Karyn Lucy O'Bryan

Creator • Host • Documentary Storyteller

Radical single mom, documentary photographer, and storyteller Lucy O'Bryan journeys to some of the world's least-visited regions in search of a greater understanding of humanity. Along the way, she uncovers the realities of everyday survival while revealing the while exposing the most basic truth of humanity - the love and the laughter that exists in us all.

Oxygen-deprived. Welcome to Tibet (15,400 ft)

An unscripted documentary travel series about a documentary photographer who travels the world dodging bullets and gigantic reptiles while seeking a greater understanding of human nature.

Documentary photographer and storyteller Lucy O'Bryan journeys to some of the world's least-visited and most challenging regions.

From staying in a crack house in Zurich, bribing police officers in Albania, attempting to be smuggled into Libya, being chased by attack helicopters, and jumping off moving trains, Lucy certainly knows how to travel in style.

But the greatest discoveries aren't found in the places she goes. They're found in the people she meets.

Along the way, she uncovers the realities of everyday survival while revealing the most enduring truth about humanity: beneath all our differences, love, laughter, and resilience have a remarkable way of finding us.

Lost With Lucy was created, hosted, and executive produced by Lucy O'Bryan. Though the series was ultimately never produced, it was picked up by OWN and remains one of the creative projects closest to her heart.

Excited to return...

After over two decades in front of the camera as an actress, I went behind the camera to dedicate myself to the defense of human rights as a photojournalist. My journey began during the Kosovo war amidst the refugee camps in Albania. Armed with nothing but a fake press pass, and an old broken camera, I embarked on a daring (some might say crazy) mission to cover the conflict alongside my eleven-year-old son. This transformative experience launched a personal crusade to use the storytelling skills I had learned in the film industry to document human rights abuses around the globe. Since then, my humanitarian photography (https://www.lucyobryan.com/) has led me to some of the world’s most dangerous places - Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Niger, Sudan and Ukraine.

My familiarity with the camera began with a successful career in front of it. As a young ingenue, I moved to LA from Kansas to pursue a career in politics but fell into acting at my first audition when I landed a lead role opposite Johnny Depp in Private Resort. I quickly landed co-starring roles on The A Team, Family Ties, and Josie & the Pussycats. As a single mom, I decided to make the switch to being a commercial actress, enabling me to be more available to my kids. I then went on to do over 70 national spots for top brands, including Pepsi, Michelob, Nabisco, Black Angus, and Kellogg’s.

Signing a four-year spokesperson contract with Black Angus enabled me to temporarily set aside my acting career and follow my other passion: storytelling through photography of the world’s most disenfranchised people. Focusing my lens on the neglected, giving voice to the voiceless and telling the personal stories of those who are otherwise forgotten. The adventure never ended! What began as a brief hiatus evolved into an exhilarating 20+ year odyssey spanning 90+ countries, uncovering the struggles of everyday survival in some of the world’s harshest places. Yet, amidst the challenges, I also discovered the universal threads of humanity-the love and laughter that connects us all.

Meanwhile my love for the film industry has only grown stronger. It’s true that absence makes the heart grow fonder. I’m older, wiser, and maybe even a little bit more fearless.

For more Lost With Lucy reels click here