Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Sousa.
Hi Megan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story begins between two homes: an immigrant Portuguese home in Connecticut and my mother’s home in rural Alabama. My mother made me participate in basically everything you could do in school: dance, softball, theater, student government, you name it. My father would take me on travel excursions over the summers; my grandfather would watch Arsenio Hall late at night and I Love Lucy in the mornings; and my aunt would enroll me in commercials for stores such as Filene’s and Bradley’s, which I’m not sure even exists anymore. I remember one of my cousins having a local radio show (in the days before podcasts) and I would watch them from the sound booth imagining leading my own radio show one day. Shout out to my cousin Brian. My Portuguese grandmother would sew and hem outfits together, so the nag for fashion and “dressing up” was inescapable. So I guess you could say the influences have always been there. I think things solidified when my parents gifted me a Fisher Price mic and mic stand for Christmas one year. It’s one of my earliest memories of performing; as soon as it was set up, I was singing, “That’s the way, uh huh uh huh, I like it, uh huh uh huh.”
My mother is the real hero here. In every interaction I had in school, she would remind me how it can all connect to performing for film and TV. In my freshman year of high school, she relocated us to Los Angeles so I could have an opportunity to seriously pursue acting. I homeschooled, auditioned, and attended after-school dance programs like A Place Called Home (APCH) in South Central. It was all going according to plan, except for the acclimating part. I missed my friends, I missed my old house. I wasn’t ready for the big city. So a year later we ended up moving back to Alabama. After graduating high school, I was all set to attend the illustrious Tuskegee University… and then the worst day of my life happened.
During the summer before college, I lost my mother. I was lost in grief and battled depression throughout my freshman and sophomore years. Instead of acting, I majored in nursing and enrolled in Air Force ROTC. Hollywood had been replaced by an uneasy pragmatism. Something secure. Although I pressed through, the mental challenges I faced during that time paralyzed me socially and creatively. My spirit was broken.
The breakthrough came the summer before junior year. I’d started speaking to high school students and incoming freshmen via a youth outreach program. In sharing my story, I began to work myself out of the dark place I’d been in; I’m sure the connections I made with those students helped me even more than it helped them. It was around then I realized nursing wasn’t where my heart was. Although I wanted to help people, I kept getting the pull to write, to create. Journaling was part of my therapy, and I’d pour myself into the pages of composition notebooks. But writing was more than just therapy, it was passion. My professors and counselors took note and encouraged me to switch majors. Despite the nerves, I decided to make the jump. With no formal theater or creative writing programs, I majored in psychology. Maybe understanding people better could translate to writing and acting.
After graduating, reality hit. As much as I wanted to try out grad school, I didn’t have the money. I had no safety net as a matter of fact. And time was ticking. So I gave myself a simple task: move to California and just jump right into whatever I can get my hands on. I drove to Los Angeles from Alabama with $200 to my name and one solid lead, a friend named Cleary Clark who’d matriculated from Tuskegee to USC’s prestigious film school. Soon as I touched down, I gave him a call and let him know I was in the market for work. “You know how to do makeup, right,” he asked. “Sure do,” I replied.
“Then I got something for you Saturday.”
Within 48 hours of touching down, I had a paid job on a film set. I juggled auditions and freelance makeup for several months before landing my first lead in a short film called Zero, a UCLA thesis written and directed by Kim Townes. As fortune would have it, Zero would go on to screen in the American Black Film Festival and would have a 5-year run on HBO, Cinemax, and Aspire TV. I continued to work on a few film and TV appearances, web series, pilots, sketches, and other random projects. Any job I could get. Eventually, I took a hand in producing and writing my own short film, State of Separation, which premiered in London at the Raindance Film Fest.
Around that time a friend encouraged me to dip my toes in comedy. It was love at first set. I began working at Flappers Comedy Club, sponging up everything I could. I worked my stage presence at open mics and dove deeper into sketch and improv. Eventually, one of my closest friends and writing partners, Tarik Jackson, and I started a sketch duo creating shorts for Snapchat, YouTube, and Mel Magazine. This led to completing the Upright Citizens Brigade Improv and Sketch scholarship program and producing a 3-year show at UCB called The Black Twitter Show with my sketch/improv team, Cornbread Kitchen. Within the same year, I started producing another show, a stand-up comedy show called LYT: Laugh Your Truth Comedy Show, which is still up and running at the Hollywood Improv.
After booking my first big studio film, Beats, on Netflix, things started to finally feel like they were falling into place. In 2020, I acted in the upcoming Netflix film, They Cloned Tyrone, directed by Juel Taylor. It was a difficult shoot, taking place squarely in the middle of the pandemic and requiring all cast and crew to quarantine in a bubble for months. However, the experience was incredibly rewarding, as I got to witness and learn from acting greats like Jamie Foxx and David Alan Grier. Later that year, I produced and starred in Between Before, written and directed by Sutton McKee. It was my first leading role in a sci-fi feature film, and just recently made its world premiere at the 2022 Other Worlds Film Fest in Austin, Texas.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
If it were a smooth road, we may not be having this conversation. The journey is supposed to have some bumps and hiccups. When you’re forging your own path, where few have traveled (at least where I’m from), the roads won’t be paved. There were and still are struggles which are not limited to: being away from family, mental strength, maintaining integrity & dignity, maintaining a work/life balance, making money, keeping up a healthy lifestyle, building relationships, and completing projects. It’s really trying to stay process oriented; making sure I’m focused on the journey and not the destination because that’s easier said than done.
Maybe out of all things, staying true to who I am has been the most challenging. You’d be surprised how, over time, if you aren’t checking in with your core, you can drift and forget who you really are. If you allow others to question who you are, you find yourself doing the same. Also, as of late, our comedy community has been hit pretty hard. It’s painful to see friends gone too soon. Don’t give up y’all! You are loved.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a professional actress, comedian, and host. I specialize in producing films and live productions as well as mentoring with youth outreach organizations for at-risk youth. I’m known for my film work in 10 Days In The Valley on ABC, Beats on Netflix, Domino: Battle of the Bones on STARZ, Laff Tracks on TruTV, and Bushbaby on Revolt TV. I also executive produce and host the LYT Comedy Show at Hollywood Improv and founded/produced Cornbread Kitchen’s Black Twitter Show at Upright Citizens Brigade. I’d say I’m most proud of Cornbread Kitchen and LYT Comedy Show since I saw them realize from idea to execution and have been fortunate to collaborate with some awesome people in the process. It’s like having a kid and you’re proud of how well they’re performing in school. You’re full!
As far as what sets me apart from others, if I had to choose something, I would say… I actually care. I care for people, I care for mutual respect, I care for the arts and I care for equal treatment and fair business. I truly believe all ships rise with the tide, so I make a point to show up with all of my intentions in check and pray over all of my projects and those who collaborate with me. It can be a vicious game but I trust in the good and that everything always works out!
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Los Angeles has a lot to offer when it comes to convenience and entrepreneurship. Like, If I want to take a new class, I’ll find one. If I want to try some cool eats, I’ll dine in. If I want to go horseback riding, I’ll RSVP. There are a lot of opportunities in Los Angeles and I’ve learned there are a lot of freedoms to be yourself and find a community or create one! My least favorite thing about the city is the traffic, the lack of seasons, and the homeless crisis. I feel there have to be some resources to truly help navigate these communities toward long-term solutions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.megansousa.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yo_megs/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookSousa/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/yo_megs
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/yomegs
- Other: https://reekspeaks.carrd.co
Image Credits:
Zachariah Schmitt Chris ML Bates Eugene Haynes IV Crack Em Up Thursdays Gregory Wallace Photography Jeremy Scippio Jason Spears Simba Sims Auden Bui Shary Junco Louis Hamilton II Lynn Yang Diamonds in the Raw Foundation Megan Sousa’s personal photography collection
