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Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and immediately launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, in this context, that’s just what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Those who know the boldly queer and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that she has much to discuss, be it about gender, sex, or the pros of creating a teen brawl society. And, once you finish the new seasonal program I Love LA, it is clear that she holds even more insights regarding the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a bridge for this generation, on the cusp skilled for bridging millennials and Gen Z).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing it alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which details the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also new talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the biggest presence on creative vision went to Entourage, that show depicting an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The concept for the series emerged—in part—from firsthand, at first fractious, transition to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that involved her learn some big life lessons, professionally and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Humble Origins

Raised in Connecticut, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” 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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

She decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and posting uproarious (and decidedly) weird skits online. One, Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely obsessed with pregnancy; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, rather than traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Career Breakthrough

Those who questioned regarding her then will likely be regretting it now. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she has created the perfect project. Previously she uploaded a video named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents juggling advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). Some could simple to create a show about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA does neither, making for a representation of affluent millennial living that’s candid about the mess and the shine.

Nuanced Portrayal

“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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