Today we’d like to introduce you to Janea West.
Hi Janea, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My decision to pursue writing as an actual career started back in 2015. I was working as a newsroom PA at C-SPAN at the time and whenever I’d have down time I’d take advantage and work on my script – it was a pilot of what eventually became my web series GROWN. It was a very rough draft and my first attempt at screenwriting, and I remember sending it out for festivals, writing competitions, etc and for over a year received rejection after rejection. It was discouraging, you know? Perhaps my writing just wasn’t good enough. Well, I remember it was March 2017 and I had just gotten home from a long day at work to my basement apartment. It was raining and I had missed the bus so I had to walk home from work. I probably forgot my umbrella that day too – but I just remember being over it. OVER. IT. Feeling a range of emotions ready to call it quits when I checked my email. Above the spam was an email from Columbia University accepting me to their TV Writing Program. It was probably the most exciting feeling at the time. My work was finally being seen for its potential!
And that was all I needed. I had met my then-producing partner Charlotte Lan Steiner at Columbia who was from DC, and when we returned we came together to produce what became GROWN the web series – a DC-based comedy drama about four friends growing into Black womanhood. Charlotte and I, along with Kasharena Horton, Mars Santi, Skye Ellis, and Elnatan Melaku came together as the dream team. We successfully funded a campaign on Kickstarter, casted the stars, and filmed for over a year on weekends to make the series happen. Since then, the series has won numerous awards, most recently ‘Best Narrative’ series at Black Girls Rock! film festival in 2022 where it screened at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
After years of going back and forth from DC to LA, I decided to officially make the move to the west coast and pursue my career in TV writing full-time. I wouldn’t be here without the support of my community and those who have paved the way before me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
A smooth road? Absolutely not! But it’s been a thrill. Each and every day. I honestly wouldn’t trade it for anything else. Of course, there are days I’m like “hmm I wonder what life would be like if….” but I try not to go down that road. There’s really nothing there but doubt and anxiety. I would say my biggest challenge is keeping my eyes on the prize. It’s easy to get distracted or lose focus especially when I’m not seeing the immediate results I want. There’s no guarantee in anything; I’m my own motivator, I depend on myself to make my dreams a reality. I believe mental fortitude and independent will are necessary for the life of a creative. Some days it feels like my dreams are so far away, but I gotta force those thoughts out of my head and know that I’m walking a path of greatness and this is just a part of the journey.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My genre of writing is comedy-drama. Growing up, I enjoyed 90s sitcoms because they exhibited strong examples of what healthy, supportive, familial relationships look like. These elements are what inspire me as a script writer today, with the goal of one day seeing my own show(s) on primetime television. The plots in my scripts are amusing and dynamic, consisting of multiple characters who all have unique motivations of their own. The characters are quirky and funny with relatable storylines. Their stories showcase the struggles and difficulties of life while also highlighting the joy and humanity that exists within it. I love writing meaningful dialogue that’s natural and transitional, with intentional subtext in each line, building to a larger, more meaningful purpose for each scene. I do my best to incorporate some element of social impact into my stories as a way to reflect the times, but undoubtedly my art centers around Blackness and the diversity of our experiences.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Being myself has always worked for me, so I think staying true to whoever you are is important. People can feel when someone is being authentic or not. I’m also more extroverted so approaching someone new is not a fear of mine, whereas it may be for someone else, but thank God for the internet! It’s so easy to connect and build relationships with people on social media. Getting a mentor is really about alignment- of schedules, personalities, goals – and you can never force those things to fit unless it’s meant to. What’s worked for me is writing down exactly what I want [out of a mentor] and knowing that as my efforts continue the right people will be there to guide me along the way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.janeawest.com
- Instagram: @janeawest
- Twitter: @a90sdramedy
- Other: tiktok: @thewriterbabe
