We were lucky to catch up with Megan Rach recently and have shared our conversation below.

Megan, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I’ve taken many risks in my life, but the staple of my career was taking the risk of moving to California from Minnesota. Moving to LA is a risk that all fellow Minnesotans can relate to. After graduating at SPCPA (Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists), I accepted an online ad for an apartment and was just lucky enough that my then roommates were not serial killers. At the time, I knew no one and spent the first three months locked up in my bedroom, which was actually nothing more than a dining area with a curtain separating me from the living room. I drove an hour to acting class, used a voice filter to be my own reader for auditions (not recommended, by the way), and spent my days constantly looking for work until I found my people.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a queer, non-binary actor and writer that loves dark and gritty scripts that highlight LGBTQIA+ characters and female driven storylines (with a soft spot for dry humor). I act and sing in a lot of my films, even writing the songs that my characters perform. My projects cover gender, sexuality, mental health, and vulnerability in both comedy and drama. I love to have a little piece of me in what I do. And, after recently coming out as non-binary publicly and using they/them pronouns in my work, I am especially excited for the queer content that has opened up in the entertainment industry.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

How to get good sound! In acting or as a filmmaker, if you have high quality sound your film is quality. I learned I love working with what would be considered “low quality” cameras. I’m currently playing with a children’s toy, but slap a mic in front of the dialogue and it becomes a stylized choice. Your phone has great sound in a pinch, and non-direct window light is your best friend for self tapes. If anything, the most important resource is the people I’ve met when I first moved to LA that I still call my friends today. They are the reason I’m still working as hard as I can. Having a community that wants you to succeed changes everything.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I love using the knowledge I’ve obtained to help new filmmakers I meet. It took me a bit to figure out how to get work, balance between survival jobs and building a career, even reminding myself to live my life outside of film. It’s a scary town, and if I can help someone feel a little less alone, I’m happy being an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: meganlrach.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/meganlrach
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/meganlrach
• Tiktok: @meganlrach

Image Credits
Miguel S. Romero, Marcel Van Werkhoven, @9jaaa