At 22-years-old, Canadian director and actor Karena Evans is already living the creative dream. This year she became the first woman to receive Prism Prize’s prestigious Lipsett Award, which recognizes Canadian music video artists for innovation and creativity. Her wildly well-rounded portfolio boasts brand campaigns for clients including Nike right alongside music videos for artists such as SZA, “Garden (Say It Like Dat); Belly, “Mumble Rap”; and perhaps most famously, Drake. And to think, it was all put in motion from cold-texting a pro in the industry.
Karena’s journey started at film school in Toronto, where after bouncing between two institutions, she eventually grew frustrated with the slow pace of the curriculums. In response, she did something many of us — particularly those of us who have been trained to believe that traditional schooling is a guarantor of success — would be absolutely terrified to do. She cold contacted the legendary Director X, whose first feature film, Superfly, debuted in August. After landing an internship with his production company, X personally took Karena under his wing. The culmination of this process saw her dropping out of school to fully embrace the work she was already doing.
Several of Drake’s most recent videos, released in support of his behemoth fifth studio album, Scorpion, have been directed by Karena. From the feel-good premise of “God’s Plan” to the playful Degrassi time warp that is “I’m Upset” to the celebrity-studded, ladies-first anthem of “Nice for What,” the young director has been instrumental in creating a tableau that feels at ease with Drake’s chameleon nature, and impactful to the larger pop culture zeitgeist.
For instance “In My Feelings” features a litany of twerking dancers set against the backdrop of New Orleans local haunts. The project stars Shiggy (the creator of the viral dance that helped propel the song up the charts), Lala Anthony (as Drake’s love interest), Phylicia Rashad (as Lala’s mother), Odell Beckham Jr., and a cameo from Big Freedia (whose vocals are featured on the track). In short, it’s just the sort of high-energy romp you’d expect from a smash single.
As her star only continues to rise and people continue to listen to “In My Feelings” on repeat, Teen Vogue chatted with Karena about facing your fears, chasing your dreams, and the importance of creating space and visibility for black women in the film industry.
Teen Vogue: What are your earliest memories around film and acting?
Karena Evans: I was the annoying child who put on plays for my family and charged them a dollar to get in. There was this program on Windows, this was before Apple, where I would edit videos every time a family birthday came around. I always really had an interest in storytelling, but it wasn’t until I got a bit older that I realized you can actually make a life out of telling stories, which was a crazy concept.
TV: Director X really took you under his wing. How did you guys meet?
KE: It all started in film school. I can definitely appreciate a school education, but I just think I was a bit impulsive and very impatient about the rate I was learning. I wanted to learn faster. I knew that I wanted to be a director, and I was already shooting. I just wanted to get out there. I had a mutual friend with X, his name is Boi1da, a Toronto legend and a longtime collaborator with Drake. I had a conversation with him and said, “Look, this is where I am and this is where I want to be. How do I close that gap?”
He slid me Director X’s phone number; not even his office line or his assistant’s line, his personal number. It was kind of a scary moment where I had to decide to either take a step forward or stay in the same place. I texted him and said, “You don’t know who I am but my name is Karena and I really want to work for you. I want to show you what I can do.” He had me come into the office the next day. I was sitting in a boardroom with him and his manager, who is now my manager, and we were just talking. The conversation was going very well and that was all fine and dandy, then he said, “Great. Now show me your work.”
At the time I had this zero dollar music video I’d done. When I say zero dollar I mean we paid for the camera package out of our pocket and we didn’t have any lighting. I had even lended the artist my clothes — it was something that I was super passionate about. Although technically it’s not where I am right now, I think you can still see my heart in it. I like to believe X liked it because we started working together that night...I literally started that evening. We worked on a TV pitch together, and from there he truly did take me under his wing. It was such a beautiful mentorship because I was writing treatments with him and going on set with him. I would be up until three or four in the morning, but the pace that I was learning was far faster than what I was learning in school. That led me to another moment of having to decide to take a risk. I dropped out of school to be fully present in the experience. About eight months later he signed me as a director to his company.
