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

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

Author: Hilliard Guess September 23, 2024 Duration: 38:01

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!


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Step inside a space where the polished veneer of Hollywood gets stripped away, replaced by the raw, unfiltered conversations happening behind the scenes. Screenwriters' Rant Room is guided by Hilliard Guess, a working WGA writer, director, and producer whose own path includes a role as Director of Development and now executive producing an Amazon series. He brings that grounded, insider perspective to every episode. Rather than rehearsed interviews, you’ll hear the kind of frank talk that happens after a long day on set or in a writers’ room. Hilliard sits down with guests or engages with rotating co-hosts, and together they drop what he aptly calls "industry bombs"-those unvarnished truths, frustrating anecdotes, and hard-won insights about writing, producing, and surviving in TV and film. The tone is as hilarious as it is candid, making the complex machinery of entertainment feel human and relatable. This isn't a lecture on structure; it's a living, breathing, and often laughing chronicle of the creative grind. For anyone curious about the real stories behind the screen, this podcast offers a front-row seat to the rants, revelations, and camaraderie that define a life in storytelling.
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