What exactly is art; who defines it; who makes it, and where in Atlanta do poets, thespians, and artists congregate and create? We’ll use this space to catch up with a few for a few…some you may know; others we hope you’ll be pleased to make their acquaintance.
Meghna Nagarajan is a talented artist pursuing her dream of centering Atlanta in the film industry. When she’s not spending time with her loved ones, the Midtown resident is somewhere working in Atlanta.
A multi-faceted creative, Nagarajan writes, acts, directs, and dances. Most recently, she had a small part as a featured extra in the DC Comic’s film Black Adam. But of course, her instincts were calculating how a fraction of her scene’s budget could help fund her own series she plans to create one day.
Nagarajan is also a polyglot; she can read, write, and speak in English and Hindi and is fluent in Tamil, Malayalam, and Urdu while also being able to hold conversations in Japanese and Korean. Nagarajan believes holding so many languages creates a mindset/outlook where she always feels in the right place. And as an artist, creative, and human being, she always intends to understand one another and share.
What would you consider your first love as an artist: writing, acting, directing, etc., and when did you first know this was what you were meant to do?
It was “The Alphabet Play” when I was in kindergarten. I fell in love with acting then, but two decades later, when I was 26, I understood I wanted to pursue it as a career. I learned about three first-generation East Asian boys from San Diego who started their own production company and created their own content. That’s when I realized there was a path into the industry for people like me…one that I must make for myself, but possible!
You founded a collective, creative community, the Gold Writer’s Group…can you share how it supports artists in Atlanta today, where the entertainment industry continues to grow?
When I moved to LA a few years ago for an internship, I found myself without a support system for the first time. I realized how lucky I was to have my Atlanta community. It felt like breaking into Hollywood without connections was a pipe dream. Industry “outsiders” need a strong community willing to go to bat for each other’s dreams and goals. As an Indian American, I have been privileged to be part of a similar community since childhood. So, I decided to replicate that for the writer’s community that I was a part of in Atlanta. Since moving back, our community has been thriving, supporting each other’s efforts.
To borrow something you once said to form my next question, “Your brain is like an apartment complex where many interesting characters live, rent-free.” What do they talk about or say about you as an artist and the worlds you create?
At the risk of sounding slightly cringe, the characters build their own worlds. I’ve had an “overactive imagination” since my “Alphabet Play” days. Some social media therapists may probably tell you it’s a symptom of being a constant outsider as a child. Even if true, it helped me help my characters create or change their realities to build worlds that I would love to move to.
Like me, you’re a bit into the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, and you’re an ENTP which stands for Extraverted-Intuitive-Thinking-Perceiving. According to 16personalities.com, the ENTP personality type is “bold and creative, [keen to deconstruct and rebuild] ideas with great mental agility.” How does this resonate with you and inform you as an artist?
I have challenged the status quo and what is “expected” of me my whole life because what was obvious to me was not obvious to others and vice versa. And this colors all of my characters…their decisions and outlook in life.
What would you do to ensure more Atlanta-specific production line teams, etc., have opportunities to work being produced in Atlanta?
Atlanta is the future I want to live in, and the city reflects its warm and welcoming people. She already has accolades for her music, as she should, and we produce world-class shows and films. Most shows and movies are still primarily helmed by line teams from all over the world. If I had the opportunity, I’d make sure Atlanta also had local line teams so that a large majority of the shows are made in Atlanta by Atlantans.
In that regard, House MeMo is a production company founded by my sister, Movina Nagarajan and me, slated to launch later this year. We will create content based in and by Atlantans to train, employ and promote creatives locally. Ideally, the writer’s room and department heads would be staffed with at least 60% Atlanta people. We plan to train people with laterally transferable skills to transition into leadership roles. Our upcoming projects include HighLife, a dramedy series based on the South Asian community in Atlanta, and music videos for Movina’s forthcoming album.
