I Tried to Make a Web-Series, Here's the First Episode
I had youtube, the notes app, and audacity
Thanks for being a subscriber to Let's Not Be Trash. If you’re new here, we (mostly me, Evan J. Mastronardi and Karina Maria Write about patriarchy, politics, race, culture, music, and ruminations. The goal is to discuss important issues in a digestible and relatable way because nobody wants to read a Ted Talk.
If you’re new, please consider subscribing. If you’re already on the list and have a few coins, consider upgrading to a paid subscriber. If you have commitment issues but want to contribute, you can buy me a coffee.
If you like my substack and want to discover other great writers, check out this directory from Marc Typo, The Cook-Out.
Hey, y'all, I have a few projects in the queue, but it's sunny outside, and the world is on fire, so I’m taking the week off. However, I love that I get to write and talk with all of you, so I don’t want to leave my readers without any content so check out this short essay about when I tried to create a web series.
In 2013, at the tender age of 26, I was fired from my job for being “too white.” That isn’t very clear. I should have explained it, but I won’t. If we’re friends outside the internet, and you want the whole story, we can grab a drink, and I’ll give you the confusing details.
This experience, while bizarre, was the moment I realized how absurd politics could be. After spending my late teens and early 20s watching the liberal porn of the“West Wing,” I entered the political space expecting that all elected officials and their staff were bushy-tailed and bright-eyed idealists looking to make a positive change.
There are spaces like that, just like there are people who are true believers and are working hard to make a difference. Unfortunately, there also seems to be an abundance of empty suits, narcissists, and placeholders with power. And if I’m being honest, there seem to be many more of those types of people these days. With time on my hands, a desire to tell stories, and inspiration from Issa Rae’s “Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl,” I created my own web series.
“Confessions of a Sucker 4 Love” was supposed to be a comedy that told the story of a 20-something, love-sick millennial trying to make it in New York. It was written by me, Directed by my good friend, Cody Ann Palmer, and starred rising star Anthony Walker. We hoped to make a show that talked about love from a man’s point of view while also spotlighting the difficulties of being a person of color navigating the non-profit industrial complex.
I’ll be honest: I still think the general concept is good, and if things had been different, this could have taken off. We had an incredibly talented Black woman as our Director/Showrunner, a young but funny team, and we were all excited about what we were making. What we didn’t have was money. We also didn’t have a consistent place to film, anyone on the team with experience in script writing ( I know how to write, but writing a script for a show is very different), anyone to help with editing (Cody had to do it all), or a clear understanding of how to format a show. So yeah, we were missing a lot of things. Despite this, we created a few incredible scenes, and if you put it all together, I would even argue an episode or two.
Eventually, the extreme lack of time, resources, and know-how (mostly on my part) prevented us from completing the project. Despite this, I’m really impressed with what we were able to do and will forever be grateful to our team for investing in my work and bringing it to life. I’m excited to share this project with you guys and let you take a little peek into the unorganized but hopeful mind of 26-year-old Stanley. Spoiler alert: he was all over the place.
Starring: Anthony Walker, Michael Tyler, Isabelle Dungan, Tucker Bryan, Melissa Lynch, Angelena Als
Directed by: Cody Ann Palmer
Show Runner: Cody Ann Palmer
Thank you, no thank YOU, really but thank you! Your video story made me laugh so hard; I had to watch it twice bc it’s just too good. The white boss with his closed eye meditation (29 months experience!), the facial expressions and side eyes from you, the “she can’t READ” line, “gentrifa-wha?” and roll credits saying “I’ve eaten a sweet potato outta a garbage can”??? Smh lol. It’s comedy gold, and you’re so good at being funny. I love it and I fully support this film making endeavor. thank you for making me cry laughing!
Nah this was hilarious, really satirical maybe too satirical for some but I enjoyed it. And I only say too satirical because there are white people who genuinely think and behave this way that wouldn’t get the joke Lol.