We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Victoria Lartey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Victoria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

For as long as I can remember I’ve always been a “creative,” even before I knew what that title entailed. As a child I recall wanting to do everything under the sun. It started out with wanting to dance, then sing, then I had a long stint wanting to be a fashion designer, and then finally it was film. Kind of. My imagination was and still is huge. I just always wanted to tell stories. Whether they were in my head (don’t worry, I’m in therapy now lol), written out, or with the pink Sony point and shoot camera my parents gifted me in middle school. It was a true love for me. Looking back on it now I feel as though it was a way for me to just release and express myself. So much so that it followed me to adulthood. And not to sound corny but I really believe that instead of me choosing film, it chose me…and let me tell you why. So remember I said I had that time in my life where I wanted to be a fashion designer? Yeah, well that was the longest time I’ve ever been consistent with anything. I even went to college for it. And I just remember being miserable. The “fashion” program was nothing like I thought it would be and I felt stuck. I don’t even know where the thought came from but one random day I told myself I was going to start a web show on campus because I was bored. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing, no funds to do anything extravagant, and a plan that only people as outlandish as me would follow. My idea was to do a mock reality tv show inspired by the BET series “College Hill.” I LOVED that show and it was a huge part of my childhood even though I probably shouldn’t have been watching it. But I pulled together some peers of mine who I thought were interesting enough to be filmed and scheduled a meeting in our university’s student center. Nobody knows this but that day I was scared out of my mind to present the idea to my peers. I thought they’d think I was crazy or decline wanting to be apart because I had never put myself out there before in that way. To my surprise, everyone agreed and was excited and it was time to make a show. I was a broke college student because all the money my parents gave me I would spend on clothes. So I had to find a way to make a couple hundred dollars in a short period of time to pay a videographer. It was 2015 so things like Uber and door-dash were still fairly new so it wasn’t even on my radar to do. The only thing I could think to do was to sell something of value on eBay…and to this day I cringe on what I sold. My great-aunt’s vintage Louis Vuitton bomber jacket she had given me some years prior. To this day, I want to log into my old ebay account, find the man in California who bought it and buy it back from him. I think the part that hurts the most was that I didn’t even sell it for what it was worth. I didn’t know any better. I just wanted enough to pay the videographer. My heart hurts just thinking about it lol. So fast forward. I get the money, the show is filmed, and it’s a hit on campus and youtube. I think the premiere night we got over 1,000 views. From there I just kept on creating. I was trying everything out from game shows, another reality show, and even tried my hand at scripted. The production quality was horrible but hey, you have to start somewhere. Everything ended because what else do you expect to happen when college students become “campus celebs” lol. But it was a good time while it lasted. Fast forward again, I studied abroad at a fashion school in Melbourne, Australia and while I loved my experience and connections I made over there–I was miserable in the program. I had an epiphany that made me realize “Victoria you don’t want to do fashion, you just like shopping.” And boy oh boy did I feel screwed. I had spent my whole collegiate career studying fashion, I was literally across the globe at a fashion school, and upon my return to the states there was only a few months before it was time for graduation. In the words of one of my favorite TikToks “the pressure is getting worser.” So I was back in the states, bombarded with questions on “what’s next?” I didn’t know. Just to get people out my face I’d say “if this fashion thing doesn’t work out, I guess I’ll go to film school.” But I didn’t mean it. I had no training in film, nowhere to start, and honestly didn’t even know there are hundreds of ways to make a career in it. I was just talking. And besides, at the time I didn’t think being in film was a stable career (as if a career in fashion was any better). To me it was equivalent to being a Soundcloud rapper, respectfully. And if you knew me in 2017 then you know how I felt about Soundcloud rappers lol. Lo and behold, I landed not one but 2 “fashion” jobs in New York literally the week of graduation. I was so excited and thought everything in life was figured out. Except for the part where I lied on my applications and said I was local to New York. My parents knew a lady in Brooklyn who let me stay with her while I went up there to check things out. Everything was fine until the job said “hey, you start Monday.” I just knew my parents would rent me a lush NY apartment to start my career and help me out. And guess what happened? They didn’t lol. , Days later I was back in my bed in North Carolina crying my eyes out mad at the world. I was depressed for about a year straight. I isolated myself from everybody and literally stayed in my room just mad and sad. I didn’t want to talk to anybody from undergrad because everyone was starting their lives and having jobs and there I was in bed. After awhile I decided that being depressed wasn’t going to work. I began spending time with God. Reading the Bible, praying, watching sermons. Real holy and sanctified vibes. And I just remember hearing a sermon one day about stewardship and managing what you have whether it be time, talents,, etc until it’s your season to elevate. So I decided to use that time to make videos and do photography. The whole process had to be God because it went a little too easy. I literally came out my room after having this thought and told my dad. Without even hesitating he said “okay, well what do you need?” I listed out everything I would need to get started and he just handed me his credit card and said “Okay, use this and get whatever you need.” I was in shock but not long enough for him to change his mind. When the equipment arrived I became an honors student at Youtube University. Learning how to do everything from working a camera, how to write a script, how to edit. The whole 9. By the end of that summer I had a whole portfolio. I remember talking to God and saying “if I get into film school then I know this is a path you have for me.” I took a chance. I remember panicking trying to get letter of recommendations because I had literally zero film experience. Everything on my resume was fashion this and fashion that. I reached out to independent filmmakers on Twitter and Instagram asking for advice and they actually responded. One even sent me his statement of purpose and advice on how to write a creative essay. I spent all week working on the application shutting out the world. I know I said a prayer before pressing submit and it must’ve worked because I got in. And believe it or not, that was the first time I knew I wanted to pursue film professionally. Not because of my own doing but because God confirmed it.

Victoria, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi everyone! My name is Victoria Lartey, I try to get people to call me “Killa Kam” but nobody ever actually does it. I am a filmmaker. I write, direct, produce, dp, and edit. And in some cases, all for the same project (for the sake of your sanity, I don’t recommend). I make films, direct music videos, write scripts, creative produce content and on some days I’m a photographer, but more than anything, I’m a lover of storytelling. I got into film by trying to pass the time away in undergrad when my major wasn’t fulfilling my creative outlet. I started making films for pure fun and one thing led to another (which we’ll discuss later in this interview) and boom, now I’m here doing something younger me could only dream of. I always joke and say wanting to be a filmmaker is synonymous with wanting to be a rapper in the sense that there’s millions of us. What makes me different is my voice and my experiences that I pull to write from and be inspired by. I think that’s the beauty in it all, no two experiences are the exact same. They may be similar but never identical. So just know when you’re watching my feels, you’re. watching a “Victorian” Experience. That was cheesy, My apologies.

I still have so far to go and am currently working on being proud of where I’ve been and have already accomplished. Right now I’m basking in what has been a successful year of filmmaking for my creative collaborator and I. We kicked out 5 (really dope if I say so myself) short films this year from January to now November. We’re in post production for them all and are so excited for them to hit the festival circuit. Last year I had the pleasure of working on FX’s Atlanta and remember being so in awe of being on a show that I loved to watch when it originally aired. Being up close and personal to the magic that takes place during production truly inspired me and was a huge influence on this current year I had when it came to working on my own projects. I hope to continue growing as a filmmaker and telling stories authentic to my people and culture.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal as a filmmaker is to make sure I do my part in sharing my experiences as a Black girl and woman in hopes that another little Black girl or another Black woman can see herself in my work and feel seen, acknowledged, supported, and honored in whatever genre. I remember when I was studying abroad in Australia, my international peers would tell me I reminded them of Oprah and Serena Willams. Two women I look nothing like nor (at the time) acted like–although I would love some Oprah money. When I would ask them why they would say it’s because that’s who they saw on their tv screens. And right then and there I realized how dangerous that can be to the recognition of diversity within Black womanhood and Blackness in general. So my films tend to showcase stories that aren’t stereotypically seen. I hope and pray to one day have the resources to pour into other Black girls who too want to follow the path I have taken.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn was that I had to constantly be working or working on something. That mentality was extremely toxic for me and caused me to not make the most of my leisure time. But now? The grind might not stop but it gets its rest over here. Learning the importance of guilt-free rest has made a huge difference in my personal and professional life. Truly understanding that I’m not at my best if I’m not rested and that I can’t pour from an empty cup. It is okay to sometimes do NOTHING. I promise you it feels amazing. Your work will still be there when you return.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.victorialartey.com
• Instagram: @Larteyitsfrench (personal) @LarteySheFilms (film)

Image Credits
KD Harrison