For this episode of the Picture Theory podcast I had the pleasure of chatting with writer, director, editor Leah Byrd.

At the time she had recently finished the first season of her web series titled Hot and Bothered. As described by Leah, Hot and Bothered follows the story of:

“Two sarcastic stoner twenty year-olds get in over their heads when they create the "Grindr" for lesbians.”

In this episode we chat about making political artwork that addresses our identities as half-black, half-white American filmmakers. We also chat about what it means to make comedy with a queer black feminist lens.

Here’s a little more about Leah from her bio at LeahByrd.com:

Leah Byrd is the writer, director, and star of Hot & Bothered. She was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. In this episode we chat about making political artwork that addresses our identities as half-black, half-white American filmmakers. We also chat about what it means to make comedy with a queer black feminist lens.

She grew up spending 13 years in Catholic school in a small Midwestern city leaving very little room for queer spaces within her childhood.

Discovering all of the queer content available online was a real game changer on her path towards self acceptance. This has driven a strong passion within Leah to create diverse characters within her own media.

She knows first hand what representation can do to one's mental health and the incredible power that media can have on opening minds.

Leah Byrd has a BFA in Motion Picture Production from Wright State University.

Without further delay, here’s the video interview with Leah.