How Armenian heritage shaped Sev Ohanian’s path to Hollywood

For Sev Ohanian, storytelling started at home.

“My mom would take me to the library every week, and my dad would take me to Blockbuster Video every week, and that really instilled in me the love of storytelling,” Ohanian told KTLA.

But growing up Armenian American, Ohanian wasn’t always sure Hollywood was a realistic path. He says there weren’t many role models he could point to, and for a long time, he thought about pursuing an entirely different career.

“I generally wasn’t sure if I could do it growing up just as an Armenian American immigrant,” he said. “There wasn’t a lot of examples, at least that I knew of, of other Armenians doing this kind of thing. So, for a long time, I thought of pursuing another career path, which was journalism, believe it or not.”

That uncertainty shifted in college, when a few homemade videos about his family found an audience online.

“I started making YouTube videos poking fun of my Armenian parents and culture out of love,” Ohanian said. “And when those videos started getting a big following, it really empowered me to start making films for real.”

From the very beginning, Ohanian says his community was part of the journey, from casting friends to using local spaces, to premiering his first film for Armenian audiences.

“Those two identities of mine, filmmaker and Armenian American, are 100 percent linked and one in the same for me,” he said.

When asked about his biggest influence, Ohanian didn’t hesitate.

“I would say my father, Suren Ohanian,” he said. “He immigrated to this country in his 30s. Classic American dream story, coming with very little and over the course of the past few decades, building a lot. In addition to my mom, who happened to do the exact same thing right by his side.”

When Ohanian screened his first film, his parents were right there helping make it happen.

“My mom sewed the screen herself,” he said. “My dad built the scaffolding. To me, that was a very physical representation of how much of themselves they were investing in me and my dreams. Like so many Armenians, I owe everything to them.”

Now more than a decade into his career, Ohanian is a well-established screenwriter and producer, and the founder of Proximity Media. He works closely with director Ryan Coogler and Coogler’s wife, producer Zinzi Coogler.

Together, they brought the Oscar-winning film Sinners to life, a project that exceeded every expectation.

“I’d be lying if I said that I did, or any of us did,” Ohanian said, when asked if they anticipated the film’s success. “At no point did we ever think about awards. At no point did we think about box office success. And then when the awards happened, I don’t know if I’ve ever processed it fully. It’s beyond anything we ever imagined.”

Ohanian says when he first read the script for Sinners, he connected deeply to his Armenian heritage, seeing joy and strength in the face of hardship.

“What makes me feel most proud to be Armenian right now,” he said, “is the resilience of Armenians. Not just Armenian Americans, but Armenians everywhere. We’ve had a challenging couple years, and beyond the obstacles we’ve faced as a people, you cannot deny there’s a real resilience.”

“So, to me, the power of our small people is exactly what this is,” he added. “Finding ways to support each other in what we do.”