The performer enters the digital interview and at once begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, appearing really regretful. Although she's only slightly late, she wants to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is precisely what you want to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Those familiar with the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project titled Bottoms—that she co-wrote with her creative partner and featured in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—would already know that Sennott holds plenty to share, ranging from about identity, relationships, or the pros of creating a youth brawl society. And, once you finish her recent seasonal program I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds additional insights about the darker side of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott is a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for straddling both generations).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott is an admirer, citing the show in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring talent manager Maia. Notably, the biggest presence on concept belonged to the HBO series, the program depicting an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The idea for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, originally difficult, move to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. It was a phase that saw her understand significant truths, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced writing and performing stand-up while pursuing performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, appearing at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and very) bizarre comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a thriller. By chance, she met Emma through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. The central motif of her career, she says, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who had doubts about her earlier will likely be kicking themselves now. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. In 2019 she shared content named on LA life online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about city dwellers balancing advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might simple to make a series about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, creating a portrait of affluent twentysomething existence that’s candid about the mess and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
