Shonda Rhimes is the highest-paid showrunner on TV, and one of the most influential figures in the industry.

She's responsible for Grey's Anatomy , Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, Bridgerton,and Inventing Anna, just to name a few.

Last week, Rhimes labelled herself as one of the most powerful people in television.

And there's a good reason why.

Inventing Anna teaser courtesy of Netflix. Post continues below.

How Shonda Rhimes got her start in the television industry.

Rhimes grew up the youngest of six in Chicago with academics for parents.

With her parent's encouragement, she went to Dartmouth, an Ivy League University in the US, where she studied literature and creative writing. Rhimes also went to film school, and while studying she was hired as an intern at Denzel Washington's production company.

In the early years, Rhimes wrote the HBO biopicIntroducing Dorothy Dandridge, which earned Halle Berry a Golden Globe, and she also wroteCrossroadsstarring Britney Spears.

Rhimes was then hired to writeThe Princess Diaries2: Royal Engagement, where one of her team's first decisions was to add a Black princess (Raven-Symone) to the cast.

And then one of Rhimes' first TV pilots came to be. It was set in a bustling hospital in Seattle. It wasGrey's Anatomy.

Shonda Rhimes on paving the way for fellow Black producers and screenwriters.

As one of the few Black female producer/screenwriters in the industry, Rhimes has paved the way for future generations.

"I hope the doors have opened, and that there is plenty of room for everybody to be making stories and telling stories," Rhimes said to ElPaís. "I think it's very clear that the more people telling stories and the more voices, the better television is doing and the more people are interested in watching."

It's also been Rhimes' vision to ensure representation on screens is authentic and not dictated by stereotypes.

Just two powerful examples that come to mind include Olivia Pope onScandal(played by Kerry Washington) and Annalise Keating onHow to Get Away with Murder(played by Viola Davis).

And as Washington said to TheHollywood Reporter :"Shonda has changed the culture of television in that more and more people can turn on the television and see themselves. And the thing about her storytelling is that the humanity of her characters allows people to find the sameness in the differences."

Shonda Rhimes is not just one of the most powerful women in TV but "one of the most powerfulpeoplein TV".

Rhimes was with the ABC network for well over a decade.

But in 2017, she decided to leave the network. It sent shock waves throughout the industry. And surprisingly, the whole thing came down to a ticket to Disneyland.

As part of her ABC relationship - in which she had made millions and millions of dollars for the network - she was given an all-inclusive pass to Disneyland. So Rhimes decided to give the pass to her sister and child's nanny so the family could enjoy a day trip there. When they arrived, one of the passes didn't work. But this isn't what broke the camel's back. It was what Rhimes did next.

Listen to The Spill. In this episode, the ladies discuss Shonda Rhimes' reasoning for why she walked out on the ABC network. Post continues after audio.

To make things run a bit smoother and sort out the problem, Rhimes decided to call one of the high-ranking executives at her network, asking for help.

His alleged reply: "Don't you have enough?"

As Rhimes said in an interview withThe