Q&A with JP Larocque

JP Larocque is a television writer whose notable works include comedy and drama series like CBC’s Sort Of, CTV’S JANN and Shudder’s Slasher. Alongside screenwriting, JP is also a journalist who ventures into topics that affect members of the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities. Their work has been published in The Walrus, Xtra, The Huffington Post and the Star.

In this interview conducted by Nuha Khan, our Research & Advocacy Communications Associate, JP discusses their journey of breaking into the television world and how being queer and biracial has affected their perspective of authentic storytelling.

NK: Tell me a bit about yourself and how you came to be a screenwriter.

JP: I have always loved film and television since I was a kid. I had friends but for me watching television was like the ultimate friend.  As a child, I would write stories and what I thought were screenplays. Then, I went to university, first for journalism, and then switched into film cinema studies, and started to learn the proper art form.

After school, I worked odd jobs in the industry and was trying to save money to break in. At the time, it was very challenging to find work if you were a marginalized person. Being intersectional, there's two tiers of not being able to fit in. I got to a point where I decided to self produce a web series called Gay Nerds. It was very small and didn’t look like what folks are doing now on YouTube. But it was my first step into the industry. 

Writing and producing on my own gave me an opportunity to tell the kinds of stories that I wanted to tell. I was able to meet more folks within the industry. Then slowly, I started to get gigs and jobs that got me closer to what I wanted to do. 

NK: What was your relationship like with your identity when breaking into the industry?

JP: Being queer and biracial, I didn't feel like there was a path for me. For a long time, I felt like I should have to pick one identity. It's hard in a world that expects you to define yourself cleanly when you are a number of things all at once.

When I started out, there was no sense of queer storytelling. It was all confined and the dominant structure was light. When I was working on my own stuff, and writing my own material, I had mentors who encouraged me to go to the states, saying ‘there isn't really a place for an intersectional voice like yours here.’

But I kept pushing along. Now I’m trying my best to surround myself with supportive allies, like minded individuals and other marginalized folks. What I love seeing now is there are so many intersectional folks out there doing great and not feeling daunted by the fact that they have many different identities.

NK: What’s something you're proud of?

JP: I spent a good percentage of my adult life being told by a lot of people that what I wanted to do was not possible. The fact that I was able to be a television writer and a producer at all, to me that’s an accomplishment that I'm really proud of. 

NK: What kinds of gaps are you hoping to fill in the industry?

JP: Even though I am seeing wonderful diversity and marginalized creators getting inspired by their storytelling, I am still seeing barriers, even if we're not talking about them. The executive level of decision makers in Canada is still predominantly white, straight and cisgender. That is the result of diversity not being reflected in all tiers of the industry is that whatever project you pitch, gets pitched as a niche. We need to continue to see that diversity is not a fad.

There is still this tendency to want to place us in boxes and limit how many opportunities we get. I want to see more opportunities and diversity behind the scenes and in front of the camera.

NK: In your opinion, what defines authentic storytelling?

JP: If you are telling a story about a specific community, about a specific lived experience, it is incredibly important to make sure that the creation of that product is informed by that community. Authentic storytelling is storytelling that's representative of the lived experiences of the parties involved in that story's creation. It’s allowing the creators of those stories and the people involved to be honest about their lives, and for that to be reflected on screen.

NK: What’s something you’re still hoping to accomplish?

JP:I would love to have the opportunity to get one of my own shows made, that's still my mission. Also, to be able to work with so many of the wonderful writers that I've met along the way.