Meet Zsaknor Powe | Director/Writer & Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zsaknor Powe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zsaknor, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
How much it’s controlled by business and the larger American economy. The media and entertainment are often thought of as a creative factory where the best ideas win. In all honesty, the most affordable and sellable ideas win, and even then, if there is a way to cut corners, corners will be cut.

Hollywood has only brought back 60% of the workforce to offset the cost of raising writers’ residuals. That 60% now has to work as much as the pre-strike fully staffed. Also, with competition from streaming and social media, while Hollywood and the music industry have the keys to Main Street to block-book theaters, produce the Grammys, pay for radio ads, it doesn’t mean much if your kids use TikTok like Google.

Also people are specifically unaware of how in the writer/director world, who you have connections with, where you went college, and what your class background is, matters way more than your actual talent. Talent is not enough in Hollywood.

The industry is in a weird place right now, and the lack of mainstream culture reflects it. It’s better if we all accept it, for now.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Honestly, at the age of 28, I’m just figuring it out. For a long time, I defined myself solely by my story—a mountain built from an 18-year-long, semi-depressing experience. It wasn’t until I realized at 26 that I had ADHD and started taking medication a year later did I have clarity on my own upbringing. From their I was able to come to peace with the conditions of my city —for better or for worse.

Upon reconnecting with certain family members throughout Louisiana and Texas, I understood that my art, moving forward, needed to be centered around my community. Being a middle-class kid in a forgotten, decimated city where cultural traditions bind us together has shaped my perspective. Many only associate Louisiana with Mardi Gras and the French Quarter, but in reality, it’s a region haunted by the echoes of slavery, Jim Crow, political corruption, colorism, and environmental racism.

Although it took 28 years to return home, thematically, I decided I wanted to be a forward-facing mirror for southern Louisiana to the best of my abilities. There were periods in my life when I didn’t want to embrace my city, but as I got older, my creole-country upbringing became more apparent—in my speech, my money habits, and my perception of the world—all rooted in Louisiana, and I couldn’t escape it.

You can try to run away, but you are who you are, and at the end of the day, I’m a multi-talented, loud-mouthed artist from Baton Rouge.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I know this is a Houston based publication but If you make it down to Austin, the white Atlanta of Texas, the best wings you’re gonna find is at Gossip Shack. Get the buss down 6pc with ranch sauce and waffle fries.

If you want Jamaican get the Ox-Tail at Bikkle. La Barbecue and Sams are the polar opposite service experience but both have great BBQ.

If you like to dance you gotta follow the dj’s. My boy Eli Arbor is mean on the 1’s and 2’s, follow him on IG @eliarbor.
For some reason I don’t see a lotta folks dancing out here, just standing around looking like Shein models with a hookah pipe in their hand preparing for an Instagram photo-op. But if you want a more relaxed environment FireHouse Lounge, Devil May Care, and High Noon, all have a speakeasy quality to them.

Then there’s the touristy stuff, paddle boarding on Lady Bird Lake, watching white folks play blues or perform Joe Rogan inspired comedy, and drink. If one thing Austin will do is put a cheap drink in your hand.

Shoutout Origin House, ATX Encore, and YoungBlack Austin, they all have instagram pages for hosting and promoting black events.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I would like to give a shout-out to my comedy cousin, Ivy Le. She has been incredibly supportive as a fellow comedian/writer, showcasing immense talent. Despite facing challenges in the Austin comedy scene due to not being a cis-white male, she has been a vital safe space for each other regarding creative and personal matters. I continue to be amazed by her internal drive and her ability to accomplish so much, while being a mother of two young kids.

While she attributes her determination to her upbringing as a first-generation Vietnamese daughter, I believe it’s her inherent resilience that truly sets her apart. Resilience is a fire that burns from within, and every time I see her, I can sense that hers is roaring strong.

Website: zsaknor.squarespace.com

Instagram: zsaknor

Other: I’ll give someone $20 if they can find my other random social media pages. I’m talkin about the pages nerds used to be on in the early 2000’s. The real Internet.

Image Credits
Don’t have images of me directing rn. Credit: @shots_by_aia