The comedic talent exploring her side-splitting series portraying the grotty appeal of today's youth life

The performer joins the digital interview and at once launches into an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, sounding genuinely remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s just what is ideal to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those who know her fearlessly openly gay and brash project Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with the director and featured in together with close companion the talented actress—will be aware that Sennott has plenty to share, whether about identity, sex, or the appeal of forming a youth brawl society. And, once you finish the recent eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds further insights regarding the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she is a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing the show in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as guides for the project, which follows the journey of a social media star Tallulah and her friend and new talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the most significant influence on creative vision was reserved for Entourage, that program about a rising Hollywood star making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The concept for I Love LA came—partly—from firsthand, originally fractious, move to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a phase that involved her learn some big life lessons, professionally and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Starting Out

Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott started developing and showcasing stand-up while studying theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and posting uproarious (and very) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically fixated on motherhood; a different one envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being caught in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Those who had doubts regarding her then will certainly be feeling foolish now. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to manifested her dream vehicle. In 2019 she shared content named on LA life online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about city dwellers balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might easy to make a program about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. I Love LA avoids both, making for a representation of advantaged young adult living that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.

Empathetic Approach

“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she says. “I think that young people have been through a lot – I’m mostly thinking of people younger than me, like my little sister, who went to college during Covid, so she had to come home, or my other sister who was doing school online.”|“The younger generation has faced significant

Ricky Davis
Ricky Davis

A customer experience strategist with over a decade in SaaS, passionate about improving support workflows.