Kadia Blagrove
What are your thoughts on:
What got you interested in writing?
I always loved creating my own little worlds. As a child, I was raised in a very strict, Jamaican, religious household thus I was a very quiet child. Storytelling was one of the few ways I could express myself without bounds.
What’s the one book you keep reading again and again?
This may sound basic but, “The Alchemist” by Paula Coelho. I find a new message each time I read it. Another good re-read is Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi -- each story told gets deeper the second time around.
Tell us about, “Lea the Late Bloomer” web-series. What was the process like creating the series so far?
“Lea The Late Bloomer” is a dramedy web series written and created by myself. Here’s a quick synopsis: She’s almost 30. She’s broke. She lives with her parents. She’s “Lea The Late Bloomer.” In this new original web series, we follow 28-year-old Lea Watson, an underachieving filmmaker whose dream is to make it big (or at least get verified on the ‘gram). After a failed attempt at “making it” in Los Angeles, Lea returns home to The Bronx to live with her parents, and is forced to face her old demons and self-sabotaging behavior.
Also, fun fact: Leo the Late Bloomer was one of my favorite books as a kid, so the title is somewhat of an homage.
The process was very hard yet freeing. While I have an extensive career as a working writer, I have very little background in film. It was scary to venture into this world but this story kept eating away at me, yearning to be told. I didn’t know many film people but I created anyway. I had no technical experience but I believed anyway. I went to improv classes, I went to film workshops, I basically put myself in the space to meet the people I did not know. With some courage and hard work, everything came together: the vision, the team, the product.
As a creative, what are the different ways you’ve used your talent/gifts/platform to give back to your community?
I am very passionate about mental health and homelessness alleviation. I started an org with my friend Kydee Williams called The Pop-Up Care Shop, which is an annual pop-up shop of free clothes for women in need. We basically create a mock boutique at different shelters -- we have clothes on racks, a toiletry section, accessories, and more. It’s my way of using my fashion, event planning, and production background for good.
What’s the biggest misconception about writers that you wish would end?
That we work for free. We do not. We deserve to get paid fairly. Also, writing is not easy. I hate when people say things like, “Oh I could’ve written a (book/blog/article/etc.) if I weren’t so busy!” Of course writing is open to everyone, but I’m talking about those who act as if writers are only doing what we do because we have so much spare time. You ain’t got the juice. Writing is a lot of hard work. It is a craft that needs to be developed and exercised over time.