Issa Rae has a new show. The tycoon, who oversees a production company for film, TV and media projects, a management company, record label, coffee business and more, has partnered with retail delivery platform Shipt for a new campaign. The collaboration, which debuted this week, marks Shipt’s biggest ad investment yet, and puts Rae in the spotlight as she uses Shipt as a “reliable resource for every situation” (including her famous yacht parties). To promote the launch of the campaign, Rae sat down with the Hollywood Reporter about her Shipt summer essentials, Spider-Man: The success of Crossing Spider-Verse and whether or not she watched by Greta Gerwig full clip of Barbie .
Issa Rae appears in stills from her new campaign June Shipment667.
Embry Fang Lide
First of all, congratulations to Spiderman . How did you feel after the movie came out?
Thank you so much. I’m glad it’s out in the world, people seem to love it as much as I do. I’m so happy to see that the sequel does everything I was looking for and more. As I’m sure you already know, we don’t have the full script, so I only know what I recorded. Having been able to see it all at once – and I only saw it a few days before everyone else – I was blown away by how good it was and what a job the filmmakers did by taking this world to another level. I was also very frustrated to see my character [Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman] on the wrong side. This shocked me. Of course, I would still say yes [to do it], but I’m mad at her.
I know you’re very deliberate about who you work with, so this How did the Shipt campaign start? Why did you say yes?
I actually used the app . This is a huge time saver for me as I often can’t quite plan my days and sometimes I simply don’t have time to physically visit the store. With this special collaboration, I have to highlight my real life through my friends. This is true of the way I function. It’s just a seamless collaboration. I don’t know if I can talk about the extra community service part they do for HBCUs, but this company has such great intentions behind it that it was an easy decision for me to join.
When you do agree, the process How collaborative is it?
This is a full collaboration . They provided their concept and their thoughts and gave me a chance to make sure it worked for me and then I was able to tweak things in a way that made more sense to me. I love getting my friends involved, they’ll actually be here for girls’ nights, and they’ll actually be at the “yacht shit” parties I throw. I also recommended a director [Lawrence Lamont] who I knew would do a fantastic job because he was fantastic at delivering a story in a short amount of time given his background in music videos. It was a pure collaboration that resulted in such a fun shoot because I was working with a group of people that I love and respect.
Speaking of using Shipt, it’s on your list of summer essentials have what?
I like to smell good in summer, This is essential when you’re out and about and it’s hot. I need to make sure I’m not offending anyone. (laughs.) Whether it’s Sephora’s fragrance or other products. I love ice cream too and you know summer isn’t complete without the best ice cream sandwiches. Plus, I’m a big journaler, and most of my journaling takes place during the summer, when I have time to sit down on the weekends, collect my thoughts, and make some plans for the second half of the year. So you’ll find Moleskin journals on my shipping list along with a few other beach-friendly items.
With Greta Gerwig )’s Barbie release and you’re in for a big summer. Have you seen the full movie?
Yes, I’m here[ Saw it in the little theater at the home of Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley. Made me a little speechless. It’s very well done and true to the script, which I think is pretty great. It was fantastic to see what Greta accomplished visually, what an incredible performer Margot was, and the way to revisit dance tracks that I hadn’t seen up close. It’s a really, really satisfying watch, and it’s a lot of fun. I laughed alone in the dark room.
Run your own empire as a And people who create their own projects, what’s it like working on a movie like Barbie when you’re a hired actor? Do you like being told what to do and where to go? Or would you rather be a creative collaborator and host the show?
I love showing up and being told what to do . (laughs.) It almost annoys me when people ask me “what would you do here?” I said, “No, it’s your shit. I do it all the time, so you tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll be happy to do it.” But, of course, for a guy like Greta , she not only respects my opinion, but also respects other people’s opinions. She works with people whose opinions she values, and she wants to make sure she hears everyone. She is very good at bringing these ideas together through her vision and strengthening and elevating them. She is doing great. Certain parts of the costume and [President Barbie’s] demeanor have her respect for me, and I see her doing the same for Kingsley Ben-Adil. Everyone has their own version of Barbie or Kens they want, and I’ve seen her take those ideas and make them her own in the best possible way.
I love what you are doing with the coffee business everything. The spaces are impressive and the reception feels very good. How is your business?
Thank you very much. Everything went very, very smoothly. We now have a coffee van that visited the writers’ strike picket line the other day, handing out free coffee and tea. We are still looking to expand. We will find a spot at the airport soon. It’s a great hub to meet other creators. Some of my favorite people visited the store and it was a dream come true. I just saw Tina Knowles had an event there and she sent me some pics. That was too bad. It’s a great community center for anyone who wants to go there for food and drinks.
)
2021
Issa Rae appeared in her June for Shipt In the new advertising photo 667.
Embry Fang Lide
A version of this story first appeared in June 06 An issue of The Hollywood Reporter. 2023Click here to subscribe.
