Meet Rena Patel

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rena Patel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rena below.

Rena, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Let this be a warning to everyone who chooses to listen to everyone else before listening to themselves. It doesn’t work.

My purpose seemed to have found me before I’d found myself and spent the better portion of my (admittedly still relatively young life) ignoring myself to follow whatever path other people wanted me to be on. I knew I wanted to tell stories when I was really young. I have a distinct memory of writing, illustrating, and binding (with staples) my own four-page book about what I liked to do for each season of the year. That was really my first book. I was incredibly fortunate to have countless teachers who also encouraged me to pursue writing throughout my education. My third grade teacher was the first person to tell me that I was a good writer. My seventh grade English teacher printed out each chapter of my first attempt at writing a novel and would handwrite notes to give to me. If you asked anyone what I would do with my life, they would’ve said, “Oh, Rena’s going to write the next bestseller.” Of course, no one’s path to their purpose is ever straightforward.

Growing up in a traditional South Asian immigrant household, security was valued above all else. Finding a job that would ensure financial security and social and cultural respect was essential. I can’t remember which comedian made this joke, but in immigrant families, you have four options with what you wanted to do with your life: doctor, engineer, lawyer, and a disgrace to the family. And although I never truly felt discouraged by my family to write, it was always an unspoken understanding that writing would be something to do on the side, not a career. I ignored how uncomfortable I felt every time someone called my writing a “hobby”, and I didn’t understand why it would rub me the wrong way until after I graduated from college. Writing never felt like just a hobby to me, but everyone else reduced it to just that.

It’s funny because whenever I tell anyone what I did in college and how I got to where I am right now, their eyes get wide because I took a very long path to get back to the path I was on all along. I did virtually everything but storytelling just to come back to it. I was a master at balancing what was expected of me and what my passion was. In college, I was juggling both my pre-medical studies and my English major. I completed a thesis in medieval British literature (nerd, I know!) while doing computational neuroscience research. When I finally made the decision to not apply to medical school, I still felt shackled by the expectation and fear that in order to survive in America and keep my parents’ hard work and sacrifice going, I had to choose a career that was secure. I bounced around so many ideas from becoming a therapist, getting a PhD in English, I even considered consulting! But none of those things felt like real options. I wanted to be as close as possible to storytelling, but I still didn’t think I could be the one telling stories. So I went to law school.

Law school started out as one long con to fool the TV and film industry into taking me in, and it’s worked…partially. I thought that if I were to become an entertainment lawyer, I would build a network of writers, directors, and producers and then transition over into the creative world. I was going to play the long game, but it was okay because I was operating in a world that was adjacent to the creative side I loved so much. I quickly realized that lawyers, even entertainment lawyers, are not really involved in the creative process. And that was when it finally clicked for me. Instead of allowing myself to follow my purpose and passion, I spent so much time trying to fit myself into boxes I wasn’t going to fit in to because it was what was expected of me. I was never the model medical school candidate, and I’m definitely not the model law student. I was trying to find my purpose in places it didn’t exist when I already knew exactly what my purpose is. It was only when I started listening to myself, and started making decisions that served my passion, that I actually felt like I’d found my purpose.

I made an effort to find time to write. I joined a writer’s group. I submitted my stories to countless literary journals, hoping one would bite. I did the same for my play and screenplays. I made the conscious effort to show up for myself every day, even if it was just for a few minutes. Within a year, I went from no one reading my writing or watching my work to meeting so many new people because of it. My first published short story, Sati, opened up the literary scene in Los Angeles to me. The first successful run of my stage play, Pyar aur Coffee, led to new friendships and collaborators.

I spent a lot of time not doing what served my ultimate purpose, from clinical volunteering at 6am to working at a personal injury law firm, and all of those things led me right back to where I started. None of it has been a waste though. Every experience I’ve had informs how I act moving forward. And all of those experiences remind me that I have literally tried everything I ever considered doing, and I still cannot imagine doing anything other than storytelling.

When I first started talking to people in the entertainment industry, they all told me that if I could picture myself doing anything else, do that thing instead. But in doing so, I learned that writing, producing, telling stories and helping other people tell their stories, is what I am meant to do. So while I’d found my purpose a long time ago, it was only when I actually started listening to myself and not others that I actually recognized it.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m primarily a writer. I used to say that I write everything except poetry, and then I published a poem so I guess I can’t say that anymore. Most of my stories focus on South Asian women learning how to choose their own happiness over the expectations society places on them and that ends up falling into two buckets: modern dramedies or mythological tragedies. There’s been one project that’s had both!

During my time in law school, I realized I also have a passion for producing and helping others create their stories. For the past two years, I’ve been a part of Adi Shankar’s (known for Castlevania, Devil May Cry, The Grey) creative team where we’ve been developing live action and animated television and film. I have also produced multiple staged readings for new works with Imaginarium Theatre Company in New York and one full stage production with The Tank. As of now, I’m excited to jump more deeply into the world of producing for film and television.

In the course of this past year, I’ve published my first short story and poem and had the first production of my stage play, Pyar aur Coffee. This is by no means the end for any of those things. I’ve got too many ideas in my head and time is the only limiting factor. Overtime, I hope to not just create my own stories, but also help others bring their stories to life.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Honestly, I think the big one is just persistence. Or stubbornness. Whatever you want to call it. Keep doing what you want to do, whether it’s writing, acting, directing. If you keep putting yourself out there, opportunities will come. Don’t be afraid of the rejection. Those are going to happen anyway.

My advice to anyone who wants to work in entertainment: No experience is a waste of time. I don’t care what anyone else tells you. Every experience you have is worth something, especially in entertainment. The most successful people in entertainment are the ones who have experience in things that are not entertainment, especially if you want to write or produce. And also, the world is way smaller than you think it is. Everyone you meet has the potential to be someone important. So be nice. Someone’s assistant could very well be calling the shots next year.

My advice to anyone who wants to write/be a writer: Just do it. Start writing. Your first draft is going to suck, it’s okay. Write it anyway. Join a writer’s group. Find ways to stay accountable. All you need is a pen and paper. (I need coffee as well, but that’s another story.)

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I’m always looking for other writers to collaborate with both in a writing and/or producer capacity, whether it’s exchanging scripts for notes, starting a writer’s group, or even working on a project together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rena-patel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renapatelwrites/
• Other: Link to short story, Sati: https://sunflowerstationpress.com/sati-by-rena-patel/?srsltid=AfmBOor4KsREkbF8uMgxo9qZcZzJUE2g4Drq_c4r9n0pVBjhPB2MqE6GLink to poem “Anechoic” at The Calendula Review: https://www.thecalendulareview.com/issue1Link to Pyar aur Coffee press: https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Rena-Patels-PYAR-AUR-COFFEE-Sells-Out-Initial-Run-Extra-Performance-Added-20240608

  Link to purchase South Asian SOAR Anthology: https://www.southasiansoar.org/sanctuaries

Image Credits

Rippin Sindher
Jon Kopaloff
Aubrey Mayne