Today we’d like to introduce you to Meagan McKenna
Hi Meagan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
From the start, I was rambunctious with an insatiable need for attention and always wanting to make people laugh as a child. I have fond memories of falling out of my chair with laughter and getting in trouble because milk was coming out of my nose while my siblings could not stop staring at me. I of course got into big trouble and was as many hyperactive children told that I was too much and needed to go to my room. This is where my sanctuary of imagination was born at an early age . I explored characters and voices in my mirror for hours in order to regulate myself as I have learned now as an adult
Shortly after those years, I found theater where I could express my neurodivergent self along with other people who seemed to be a hop ,jump and skip off the beaten path. The experience was cathartic and welcoming to my adolescence that I decided to pivot into the arts full time. Whether it was singing and pretending I was a Broadway star or convincing my parents to allow me to go to New York as a 18 year old and attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts It was crystal clear to me that the reason I was here was to express myself through the medium of acting.
I wish I could say that I had a flourishing career, however, it was about 10% of what I now know myself to be capable of. It came with many doors slamming in my face followed up with people asking what have you done? It didn’t stop me one bit in fact that rejection allowed me to listen to my inner whispers and become laser focused on making sure that when people saw my work as my great coach Annie Chang and exceptional talent states “you want to create a ticket to talk!”
Fast forward to a life well lived and challenges met I was able to define my purpose through adversity. Once my soul felt worthy enough I was gifted with my forever mate. He mirrored all the beautiful qualities of laughter playfulness and safety that I was looking for .This life with him has become so full of riches that are not monetary starting with the greatest of 3 kids. He pushed me to excel in martial arts where I received my blue belt in Brazillian jiu-jitsu . As it happens in life if you believe and take action towards your passions you are bound to have them revisit you even when they have been dormant for what feels like a life time. Shortly after long daydreams of cameras and lights with me in front of the camera I got a call from a producer who knew me from my past.. The next thing I knew, I was on sets with well-known talent and was bitten by the acting bug all over again. I then aligned my life by taking action to show people who I was as an artist. I vowed to myself that I would show people my special sauce and it was then I decided to figure out how to create a tv series. I chose to make goals and crush them and so it began I built with my dear creative brother from another mother ha ha from scratch and with out a single Hollywood connection we were able birth a TV series and a starring vehicle for me in a character that is semi biographical.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Looking back, I would you say it’s not been easy or smooth in retrospect as most things that are worth anything seem to be super difficult before they become easy. As we all deal with impediments I discovered mine to be unfortunately silent which made it harder to navigate and found that people did not have curiosity to understand my triggers or understand why I would have to remove myself or suddenly get angry about some random stranger chomping on gum. Being given an auditory disorder where I am triggered by many sounds was a challenging and dreadful thing for me to come to terms with; however, I used this challenge as an impotece into what now has become a vehicle to show the world who I am as an artist. Similarly I’ve always taught my children to not ask for permission and to do what it is that lights them up. I say “Go and show yourself and the world who you are by taking actions and following your gut”
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My largest accomplishment has been starring in the movie Love Solutions to date released May 2024, which was just recently released on Amazon Prime. It was written and directed by Carl Jackson and distributed by buffalo 8 Productions. Something that people get when they get me is big curly red hair, green eyes and a smile for days. As a human I find it essential to communicate with people by looking them in the eye and listening to them the way I want to be listened to. In this industry I often see people deciding what someone is or is not without inquiring about someone’s individuality. Another quality I bring to the table is my unique power of hustle as I tell my team and everyone around me I am a dark horse and I dare someone to out-hustle me. As someone with ADHD diagnosed as hyperactive and impulsive since the age of five I now know being neurodivergent is a superpower. I shared this idea at the San Diego Global Neuroscience Conference where I spoke on the panel as a neurodiverse show creator. Autism Tree is a well know non for profit that offers over 200 free activities to the neurodiverse and autistic community in San Diego. You can see the full interview on UCTV . I spoke of the impact of accurate and responsible presentation in storytelling through out Hollywood. Since I was born with this type of drive I never wanted to look at others and compare myself; I subscribe to the thought that there are watchers and doers in this world, and the watchers sit around and watch the doers do.
As I sit here I must say that it has been worth the wait to do what speaks to me. I now know that there is nothing that will stop me. As I said earlier I seek out the greatest impact by creating my show and bull dozing over the arbitrary boundaries. I want legislation to mandate a neurodivergent curriculum in every public school in the United States. My mission statement is to accurately and responsibly make sure the “playing field is wide open for anyone to play in any position behind or in front of the camera” as my executive producer Marti king Young states.
We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
This Is something I live for, whether it is every phone call I have made to a person that I’ve been told not to ever call because HOLLYWOOD demands a certain pecking order that must be followed to find success or taking 25 years off and starting over in this business. I suppose that it all had to happen this way.
I have learned that I am relentless and do not take no for an answer when it comes to building a team that will get us to the finish line. Our show currently titled “Triggered” will be the first of its kind this I am certain. It will be green lit with a new creator and lead talent myself and a new writer Joel LaFlamme as we will organically gain a huge following and audience that we already have built in through the ever growing neurodivergent community. Another risk was that I fired 3 agents and 2 mangers in my first 2 years back into the industry this was met with people thinking that I was crazy and impulsive and should wait it out. “You can not wait out a scarcity mindset” I told my fellow actors. I knew that I had to position myself with people who would pitch me and pick up the phone to fight for me.
As it stands now after 2 strikes I have been lucky to find my perfect match not only for me but a team people that believe in our show enough to bust down doors to get us to be seen. My reps are Untamed Artists LA, just the name is congruent with me as an artist because I consider myself a disrupter of all the rules and protocols that this industry enforces upon us as creatives. I am represented by Eric Ziech and knew I had met my match when he echoed to me that when he met me on zoom “he felt like he struck GOLD!”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.me/MeaganMcKenna
- Instagram: @meagan_mckenna_actress
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meagan.mckenna.75
- Twitter: https://x.com/MeaganMcKenna7
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0YFPudyysSOENnGU5KI1Yg
