Undeniably Useful

UnfairNation the PodcastSeason 2 | Episode 6 Making movies is hard work … that increasingly doesn’t pay enough. The last few years have seemed like the golden age of entertainment. There’s been more shows to watch than people to watch them and more ways of watching your favorite shows than ever before. But while this era of “Peak Entertainment” has provided tremendous opportunities, the profits from this bounty have largely accrued to a very small percentage of writers, actors and entertainment executives. My guest on this episode, Raamla Mohamed, is an Emmy nominated television writer and producer and currently show runner on the Hulu series Reasonable Doubt. She is a rising success, but still someone who would call herself a hustler - working hard to make it in Hollywood. She is, also … undeniably useful - which is the term Raamla gives her philosophy of reframing the smallest effort in service of excellence and success. And finally, as a writer, she is on strike, demanding fair treatment and better compensation for her work. In this episode, I speak with Raamla about who she is, her identity as a child of immigrants, her family and her pathway from MFA student to show runner. Though we don’t discuss her show in much detail, Raamla has some important advice to share with young people thinking of entering the entertainment industry as well. Now one of the most popular podcasts in the world, UnfairNation is produced in partnership with The Difference Engine at Arizona State University, a venture studio where some of the brightest students, faculty and staff build products with and for communities to reduce inequality. This episode was recorded in the gorgeous and historic Herald Examiner Building in downtown Los Angeles - the headquarters for ASU in Southern California. Our editor on this episode was Damien Somerset. Thank you also to Aubrey Hicks and Lindsay Stephens from The Difference Engine, as well as the fantastic ASU California IT team for setting us up in the studio this time around. Get full access to UnfairNation at www.unfairnation.com/subscribe