Kar Logan
Kar Logan is a multi-faceted creative hailing from Maryland. Currently living in NYC, he is the writer, producer, and star of the web series Wingmen and served as producer on the series Situationships, now steaming on BET NETWORKS.
How did you get your start in writing and acting?
I've been writing for as long as I can remember. I have always been interested in stuff that I saw on TV and always wanted to replicate that on paper. I would write all these creative stories to insert myself into them. I'd take an episode of Power Rangers and rewrite it with me as a character like I'm the “seventh Power Ranger".
As for acting, I was inspired by the black male leads I saw on television shows like the Fresh Prince and A Different World. Will Smith, Kadeem Hardison, Jett Jackson, Kennan, and Kel inspired me. They were these cool Black dudes who were fly, got all the girls, but were able to be goofy at the same time.
On moving to New York to chase the acting dream and the challenges of a new actor:
In 2012, I moved from Maryland to York City. I quickly realized access to acting opportunities would be difficult for me. It's even harder to get auditions when you don't have an agent. As a black person or just a non-white person trying to get into acting spaces, I knew that roles were limited. I started doing a lot of background work. It was fun for a while, but it does not take long before you get tired of being Black Dude Number Five, Black Dude Number Six.
The Black indie space started to pop around this time. I got the opportunity to be in a few short web series or short projects, and I began to build a reel off those projects. While working in the indie space, I started building great relationships with other filmmakers, and they all had different talents and resources. One day, I thought to myself, "I can write, I feel as though I can act, and I have all of these resources at my disposal. Let me see how I can make things work for myself." Soon after, I began shooting my own scripts.
In your opinion, what are the three hallmarks of a good writer?
Knowing your strengths.
Everyone has a unique perspective. You should find your voice. Know what you want to say and how you want to say it. One of the things that made me fall in love with writing was how people articulated things. I love how people paint these vivid images just by using words.
Have Fun.
I know it can sound corny or cliché, but many people stress themselves out because they forget how to have fun with writing. This is your baby. When you finally get into that position where you're going to write it on paper and transfer it over there, make it fun.
Knowing your flow.
Write when you're ready. I will have an idea swimming in my head for a whole year before I put it on paper because I want to have fun when I'm writing it. By the time it hits paper, I've already thought of the beginning, middle, and end.
On the demands of being a part of an African family:
My parents encouraged me to write and read a lot growing up, but I think they saw it as more as a childhood hobby than an actual career. My dad has always understood everyone needs to do what they're good at. My mom… there was a lot of push back, but she is finally coming around. Parents begin to realize you're going to grow into your own version of who you want to be, not who they want you to be.
What keeps you focus on your goals when you experience setbacks and self-doubt?
I count my blessings in terms of where I am now. Yeah, things will take a long time, and I'm getting accustomed to it. While waiting, I look back at the old work that makes me proud of what I did. I think about where I was when I filmed my short films or my web series, how things might have been stressful at that time, but the final product came out perfect.
Dream role?
I've got to play a superhero. If it's not a superhero, a character in an action movie. I want people to really see I can really act my ass off. I want to play a character that nobody would picture me doing. I've done a lot of comedy, a few dramas, and enough "thug man number 5's" to count.
So… DC or Marvel?
DC.
Really?
Yes. I've always been a DC dude. I grew up on Batman and Superman. People are always shocked when I tell them. I love the darker stories that they have over there. Marvel has come in and put a chokehold on a lot of us, but at heart, I'm still a DC dude.
Logan served as writer, director, producer, and star of web series “Wingmen” streaming now on Kweli TV
Tell us about your current writing project?
It's a horror comedy. I'm a big fan of movies like Halloween Town, Don't Look Under the Bed, The 13th Year, and Luck of the Irish, and I always wanted to write something in the same vein.
I came up with this story when I was a kid, but I didn't write it until 2007. It's about a group teenagers dealing with magic and zombies, ghouls, goblins and demons. The main character sells his soul for the perfect life, and now he wants it back. To get it back, he has to offer up a soul in exchange for his own. He enlists the help of his con artist uncle, who has a magic book he keeps in the back of his shop, and they use the book to try and get out of the deal, but they accidentally end up raising the dead.
Black television is in an interesting space where we are at the end of an era of sorts. Many of the shows that were a part of the mid to late 2010's golden age of black television is wrapping up. We've seen Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and Empire wrap. Insecure (the series was still airing at the time of this interview) and 'black-ish are on their last seasons. What do you think is next for Black television?
I'm excited for what's next for Black television. We have so many new shows coming out that I think the future of Black TV is in good hands because the road has been paved.
Also, I'm admittedly nervous about where things could go. I want everyone to have the opportunity to find their model and produce content that's unique to them. We have a lot of inspiration from the Issas, Lena Waites, and Barry Jenkins, but not every piece of content needs to look exactly like theirs.
On other upcoming projects:
I recently finished producing a film entitled, Daze. It's a pretty dope romantic comedy short. It's like Groundhog Day meets How to Be a Player. I'm co-producing a project, Desolate Dreams, with my producing partner Kiyoka Rhodes. She is telling the story of Japanese Americans who were detained back in the 1940s. We just recently wrapped our teaser and trailer for it. And we're looking to hopefully get started on shooting the actual project in 2022. Also, I'm working on a pilot pitch for a music series set in 1986. It is loosely based on the Motown experience and trying to make it in that industry.
What motto or quote do you use to help guide your life?
"I was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad." - Rafael Sabatini (Saramouche)
It's hard for me to write anything without some humor to it. I could write drama, but somehow, "the funny" will still get in there because I always see the humor in any situation.
For more on Kar, please visit karlogan.com and follow on social media @karlogan