Actress Linnea Sage is a real go-getter! Born in Newton, Massachusetts, the talented and multi-skilled performer has made a living out of voice-over work – her most notable work for "Marvel Avengers Academy" and "Trailside Provisions." Sage is also a flag-flyer for new media, starring in and/or creating digital shows for the internet.
Her latest project is "Brainless Agenda" which she voices, animates, directs, writes, produces and - presumably – uploads, is a one-minute sketch comedy Series featuring recognizable characters. The series has covered such topics as being a working actress in Hollywood, Bitcoin and being a maid of honor at a wedding.
Sage recently granted an exclusive interview discussing her work and the inspirations behind it.
Acting, web series, and 'Brainless Agenda'
Meagan Meehan (MM): What is “Brainless Agenda”?
Linnea Sage (LS): It’s a web series or, as I like to call it, a short form digital, animated, one-minute sketch comedy show. The aim is to make you laugh and make you think while we push the boundaries! In short, I say it, so you don’t have to! There’s a lot of brands of ignorance recognized today, and in each episode we tackle but one. You’ll relate to the characters I’ve come up with – in fact, some demographics will find them very uncomfortably relatable! HaHa! If you’re entwined in social media as most of the younger generation is today, you’ll likely even resonate and recognize all of the characters.
MM: How did “Brainless Agenda” come to be?
LS: It was actually meant to be a one-off. That first episode, which was born out of a lifetime of annoyance at the entertainment industry, was going to be the only episode – I honestly had no plans of doing anymore. That episode, “Daily Life of an Actress,“ was me expressing my frustrations about the industry and speaking on my personal experiences as a female actor.
Many of the things discussed in the episode would later become headlines when the Harvey Weinstein scandal erupted.
In the episode, a male filmmaker is casting his new project. He lists in his casting call that he requires an actress who is fine with full frontal nudity, is hot, is happy to shave her head, needs over a million followers on the social networks.
It sounds far-fetched but that’s exactly what actresses are dealing with today – these are things I see on casting breakdowns all the time! Thankfully, with the #TimesUp campaign, things are changing – which is awesome.
The episode has snared hundreds of views and has even gone virals on a couple of Facebook groups – and this was before the Harvey Weinstein scandal, so maybe it was all because of me?! The power of acting, haha.
Stories, creative projects, and the future
MM: What kind of stories are you telling through this series?
LS: The stories are mostly my own – experiences I’ve had with people. Instead of ignoring insanity, which many do, I’ll call it out! I guess you could say that the web series is sort of like Seinfeld in that way – although they were a bit tamer.
It’s important to look at an absurd person or situation head-on and say “no actually, that is really weird that you think that or say those things and we need to examine it so that you can hear what you sound like.”
MM: Where do you hope to take “Brainless Agenda” in the future?
LS: I’m ambitious. I’m happy to say we’re teaming with Brainvashing, the first-ever Twitch TV channel, and I’m confident it’ll be really a lot of cool fans there. Brainvashing have some great programming lined up including interviews, comedians, reality shows, video game chats, and late night talk shows – so it’s going to be a great home. It’s a great time for web series, thanks to Amazon and Netflix, but if your series hasn’t been acquired by one of the top two or three, then it’s very hard to get people to watch.
So that’s where I’m at – taking it to a bigger audience via Twitch.
MM: Do you have any upcoming web-series or other creative projects that you would also like to mention?
LS: Right now, I’m concentrating on “Brainless Agenda.” I wear every hat on the show – I produce it, write it, voice it, and illustrate every episode – so it’s a lot of work.
I will, however, also be acting in a new feature film that shoots in North Carolina later this year. I’m also producing shorts and sketches. And in my spare time, I’m a comedy writer and writer for the Backstage magazine. Yep, lots of eggs in this basket!
MM: What advice would you give to someone who is aspiring to enter the industry, especially, as a producer or online movie creator?
LS: Honestly, hustle. That’s the best way to break in! Hustle, hustle... then hustle some more! You can also view “Brainless Agenda” on Instagram @BrainlessAgenda
