about

^the(Pilot Presentation)
A 22-minute pilot presentation was filmed on March 22nd and 23rd, 2008 on location in Brooklyn with a script by Parrish Hurley (based on his stand-up comedy), Moira Halloran, A.M. Scott and Bill Johnson.  The episode was directed by Darren Coyle, the real-life inspiration for the character Darren, and Benjamen Logan was the director of photography.

The episode was shot on a Panasonic DVX 100b on miniDV stock in 24p, 16x9, and in true run and gun fashion.  There was a crew of seven shooting half hand-held and half on a tripod – two cameras for each scene.

^the(Awards) 

WINNER
BEST LGBT FILM, 2009 INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL IRELAND

WINNER
FIRST PLACE, 2009 ATALENTSCOUT.COM TELEVISION WRITING CONTEST
(SERIES PITCH, TELEPLAYS FOR EPISODES 1 AND 2)

WINNER
AUDIENCE AWARD − BEST LGBT FILM,
2010 SENE (SOUTHEAST NEW ENGLAND) FILM, MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL

WINNER
SECOND PLACE − SHORT SCREENPLAY, 2009 INDIE GATHERING
(TELEPLAY FOR EPISODE 2, ‘ST. STEPHEN THE SMARTER’)

WINNER
AWARD OF MERIT − TELEVISION, 2009 INDIE FEST

WINNER
SECOND RUNNER UP − GAY/LESBIAN FILM, 2009 GREAT LAKES FILM FESTIVAL

WINNER
AWARD OF MERIT − TELEVISION, 2010 ACCOLADE COMPETITION

WINNER
THIRD PLACE − TELEVISION PILOT, 2009 INDIE GATHERING

^the(Quirks) 

* Magical Realism
If the brilliant but awkward Stephen takes solace within his imagination, then we’ll have to meet some of his special friends. Besides The F Train Messiah, appearing in every episode, there will be two other semi-recurring characters that may or may not be real:  St. Stephen and the ghost of Stephen’s father.  St. Stephen, considered to be the first Christian martyr, adopts the guise of Stavros, a Greek graduate student Stephen fancies.  Stavros schools Stephen in social activism and spiritual revolution, but has a nasty habit of disappearing just before Stephen finds himself in trouble.

As for Dear Old Dad, Stephen is hell-bent on becoming a successful actor (or a successful something) because his father worked every day of his life at a job he hated, never complained, but dropped dead of a heart attack the week after he retired at age 58.  His dad led a blue collar existence and never understood why with Stephen’s brains he wasn’t motivated to be a doctor or lawyer (or, more specifically, motivated by money), but now when he visits from the heavens and reports that God is a Democrat and patron of the arts, he calls Stephen out for not living up to his potential as an actor, playing on Stephen’s insecurities.

* Darren’s Narratives
One or two episodes a season deal with a script Darren is working on that mirrors the theme of the particular episode.  As Darren relates the scripts, Stephen re-imagines the tale with Darren, Patrick and himself in the lead roles.  These characters may either be the similar to their Brooklyn counterparts or direct opposites, but the story-within-the story always reinforces the main narrative, further developing Darren, Stephen and Patrick’s relationship.  Besides the Easter Uprising in Ireland, visits include mod London and a road trip to Woodstock. 

* Homosexuality and Gay Sex
No coming out stories, no drag queens, no bitchy sidekicks.  It’s been done to death, and it’s time to move gay men into the third dimension.  With plenty of (tasteful) boy-on-boy.  Except for Darren and Patrick, of course, because they love the ladies.  So yes, there will be ladies too.

* Brooklyn
Hells yes, Brooklyn.  It’s where all the cool kids live, and the neighborhoods are be-YOO-tiful.  Dive bars, parks, brownstones and cafes aplenty, and the photography will do for Brooklyn what ‘Sex and the City’ did for Manhattan.

^the(Synopsis)
(Script available; written by Parrish Hurley, Moira Halloran, A.M. Scott and Bill Johnson)
Stephen goes home with Paul, an Irish graduate student he meets at a bar.  Intimidated by Paul’s youth and beauty, Stephen clams up despite Paul’s obvious attraction to him.  Paul insists they smoke pot before doing the deed, thinking this will relax Stephen.  On the contrary, Stephen starts babbling paranoid non-sequitors. Once sexual activity commences, a case of cottonmouth gets Stephen’s tongue stuck on a certain part of Paul’s anatomy in a moment reminiscent of ‘A Christmas Story.’  Crushed, Stephen heads home. As he descends the subway stairs, a figure emerges from the shadows, in full poetry slam mode, leaving Stephen with the question, “Who loves YOU, Too Tall Nancy?”

The next day at his local dive with best pals Darren and Patrick, Stephen laments his lack of work as an actor and non-existent love life. Darren has no problem seducing the pretty barmaid, while Patrick announces that he is on hold for a national commercial being shot in Hawaii.  When Stephen is told he needs a date for Patrick’s impending nuptials, since he, Darren, and the rest of the bridal party will be seated up front with their escorts, Stephen vows change, saying, “I’m gonna find me a fella, come hell or high water.”  And thus his online dating profile is dusted off.

Patrick books the national commercial and he and Darren celebrate with some sips at the pub.  Darren’s got a video camera in tow, because Cassandra, the lovely pearl-wearing production assistant at Darren’s company, needs to borrow it for a documentary she’s finishing on Interpol, which the normally cool-as-a-cucumber Darren believes to be the international police coalition, not the New York-based hipster indie band Cassandra admires.  Insert foot in mouth.

First on Stephen’s dating block is Jim, the too-good-to-be-true handsome and successful professional—He loves his beer, he loves his football even more, and get this:  He’s two inches taller than Stephen.  As the perfect first date is about to end with a goodnight kiss, Stephen reveals he has no intention of ever adopting children.  The romantic mood spoiled, Jim pats Stephen on the arm, hails a taxi and says “I’ll call you.”  Sure he will.

Dejected once again, Stephen descends the subway stairs and is challenged to a freestyle slam with his subterranean conscience, The F Train Messiah, who has Stephen identify his mutual passions with Jim:  Drinking beer, watching football, and sucking c**k.  Stephen believes these common interests make Jim a perfect match, but the Messiah rebukes him:  “One point perspective / Turn it 90 degrees, Too Tall / Take in the 3D / More to see / Something to reach out and touch.”

A pep talk from Patrick psyches Stephen up for his next date with a lonely nebbish named Mark, who, to Stephen’s horror, orders them Crown Royal and never heard of the band Joy Division. No sparks fly, and just as Stephen is ready to pull the plug on the date, he and Mark make a moving connection, changing Stephen’s perspective forever.

^the(Rest of the Season)
Season outline and scripts for episodes 1-4 available upon request.
Contact Alex Ross at agr@atalentscout.com

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Contact: Alex Ross, A Talent Scout Management ● agr@atalentscout.com
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