Breaking In – Sally Hassan of Ghetto Nerd Girl

There is an old adage – to write what you know. And who or what does one know better than him or herself. Writing something that is semi-autobiographical is also a great way to explore who you really are as an individual; why you do the things that you do.

Sally Hassan’s web series Ghetto Nerd Girl does just that in a humorous, quirky, and often poignant fashion. It’s a story that anyone can relate to. As you grow up, your mindset and personality go through changes. Maybe you don’t fall into one particular cliche anymore. You aren’t a fan of the same music or clothing that you once were. You may even grow weary of the people you consider your friends, and have a relentless desire to try new things, meet new people, and be someone new. Thankfully, Hassan was brave enough to share her own story of growing up and discovering she wasn’t the person she used to be.

Ghetto Nerd Girl is a web series about Susan, a teen sick of her girlfriends and does the unthinkable during high school – she leaves her cool clique in search of new friends. In the process, Susan encounters interesting characters, new love interests, and finds her voice.

The style of Ghetto Nerd Girl also screams New Jersey, very much like a Kevin Smith film (from the 90s). The locations and the dialogue speaks volumes of what it is like to live the Jersey life. It’s a certain special quality that is difficult to describe. Whatever it is, Hassan’s writing and star Melissa Damas’ performance does it.

Ghetto Nerd Girl was nominated for best actress in a web series at the 2015 NYC Web Fest, best directing (drama) at the 2015 Rio Web Fest, and won the Viewer’s Choice Award at the 2015 ATL Web Fest. More recently, the series has garnered Official Selection at the 2017 Miami Web Series Festival.

The second episode of season 2 recently premiered on the show’s Youtube channel, where you can view the series from the beginning. You can also follow Ghetto Nerd Girl on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

I had the chance to talk with Sally about her inspiration behind the web series, as well as her own path to breaking in. You can read the full interview here:

NJIB: When did you contract the film bug? What was it that made you realize, “this is what I want to be doing for the rest of my life?”

Sally: It was relatively early in life. I applied to the Monmouth County Vocational School District. I heard that there was the Communications High School opening, so I wanted to apply there. I originally wanted to go into journalism. I started with writing, but then I realized that I wanted to be more creative and journalism was limiting me.

I saw that there was a digital video program offered as an elective. As soon as we could bring a camera home, and do our own little projects, was when I knew this is what I’m going to do. It was just so much fun to do everything from writing, producing, filming, and editing – just the whole process. I just fell in love with it. That’s when I knew, and I just kept trying to do it as much as possible.

NJIB: Who are some of your major influences?

Sally: I really like Kevin Smith. Not only because he’s from Jersey, but he’s very down to earth, and his films are funny, yet heartfelt. That’s the kind of thing that I try to throw into my work.

Also J.K. Rowling. Not only because I love Harry Potter; her backstory on how she became famous was very inspiring. She was broke, and was a single mom. It’s very inspirational to hear how she didn’t give up with her manuscript. She was rejected many times, and now she makes bank.

NJIB: How would you describe your style of storytelling? What is your voice?

Sally: My style is very unapologetic. I just tell it how it is, and just to be real. With Ghetto Nerd Girl, a lot of people have told me that the title automatically gives people this imagery. I wanted to use that, where it’s awkward, yet has an attitude at the same time. I like to take two elements that wouldn’t necessarily be together and break stereotypes.

NJIB: Why do you want to tell a story like Ghetto Nerd Girl?

Sally: Growing up I liked seeing strong female characters on television. I liked Sailor Moon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, things like that. There weren’t many that featured a minority, or mixed race, and I wanted to see a character that had a background like mine.

I thought, ‘why don’t I put my story out there?’ I’ve never seen anything come close to it. I know that everyone struggles as a teenager, or to fit in, so I just wanted to share my story, and expose my vulnerabilities to show that even though we have different backgrounds, we all have that similar struggle in one way or another.

NJIB: How much of Ghetto Nerd Girl is autobiographical, and how much of it is fictitious or embellishing the truth?

Sally: I would say that 80% is autobiographical. 95% of the characters are based on real people. But for the most part, it’s pretty on target. I wouldn’t even say that I’ve embellished at all. It’s actually the opposite, where I’ve made it a little fluffier, and fun to watch.

NJIB: How did you raise the money for Ghetto Nerd Girl?

Sally: A lot of my wedding gift money went to the production. I got married in March 2013, and by the time I was on my honeymoon I already had the castings up. I was getting auditions and headshots and resumes while I was on my honeymoon.

Much of the support was from friends and family. It was a team effort. I was very proud of that, because it’s not easy to ask people for money. I think because people saw my passion, and that it was such a personal story that I was telling, that people just came on board very quickly and easily.

NJIB: The main character, Susan – I’m going out on a limb here, and say that she is somewhat based off of you, and your personality and experiences. That must have been an interesting or surreal experience to cast someone to represent you on the screen.

Sally: Absolutely.

NJIB: How did you feel? What were you looking for? What were you not looking for in an actress? How did you wind up picking the actress who plays Susan?

Sally: It was very difficult to cast myself. I was looking for someone who was rough around the edges, and someone who could be awkward, yet have an attitude, and had a little flair.

When I saw Melissa [Damas], I asked her, “what do you think of the character of Susan?” She said, “Susan reminds me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She’s strong, and has attitude.” When she said that, I was like, “this is the girl.” Buffy is a big role model of mine. I knew she was going to be Susan before she even said any lines. I mean she killed it, but at that moment I knew that she was going to be Susan. It was a very surreal moment, and she just hit the nail on the head. Not only her acting abilities, but she also has the look, and just knew how to bring it.

NJIB: Season one proved very successful. It earned festival laurels. You were interviewed in the Asbury Park Press, it got you on a podcast. Can you tell us how the success of season one led to season two?

Sally: I didn’t know how people would react [to the series]. I did notice that once I put the casting out for season two, there was a lot more people that showed up. It was a struggle to get people to show up to audition in season one. I had one audition where no one even showed up. Whereas season two it was the complete opposite, where we couldn’t see everyone that we wanted to.

NJIB: What were some of your challenges filming season one, as well as gearing up for season two?

Sally: The money was a huge thing. We crowd funded for season one. After that, we had to take a long hiatus because there was no money left over after season one.

I didn’t know if season two was even going to happen after Melissa left. We had no Susan, and I had no money. Thankfully, many of my cast members rallied and told me not to give up. They said they would help me find another Susan, and they totally did. That motivated me to keep going.

I used my tax refund and my personal savings to do season two. The same week of a table read for season two I got laid off of my job. Whatever money I had, that was it for season two, I was like, “You know what? We’re just gonna do it, and I’m gonna cut corners. So if I need extra money, I’m gonna use my credit card.” I made it happen.

NJIB: Are you working on anything else? Are you planning Ghetto Nerd Girl season three, or are you working on a completely new project?

Sally: I started writing season three. I hope that will become a reality. We always like to step it up with production value, like every season. I’m hoping I get to film at my high school. I went to Communications High School in Wall Township.

NJIB: What advice can you give any artist or entertainer trying to break into their respective industry?

Sally: Definitely don’t listen to the criticism. I think there’s a lot of noise out there, and you kinda just have to tune it out, and follow your heart, because if this is your passion, the negative criticism isn’t going to matter, and the people who support you will always be there. Kinda just follow your heart, and don’t listen to the negative attention.

Author: Michael Fromm

Michael Fromm is a writer for New Jersey Isn’t Boring who focuses on featuring independent authors, musicians, and artists living in New Jersey.