Empire's first-season finale in March was the highest-rated for a new series in the past 10 years. How do you approach writing a show that has connected with so many people?
Everything I do has to come from my experience or those of people I know. Situations I’ve been in, or food that I’ve tasted. Experiences that are real and honest to me. Season 1 dealt with a lot of the issues that I grew up dealing with. So now the challenge is: Okay, what stories can I honestly tell? Now people know who I am. It’s a very odd feeling. I didn’t know how famous one could really become from TV. I’ve never really paid attention to it or watched it.
Wait, you didn’t watch TV before Empire?
As a kid, yeah. Like, The Brady Bunch and Good Times. I watched CNN, and then I gave up on that. I watched BBC and National Geographic. And then my boyfriend got me hooked on The Real Housewives of Atlanta and I got seduced into TV that way.
Season 1 of Empire tracked the rise of Cookie and Lucious, the music entrepreneurs and parents whose family is at the heart of the drama. What are some of the story lines from that season that came directly from your life?
This story is from the October 2015 edition of Fast Company.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2015 edition of Fast Company.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies - CAMPUS
FOR CREATING A NATIONAL ONLINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies - SOL DE JANEIRO
FOR DROPPING NEW FRAGRANCES AT AN INTOXICATING PACE
The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies - VANTA
FOR OFFER ING STARTUPS TOOLS TO TRUST BUT VERIFYIN THE AGE OF AI
The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies - PERPLEXITY
FOR LOCATING THE ANSWER TO THE PERENNIAL PROBLEMS OF WEB SEARCH
The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies - THE POWER BROKER
ITS CHIPS SPARKED THE AI REVOLUTION. NOW NVIDIA IS PUTTING THE TECH TO WORK ACROSS INDUSTRIES.
The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies - NATIONAL WOMEN'S SOCCER LEAGUE
FOR RESETTING THE VALUE OF WOMEN'S SPORTS
08 FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS
WITH A NEW CEO BEHIND THE COUNTER. TACO BELL IS FOLLOWING A FRESH STRATEGY FOR GLOBAL CULTURAL DOMINATION. ONE TACO TUESDAY AT A TIME.
Reimagining the ways we work and meet
As business leaders rethink their real estate footprint, they're embracing smaller, high-quality, amenity-rich spaces that are more focused on human connection.” In other words, Convene.
10 Trend
From the Most Innovative Companies | Plus 606 Honorees From Advertising to Video
The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies
"The 1920s, water went into a generator, and DC Power came out. Now electrons go into a generator, and intelligence comes out."