What do you get when you take some social Influencers, mixed with a few actors, toss in elements of a talk-show, add a dash of sketch comedy and top it off with all things fashionable?

You get the new digital TV series “The Fash Life” from co-creators Lisa Valerie Morgan (Fashion/Lifestyle Blogger /Actress) and Rebecca Hu (Filmmaker/Emmy Winner/Project Greenlight Winner).

“The Fash Life” is described as: a fun, cute and positive space for people to indulge in their favorite things, learn about new trends and more importantly LOL at the ridiculousness of our daily lives on social media. It delivers a fun dose of fashion, beauty, wellness, creativity, joy and laughter into the world of social media.

But, life isn’t always so happy-go-lucky, especially right now. So to help raise spirits and address mental and emotional wellbeing, Lisa and Rebecca launched the #FashLifeAtHomeChallenge. They recruited their popular Influencer friends to participate in this social media challenge which encourages positive self-care during this time of isolation. And now, they want everyone to participate.

To find out more, Lisa Valerie Morgan recently answered some questions:

Can you explain what your series “The Fash Life” is all about?

LISA: The Fash Life is a first of its kind series all about Influencer life, including the latest in fashion, beauty and lifestyle tips and trends and stars real life High Profile Digital Influencers as well as a few hilarious actors playing over the top blogger characters. Think SNL meets Parks and Recreation with Bloggers. My Director and Producing Partner is Project Greenlight 2016 Winner and 2017 Emmy Winner Rebecca Hu. Our first season cast features Stuart Brazell, Sheree Ho, Elaine Chaya, Sydne Summer, Project Runway Junior’s Matt Sarafa, Elizabeth Keene, Kelleth Cuthbert, Ashley Dulaney (911: Lone Star, The Act on Hulu), Diana Espir and so many more amazing Creatives!

How was it working with fellow bloggers and social influencers on this project?

LISA: We had such a blast shooting! When casting we were looking for Influencers that not only had an expertise in fashion, beauty, food, wine, etc. but also those that had a lot of personality. Many of our cast members were so funny and skilled at improvising, that we were surprised they didn’t have acting backgrounds. We also have a few actors in our cast, so the mix of the two has been such a fun world in which to create. Our show is about showcasing Influencers in both an honest and positive light (we do more than just take selfies!) and also we don't take ourselves too seriously and like to just poke fun of our world a little bit ... because life is a bit better if you can learn to laugh at yourself.

You’ve also launched the special #FashLifeAtHomeChallenge; tell us about that.

LISA: The #FashLifeAtHomeChallenge is a campaign we launched for Mental Health Awareness Month to encourage people to get dressed and practice self-care during quarantine. We partnered with DBSA (Depression Bipolar Support Alliance) which is an incredible organization that provides free mental health support groups, in order to have a place to send those that are really in need of serious help. It’s really easy and fun to participate and you can find out all of the details on our site here: link link]https://www.thefashlifeseries.com/challenge/]LINK[/url][/url]

Why did you want to create this challenge?

LISA: I’ve suffered from anxiety and depression throughout my life and have developed a lot of wellness tools to help me cope. When the quarantine hit, I noticed some of my friends were not doing well and I wanted to come up with a way I could help. With the Coronavirus being such a serious problem for the world, the bulk of the conversation has focused on the health and financial impact of this pandemic. The mental health impact is also huge and will continue to be an equally important problem. There’s also a stigma for some people around discussing mental health, so the challenge is a fun (yet serious) way to discuss it.

What’s the feedback been like? Are people participating?

LISA: I’ve had so many important conversations about depression, anxiety and other mental health issues since I started putting together and launching this challenge. The reaction has been really positive and we’ve had so many people participate from simply sharing the templates and tags we created, to creating videos, photos and even a hilarious short film created by actress/writer Chanda Wallace (link link) and a post by our friend and Emmy Winner Carolyn Hennesy (General Hospital). Some people have taken the challenge really seriously and others have brought a comedic light to it. What’s most important is just to share this important issue and of course to encourage others to take and share the challenge, so we can keep it going! We’ve been encouraging EVERYONE to get involved... it’s not just for Bloggers, Actors and Influencers.

What have you learned from creating this challenge? And, what do you hope others gain from it?

LISA: I’ve learned that if you open up a conversation about an important issue, you might be surprised at who you reach. I was chatting with the always friendly manager at my grocery store and he asked me what had been keeping me busy. I mentioned the challenge and as it turns out he had family members who are currently suffering from depression with nowhere to turn. He wanted to know about our website and DBSA so he could share it with his family. I was so happy to share this resource, as I wish I had known about it myself when I had hit so many rock bottoms over the past few years.

I’m hoping people learn that it’s okay to ask for and seek out help for mental health issues and that there are free resources available to help even if you can’t afford an expensive therapist.

Finally, are you working on a new season of “The Fash Life”?

LISA: We have already released 13 episodes of our first season and we still have another 7 we will be releasing starting in June. We’re definitely in talks about shooting new episodes and we have so many fun ideas for storylines and new cast members (both actors and guest influencers). With social distancing lasting longer than we had hoped, we’re working on new creative ideas to start shooting this Summer that might allow us to use a smaller crew or even shooting remotely.

And, now just for fun:

Who’s your favorite blogger/social influencer?

LISA: I’m obsessed with Julia Engel (Gal Meets Glam), Geri Hirsch (Because I’m Addicted), Rose Thomas (The Londoner) and Sarah Patrick (Classy Girls Wear Pearls). I’m also blown away by the creativity and style of my good friends Kali Passiglia (In Spades), Sheree Ho (By Sheree) and Rachel Kennedy (The Kennedy Curate).

What blog do you read most often?

LISA: See above.

Favorite piece of advice you learned from reading a blog?

LISA: That fashion and style are universal... I absolutely adore learning about new fashion and beauty brands, as well as recipes, home décor and entertaining advice from fellow Content Creators around the world! I also love watching other bloggers evolve over time... no one starts out perfect and having a fashion or lifestyle blog is really like having an online photo diary.

Tell us one thing that would surprise our readers to learn about you.

LISA: I’m trained in classical theatre, so I’ve performed everything from Shakespeare, Wilde, Chekhov, Shaw and The Greeks! I also produced quite a bit of theatre and the last two plays I produced were nominated for 8 Ovation Awards!

How can fans keep up with you?

LISA: Check out…

TheFashLifeSeries.com link
Instagram.com/thefashlifeseries link
PrettyLittleShoppers.com link
Instagram.com/lisavmorgan link