“It’s something that we really want to preserve — this idea that black women are worthy of love, worthy of true friendship, can achieve it together,” Amy Aniobi has said of “Insecure,” on which she serves as writer and co-executive producer. There’s no question Aniobi has helped preserve this idea with “Insecure’s” central characters, best friends Issa and Molly (Issa Rae and Yvonne Orji) — but her previous work has also shone a light on women of color, their experiences, and their bonds with each other.
Before landing at “Insecure,” Aniobi crafted complex female characters of color and their friendships writing for web series “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,” “The Slutty Years,” and “Lisa and Amy Are Black.” She also created “The Slutty Years” and co-created and co-starred in “Lisa and Amy Are Black” with Lisa McQuillan (“Grown-ish”). And since scoring the “Insecure” gig, she served as the head writer on Season 1 of HBO’s series of “2 Dope Queens” specials.
At this point, Aniobi is obviously well-versed in comedy writing and in building compelling characters from the ground up. But getting to this place wasn’t easy and — like many women of color in Hollywood — she often found herself the only person of color, or woman of color, in a given space. While working towards her MFA at UCLA, Aniobi was one of two black people in the program pursuing a career in TV writing. “[McQuillan] and I were the only two black funny girls in our program, and I was like, ‘I’m just gonna lean into this,'” she revealed during a panel discussion.
“I just kept at it,” Aniobi explained. “[The] insane thing is that you kind of had to work your way up through that white world and figure out where’s your place, how you prove to them that you can write like middle-aged white guys hating their wives.” She added, “And then you lean into your voice. And then eventually like it’s a war of attrition if you stay at it. And you keep improving your craft. It works out.”
And it did for Aniobi. “Insecure’s” writers room is very inclusive, featuring seven black women, four gay people, a queer white woman, and a straight white man. This has been a welcome change of pace. “I’ve seen shows where they’re like, ‘Oh we can only have one because we only have one black character so we only need one black writer,'” Aniobi remembered, “and it’s like, ‘What? Why are there five men in here named John?'”
Another benefit to an inclusive workplace like “Insecure,” according to Aniobi, is its supportive atmosphere. “I think one of the best things [our bosses] do is they validate our voices,” she said. “I have had really great showrunners in the past, but very often with white shows you don’t feel that from everyone in the room.” She continued, “On this show, everyone knows everyone is valid, so it’s like when you come up with a thought or opinion, if somebody goes, ‘I don’t know,’ it’s not because they don’t trust your black voice.”
Next, Aniobi will collaborate with Rae on an HBO miniseries. Inspired by a true story, “The Dolls” is based on the riots that broke out on Christmas Eve 1983 over Cabbage Patch Dolls. Rae will star with Laura Dern, as well as write with Aniobi and “Insecure’s” Laura Kittrell. And, although Aniobi has mostly stuck with TV projects because “in features the director is the boss … [and] in television, the writer is the boss,” she has a couple of movies on her slate. She’s writing “American Princess,” a feature comedy about an American woman caught up in London’s high society, for 20th Century Fox. Rae is starring and Stella Meghie, another “Insecure” alumna, is directing. Aniobi will also pen “Bye Bye Bye” a woman-driven Universal dramedy centering on high school friends reuniting after 20 years.
“Storytelling is in every aspect of the job of entertainment,” Aniobi has advised Hollywood hopefuls and up-and-comers. “You are a storyteller as an exec, you’re a storyteller as a music editor, you’re a storyteller as a DP.” She emphasized, “I think sometimes people are like, ‘storytellers are writers,’ and they go that way, but maybe if you don’t know how to write that doesn’t mean you can’t be a storyteller.”
“Insecure” will return for a fourth season later in 2019.
Previously on Writer to Watch….
Marquita Robinson of “GLOW” and “You’re the Worst”
“The Little Drummer Girl’s” Claire Wilson
“Speechless” and “Friends from College” Scribe Broti Gupta
Sierra Teller Ornelas of “Superstore”
“Sierra Burgess Is a Loser” Scribe Lindsey Beer
“Atlanta” Emmy Nominee Stefani Robinson
