Lil Rel Inspires True Star Storytellers

True Star Co-founder DeAnna Sherman poses with comedian Lil Rel during his recent visit to True Star.

On September 23rd, comedian Lil Rel Howery came through the True Star headquarters to see the work we put in on a daily basis. After getting a tour of our space, Rel hosted a discussion centered around storytelling, which is True Star’s bread and butter.

Part of the discussion was with a group of emerging adults with a variety of backgrounds and career paths, including filmmaking, writing comic books and designing clothes, all of which had elements of storytelling.

FTG Host Gary Langfield Jr. shares his True Star projects and accomplishments with Rel.

The actor/producer/writer and now director, asked the group, “What type of stories do you want to tell?” This prompted a deep conversation that allowed everyone to share their ideas one by one. A common theme talked about among the creators of color was normalizing specific elements of modern day storytelling. One example was normalizing stories about black Americans without it being a trauma fest. Another was normalizing stories with characters from all walks of life and not being surprised when you see a member of the LGBT community in a story. Not every story is pushing some sort of “agenda,” it’s simply art that reflects the world we’re living in.

After the discussion wrapped up, the day ended with Rel filming a special episode of “From The ‘Go Show.” We talked about Chicago being a comedy epicenter that rivals New York’s comedy scene. We then talked about what brought the “Get Out” star back to his hometown of Chicago – the What’s Funny Comedy Festival. When asked what the core value of the festival was, Rel said, “I wanted to create something where black and brown comedians would be in the forefront, even though it’s open to everybody… Also so we didn’t have to water down our voices.”

After his comedy festival, which ended on the 26th, he’s staying in town to shoot a limited series that he wrote called Church Anniversary. He describes the project as a love letter to his late parents.

We ended things on the show talking about Rel’s role of mentorship and how those who are really hungry will find opportunities. Before he left, Rel shouted out True Star for giving out opportunities for emerging adults to be their best selves.