A couple years ago I met a lovely English fellow at a film festival where I was showing my short BEAT AROUND THE BUSH. Said fellow had missed my screening but really, really, (REALLY), wanted to see it. So he said “I will bribe you by giving you this super secret pilot presentation link to a Hulu show called PEN15 that isn’t out yet”.
Well, that 17 minute pilot presentation was my freaking jam. I probably watched it 47 times (or more, let’s be honest).
This past February the entire first season was released complete with an episode about the main characters Maya & Anna – played by the 31-year-old co-creators – coming into possession of a thong. And oh bejeezus, it made me want to find the photo of one Jaime North in grade seven with me at the La Senza holding up one 100% cotton red thong. You bet your booty I bought it and wore that baby with so much ‘tude. 🍑
Instead of just finding the photo album, I digitized the Hi8 1999-2000 video archives of my youth. Here is my love letter/pitch video to the PEN15 team.
Watch my pitch!
If you haven’t watched season one yet, get on it! It’s been nominated for the Emmy’s. In Canada you can watch on CBC Gem. In the US it’s on Hulu. In other countries – I DON’T FREAKING KNOW. Ask Google.
Watch the PEN15 season 1 trailer ↑
I have a summer teen movie I’m supposed to be writing.
It’s very cool that some of my work is getting new life on new platforms! BEAT AROUND THE BUSH and my webseries YOUNG & RECKLESS are now available for free to members/users of the gamified streaming platform. www.filmocracy.com
Young & Reckless, directed by Brianne Nord-Stewart
I honestly know nothing about the platform (or gaming in for that matter ), and at quick glance it talked about leader board and ratings and creating an avatar and that’s just another wormhole of procrastination I’m not getting into. But if you live for that stuff, AWESOME!
This license was facilitated in a partnership with FilmHub and the Cleveland International Film Festival where BEAT AROUND THE BUSH was officially selected in 2016. So that’s pretty dope, right?
My short film BEAT AROUND THE BUSH and my first webseries YOUNG & RECKLESS are having a resurgence and finally getting some much deserved online distribution! Both the short and the series have been selected by the online and mobile streaming platform Fearless.
Fearless is an online streaming service that showcases features, series, and shorts from independent creators across the world. With apps for iPhone and Android, and the ability to send movies and shows to your TV with ChromeCast & Apple AirPlay, we like to call ourselves a “film festival in your pocket”.
Fearless favours content that promotes one or more of the following focus areas: – LGBTQ stories & filmmakers – Female stories & filmmakers – Diversity, representation and inclusion in film – Freedom of speech, controversial topics, and challenging conversations. – Content with strong messaging that drives our world forward (can be scripted, unscripted, or documentary).
With a mission and a focus like this I’m very proud to have BEAT AROUND THE BUSH and YOUNG & RECKLESS on Fearless. I hope you’ll find even more worthy titles to consume! An app is available for your handheld devices.
This license was facilitated in a partnership with FilmHub and the Cleveland International Film Festival where BEAT AROUND THE BUSH was officially selected in 2016, and with the Austin Film Festival where YOUNG & RECKLESS was selected in 2017.
“Streampix is a library of movies and TV shows that you can watch commercial-free and unlimited on any screen, such as your TV, laptop, tablet or smartphone.”
This license was facilitated in a partnership with FilmHub and the Cleveland International Film Festival where BEAT AROUND THE BUSH was officially selected in 2016.
Doron Bell (Left) and Devon Ferguson (right) having a good laugh in between tackles on YOUNG & RECKLESS
I’m about 8 months overdue in sharing this interview I did with Her Film Project! “The Ask” on Her Film Project is a series that aims to raise the profile of female media creators, artists, and decision-makers with the goal of facilitating open dialogue and proposing concrete action (“the ask”) towards achieving equality and inclusion in the media industries – and society at large.
I first met the author Stephanie Law as part of my first job after university which was sponsored by the Canadian Media Producer’s Association (CMPA) and I’m so happy we’ve kept in touch. Thanks for including me, Stephanie!
Staring down the competition on Opening Trailer Night at Seriesland. 😛
This is Emily the intern here with some very exciting news from Spain; THE DANGERS OF ONLINE DATING will be an official selection in the 4th Annual Bilbao Seriesland! I’m super stoked and hope you are too!
If you want more info about the festival you can check out their website and Facebook page.
Don’t forget to follow along and show some love to DOOD on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (@DOODtheseries)!
Feel like taking a moment to relish in “The Dangers of Online Dating” being nominated in two categories at Vancouver WebFest? Us too. Best Comedy Series, and Best Actor
My shows THE DANGERS OF ONLINE DATING and YOUNG & RECKLESS are both official selections at the 2018 Vancouver Web Fest and we couldn’t be more excited to show off our show in our home town. There are a number of fantastic Vancouver webseries selected, along with some out of town shows I really enjoy!
“The Dangers of Online Dating” is nominated for BEST ACTOR for Byron Noble‘s performance as ALEXANDRE, Paula’s brutally honest best friend, and for BEST COMEDY and screens April 20th at 4:50pm in block 10.
“Young & Reckless” is nominated for BEST COMEDY, BEST OF BC, and BEST ORIGINAL SCORE by composer Jeff Toyne and screens April 20th at 3pm in block 9.
Shout outs to local shows “Inconceivable” from Joel Ashton McCarthy, and “Spiral” from Karen McClellan, and a fantastic Australian show “High Life” from Luke Eve. He’s an asshole by the way. JUST KIDDING! Luke is a gem. As is Joel. I haven’t met Karen yet but I’m sure she’s also a piece of work. A great work of course!
I’m being cheeky. I’ll stop. (For now)
“The Dangers of Online Dating” is an official selection at the 2018 Vancouver Web Fest.
If you got into HollyWeb Fest, you’d be drooling too.
THE DANGERS OF ONLINE DATINGis heading south in April as we’ve been officially selected for the 7th Hollyweb Fest in Hollywood, California! It was a fantastic experience to be officially selected and in attendance last year with YOUNG & RECKLESS(we also picked up best editing for the series!)
“As the world’s premiere destination for digital content, we are consistently screening the best digital series and pilots available online.” – Hollyweb Fest
Both myself and lead actress, Paula Burrows, will be in attendance for the entirety of the festival! See you there!
In case you didn’t know, Paula is also a writer and assistant editor of our companion webseries, “SEX, With Paula“!
Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and social media to show us your support – IT REALLY MATTERS! – and leave us a comment on as many videos as you can. Cheers!
The cast (and some crew!) at the launch party and screening of “The Dangers of Online Dating” in Vancouver, BC at The Penthouse November 23, 2017. (L to R: Stacy Mahieux, Paula Burrows, Brianne Nord-Stewart (creator/writer/director), Peter New, Byron Noble, Natalie Catherine, Sierra Pitkin)
To whomever is reading this, thank you for taking the time!
Whether you’re here to (fingers crossed) vet me for a job, check out some of my award-winning work (😉), or maybe we’ve gone on or about to go on a date and you’re cyber stalking me (well done, but please stop) thanks a million for hanging out long enough to read this sentence.
The last year was really all about getting my original digital series, THE DANGERS OF ONLINE DATING, written, produced, edited, delivered, and finally, launched into the ether that is the internet. Wow.
Well, I did it. The show is out (WATCH IT). Ready to be consumed (WATCH IT). It’s done (Did I mention you should WATCH IT). And I have already started releasing the companion sex education series, “SEX, With Paula“. There are 9 episodes of #DOODtheseries (WATCH IT)(use this hashtag!) and soon to be 9 episodes of #SEXwithPaula (this one too!) out as well, AND we’re going to continue releasing new episodes of the latter until we cannot possibly anymore.
Phew.
There are a few people that I absolutely need to thank.
First to the cast and crew of season one, which we started filming in 2012 (yes, really). To Paula, Stacy, and Byron, thank you so much for coming on board back then, and for still being committed 5 years and 2 provinces later! To our very tiny and committed crew, thank you for your countless (or few) volunteer hours on what was this little idea I had.
And then to Telus Optik and the Storyhive team. There in all likelihood would not be a season 2 without you. And definitely not a season 2 like this. And to Creative BC for that little bit extra. So…THANK YOU FOR ALL THE 💰 💰 💰💰 !
To the season 2 team…Season 2 was achieved with a great many more people, more crew, more cast, more locations – more everything – and all of those logistics were being planned and re-planned by my line producer James Hutchison. He’s the shit. (Don’t even think about poaching him.) To the new cast who came in and have been all about the show, I THANK YOU!
So what am I doing next? The question of the day, month, year, hour, minute, second…
Well, today I did some life stuff and laid on the couch and watched “Julie & Julia” because I needed Nora Ephron’s magic, and was subsequently inspired to write a new blog post (the film is about a writer writing a blog…)
Next up is re-writing a half hour pilot for THE DANGERS OF ONLINE DATING, re-writing my feature, writing a one-hour original, and pitching other web/series content that that I’ve been developing with other writers. I want to direct my first feature, and then my second. I want to get that first episodic gig, and then my second. And then I’m sailing.
Literally. I’m getting on a boat and sailing around the Cook Islands.
