We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Devon O’Kane. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Devon below.

Alright, Devon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

In 2021, I released my first big project – a web series called Handsome. It’s about a 30-something queer man re-learning how to date after ending a 10 year relationship. On a broader scale, it’s about trying to find love in a world that’s rapidly changing and can be very difficult to navigate.

It came to me pretty early on that I wanted to create a series. I’m obsessed with Insecure and what Issa Rae accomplished with The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl on Youtube. I think episodic filmmaking gives you, as a creator, more time to explore characters and watch them evolve over time.

When the pandemic hit, like everyone, I went through a lot of life changes – ending one relationship, moving out on my own, starting a new one. All of these factors led me to creating a story based around my experiences. So, I wrote the pilot to Handsome and showed it to a friend who convinced me to make it…for real. From there, the process was smooth. At that point I had amassed a network of creative people here in LA. Since everyone was starved for work, creativity, and connection, I got to witness this beautiful atmosphere on set where everyone was thrilled and happy to be there.

When I was in the midst of the process for Handsome’s first season, I had no idea that my story would resonate with so many people. While I had always loved filmmaking, I had never introduced myself to the LA arts scene as a writer, director, actor all in one project.

A few months after production, we released Handsome and held a screening at SADE – an art gallery in Chinatown. The turnout ended up being so good that we had to do 3 screenings back to back. It was one of the best days of my life–to be able to see hundreds of people come together to celebrate the work that me and my crew had done. For me, that’s what art is all about: bringing people together and providing space for people to reflect on their own lives. I look back at that experience with so much pride. I have a web series that has spoken to a lot of people and I did that by telling my own story, something that nobody else can do.

Now, two years later, I’m feverishly working on bringing season two to life and I’m getting real close to making that a reality.

Season Two

The second season of Handsome is not just the next chapter of Devon’s life as he navigates love, sex, and his identity. It is also meant to be a love letter to the communities that have shaped me as an artist: 90s filmmaking, Los Angeles, and the Queer community that has accepted me with open arms since my move here.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Since I was a kid, movies have been my escape.

I grew up pretty poor in Toronto with a single mom and didn’t have anyone pushing me to get into sports, music, or any other extracurriculars. So, it being the 90s, Blockbuster became my haven. Browsing the aisles was a ritual for me. I was never interested in popular films, however. I always looked for obscure, very inappropriate films for my age. I remember the first time I saw Basketball Diaries with Leonardo DiCaprio. I was like, “This shit is dark. I should not be watching this.” But it helped me realize the power of cinema, the power of stories. From there, I delved into the beautiful world of 90s cinema with movies like Pulp Fiction, Baz Lurhman’s Romeo and Juliet, Larry Clark’s Kids, Desperado, My Own Private Idaho and the list goes on. Looking back, I think I had an affinity for those medium budget films that were so great at that time–the ones with grit, style, and a little bit of edge.

From there, I started experimenting with making my own films. Sometimes they’d be documentaries or home movies for my friends–nothing too serious. At the same time, I was really taking to writing. I remember one of my assignments in my high school photography class was to take a photo and develop a narrative around it. I remember how impressed my teach looked when he handed me back my paper.

Deep down I also knew I wanted to be in front of the camera. I did a lot of plays in school. One of the most memorable was playing Romeo in a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s play. I had a special bond with performing. When I was in the tenth grade, we had a casting director from the show Degrassi come to our school looking for new talent. My acting teacher put in a good word for me and got me an audition for the show! After the first audition I even got a callback during which I got to act opposite the lead actress of the show. Sadly, I did not book the role, but my momma was very proud.

It wasn’t until my 20s that I moved to New York to pursue acting with a coach named Sheila Gray. Classes were held in a little Sunday school room at a Church near 100th and Broadway. The second I walked into the class, I saw other actors touching the air with their hands and talking to people that weren’t there. It was crazy but I knew I had found my people. By the second class, I was in tears talking to an imaginary version of my mother, tearing down years of suppressed emotion. It was a transformative time in my life that I’ll never forget. I still work with Sheila till this very day.

From there came a lot of experimentation and trying to find where I fit in as an actor. That was a struggle. I really didn’t understand the process of auditioning and I would book small roles here and there but then, never hear about them again. The process was confusing at the very least. Eventually, I had a moment where I had to say “this isn’t working.” So I decided to stop auditioning all together. It was freeing.

Now, I devote my days to the art of filmmaking with several projects in the works, most importantly being the second season of Handsome.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Earlier this year, I held a fundraiser for Season Two of Handsome. The night before the event, I was in a state of anxiety. I was doubting myself and questioning everything I was trying to accomplish, as an artist does. Well, I was at the gym, trying to clear my mind when I got a dm from a young college student in Chicago. It read:

“Hi! I’m having finals right now and I feel burnt out so while I was procrastinating I watched the entire Handsome series today and now I’m 6000 words in on an essay because after watching your mini series I realized dreams don’t work unless you do. And what you said about wanting to write about the queer experience, not just the white gay experience, but the queer experience sooo many of us people of color experience is exactly how I feel and I hope you know what you did is meaningful and it is beautiful and I hope I get to work with you someday”

I nearly broke down crying right there in the gym. After feeling so uncertain and as if I don’t deserve to be doing this, I received that beautiful message. It was instant validation that what I’m doing matters to someone. I tear up thinking about it even now because of how unexpected and meaningful it was to receive that at a time of intense self-doubt. Deep down I care so much about people. To inspire others through my art is the best gift I could ask for.

To me, there’s no greater reward for being an artist than that.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The lesson I had to unlearn is this idea that there’s a certain path you have to follow as a filmmaker or creative in general. We’re constantly shown success stories from people who have made it – usually in their 20s. I think the idea that you have to “make it” at all is harmful to an artist. It creates pressure to commodify your art. You think “oh how can I get this on streaming platforms” or “how can I sell my ideas to HBO” or whatever. It sucks the fun out of the process.

Don’t get me wrong, I would love to be creating shows for HBO or Netflix, but those are enormous companies with a bottom line. Sadly, I don’t think they’ll ever have the artist’s interests in mind above their own. So, it ends up being really hard to shake this narrative that you have to become something or get discovered by someone. If we’re always looking outwards for approval, we’ll never have the internal confidence it takes to be an outlier. I stand by the idea that you have to be 100% authentic at all times. And that’s a process in itself, but once you find your voice, there’s literally nothing more important than using it to tell the stories that matter to you.

I’m 36 now and I’ve honestly never felt better about my life or my art. I have a web series that has spoken to a lot of people, and I did that by telling my story – which is something no one else can do. Whatever happens next is up to the Universe – who I think I have a pretty good relationship with at this point haha.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sacredheartfilms.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devonokayyy/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBdMbUyf6c8wdX1OB4pdAAA

Image Credits
Current profile shots are by Gabriel S. Lopez https://www.instagram.com/gabrielslopez/ https://gabrielslopez.com/