Work in Progress: Lena Waithe
Drama Queens
iHeartPodcasts
4.9 • 23.9K Ratings
🗓️ 23 January 2025
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Lena Waithe spent her childhood watching classic '90s sitcoms, dreaming of one day becoming a writer — and she made it happen! The Hollywood powerhouse made history as the first Black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing for "Master of None" and is the creator of several shows, including "The Chi."
The Emmy-winning writer, actor, producer, and podcast host shares with Sophia the invaluable advice she got in college that set her on the path to success, the writers that influenced her, what it was like when she first got to L.A. without any connections, embracing the things that make you different, and her advice to aspiring writers.
Plus, Lena reveals what inspired her new podcast, Legacy Talk (distributed by Lemonada Media), why she got into the publishing game, and all the details on her company’s first ever children’s book “What I Must Tell the World: How Lorraine Hansberry Found Her Voice” — out now!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome to Work in Progress. Hello, friends. Today we are joined by someone that I admire |
| 0:18.3 | so much that I have cherished for such a long time and who I think |
| 0:22.3 | is hands down one of the coolest human beings that I know. Today's guest on Work in Progress is |
| 0:28.0 | none other than Lena Waith. You know her as an Emmy winning writer, producer, actor, and the |
| 0:33.6 | founder of Helmandgrad. She is known for Master of Nunn, the Shy, Queen and Slim. |
| 0:38.7 | Lena's film credits, TV credits, they just go on and on and on, |
| 0:44.1 | from winning awards at Sundance to again being Emmy nominated for documentaries. |
| 0:49.9 | Lena did not come to play. |
| 0:52.1 | She is an incredible creator in every single sense of the word, |
| 0:57.0 | which is probably why she was named one of Time Magazine's |
| 0:59.7 | 100 most influential people all the way back in 2018. |
| 1:04.5 | She was included on Fast Company's Queer 50 list in 2021 and 2022. |
| 1:09.7 | Lena just keeps on winning. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Lena always knew that |
| 1:15.1 | she wanted to be a television writer and was lucky enough to be supported by her family and along |
| 1:20.4 | the way discovered that she happens to be a fantastic actor too. I cannot wait to talk to her |
| 1:26.3 | about her journey, her creativity in every single |
| 1:30.3 | vertical that it touches, and the ways that she thinks about storytelling. And her latest project, |
| 1:37.0 | her brand new podcast, Legacy Talk with Lena Wave, which is a love letter to black women |
| 1:42.7 | and entertainment. She sits down with incredible icons and |
| 1:46.9 | trailblazers to discuss their creative process, their journey, and how they became the women |
| 1:52.4 | and leaders and artists that they are today. Legacy Talk really is more than just a series of |
| 1:58.5 | interviews. It's a documentation of the stories and experiences |
... |
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