Can you imagine a Senegalese-American Liz Lemmon running 30 Rock? Black women in film and television have been crammed into the role of the stony-faced, long-suffering strong woman or the devilish diva with daddy issues and a thing for the drink. But what about all of us in between? What about the quirky black girl figuring things out and trying to make it through the world?

Indie filmmaker Issa-Rae has tapped into the dialogue of millions of black woman, creating, writing, directing, producing and starring in an huge viral success. The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl are the mishaps and lessons of J, a girl surviving the everyday and doing big things for black women in television. AfriPOP! threw a few questions Issa Rae’s way.

AfriPOP!: Rather than wait for the world to change how they portrayed black women in the media, you created your own platform for a different image. What was the spark that made you turn your thoughts and ideas about ABG into a viable reality that continues to grow?

Issa Rae: I was honestly just tired of seeing the SAME black characters on screen. It’s frustrating to see the same four to five characters depicted when I know that there is so much more to us than that. We’re way more dimensional and diverse than Hollywood makes us out to be. I had been sitting on this character for a while until my friend sent me an article from Clutch Magazine where the writer asked, “Where’s the black Liz Lemon?” and I knew I had to hurry up and make this character happen.

You’ve been getting a lot of love online. Why do you think the show has become so popular?

I think the show has become so popular online because a lot of people can identify with the situations J goes through AND because people feel the same way I do, in terms of seeing the SAME black characters on screen that they can’t necessarily relate to. The word-of-mouth for this series has been AMAZING and I feel like people are realizing that we don’t have to accept these limited characters anymore.

Mainstream films are beginning to embrace awkward lead characters (such as Michael Cera and Charlyne Yi in 2009′s Paper Heart). Why do you think it’s taken so long for an awkward black character like J to become so popular?

I think it’s taken so long because there’s still this collective perception of black people as “too cool for school.” I know that we’re striving for this post-racial world but, the fact of the matter is, we’re still seen as a collective race and we’re, for the most part, grouped together as far as our interests are concerned. Hollywood thinks it understands what Black people want to see on screen when, in reality, they’re isolating a huge demographic of people. Not all of us are cool, suave, jive-speaking, smooth talkers. On the contrary, a lot of us regular ass people who go through regular ass situations, just like everyone else.

Are there specific traits of awkwardness that you would associate with black people in particular?

Hahaha, that’s a great question. Black people have this inherent double consciousness anyway, so we’re always second guessing ourselves. We’re always wondering or assuming what people think about us, especially if we’re the “only one” in the room. There is an insecurity about our skin color, hair and even the way we speak that makes for great awkward comedy. It’s also hilarious to me how we internalize how OTHER black people act in public. If there’s two of us in a room and one of us isn’t “acting right,” THAT’s awkward.

Apart from the awkward black girl, what other black girl characters (and for that matter any other characters) do you film and media need to shine a spotlight on?

I love coming of age stories, and we rarely get to see black people just BE. No race issues, no hood drama, no sob stories just good, diverse and relatable stories. That’s ALL I ask.

Are you the only writer behind ABG or do you rely on your own “brains trust” of writers? How do you keep the ideas coming? Where do you find your inspiration and creativity?

Because ABG started off so impromptu, I took on the writing and the direction of the story myself, up until episode 5 where I sought the help of another talented writer, O.C. Smith and then Tracy Oliver, who plays Nina and Amy Aniobi came on as writers for Episode 6 and 7. So the last couple of episodes have been pretty collaborative, and it’s amazing to have such talented people write in my voice. I usually keep my ideas coming from my own experiences. Oddly enough, most of my inspiration comes in the bathroom. There are few places where you’re forced to just sit and think without any distractions, and the bathroom is one of those places. I encourage you to try it.

ABG is a second job and clearly a labour of love. How do you keep your cast and crew motivated to stick with a  concept so different (as opposed to maybe becoming an extra on a daytime soap opera)?

I’ve just been blessed with an awesomely amazing cast and crew who believe in the show just as much as I do. They’re so fun and I think they just “get it.” The humor comes naturally to them so I’d like to think they look at the show as an extra-curricular activity. But I’d still very much like to pay the cast & crew for what they’re doing, since they’re volunteering their time as well. That’s one reason why we’re raising funds through our Kickstarter campaign (http://kck.st/awkwardblackgirl). That way, hopefully, if that lucrative soap opera comes knocking with money, we can keep them on board.

Are there any plans to take ABG to mainstream television? Do you think this would change the very unique point of view that an independent online series might allow?

There are plans. Tracy and I are working on that as we speak. But I think we both agree that if the show becomes too watered down on a network, we’d rather keep it online. I definitely think the freedom that we have right now is what appeals to our audience in the first place. So to completely lose the “rawness” that exists right now just wouldn’t be worth it.

The Fly Guys are hilarious. How did that series come about? What type of audience did you envision when you started putting together The Fly Guys Present the ‘F’ Word?

Aren’t they? I’m always cracking up behind the camera! They have such a natural and hilarious chemistry that it was a no-brainer to put it in story-form. I came up with the idea for the series in class one day, after having worked with them on a music video. The guest speaker was talking was from a network and he was talking about how a lot of studios are looking online for material. He said, “If you’re a writer and you know some talented actors, I suggest you collaborate.” And so, I immediately text them with my idea to do a faux reality series and they were down. Whenever I envision an audience for a show, I always think about what my friends and family members would like. I don’t really think in terms of demographics, which could be kind of problematic if I want to make money. Hmmm.

You also produced a series called Dorm Diaries in your senior year at Stanford. Tell us about how that started and whether you have any more plans for that.

Dorm Diaries ALSO came about when I was in the bathroom. I think I was procrastinating, trying to find any excuse not to write a paper and I came up with the concept and story outline. I hit up all my friends asking if they’d be down to be in a soap opera-esque series and they were. It was another impulse idea that I acted upon and I only wish I had thought of it BEFORE the final months of my senior year. I’d absolutely love to reboot it or at least do a reunion special. I haven’t given up on it just yet.

In your own words on your blog, you’re “9-to-5ing” again, and then you act, write, and direct ABG, and do everything but act in Fly Guys. When do you sleep? Seriously, how do you juggle everything? Also, what is your 9-5 job?

Hahaha! You’re awesome for making me sound like a superwoman, but honestly it’s just because this is my passion. I can’t imagine doing anything else and being happy. I’d rather lose sleep over something I love, then get 10 hours of sleep doing something I don’t. I also quit my job so that I could focus more on it, so I’m painfully broke right now, but hey …

J has a secret rapper personality, that she only shares with her friend Cece. Would you say she’s more Nicki Minaj or Jean Grae, or could she be bringing back that fierce Salt ‘N Peppa vibe? Or could J be in the process of carving out her own awkward niche among female MCs?

Another great and hilarious question. J’s flows are wayyy too superficial and simple to compare to Jean Grae, so I don’t even want to insult Jean like that, haha. I’d say she’s an awkward cross between Nicki Minaj and Lady of Rage?

When can we expect the next episode of ABG? Will there be many more episodes and series’?

Episode 7 of ABG is August 4th. It’s the “season finale” because we’re broke and it costs money to make these episodes. HOWEVER, if our Kickstarter campaign goes through (*ahem* http://kck.st/awkwardblackgirl), we’re extending the season 5 more episodes to include an amazing season finale. Either way, there will DEFINITELY be more web series in the works, and possible spin-offs.

(Ed: Since this interview we’ve found out the ABG team’s Kickstarter campaign has successfully raised over $44,ooo)

Last question, what made you produce the range of “I am awkward” T-shirts? How is the demand for them?

After I came up with the “Awkward Black Girl” premise and tagline, I realized that “Awkward and Black” shirts could be really marketable. I had the shirts made way before I even had a draft of the first episode and the demand for them has been great! We’re all out of the first batch and bringing you new shirts on August 15th!

 Watch the entire Season 1 of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.