hilliard and guest co-host (actor/writer) DALILA ALI RAJAH were joined by lil sis, Emmy-winning writer, producer, performer LENA WAITHE! Lena created the hit series THE CHI which set a new record with Season 6 as the most-streamed season the series has ever seen! Lena Waithe, and led by CEO, Rishi Rajani. Since its inception, Hillman Grad has grown to include five divisions across TV/Film, Books, Podcasts, Branded Content and Mentorship–quickly rising to become one of the most prominent companies in entertainment.    Through Lena’s Hillman Grad Productions, the company’s film and television arm, is home to the producers behind Showtime’s most streamed drama series, "The Chi", BET’s "Twenties", Universal’s "Queen & Slim", Sundance award-winner "The Forty-Year-Old Version", and more. Current producorial projects include the Emmy-nominated documentary film "Being Mary Tyler Moore", which held its world premiere at this year’s SXSW Festival and debuted on HBO in May 2023; Focus Features and AV Rockwell's "A Thousand And One", which received the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival Awards and was released theatrically in March 2023; Magnolia Picture’s "Kokomo City", which received the NEXT Audience Award and NEXT Innovator Award at Sundance 2023, and released theatrically in July 2023; and Disney+’s Chang Can Dunk, which premiered in March 2023. Additionally, in November 2022, Hillman Grad joined the producing team for Broadway’s "Ain’t No Mo’", which opened at the Belasco Theatre in New York City in December 2022 and was nominated for Best Play at the 2023 Tony Awards. Rising Voices – a joint effort between Hillman Grad, Indeed and 271 Films to present Hollywood with its next generation of diverse storytellers. The program just celebrated its Season 4 premiere in June at Tribeca Film Festival, where participants debuted their shorts! This is a don’t miss episode y’all! Our Motto: "We keep it GAME all day!" For information, Merch (T-SHIRTS/HOODIES), and all things Rant Room! Screenwritersrantroom.com Subscribe, like, follow, share & 5-star review! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Hilliard Guess on all social media  IG: @ScreenwritersRantRoom @LenaWaithe  @DalilaAliRajah WE ARE NOW OPEN TO SPONSORSHIPS AND BRANDING OPPORTUNITIES⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: [email protected]  We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. We appreciate your support! SCREENWRITER NETWORKS:  OBSwriter.com  BTFC.org Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/screenwriters-rant-room/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/screenwriters-rant-room/support ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ PODCASTS WE SUPPORT: 2 Writers Talkin Shit: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-writers-talking-shit/id1671253747 Hollywood Confessional: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hollywood-confessional/id1628848064?i=1000630276175 The Qube & Queer News: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/queer-news/id1595777135 A Conversation With Floyd Marshall Jr: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-conversation-with-host-floyd-marshall-jr/id1544499834 THEME SONG: Jack Spade WEBSITE: Abigail Bloom & Laura Huie LOGOS:  Rachel Musikanth RANT ROOM TEAM:  Richard Scott - Creative Producer  Tyler Musikanth - Associate Producer  Brooke Baltimore - Marketing Togo - Marketing