Issa Rae’s media company Hoorae has named industry veteran Kaylin Cotton as its new chief of staff.
Prior to joining Hoorae’s team, Cotton worked for Live Nation and Shondaland, bringing his vast background in music, entertainment and television to support Rae’s ever-growing vision for the future of the media business.
Formerly Issa Rae Productions and relaunched under the new name in 2020, Hoorae is a multifaceted media company that develops content across mediums and genres with the goal of continuing to break down the boundaries of storytelling and representation. The company is made up of Hoorae Media for film, television and digital productions; Raedio, the music label in partnership with Atlantic Records; and ColorCreative, its management division.
Born in Los Angeles, Cotton began her career managing multiple outlets for Fortune 500 companies, including Target and Skechers, before transferring her leadership and management skills to the entertainment world. Cotton then served as coordinator for Shonda Rhimes’ media company Shondaland, where she was responsible for developing the company’s brand guidelines and events. In her last role at Live Nation, she specialized in internal communication and programming around diversity, equity and inclusion. Notably, Cotton’s experiences rising through the ranks mirrored those of Rae (also from South Los Angeles) – they were both often the youngest, one of the few women and the only black person in the room – a perspective that will prove invaluable as she contributes to the company’s mission to create new pathways for black creatives and other people of color.
In his new role as chief of staff, Cotton takes on an instrumental role within Hoorae’s leadership team, working with each department head to streamline procedures and improve collaboration and communication between Hoorae, Raedio and ColorCreative. Cotton will also serve as an advisor and confidant to both Rae as CEO and the entire leadership team, acting as a sounding board for ideas before bringing those visions to life through planning and management. .
