Mindy Kaling to receive first Multihyphenate Award and kick off accompanying speaker series

Mindy Kaling is set to receive the first-ever Multihyphenate Award from the USC School of Dramatic Arts on Saturday, Sept. 17.

Kaling has shown her talents on both sides of the camera in hit shows including “The Office,” “The Mindy Project,” “The Sex Lives of College Girls” and “Never Have I Ever.” She will also be featured in the first installment of SDA’s Multihyphenate Masterclass speaker series.

SDA created the series with the intention of preparing the next generation of versatile dramatic artists. Kaling has acted in, written and produced a multitude of different shows, making her the ideal candidate to receive the award and kick off the series.

“Mindy Kaling has architected a career path that is unique, sustainable and worthy of emulation by our students. As such, I can think [of] no one better to receive our inaugural Multihyphenate Award,” Dr. Emily Roxworthy, Dean of USC SDA, said in a statement.

After receiving her award, Kaling will speak to USC SDA students in a Q&A led by Colman Domingo, an SDA professor and 2022 Emmy award winner for his supporting role in “Euphoria,” for the first Multihyphenate Masterclass event. Other notable speakers Saturday include Black List founder Franklin Leonard, TV and Broadway producer Paula Wagner and theatrical artistic director Sean San José, making a full slate of guests with versatile skill sets that SDA students will have the opportunity to hear from.

The weekend intensive has been dubbed “The Inclusion Playbook” by SDA. The representation that Kaling has provided for South Asian people in entertainment is particularly remarkable to some SDA students, they say.

“I think her most significant project is probably ‘Never Have I Ever.’ I think it’s doing a lot of South Asian representation and representation for [people of color] in general,” Maya Ben-Harush, sophomore BFA Acting student, said.

Hearing from people like Kaling in the Multihyphenate series “gives you this affirmation that if you stick with your integrity and your study that you should have the same access to these spaces,” Aneesa Monet, fellow sophomore BFA Acting major, said.

Naturally, SDA students are eager for the opportunity to speak to Kaling. “It is very exciting to see her because obviously she knows so much and she’s very experienced [in entertainment],” Adrian Quiñónez, BFA Acting sophomore said.

Faculty are equally glad that their students will have the chance to hear from her. “[She is] a model for not just not people of color, but everybody who wants to enter the business,” actor and USC SDA professor Rodney To said.

Saturday’s event is just the first of 10 installments in the Multihyphenate Masterclass series directed by SDA faculty and featuring guest speakers. All will be free for SDA students and the series will cover a range of topics including the entertainment business, acting for stage and screen and working behind the camera.