Charla Lauriston is a comedian, writer, director, and educator known for People of Earth (TBS, 2016), Ghosted (FOX, 2017), and The Last O.G. (TBS, 2018).
Charla Lauriston is a Haitian-American, Vancouver-based comedian, writer, director, and creative coach. Most recently, she served as Supervising Producer for Grand Crew on NBC and has previously written for The Last OG, Ghosted, People of Earth, and Hoops. Her 2021 episodic short, Witchsters, is the official selection of the 2022 Slamdance Film Festival, New Filmmakers Los Angeles, and the 2021 Austin Film Festival and American Black Film Festival. Charla is also the Creator of The Werking Writer, a career-focused podcast, online course, and community built to help writers and creatives live their best lives. Follow Charla on Instagram.
WITCHSTERS "Episode One"
EXT. FOURPLEX - DAY
Establishing. A woman looks out the window.
INT. MICHELLE’S APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM - DAY
MICHELLE (kind and naive) looks out the window, then paces her apartment drinking wine, distraught. A young, modern witch, she wears all black and conjures a POLAROID of her boyfriend that APPEARS in her hand. She looks at the picture, sad.
MICHELLE TALKING HEAD
MICHELLE
Me and my boyfriend had a fight last night.
INT. MICHELLE’S BEDROOM - LAST NIGHT
Michelle and her BOYFRIEND (super dumb but incredibly hot) are under the covers in bed and making out/canoodling.
MICHELLE (V.O.)
The whole thing was so stupid.
MICHELLE
Wait, close your eyes, I want to try something.
BOYFRIEND
(laughs, closes his eyes)
OK. What?
Michelle waves her hand over his penis (already bulging underneath the covers) and we see it MAGICALLY ENLARGES.
MICHELLE TALKING HEAD
MICHELLE
I thought he would like it but...
(shakes head no)
INT. MICHELLE’S BEDROOM - LAST NIGHT
Back to scene. He opens his eyes mid-enlargement.
BOYFRIEND
(jumps out of bed freaked out)
What the [bleep]?!
INT. MICHELLE’S APARTMENT - LAST NIGHT
Michelle fights with her Boyfriend. They scream at each other.
BOYFRIEND
So you can ‘Honey I blew up the kids’
my dick but we can’t
add your friend Amanda as a third?
MICHELLE
I told you I think her neck is weird.
This hits him hard. He takes his things and leaves. She stews alone.
BOYFRIEND TALKING HEAD - LAST NIGHT
He holds a box of his stuff.
BOYFRIEND
(pissed/ embarrassed)
I don’t...need anything...down
there. When I was born, the doctor
took one look at my [bleep] and
said god damn that boy’s got a big [bleep]!
PULL OUT to REVEAL his dick is still comically large. He bumps it on something as he leaves then doubles over in pain.
MICHELLE TALKING HEAD
MICHELLE
No, his dick’s not small. It’s my vagina that’s huge.
Michelle uses her arms to demonstrate how big her vagina is.
MICHELLE (CONT'D)
It’s like a black hole.
INT. MICHELLE’S APARTMENT - DAY
A knock on the door. Michelle opens it and it's her Boyfriend looking sad and mopey. He enters and they hug. He FREEZES. They stay like this for a long time before Michelle realizes he’s not moving.
MICHELLE
(confused)
Babe?
(realizing he’s frozen)
Maya!
Michelle’s SISTER (older, cold, serious,) APPEARS out of thin air.
MAYA
What? We said we’d get lunch you
stupid witch! Where’s the wine?!
TITLE CARD: WITCHSTERS
INT. MICHELLE'S APARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER
Boyfriend is still frozen in the hug position. Maya sits on the couch with a glass of wine.
MICHELLE
I know I said we’d get lunch but-
MAYA
You messed with his dick.
MICHELLE
(finishes her sentence)
-we’re in the middle of an
important dickulational discussion.
MAYA
I told you to stop messing with
guys dicks-
MAYA (CONT'D) MICHELLE
It’s emasculating. It’s emancipating.
A beat.
MAYA (CONT'D)
Emasculating.
MICHELLE
That’s what I said.
Michelle tries and fails to unfreeze Jeremiah while Maya lectures.
MAYA
We might as well get lunch, it’s
not like he’s going anywhere.
Michelle makes an annoyed face at the camera.
MICHELLE TALKING HEAD
MICHELLE
My sister’s a pretty powerful witch
and she doesn’t approve of me and
Jeremiah’s relationship.
MAYA TALKING HEAD
MAYA
Let’s just say he’s not the
brightest crayon in the box.
EXT. STREET - FLASHBACK
Boyfriend chases a plastic bag with the word ‘fun’ written on it. REVEAL Maya moves the bag around with a string/with powers.
INT. MICHELLE APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS
MAYA
I think his stupidity could destroy
the planet.
MICHELLE TALKING HEAD
MICHELLE
Love spells are a real thing but
they’re complicated.
(then)
In order to cast one, you need tea
tree bark, sugar and the last
ingredient is...you have to
love...yourself. So...I’m working
on that.
INT. APARTMENT - BACK TO SCENE
Maya sits Michelle down on the couch.
MAYA
You need a partner, not a project.
How else are you going to fight the
monsters out there?
MICHELLE
There aren’t any monsters.
ANGLE ON: Someone wearing a MAGA cap passes by outside the window.
MICHELLE (CONT'D)
But I get what you’re saying.
MAYA
(hugs her)
Good. I just want you to be happy.
Maya’s words leave Michelle quiet and contemplative. Then, standing up-
MICHELLE
(shaky)
I want you to unfreeze him and
leave my apartment.
MAYA
Excuse you?
MICHELLE
You heard me.
MAYA
(incredulous)
But I’m your sister and I’m hungry!
Michelle doesn’t say anything, she’s said enough.
MAYA (CONT'D)
(stung)
Fine. Have it your way.
Maya grabs her wine glass and the bottle of wine and POPS out of the scene, leaving behind a small plume of smoke where she was standing.
Michelle gets back in her boyfriends arms. Moments later, he unfreezes and continues what he was doing right before he was frozen- hugging her and finishing what he was saying.
BOYFRIEND
It’s OK. I spent a lot of time
alone with my [bleep] last night
and
(looks down at dick)
-we got some plans.
Her reaction is half relieved and half confused. Inside, she feels bad about what she said to Maya.
EXT. ROOFTOP - SUNSET
Maya drinks wine, licking her wounds alone on the roof or over a scenic hilltop.
MAYA
I guess we just have different ways
of seeing the world. I know I
should let her make her own
decisions, but I guess I’m a little
overprotective.
EXT. PARK - FLASHBACK
Maya spills something on herself. Michelle gives her the shirt off her back.
MAYA (V.O.)
She’s a give-you-the-shirt-off-herback
kind of person.
EXT. ROOFTOP - SUNSET
MAYA
(sad smile)
Not everyone deserves her.
INT. APARTMENT - LATER
Michelle and boyfriend sit together. He’s suddenly struck with an idea.
BOYFRIEND
We should rob a bank!
MICHELLE
(shaking her head)
We’re good witches so-
BOYFRIEND
If I had powers, I’d rob so many banks!
MICHELLE
Why would you have to rob them if
you have powers?
BOYFRIEND
I want the power of explosions.
MICHELLE
You know I’m a superhero right?
BOYFRIEND
I’d just be like explosion!
Explosion! Explosion!
As Boyfriend talks, Michelle realizes she’s made a mistake.
EXT. ROOF - EVENING
Maya watches the sunset when Michelle POPS into the scene. It’s awkward, they don’t say anything to each other. They don’t have to. After a long beat-
MAYA
Such a beautiful toxic sunset.
MICHELLE
Yeah -
(coughs)
-Wow, it’s actually really
polluted. God LA sucks.
Michelle puts her arm around her sister. They gaze out at Los Angeles. Together.
END
THE INTERVIEW
This interview was conducted between Charla Lauriston and Jae Nichelle on April 28, 2024.
The script for “Witchsters” is absolutely hilarious. I love that we get to hear the inner
thoughts of the characters told directly to the audience. Did you know going into this
script that you wanted to use a documentary/mockumentary style or was it something
that developed across drafts?
Thanks! The short initially was single cam style, not mockumentary. I started thinking about
changing it to mockumentary because I felt like the single cam version made the show feel a
little serious and I really wanted this to be a silly show. I found that the mockumentary style was also helpful in quickly establishing a story. I could have the characters give backstory and share information about their dynamics with other characters. When I shifted over to mockumentary style it immediately felt more natural. It took a few drafts to really utilize the style as much as possible but when I got the hang of it, it really shaped the show and the way I told the story in a positive way.
What was the most exciting part of filming “Witchsters” and transforming it off the page?
Are there any plans to continue the series?
Well let me give you some context. This was my first time directing so that was very exciting for me. I always feel like I’m using my director brain as a writer so I really wanted to direct
something myself instead of bringing someone on to do it like I had in previous projects. It was also the first project of my own that I was doing in many years. I had been busy writing on other people’s TV shows and had put my own ideas on the back burner. And if I’m being honest, I was also a bit jaded from the TV industry after several of the shows I had sold didn’t make it past the development phase. I started as a creator so Witchsters was this project that I was doing as a way to dip my toe back into autonomy and my own work again.
There was so much adrenaline the day of shooting because I paid for it out of pocket and I had a super tight budget. We shot it all in one day. The day went by so fast that I kind of wish that I had planned for a second shoot day to be able to get a few extra shots. But overall, so much fun, and I was pretty happy with the final product.
Yes, I do plan on doing a few more episodes.
You work in stand-up comedy, screenwriting, and podcasting (to name a few of your many hats). What inspired you to transition between these creative mediums, and how has each influenced your approach to storytelling?
I’m just following my instincts. I had the urge to do standup so I did it. I had the urge to create
my own short comedy films and that led to screenwriting. Podcasting felt natural. I had ideas for shows that I wanted to see in the world and I have a love of producing.
I feel like writing for television has been the most influential in terms of my approach to story. I
didn’t really know what I was doing before I was in a writer’s room. I had good instincts but no
hard skills. Being in a writer’s room and being a part of the Hollywood machine has given me
hardcore skills. It’s elevated my storytelling brain in every possible way because I’ve had the
opportunity to ideate and execute story after story on a professional level over many years. I
know how to follow interesting threads that are surprising and delightful to the watcher. I know the importance of character and relationships and all those things that are fundamental to a good story. It’s made me a better storyteller on stage, in podcast interviews, and on the page.
Speaking of your podcast The Werking Writer, what’s an episode you’ll never forget?
Oh man…there've been so many good ones. Probably the one with Phil Augusta Jackson, my
friend and former boss on Grand Crew. I love Phil’s creative brain and he was so intentional
about the culture he created in the writer’s room that I was curious to talk to him about the
experience from his perspective. Highly recommend that episode.
Would you rather stream a movie at home or go to the theater?
I’m a streamer. I will occasionally go to the movies under special circumstances. Otherwise, I
only leave my house if I have to.
Are there any misconceptions about Vancouver that you’d like to clear up?
It’s beautiful, quaint, and not very diverse.
Could you share a memorable experience or lesson from working in writers' rooms that significantly impacted your craft?
It’s more like a thousand memorable lessons that have significantly impacted my craft. The thing most of the memories had in common though is that each one involved me feeling like I had failed in some way (wrote a draft that needed to be rewritten from page 1 by the writer’s room, didn’t pitch an idea that I had, etc).
But each failure proved to be an important lesson in something that I needed to learn. I needed to learn to speak up and share my ideas without fear and hesitation, and I needed to improve the quality of the drafts I turned into the writer’s room. Learning these things has made me a better artist and a better professional.
Failing used to really get to me - especially because as creatives we take so many L’s and it can be difficult to stay positive. But now every time I feel like I’m “failing” at something, I just
remember “this is teaching me something I need to know” and then I start to pay attention to
why something isn’t working so that I can get the lesson I need to learn.
How can people support you right now?
Share, follow, like, subscribe.
Name another Black woman writer people should follow.
There are so many. Shenovia Large (@iheartnovi) is a super funny writer.
###
Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats.