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Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing really regretful. Although she's only slightly late, she needs to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is exactly what you want to hear. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Anyone familiar with her boldly queer and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in together with her friend The Bear’s standout—would already know that she has plenty to share, be it on gender, relationships, or the merits of starting a youth fight club. Plus, once you finish the recent multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that she carries further perspectives regarding the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial adept for connecting both generations).

Influences and Storytelling Approach

Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott is an admirer, referencing it in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as influences for her series, which follows the journey of online personality Tallulah and her friend and fledgling talent manager Maia. However, the most significant presence on the moodboard was reserved for the popular sitcom, the program focusing on a rising celebrity making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The concept for I Love LA emerged—partly—from personal, at first rocky, relocation to LA and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked an era that saw her understand some big insights, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Early Beginnings

Raised in Connecticut, Sennott began creating and acting stand-up while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “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. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

Sennott decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with her friend and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) weird online content digitally. One, Baby Cult, followed several females intensely drawn to motherhood; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been peers offering opportunities, rather than traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Individuals who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will certainly be kicking themselves today. Through she describes as a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she has created an ideal role. In 2019 she posted a clip titled about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about city dwellers balancing benefits of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could tempting to create a program about internet celebrity that was overly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. The series steers clear of each, making for a representation of privileged young adult living that’s honest about the mess and the glamour.

Balanced Perspective

“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she comments. “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