UCLA Anderson School of Management to Honor Issa Rae with 2025 Game Changer Award in Media, Entertainment & Sports

• The award recognizes an industry executive who has pushed the frontiers of innovation in the entertainment industry
• Past recipients include Ted Sarandos, Donna Langley DBE, Ice Cube, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Jerry Bruckheimer

LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The UCLA Anderson School of Management announced today that it will honor writer, producer, actress and entrepreneur Issa Rae with the 2025 Game Changer Award, which recognizes the most influential business leaders in media, entertainment and sports. The award will be formally presented by the UCLA Anderson Center for Media, Entertainment & Sports at its annual Pulse Conference, which will be hosted at UCLA on April 4, 2025.

"Issa Rae epitomizes exactly what the Game Changer Award was meant to recognize," said Jay Tucker, executive director of the Center for Media, Entertainment & Sports, which chooses the award recipient. "At a time when creators were only beginning to understand the reach and potential of YouTube as a platform, Issa Rae launched the web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, using social media to promote the show and raising money through Kickstarter to fund some of the episodes. And over the course of her career, which includes her Peabody-award-winning HBO series, Insecure, Issa Rae has always found ways to collaborate with other talented creators, pursue entrepreneurial opportunities and break boundaries in storytelling and representation."

Sanjay Sood, a UCLA Anderson professor and the center's faculty director, added, "Issa Rae is a true game changer in entertainment and a thriving entrepreneur who shows her passion for the L.A. community by featuring the city in her shows and films. Perhaps even more important, Issa's many businesses and investments have brought new energy and focus to some of L.A.'s most iconic neighborhoods. We are thrilled to honor her at Pulse."

The Game Changer award recognizes an industry executive who has pushed the frontiers of innovation in the entertainment industry. Recipients of the award have distinguished themselves by radically improving the customer experience, forging powerful partnerships, developing technology platforms and building business models that embrace the ongoing evolution of the industry. To be eligible, a nominee must demonstrate both exceptional leadership and industry impact. Previous awardees include Ted Sarandos, Donna Langley DBE, Ice Cube, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Jerry Bruckheimer.

Known for her award-winning projects and roles across film and television (including Insecure, her co-starring role in Greta Gerwig's Barbie, and her roles in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse and American Fiction), Rae is also a dynamic entrepreneur and business leader with a passion for representation and for South L.A. In 2020, Rae formed HOORAE, a multifaceted company that develops content across media in an effort to continue to break boundaries in storytelling and representation. HOORAE comprises: HOORAE Media for film, television and digital; Raedio, the music label, music supervision and" audio everywhere" company; ColorCreative, its management division; and FÊTE its marketing arm.

Rae's commitment to South L.A. is evident in both her personal and professional pursuits. After planting roots near her childhood home, she set up the HOORAE headquarters in the heart of South L.A. Her participation in the nonprofit organization Destination Crenshaw furthers her mission of celebrating Black Angelenos, and her ownership in Hilltop Cafe + Kitchen provides much-needed jobs and opportunities for local residents, as well as a space for creatives to unlock their potential. Rae has also ventured into the culinary space with Somerville, a restaurant and neighborhood lounge in View Park-Windsor Hills. As co-owner of the Black-owned and -operated vegan hair care line, Sienna Naturals, Rae intends to continue to reimagine Black wellness and beauty. Rae recently launched Viarae Prosecco, a sparkling wine that's perfect for any occasion and represents the freedom to let loose and be authentic.

About the UCLA Anderson Center for Media, Entertainment & Sports
Located at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, the Center for Media, Entertainment & Sports is the leading center at the intersection of entertainment, technology and innovation. Leveraging its relationships with Hollywood Studios, sports teams, talent agencies, brand partners, and emerging media platforms, the Center offers MBA courses, instructional programs for undergraduates, best-in-class conferences and industry partnerships designed to showcase innovation and business leadership.
UCLA Anderson Center for Media, Entertainment & Sports

About UCLA Anderson School of Management
UCLA Anderson School of Management is a world-renowned learning and research institution. As part of the nation's No. 1 public university, its mission is to advance management thinking and prepare transformative leaders to make positive business and societal impact. Located in Los Angeles, one of the nation's most diverse and dynamic cities and the creative capital of the world, UCLA Anderson places more MBAs on the West Coast than any other business school, and its graduates also bring an innovative and inclusive West Coast sensibility to leading organizations across the U.S. and the world. Each year, UCLA Anderson's MBA, Fully Employed MBA, Executive MBA, UCLA-NUS Executive MBA, Master of Financial Engineering, Master of Science in Business Analytics and doctoral programs educate more than 2,000 students, while the Executive Education program trains an additional 1,800 professionals. This next generation of transformative leaders will help shape the future of both business and society.
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SOURCE UCLA Anderson School of Management