Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ira Storozhenko. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ira, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My journey would rather be called unique, and it began a long time ago, when I entered the film university in Russia, and continued when I moved to the United States to pursue my education and get a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts. So take it or leave it – I have had the two most different styles of teaching. And hell – I have learned a lot of how and what to do and what not to.

It would be worth mentioning for all the readers that I had to go through the dominant environment at first, where women were laughed at in my department, and only to learn in my youth how to handle the career properly – so that was a journey. The journey, I think still unfortunately all women can relate to.

The journey of accepting my femininity and being a female director without considering what others will think of my performance, the journey of being appreciated even if it feels like you never will… Well – IT WAS A JOURNEY. And still is, and I am happy to share it with the rest of the world and especially with queer girls who did not feel like they belonged.

As Doja Cat says in her famous song “Woman” – “define feminine – I’m feminine”, very much like that, I had to learn through the tears, how to navigate a career where you have to be masculine but also somehow “a woman.”

It took me a long way from Russia, where, back then, being a woman and a director was simply a joke, to the U.S., where I could not trust my mentors in AFIC when they would compliment my work.
so when I say – a journey – I am not exaggerating. It had felt. With all the pain, the wins and the losses.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I direct TV Mini series that are being screened on the phone. No joke – this IS ADDICTIVE! I recently found my close friends watching the vertical dramas and it did… play well. I guess nowadays everyone is looking for a cinderella story where dreams do come true.
I started directing vertical Dramas when this content was in its early stages of development. Over the years, I could see how it grew so much, taking over the audience and basically replacing TV shows. I still adjust my vision every time I work on a new project, hoping to find and develop new shots and a unique vision. So, in my directing approach, I treat these shows the same way I would relate to the horizontal narrative.
I choose the stories I direct very carefully, usually trying to find a personal connection to them. That inspires me and makes every show unique.
Speaking about the lessons and things I have learned from school – all apply. The way I talk to actors on a crowded set with a short turnaround time, the pre-production process of how I build my relationships with Heads Of Department, and of course the main interaction with Executive Producers.
The most proud moment comes from project to project where I get the chance to fight for the Lead Actor or Actress I think will be good for their role; this very first time when I see the assembly (first) cut of the show I directed, and of course – the likes and views on the apps – when I get to meet my audience and see how good the show is doing.
This process emotionally is very challenging as I get to see my own ratings almost every week and it is almost like being judged in the high school for your appearance. Sometimes I have random people texting me a “thank you” message for the show, and every time I get those messages – my heart warms up.

I still believe in the power of cinema and entertainment, especially when it can help someone to get through a tough day or change their course of life. I love every single part of it.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Absolutely yes. As a creator and the person who provides the visual content, I am most driven by the joy and the response from the audience. I believe in the power of the story, and this is what keeps driving my creative force. If the content sells, that means there is a demand for it, and my job becomes to serve and entertain the audience on a high-quality level to make sure they get to see a better product.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I had to unlearn was the “JUDGEMENT” – the creative opinion of other people that might stop you from the creative flow. Don’t get me wrong – I am a very sensitive person when it comes to criticism, and I do receive it well; however, I had to learn how to divide the “healthy” criticism from the “unhealthy” one. The destructive. I believe that for the artist and the creative flow, you need to use your best judgment of what matters in the particular period of time.

For example: I work with a lot of Executive Producers, and their opinion matters a lot and all the time – it does not mean that I can’t show my voice, quite the opposite: if the conversation goes well – we both are chasing the same goal, and we end up to be on the same team. That is important for the show. There will be other people with their creative opinion who would try and enforce it on you – and my advice for all the young creators would be to define the importance and learn how to respond to it properly, or, in other words – to UNLEARN how to respond to everything if you are as sensitive as I am to the criticism. The most important part in the process would be to LEARN on how to define which voice is needed to be heard and what note to take, otherwise you might end up with a feeling that there are “too many cooks in the kitchen” and blame production or your collaborators, if you wish – but the truth stands – that would be a responsibility of the director to create the atmosphere of a healthy creative environment where notes come your way only when they are needed, and this is up to the director to establish the relationships flowing this way.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ira_always_ira/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ira-storozhenko-84a7b01b1/
• Other: IMDb: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm8450227/?ref_=tt_fm_dir

Image Credits

Miida Chu,
Sarah Anne Pierpont