Issa Rae‘s production company Hoorae Film and TV has named industry veteran Nichole T. Roberts as head of unscripted.
In her new role, Roberts will oversee the company’s unscripted department strategy as well as the development and production of unscripted content.
“Nichole is a trailblazer with a keen eye for clever content that pushes boundaries and drives cultural conversation,” said Montrel McKay, president of development and production at Hoorae. “Her dedication is unmatched, and with her track-record as a thoughtful storyteller and skilled strategist, Nichole is the perfect fit to spearhead our unscripted division as we work to bring more premium and authentic stories to viewers in unexpected ways.”
Formerly known as Issa Rae Productions, Hoorae Media was reestablished and consolidated in 2020 to represent the multimedia reach of the company, which also includes Raedio, the record label, music supervision and “audio everywhere” arm; sister company ColorCreative management and Fête, the company’s marketing division, focused on developing campaigns for major brands.
Roberts joins Hoorae from Max Originals (formerly HBO Max originals), where she served as director of nonfiction programming and was responsible for “Sweet Life: Los Angeles,” which was the first unscripted series to come from Hoorae, as well as the new season of “Project Greenlight: A New Generation,” which featured Rae, Kumail Nanjiani and Gina Prince-Bythewood. Roberts is billed as an executive producer on the corresponding feature film “Gray Matter.” During her tenure, she also covered “Jason Momoa’s The Climb” and “Full Bloom.”
A graduate of Northwestern, Roberts’ resume also includes positions at Smokehouse Pictures, The Gotham Group, Comedy Central and MTV Networks. Roberts is also an experienced field producer, working across different formats, including Emmy-winning seasons of CBS’ “Undercover Boss” and Syfy’s “Face Off,” a Critics Choice Award winner. Prior to joining Max, Roberts served as VP of development and current programming at LOVE Productions USA (“The Great British Bake Off” and “The Great American Baking Show”).
