If you are wondering How to Get Away with Murder or how to create a Scandal and rake in millions, you would like to know about Shonda Rhimes’ success. An African-American woman who built a TV show empire on ABC before being wooed by Netflix, Shondaland is synonymous with success in Hollywood.
When asked what her formula to success is, she once said, “I believe that good television should be challenging and frustrating and maddening and thrilling. If you just want to see people who look like you and think like you and do what you would do in any given situation, you’d have to stop looking at TV and start looking in a mirror. But would that be as much fun?”
The Shonda Rhimes Success Story: A Start
The youngest of six, Shonda Rhimes was born in Chicago, Illinois, and majored in English and film studies in college. During her time in Dartmouth College, she directed and performed in student productions, a sign of the times to come. She also wrote for the college newspaper and worked in advertising, before getting a Master of Fine Arts degree from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
At USC, she studied screenwriting and was ranked top of her class. Rhimes also interned at Debra Martin Chase while pursuing her masters.
After graduation, the Grey’s Anatomy creator did odd jobs to get by as she sought work as a scriptwriter in Hollywood. Her first big break came from HBO. Rhimes was asked to co-write Introducing Dorothy Dandridge for the network, which was released in 1999, and won numerous awards for its lead. From there she moved on to write for Disney’s The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and things started looking up.
Television Success and Media Attention
The Shonda Rhimes’ success story started taking solid form with the release of Grey’s Anatomy in 2005 on ABC. The medical drama catapulted Rhimes to fame and is currently on its 19th season. Of the show, Rhimes believes that the team “made it possible for more people of color to have jobs on camera on television” and is embarrassed it took so long for television to be inclusive.
The next venture from Shondaland was Private Practice, a spinoff of Grey’s. She achieved stupendous success with Scandal, based on a crisis management expert, and How to Get Away With Murder that started Viola Davis in the lead role.
Currently, the award-winning producer is busy with Netflix’s period drama Bridgerton series. The colorful cast has been lauded by fans and critics for its inclusive casting and drew in over 82 million households within the first month when season one premiered on Netflix. In Rhimes’ words, the show has proved that an inclusive cast will draw in more viewers and advertising dollars.
Lessons from Shondaland and Co.
Dubbed the most powerful showrunner in Hollywood, Shonda Rhimes’ TV shows are known for achieving sky-high ratings and their gripping storytelling. She has three hit shows with over a 100 episodes each to her credit. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Shonda Rhimes net worth is estimated to be around $140 million as of October 2022.
When Shonda Rhimes created Grey’s Anatomy, she ensured that the ensemble cast was diverse and brought inclusivity to the silver screen. While the sky-high ratings have ensured it is still running even after 15 years, Rhimes states that she never ran behind ratings. For her, it was important to craft characters that could also serve as role models. It appears she has achieved what she set out to do, as many of the show’s fans have gone on to become doctors, learnt how to do CPR, recognize the signs of a heart attack, amongst other things.
Her rule for happiness is that there are no rules. In her book Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person, she recommends living your life the way you want. “Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be, “ says the Dartmouth alum. The Shonda Rhimes’ success story did not happen in a day, and she reminds fans to be aware of it and to wipe the slate clean and start over as many times as needed.
As a vocal activist on feminism and voting rights, she uses her platform to improve the portrayal of women in media. Shonda Rhimes’ TV shows have diverse women who are impressionable in their own right; as she seeks to encourage representation and inspire a young generation to go after their dreams. Rhimes showed that it is possible to bring change with the Kerry Washington-led Scandal. A black woman hadn’t headlined a network show since 1974 but all that changed with Scandal’s commercial success.
During her Dartmouth commencement address in 2014, she said that success stories take time and effort. Rhimes encouraged the graduating class to be doers and not just dreamers. It is what she has done for the past 20 plus years. At any given time, she has at least three to four shows in production and is constantly working on ways to improve her offerings. To aspiring writers, she revealed that the Shonda Rhimes success story did not have a fairytale head start. You must do what you can until you can do something else.
She firmly believes that “Everyone’s got some greatness in them” and it is up to each person to discover what their calling is.
