Issa Rae says shes continuing to work on building her own studio or a method of controlling distribution for her shows amid a lack of work in Hollywood and difficulty getting the green light for her projects..

Speaking at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in Manhattan Thursday, the Insecure star and creator noted that despite her success, several shows she has produced, including Rap Shit, Sweet Life and A Black Lady Sketch Show, have been canceled.The current landscape is very challenging, Rae said, adding that she believes the industry is also waiting on results of the U.S. presidential election. The market has changed a lot, and were all susceptible to it. Theres no one thats not affected by it, Rae said. And a lot of the conversations even about this movie that we shot in LA is just how nothing is shooting in LA right now. And there isnt a lot of work. And my email is flooded every week with people saying, Hey, if you have anything, Im available. It is hard, and it is a big, big waiting game just generally of figuring out whats going to happen to the industry, Rae said.

Ive had a great, great relationship with the partners now that I work with, and I love working with them. Its just that everybody, every single network, maybe with the exception ofNetflix, is beholden to Wall Street right now. And I think after the elections, things will change because theyll know whats possible in a very, also scary way. The industry is just kind of waiting, she continued.

Rae is currently under afive-year overall dealwith what was previously known as WarnerMedia when she signed the deal in 2021.

The writer and producer launched Hoorae Media, an independent media production company, in September 2020, with the goal of having more control over which projects are produced, with a particular emphasis on stories written by Black creatives and starring Black talent.

Its about making sure that we have hands on every part of the process. And thatll hopefully, ultimately lead to a studio, whether its a network, whether its some form of distribution, that is the North Star, Rae said. But right now its just a little bit at a time just prioritizing these stories. What I have seen is, and what weve all seen just even in looking at the TV landscape right now, is that theyre not a lot of Black stories on the air. And thats something that will always be at the center of what we make and who we consider. And I know that there are not a lot of networks out there or studios out there that feel the same way.