With her Netflix miniseries 'When They See Us' and a newly built downtown L.A. studio, the director is creating a modern Hollywood empire while tackling such complex issues as race, justice and that "rich, bloated, flamboyant guy" in the Oval Office: "I'm not going to knock on any closed doors. I'm going to make my own door."

Insiders predict bigger content budgets, synergies with sister networks and a juggling act as one company now runs a half-dozen networks and three digital services.