On his inspiration to write Ozara and Katessa, Linzy said, “After James commissioned the project, I took my character Katessa who had been featured in other works and spun her off into a series with her friend Ozara. Ozara was created for James. I wrote the script based on the intersections of art, film, television, music, and theatre. We both have had experiences in each of those fields. Ozara is a theatre director looking to cross over into film and the art world. Katessa is an actress looking for a bigger break.”
“I love working with James Franco,” Linzy said. “Because we are friends, collaborating is natural. We met in 2009. He attended one of my lectures at Columbia University. Months later he pitched me to the General Hospital producers. In 2010, I appeared on General Hospital with him. We also performed live and worked on music together. He later commissioned Seasons 2 and 3 of my web series Melody Set Me Free. He was suppose to appear in that series, but scheduling didn’t work out, which made me even more excited about our schedules working out for Ozara and Katessa. Because I was familiar with his other roles, I felt I could add to what he had done up to that point.”
“I loved filming and being on set performing. Being able to escape into character is the space I love the most. I felt the same way with General Hospital. It’s where I feel the most inspired,” Linzy admitted.
On being an artist and filmmaker in the digital age, he said, “I feel quite comfortable and liberated now. I wasn’t so sure about it in the mid-2000s. I was actually quite skeptical when YouTube launched in 2006. I was in undergrad in the late nighties when the first web boom happened, but quickly crashed. I love sponsorship, but when I don’t have it, I feel I can still move forward productively. Yes to a smaller audience, but still a creative outlet. Nothing is worse than having ideas pent up or projects on the back burner with no home.”
Ozara and Katessa was nominated for four 2020 Indie Series Awards, and it won for “Best Makeup.” “I was so excited,” Linzy exclaimed. “That was my first nomination for acting, which gave me a confidence boost. I am considered a performance artist. So to be nominated for my performance work in that context, is great. I was also glad to see James nominated because if he hadn’t commissioned the piece, it wouldn’t exist. Nana Fischer is James’ makeup artist and Darci Snider is mine. Darci has been doing my makeup for various projects since Melody Set Me Free. They’re both great. I was happy to see them both win,” he said.
For young and aspiring actors and filmmakers, he said, “I would say stay rooted in your own truth. Let your heart and imagination guide you. Always know that you don’t have to follow the path of those that came before you, because you can actually be someone who expands the definition of what your field is or could be.”
Linzy defined the word success as “knowing in my heart that I showed up and gave my best.”
He concluded about Ozara and Katessa, “It is a labor of love and hope you like what we contributed.”
Ozara and Katessa is available for streaming on YouTube.
Read More: Ozara and Katessa earned a favorable review from Digital Journal.
