You may know her as the chatty, lively, bright-colored Kelly Kapoor from The Office, but Mindy Kaling has grown her career to be much more than an actress. This year Time Magazine recognized Kaling’s imprint on the field of media by listing her company, Kaling International, in the top 100 most influential companies of 2022.
“I’m a dark skinned Indian woman, and I always had friend groups that were diverse, and I had just never seen that done on TV.”
Kaling’s most recent series, Never Have I Ever, and The Sex Lives of College Girls are her biggest hits to date. Never Have I Ever focuses on an Indian-American teenage girl who struggles her way through high school and The Sex Lives of College Girls follows four college roommates who come from entirely different backgrounds. The undeniable worldwide success of these series proves her theory that although she shows underrepresented people, audiences are still able to find universality in their situations. Kaling’s innate talent and incredible work ethic combined allow her to create these characters and storylines that transcend historical media boundaries.
Kaling International is currently working on two dozen projects, yet employs a total of four people. If that doesn’t speak for her attitude toward hard work, I don’t know what does. Mindy is always working and like most creatives, finds it hard to stop thinking of new plot lines or discovering new characters. In an interview Mindy discusses passion for her career, “I’ll say, I’ve got to take time off. I’ve got to retire, then I take a one-hour nap and have 10 new show ideas.” Kaling does not follow a strict creative process, rather she goes with the flow of wherever her inspiration takes her. When she does happen to encounter writer’s block, however, she sits down and watches a new show. Mindy notes that she is driven by competition, so in checking out what other writers are up to, she typically has one of two reactions. She either thinks to herself that it's amazing and is prompted to get up and work or thinks that the idea for the show is overrated and she could’ve come up with it herself. Both reactions she believes to be “helpful to [her] creative spirit.”
“One of the great things about writing comedies with the characters that I have, who are largely women of color, is that the characters are not oppressors. They’re largely people who have been oppressed. So they can say much more.”
Mindy Kaling has made incredible strides in the field of media by incorporating underrepresented peoples in her scripts. She constantly writes stories about the underdog, not only connecting with that theme herself but knowing that all audiences can in some way identify with the underdog. Mindy is a hard worker, but as she notes “hard work is great, but when you are creative, there’s not a huge link between working hard and the muse that helps you create.” For her, writing, producing, and waking early to head into the studio is not always work, it's her life and passion. Her creativity and success in the industry is truly inspiring.
If you have not experienced any of Mindy’s work, I highly recommend binging some tonight!
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I recognized Mindy when I saw your post from the Office, but I didn't fully realize the scope of projects that she's worked on. She seems really passionate about her work and it is certainly an important area to cover. Diverse representation in media has been growing, but there is still more to be done and it's people like Mindy who are truly incredible to hear about when they are working on these projects. Thanks for sharing this creative!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed learning more about Mindy Kaling through your blog post! While I have watched many of her shows and really loved them, I did not know about the impact of her production company Kaling International and that it was recognized as an influential company of 2022. (One of my favorite projects of Mindy Kaling is her adaption of Four Weddings and a Funeral on Hulu, I have watched it so many times and I love how she reinterpreted the movie with new cahracters and arcs!) In particular, one thing I love about Mindy Kaling's writing is how she develops and writes her characters and their arcs - I especially loved this in the Sex Lives of College Girls. The four main characters each have a completely different experience in college that is highlighted through the show. As a college student, it was really awesome seeing a show that depicts college life so authentically, in my opinion, especially as there aren't many shows set in college.
ReplyDeleteMindy Kaling is awesome, and I know her best from The Office (otherwise known as the greatest TV show of all time). Learning more about her current ventures and creative process was really cool, and you did a great job laying it all out. I love the anecdote about her competitiveness and watching competitor TV shows. I firmly believe that competition can help bring out the best in people, and it has quite obviously done so for Mindy.
ReplyDeleteMindy Kaling has a real knack for writing comedy shows, and I loved getting a peek into her process. I would love to know what inspires some of her characters, especially as they are often very flawed in relatable and compelling ways. It makes a lot of sense that, as a person motivated by competition, she would see the lack of representation for herself and other races and ethnicities as not a barrier to creation, but rather as a challenge she could take on. I look forward to many more of her productions in the future to continue launching diverse new talent. While making me laugh in the process!
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