We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hann McEwen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Hann thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
Being misunderstood and mischaracterized has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. No matter the situation I was in, it always felt as if no one was truly receptive to what I had to say. I wasn’t able to relate to other kids. I would constantly get in trouble with teachers. The few times I was able to find common ground with my family was through fighting. It’s something I’ve struggled with. It’s something I still struggle with. Being misunderstood has never left me. It’s this constant feeling that I’m not meant to be understood or unworthy of understanding. It’s a feeling that has bred loneliness, impenetrable defense mechanisms, and a stubbornness that will be my eventual downfall. I wish I could say that art is the only way I don’t feel misunderstood, but that wouldn’t be entirely true. While art does help me cope, it’s a process. I’m learning how to ask for help. I’m learning how to dismantle certain defense mechanisms and keep the ones that are worthwhile. I’m learning how to let go. While I’m still on this journey, I think it’s going well.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
At the middle school I went to, all 6th graders were required to take the Digital Youth Network (DYN) class. After attending my first class, I became infatuated with media production. Whether I created media projects for class or for fun, it quickly became a passion. I went on to participate in multiple organizations within the Chicago Youth Voices Network including Free Spirit Media, True Star, and NUF-Said. The work I produced while at Free Spirit was included in multiple film festival lineups and shown on public access channel CAN TV. With the work I produced, I was accepted into the Northwestern Medill Cherubs program for Journalism and attended the program in the summer of 2015. I was also accepted into Gallery 37’s Advanced Arts Program for Video Production for my senior year of highschool. At Gallery 37, I realized I wanted to become a filmmaker and decided to pursue it. I attended Temple University in Philadelphia, obtaining my BFA in Film and Media Arts with a Concentration in Screenwriting. While attending university, I got involved with The University Community Collaborative (UCC), an organization that provides political education to young people and empowers them to organize. While at The UCC, I became a S*x and Consent Educator. I would go to different high schools throughout Philadelphia and facilitate Consent Workshops. The workshops’ goal is to educate teens on what consent truly is and how to advocate for their consent and others. I learned so much from the role and still value the work I did while there. It made me realize that I didn’t want my work with consent advocacy to end once I left The UCC. So when I learned about Intimacy Coordinating, I knew it was another career in the entertainment industry that I wanted to pursue. After graduating, I decided to move to LA to work in the industry. The goal was to obtain more experience as a Screenwriter and work as an Intimacy Coordinator when I wasn’t writing. It has been two years since I’ve moved out here and I’ve learned so much. I moved with no experience and no idea where to start. Now, I’ve had opportunities to work on projects across several mediums, write a pilot for a series, and officially be on set as an Intimacy Coordinator. I’ve come a long way and I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made. Next, I want to get my certification as an Intimacy Coordinator and continue figuring out what impact I want to have on the industry.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
While I have been able to stay afloat as a working creative, it hasn’t come without sacrifice. There are so many times that I had to put off writing and creating for the sake of sustainability. If an artist or creative has to choose between a job that doesn’t feed their creativity and an unpaid opportunity that could, most of the time they will choose the job. It’s not because artists and creatives don’t value their art or that they aren’t willing to struggle for their art. Most people have to choose the option that will finance their living expenses. It’s no secret that it’s incredibly hard to create when your basic needs aren’t being met. It’s a matter of having access to basic necessities so that creation is possible. To best support artists and creatives, our society needs to create more paid opportunities for artists or ,at the very least, provide basic necessities in exchange for an artist’s work. What if artists were able to host workshops related to their craft in their community and in return their rent is subsidized? What if there was a fund that enabled creatives to work part time and create the rest of the time? I’m sure these programs exist somewhere but why aren’t they more accessible? Until society is able to offer basic necessities to artists and creatives, our creative ecosystem will remain stunted.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
After graduating with my BFA In Screenwriting, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. My ultimate goal was to become a Writer and Intimacy Coordinator. I had no experience working in the industry and I had no idea how to even enter the industry. After a few months of networking and aimlessly applying for jobs, I got my first gig as a Production Assistant. PA work was the only way I could learn about the industry. With each gig, I grew, I made connections, and I hoped that it was getting me closer to my goals. As a result of my efforts, I was offered an opportunity to work on a documentary team and I accepted it. I was offered a year-long hybrid freelance contract. It was the first time financial stability was within reach since I moved to Los Angeles. After years of struggling and trying to make it, I finally got my big break. Two months into my contract, I was let go due to budget cuts. During the WGA strike of all times. Devastated isn’t a strong enough word for what I felt and still feel at times. A lot of the confidence and momentum I built up instantly vanished. It was an even more difficult time to work for jobs than when I first moved. I took on retail jobs to stay afloat. I had no energy, no vision, and no momentum to be creative. I struggled for months afterwards. At my lowest, around the anniversary of when I moved to LA, I remembered how far I had come. I took the time to reflect on the progress I made and how much experience I’ve gained. Although I was scared for what the future may hold, I chose to plan the next steps anyway. I reached out to the community and leaned on them for emotional support. I began going to writer’s groups in hopes of being inspired again. I reached out to old connections I had made and gave them updates on where I was at in my career. Just as I was ready to give up, I was reminded of what I moved to LA for. On SAG approved productions, I was offered my first paid Script Supervisor and Intimacy Coordinator roles. These opportunities are helping me realize my goals again. After so much confidence lost, I am gaining it back little by little. Most of all, I’m gaining the energy to be creative again.
