This past summer I got the call to action to direct my first TV Movie – a Rom-Com!
It was a joy to work with the cast and crew in Kelowna, BC for 12 days on a 20 million dollar estate. We managed to only have one day of forest fires in the vicinity, however one started across the water right before we filmed the most important scene – THE KISS! So this gorgeous romantic sunset kiss you get a glimpse of? Happened while the actors blocked out a very loud helicopter doing laps to put the fire out. Perhaps Francesca Bianchi and Matt Hamilton have so much chemistry that they lit the fire? Hot.
Big thank you to the pilots and firefighters for keeping everyone safe!
It has been a long minute. It seems like just yesterday I shared the PEN15 pitch video and I was looking forward to them hiring me for the second season. (Spoiler alert: the second season is out and I didn’t direct any of the episodes… BUT THERE’S ALWAYS SEASON 3!)
“Bot Prox” (2020)
Since then, I directed a short horror-comedy BOT PROX during a 48 hour blood and guts themes competition, got a gig on a Netflix limited series, stayed home for five months like I was told – –
BECAUSE COVID-19 IS REAL SO WEAR YOUR DANG MASK & WASH YOUR HANDS LIKE YOU’VE BEEN CUTTING JALAPENOS AND ARE ABOUT TO TAKE OUT YOUR CONTACT LENSES
– – and have since started back on said Netflix show, played New Filmmakers Film Festival (virtually) with BOT PROX, and also finally finished the film! (It may have been a work in progress at the fest…)
And this week is the opening of the 27th Austin Film Festival and guess what? BOT PROX is an official selection! Woot woot! Who knew that a little 48 hour horror-comedy film would get into one of the most esteemed film festivals in the world?
Well it feels pretty freaking great.
Having been officially selected at Austin in 2017 with my digital series YOUNG & RECKLESS, I can say from experience that getting into Austin Film Festival is a huge honour and attending is a privilege any filmmaker should fucking make happen.
BOT PROX is programmed for its World Premiere in Shorts Program 5: Over My Dead Shorts. I love it when they get punny with the program names. This is sure to be a horrorific treat.
The program includes:
The Internet Kills directed & written by Eren Celeboglu & Ari Costa (United States) The Last Starship directed & written by Eric Haywood (United States) The Recordist directed & written by Indianna Bell & Josiah Allen (Australia) Hey, It’s Me directed & written by Courtney & Mark Sposato Oh Deer directed & written by Richard C. Jones (United States) Bot Prox directed by Brianne Nord-Stewart, written by Riley Madincea (Canada) Carmentis directed & written by by Antony Webb (Australia) Yandere directed & written by William Laboury (France)
All the films in this program are eligible for audience awards so be sure to watch and tell @austinfilmfest how you feel about it. While your at it, tell me @bnordstewart how you feel about it.
The program will be available to watch online starting October 23, 2020 through till October 29th. Just the program is $12, but you can entertain to your hearts content with their Film Pass for $30 or all of the amazing panels and conferences with WORKING & ACTUALLY SUCCESSFUL film industry folks with their Virtual Badge for $200
To check out what else the 2020 Austin Film Festival has to offer head to: watch.eventive.org/austinfilmfestival2020 and tell me about how amazing it was as I’m on set 16 hours a day and sleeping all the rest.
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
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!
Honestly, so much press talk. Not sure where to start with this other than THE DANGERS OF ONLINE DATING launch day is tomorrow!
If you’re reading this on or before November 23rd, 2017, you can get your tickets to the Vancouver launch & screening by clicking HERE.
It it’s after November 23rd *tear* you can start checking out the weekly release of episodes on the brand spanking new YouTube channel by clicking HERE. Remember to click SUBSCRIBE!
Press links will come soon, but in the meantime here is THE DANGERS OF ONLINE DATING on the Vancouver Sun cover, and a picture of me with host Cory Price at Roundhouse Radio 98.3 earlier this afternoon. We closed out the interview by playing “Little Death” by the local Vancouver band, IMUR. Take a listen to that track and the whole album!.
Brianne Nord-Stewart & host Cory Price at Roundhouse Radio 98.3, Vancouver, BC
Cover page of The Vancouver Sun, November 16, 2017
Brianne Nord-Stewart 