Creative Control

Playwright and director Aleshea Harris knew early on she wouldn’t be satisfied playing a role in someone else’s story—she wanted to create her own. Harris initially set out to be an actor, but quickly realized the limits of waiting for permission to tell more expansive stories centered on the Black experience. So began her career as one of the most fearless playwrights in contemporary theater, with works including What to Send Up When It Goes Down, On Sugarland, and Is God Is, the latter of which has been adapted into a film. But Harris didn’t hand the reins to another director—she took on the challenge of extending her vision from stage to screen on her own terms. In this episode, Harris explores transforming Is God Is into a film, what new muscles she’s developed as a first-time director, and how she thinks about white audiences consuming her very Black art.

For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/news

To listen to the latest episodes of Creative Control on Fast Company:https://www.fastcompany.com/podcasts/creative-control

In 2022, Alphonzo “Phonz” Terrell was the global head of social and editorial at Twitter until he was part of the mass layoffs following Elon Musk's acquisition of the company. Terrell and his fellow Twitter alum DeVaris Brown immediately pivoted to create their own social media platform, Spill. After years of seeing how harmful and exploitative social media apps can be to Black and queer folks in particular, they were determined to design a space to serve and safeguard the communities that actually drive online culture. 

 

It's easy to think of Spill as Black Twitter getting its own platform. And while Terrell is devoted to maintaining the trust of its users and building more equity for them, what he really sees Spill becoming is an operating system for fandom.

 

In this episode of Creative Control, Terrell explains how being a "failed" musician set his career in motion, what the future of fandom looks like, how he's navigating brand partnerships with community trust, and what growth opportunities he sees for Spill in a very chaotic social landscape.

For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/news

To listen to the latest episodes of Creative Control on Fast Company:https://www.fastcompany.com/podcasts/creative-control

When Riz Ahmed feels lost in his creative endeavors, he asks two questions: Does it stretch me? Does it stretch culture? Those questions have guided Ahmed to an Oscar- and Emmy-winning acting career (The Long Goodbye and The Night Of, respectively), a boundary-pushing music catalog, and stories that have redefined who gets to be seen at the center of the frame. And now, in the latest chapter of his career as WePresent's guest curator, he’s posing those two questions to all creatives. 

 

In this episode of Creative Control, we explore how Ahmed is utilizing his role as WePresent's guest curator (a role previously held by the likes of Marina Abramović, Solange Knowles, and Olafur Eliasson) and how his upcoming version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet ties directly into his vision of stretching culture—particularly at a time when it needs it most. 

For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/news

To listen to the latest episodes of Creative Control on Fast Company:https://www.fastcompany.com/podcasts/creative-control

In 2022, Jennette McCurdy shook the culture with I’m Glad My Mom Died, a brutally honest memoir that spent more than 80 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, sold more than 3 million copies, and is now being adapted as a series for Apple TV+. But more than anything, the book marked a turning point for McCurdy as she reclaimed writing—not acting—as her true creative home.

 

Now, she’s pushing her passion even further with her debut novel, Half His Age. The book follows Waldo, a 17-year-old student who enters an affair with her married English teacher. It’s an unsettling, razor-sharp examination of power, consent, female rage, class, and consumerism.

 

In this conversation, McCurdy unpacks her writing process (it’s a full-body endeavor), the discomfort she’s intentionally leaning into, and what it means to take full authorship—and creative control—of her career.

For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/news

To listen to the latest episodes of Creative Control on Fast Company:https://www.fastcompany.com/podcasts/creative-control

Grammy-winning producer Hit-Boy has shaped the sound of modern hip-hop—crafting timeless records for Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Nas, Kanye West, and more. But behind the hits is a deeper story about creative ownership, personal growth, and learning when to let go.

Recorded live at Fast Company’s Innovation Festival, executive director of editorial programming KC Ifeanyi traces Hit-Boy’s evolution from a teenage producer chasing opportunity to a creative leader rewriting his own rules. He opens up about being locked into a restrictive publishing deal for nearly two decades, how mentorship from Jay-Z helped him regain control, and why he now sees that period as a necessary part of his growth.

Hit-Boy also dives into his creative process—why he treats beat-making like a video game, how rejection is baked into the job, and what it really takes to make music that lasts. He shares his perspective on AI as a creative tool (not a threat), his journey with therapy and mental health, and why setting boundaries has been essential to protecting his energy.

Now expanding into film, brand work, and building a creative hub for the next generation, Hit-Boy describes this chapter of his life as a “software update”—a full reset, creatively and personally.

For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to ⁠https://www.fastcompany.com/news⁠

To listen to the latest episodes of Creative Control on Fast Company:⁠https://www.fastcompany.com/podcasts/creative-control