At this year’s ESSENCE Hollywood House: To Altadena With Love, a packed audience of emerging and established Black creatives gathered to explore the theme “Scene and Unseen.”
Held at City Market Social House in Los Angeles, the event focused on representation, creativity, and community, while honoring the resilience of Altadena and Pasadena residents impacted by California wildfires.
One of the most talked-about moments of the day was the panel “No Small Parts: Elevating Every Audition,” featuring Emmy-nominated writer and producer Raamla Mohamed and Emmy-winning screenwriter Lena Waithe.
The two industry leaders shared candid advice on breaking into Hollywood and staying true to creative vision.
Related Stories
L.A. Care Commits $1.2 Million+ to Reduce Barriers to Dental Care for Angelenos
Ezieme Home Destroyed by Eaton Fire: A Family’s Story of Loss, Resilience, and Community
Waithe, known for her work on “The Chi” and “Master of None,” emphasized that striving for perfection is not the goal in storytelling.
“I like when people try. I think people think they need to get it right… I just really want writers to get it honest, get it human, get it vulnerable, get it authentic, get it real,” Waithe told the crowd. Her words resonated with many young writers and actors in attendance.
Mohamed, creator, and showrunner of “Reasonable Doubt,” spoke about the importance of community support among Black creatives and navigating spaces that often fail to reflect Black experiences.
“I was so happy to see so many Black creatives out here pursuing their dreams with confidence and persistence. It was a refreshing and much-needed event in a time of uncertainty for our city and for the world,” Mohamed shared.
Mohammed also spoke to the need for authentic representation both on and off screen. “Black love is not just romance. It’s platonic love, familial love. It’s supporting each other,” Mohamed said, highlighting the complexity of Black life that often gets left out of mainstream storytelling.
While the panel on auditioning took center stage, the event also featured conversations about preserving Black communities in Los Angeles, led by artist and activist D Smoke. In “Let’s Talk About LA: Preserving Our City,” speakers examined how Black cultural spaces are being threatened by gentrification and the need to protect those spaces for future generations.
Other sessions included “Lights, Camera, Content: The Future of Storytelling,” where Andrea Okeke, Karen Civil, and KevOnStage discussed how digital creators are reshaping the entertainment landscape.
The cast and creators of “All American” also led a panel on telling authentic Black stories on network television, with showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll joined by actors Michael Evans Behling, Greta Onieogou, Bre-Z, and Nathaniel McIntyre.
In a moving tribute to community resilience, the Altadena-Pasadena Legacy Installation allowed attendees to reflect on the history and strength of these communities. Through large-scale photographs and interactive storytelling, visitors engaged with the real-life impact of recent wildfires and ongoing recovery efforts.
Throughout the venue, QR codes linked attendees to Our Own, a fundraising initiative focused on supporting local recovery. The integration of community action into Hollywood House reflected ESSENCE’s commitment to connecting entertainment and social impact.
The panel with Lena Waithe and Raamla Mohamed captured the spirit of the day — honest, raw, and grounded in the power of Black storytelling. As Waithe reminded the audience, “Don’t be caught up in perfection. Be caught up in telling the truth.”
