Shonda Rhimes: A Titan in the Television Entertainment Industry
- Ingrid Guo
- Mar 12, 2021
- 3 min read
Author: Yee Xin Cher '22
The American television entertainment business is highly competitive, with various production companies and TV networks constantly pumping out hundreds of new shows for their audiences every year. However, we often only see stereotypical roles for women and minority groups being represented on the big screen. That is until Shonda Rhimes entered the scene.
Rhimes grew up in Chicago in a family that emphasized reading. She was always fascinated with storytelling, and originally thought she wanted to be a novelist. But after seeing Whoopi Goldberg on Broadway, she started to favor theater. After graduating with honors from the USC School of Cinematic Arts with a Master of Fine Arts in screenwriting in 1995, she stayed in Hollywood as an unemployed scriptwriter. During this time she maintained various day jobs while being involved in numerous films, such as Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream, Blossoms and Veils, and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
But what Rhimes is most known for is her show Grey’s Anatomy, which first aired in 2005 on ABC, the same year she founded her own production company, Shondaland. As the creator, executive producer, and head writer of the show, she is the mastermind behind the incredibly successful series. Currently on its seventeenth season, it is the longest-running medical drama in television history and has no plans to end any time soon. In addition to Grey’s Anatomy, she is also the creator and producer of many other highly rated TV shows, including Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and Inside the Box. After signing an eight-figure, four-year deal with Netflix in 2017, she cemented her place at the forefront of entertainment's digital future and became the most powerful showrunner in Hollywood. Her more recent series’ include For the People, Station 19, and the Netflix hit, Bridgerton.
Her brilliant storytelling ability is evident throughout all her shows, with intricate plotlines and intense cliffhangers that always keep audiences wanting more. However, I believe the main appeal of her shows lies in the diversity of her casts; her characters include African-American, Latino, and Asian men and women who are provided a fully dimensional narrative, regardless of their race, gender, or sexuality. When Scandal premiered in 2012, it was the first show to star an African-American woman in 38 years. Her scripts bring powerful, complex, and brilliant female characters to life, not always with the end goal of making them likable, but with making them authentic and real.
Despite her heavy workload with being in charge of up to four television programs, 70 hours of TV, and three shows in production at a time, I also find Rhimes admirable in her weightloss journey and responsibilities as a single mother. But her already impressive collection of achievements has not stopped her, as she continues to work tirelessly to provide top-notch entertainment to audiences all over the world. In her 2016 TED Talk, she reveals her secret to success to be saying yes to everything, especially the things she was afraid of. Her workaholic and perfectionist drive paved the way for many more aspiring women of color to enter the entertainment industry.
She’s at the top of the game and unapologetically owns her success. Rhimes continues to inspire women all over the world as she continues to break barriers in the traditionally male-dominant entertainment industry. What I find most admirable about Rhimes is the eloquence in her scripts, speeches, and interviews. Though she mostly works behind the scenes, she is not afraid to publicly share her success and wisdom. She is proof that with enough hard work and determination, we women can climb to the top and take pride in our achievements.
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