SHE’S A LUCKY GIRL

Oct 14

AN INTERVIEW

WITH RACHEL OGECHI KANU, DIRECTOR OF ‘OUT OF LUCK’ A NEW WEB-SERIES

*Photo by Chaz Presentz*
*Left to Right: Jasmine Ribak, Ashley Nord, Rachel Ogechi Kanu, and Caitlyn Joi.*

Yours And Yours Truly sits down with super-creator, Rachel Ogechi Kanu, to discuss her latest production — a web series titled Out Of Luck, which she wrote, directed, and co-produced.

This project has been in the works for two years and is nearly ready to be shared with the world. Read the interview below to learn about Rachel, the series, and what it means to be a creator at this moment in history.

YANDYT: Well to begin, this is by far maybe the most amazing and exciting creative experience for you to date, right? You must be very proud.

RACHEL: “You know, I have all these ideas in my head of stories I want to tell and this is the first time I actually had the assets to bring it all together. I am proud of so many things on this one, but the biggest achievement for me is the casting work I did. Our show is made up solely of all of my friends I made while attending college. When I left school in 2020, a part of me felt like I was leaving my friends behind, so being able to come back and create something where they were the stars and to spend that time with them again was magic.”

YANDYT: That’s really cool. Can I ask you … from what place was this story born? You mentioned your friends and kind of being pulled away from them. Do you think that influenced this specific story?

RACHEL: “For sure. I originally wrote the script in July 2020 and had plans to film it that fall. So the story was born out of limited resources. I was like “these are the actors I have (my friends), this is the location I have (our school and our apartments), how can I create something within those limitations. COVID was also ravaging NYC at the time so that played a big part in limiting the stories I could actually tell during that time period.”

YANDYT: You’ve mentioned limitations and resources. Can you explain to me what those are for you and how you overcame and cultivated them to do this project?

RACHEL: “The first limitation was money. Making a project of this scale is very expensive. Especially for an unemployed actress/filmmaker. So trying to create the vision I had on a budget was a challenge. There are so many elements that go into a film like costumes, set design, location fees, catering, transportation for all your artists, and hopefully being able to pay people too! My resources were my savings and my will power… Definitely broke the bank living in New York and putting everything I had into this series, but I was set on beginning my journey as a filmmaker and I have no regrets.”

YANDYT: Can you tell me more about this will and power you possess? I admire the way you believe in yourself and your visions and I honestly believe that if more people could shamelessly say “I have will and I have power”, the creative world would look very different.

RACHEL: “For me, it comes from a combination of many things. Firstly, my beloved parents. My dad raised me to be a dreamer and from a young age both of my parents deeply believed in me and my talents. They never doubted me, so I have a very confident inner child within me bossing me around to make all these things happen.”

“Paired with that is an adoration for film and TV. When I see some of the stories that get picked up by streamers and networkers, I’m thinking ‘how did that get bought??’ ‘I have WAY more nuanced stories to tell for the sake of my communities and for young people in general.’ Contrary to that, when I see brilliant work like Netflix’s ‘Young Royals,’ I go ‘Oh yeah. We need more of that. How can I be a part of making that happen?’

YANDYT: Wow. That’s extremely inspiring and it’s evident what sets creatives apart … I think it’s the will and the power and that confidence and belief and hope … even when you may be a bit doubtful, you have to persist if you have a desire to be in a certain place and position. I want to talk a little bit more about the web series … What was your biggest source of inspiration?

RACHEL: “ I have a very tumultuous relationship with New York City. She’s my toxic ex. But my time at college in New York was a major inspiration for the show. There is something so vivid and electric about going to school there. Life moves so quickly and at 18-20 years old you are learning so much about what it means to be a functioning human. You are making decisions and choices that can have long term effects. Who you date… what you pursue… When I was in that college bubble in NYC, it was a completely different world to what I had experienced the first 18 years of my life and I was inspired to capture that awkwardness and that essence of becoming a young adult. ”

YANDYT: 18-20 is such a tender age and I love the way you capture the nature of early adulthood years. Now, I know you do it all but you really have this deep love for directing. What was it like to direct this?

RACHEL: “On the directing end of this project, I had an absolute blast! I think with any new project you go into it like Am I the right one to do this? Or Am I ready for this pressure? But for me I was kind of like LET’S DO THIS! I spent most of 2020/2021 coaching at an acting studio back home so I had a lot of experience working with actors and guiding performances so I felt well equipped for the job and was just excited to get to actually do something that I have been told in the past I will do ‘when I’m older.’ I don’t like the glass ceiling put on me as a director because I’m young. I know I can do it now. At this age.”

YANDYT: And you did do it ! And I think that’s a huge inspiration for anyone unsure of where to start.

What was your favorite part about creating this project?

RACHEL: “ My favorite part of the whole experience was definitely getting to coach the acting scenes. Storytelling and world-building are my greatest passions and rehearsing the scenes with actor’s and giving them notes and then watching the scenes shift and change will always be my favorite part of what I do.”

YANDYT: What do you hope an audience will take away from the series?

RACHEL: “I hope people have fun while watching the show. There’s drama, there’s romance, and most importantly there is diverse representation. I hope audience members of color leave the show feeling seen and heard and enjoy watching people that look like them go through these early adulthood experiences. ”

YANDYT: Diverse representation is what i’m looking forward to mostly. It’s such an important part of culture today and you highlighting that so seamlessly is what’s needed right now. I’m so excited to watch it and I wish you the best of luck with the aftermath of everything. I’m so thankful that you found the time and even had the desire to do this interview. It means so much.

RACHEL: “Of course. Thank you for your time and bringing me on this wonderful platform. I have been following YANDYT very closely since the beginning and I can not wait to see it continue to grow and evolve. I hope everyone reading checks out everything on your blog and podcast.”

YANDYT: Don’t forget to tune into the first episode of Rachel’s web-series ‘Out of Luck’ on October 21st streaming on YouTube…

YANDYT: Click the poster below to subscribe to their YouTube Page now so you don’t miss a thing!

*Photo by Chaz Presentz. Poster Art by Sarah Kanu*

Ashley Nord