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Our Web Series
Hot Richard Entertainment presents "Willysburg," a situation comedy set in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We are a collaborative of New York Producers, Actors, Directors, Cinematographers and Writers who've come together to create a Comedy Series of the highest caliber.
Our Mission
"Willysburg" is an alternative to traditional network television. The humor is raw, the writing is fresh, and the characters are people you know or want to know. This web series takes quality comedy, combined with original and popular indie music, and makes it easily accessible to a wide audience. It's available via streaming video on YouTube, Vimeo, and our website (which is currently under construction). It can also be viewed and downloaded on mobile devices. The best part of all: it's FREE.
Season One
Paul, an average New York City guy is down on his luck no girl, no job, no
home. Paul winds up in the house
of Lou, displaced from the straight-laced world of Upper East Side Manhattan,
forced to deal with the surreal life of Brooklyn hipsters. Lou is a silver-tongued schemer with
money on his mind who acts as a guide and mentor for Paul but gets him into the
worst possible situations. As Pauls journey continues, he finds
new love, takes up residence in a bathtub, forms an alliance with an elf, and makes
enemies with a notorious Mexican pornstar.
Detailed Synopsis
Willysburg is the classic story of a man who is downtrodden by life. Paul has just been fired from his job cooking in a Mexican Restaurant by his boss, Chef Juan Carlos who is also sleeping with his live-in ex-girlfriend. With no job and no place to stay, Paul ventures into the strange, hermetically-sealed world of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Williamsburg is a community of people trying really hard to prove they are just being themselves. It is a place where all the eccentric and esoteric edges of culture emerge front and center, boldly emblazoned on a pre-worn T-Shirt or Skateboard Sticker. It is a haven for those who may have been the weird kid in their home town because of their obscure taste. These people are nurtured in Williamsburg, by its vinyl record stores and cheap, pinball-and-frogger-laden bars. So much so that that which was once sui generis has become an archetype in Williamsburg. When a Midwestern oddball moves to the burg, he or she quickly find that the uniqueness they used to enjoy is now ubiquitous. Though this may seem comforting at first, it can quickly become identity-shattering. Thus, many within the Hipster Demo have become obsessed with constantly proving that they really are one-of-a-kind, which in turn makes them just like every one else in the community hell bent on proving the same. This paradox, like most true irony, is completely lost on the hipster set, and they toil perilously at their Sisyphean task of continually demonstrating that they are special and idiosyncratic, only for their efforts to be lost in the sea of ubiquitous uniqueness.
It is this world that Paul finds himself thrust into, the foundation of his life having crumbled and wondering if he can find the strength to pick himself up and move forward. A community of people without any firm footing in reality, Paul finds it difficult to keep his life from a tailspin. Furthermore, the people around him, his new friends which include Lou the schemer, Somerdance, the reformed flower-child, and Elf the, well, elf, look to take advantage of Pauls naivet, undermining him at every turn.
Willysburg is the classic tale of a wide eyed young man for whom nothing goes right. Karma, if you choose to call it that, is dead set against him. However, through his trials and tribulations, a wiser, stronger man begins to emerge; one more suited to survive the elements. It is adapt or die for our protagonist, and we hope he can weather the storm.
Our Team
Creators: Waj Arshad, Michael Jefferson, Hardy Winburn
Director: Aubrey Lethbridge
Producers: Mithun Bhat, Michael Jefferson, John Kontoyannis
Writers: Colby Bleicher, Thomas Gonzalez, Aubrey Lethbridge, Alex Franks, and Evan Neuwirth
Our Website
Our website, which is currently under construction, immerses you in the world of Willysburg. Watch all the episodes and find detailed character profiles, interactive games, homemade videos by the characters, and original indie music.
What We Need & What We Offer You
We need your help and generous donations to fund this project. To be honest, the total budgeted is $12, 210 not $5,000. $5000 is a startup fund for the first three episodes. The entire budget is broken down as such.
-$Deferred-Everyone: We are all doing this because it is what we truly, truly love. No one is getting paid up front.
-$500-Art Department: This is to give every location an authentic Willysburg feel. This includes putting art on walls, painting rooms, and all around decorating.
-$500-Costume Department: The roles require a certain clothing style.
-$600-Make Up: This is to pay the make up artist kit fee.
-$700-Locations: You guessed it, we are going to have to rent out various locals stores and venues in Williamsburg.
-$4500-Food: We budgeted out $15 a day per head for meals. We are going to have 15 people on set at most times.
-$1000-Krafty: This is for water, coffee, tea, and snacks during shooting.
-$2500-Marketing & Publicity: This includes all the internet, public, and published advertisements that we do to get Willysburg out to the masses.
-$800-Van Rentals: These Vans are to move equipment from one location to the next. Sadly, lights are too large to carry on the subway.
-$1110-Contingency: This fund is essentially insurance for things that could go wrong. It is 10% of the budget. On a film set there are tons of things that could go wrong.
Total: $12,210
In return for the tremendous kindness you are showing us we offer incentives for your investment. The list is over to the right. Thank you so so much once again. We do appreciate it!
AND PLEASE SHARE THIS PAGE!!!
Team on This Campaign:
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Michael JeffersonCreator, Producer
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Mithun Bhat
Producer
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John KontoyannisProducer
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Colby BleicherWriter