DAILYN RODRIGUEZ SHOWRUNNER

Rodriguez has been described as a “unicorn.” Best known as one of the showrunners and executive producers for the latter seasons of “Queen of the South,” Rodriguez is an experienced writer who worked her way up through the television ranks — a path notoriously difficult for Latinas and other writers of color, who have historically been overlooked for promotions even after getting staffed. Born to Cuban immigrant parents in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York, she grew up in New Jersey before attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her dream of working in TV led to Rodriguez’s move to Los Angeles for a writing fellowship through Walt Disney Studios, which helped her land her first TV job on “George Lopez.” Rodriguez has been frank about Hollywood’s shortcomings when it comes to Latino representation and the limited (and often stereotypical) tropes and stories that make it to the screen. So even within the framework of a cartel story, Rodriguez helped steer “Queen of the South” — about a Mexican woman who builds her own drug empire — into a nuanced series that explores its characters’ humanity as well as the systemic issues that allow the black market to thrive. Most recently, Rodriguez has joined “The Lincoln Lawyer” Season 2 as co-showrunner and executive producer.

— Tracy Brown