Shonda Rhimes: Dreams Become A Reality

Shonda Rhimes is a creative force.

She is responsible for three hit shows that have been captivating audiences for years. Her shows, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and her latest, Scandal have sealed her fate as a creator of pop culture phenomenon. For anyone that needs proof of how powerful her influence is, log onto Facebook or Twitter during the premiere of the latest episode of Scandal. Tweets and Facebook statuses about Rhimes’ characters overshadow pictures of cats and memes. Before, during and after the episodes, Rhimes and her characters have television views across the country entranced. When one episode passes, the next one is eagerly awaited. People have acted similarly over Private Practice and Grey’s Anatomy. 

Although Rhimes’ name is recognizable now thanks to her shows, she was writing well before “Meredith Grey,” and “Olivia Pope” existed. The Chicago native began screenwriting after leaving the advertising industry to go to the University of Southern California for a Masters of Fine Arts in screenwriting. After leaving USC, she sold a screenplay for a film titled “Human Seeking Same,” but the film was never made. She went on to have a relatively successful career as a movie screenwriter and wrote feature films including: “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,” “Crossroads,” and “Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement.” She also adopted a daughter, named Harper, in 2002.

After adopting Harper, Rhimes became a homebody. “I adopted a baby and suddenly went from being this single girl who was going out all the time to someone who could never leave the house. I started watching a ton of television because the baby never slept and I never left the house,” she told Vulture, a pop culture website. Although most people would find hours in front of a television unproductive, Rhimes’ time at home led her to her true purpose.

“I had been writing movies before then and that’s sort of when I went … I was a little frustrated with movies because it felt like it was very simple and there was a very simple formula. I was watching television and I thought this is where all the character development is happening,” she continued.

Leaving the big screen for the small screen gave Rhimes the control she was seeking. A decade later, the 42-year-old has three television shows, an upcoming project with The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl’s Issa Rae and another baby girl, named Emerson. She has a lot of accomplishments under her belt, but she thinks her biggest accomplishment is her ability to find a balance. “I’m most proud of the fact that I have figured out how to exist as both a creative person and artist, and a businesswoman and a manager because those two things do not go together,” she told Oprah Winfrey during an interview for Oprah’s Next Chapter.

Many people probably think Rhimes’ power is in her pen but she sees her power a bit differently.

“I kind of like to think that dreaming is my super power,” said Rhimes. “That or oboe playing. But nobody likes it when I play the oboe, so, you know, I’m gonna go with dreaming.”

—Ashleigh Atwell