Tag: Chilltown

Leesa Dean: Adventures of a Web Series Newbie: Chapter 6 – Things Fall Apart


Adventures of a Web Series Newbie: Chapter 6 - Things Fall Apart

by Leesa Dean

Ok. Before I continue with the Rollo saga I’m gonna kick this off with first, saying R.I.P. to brilliant writer Chinua Achebe who just passed away and second, a few random unrelated observations from the trenches:

1) The word “genius” is bandied about at an alarming rate.
2) I’ve yet to meet anybody who’s an actual genius since I’ve started. Smart, yes. Genius, no.
3) Doing a web series is similar to having a serious disease in that when it jumps off, you find out pretty quickly who your real friends are. And the results, at least for me, have been surprising. And sometimes depressing.
4) When someone says they want to “build” with you, it’s usually a codeword for, “you’re never ever getting paid.”

So Rollo, that’s what you came for, right? read article

Leesa Dean: Adventures of a Web Series Newbie: Chapter 4 – Can’t Knock The Hustle?

Adventures of a Web Series Newbie - Chapter 4: Can't Knock The Hustle?
Continued from, um, last time

 by Leesa Dean

So Rollo appears. Carrying a grande-sized coffee. Sits down. Orders another coffee. I’m transfixed. He looks different than I pictured (though admittedly, his pix are kinda obscured online.) Initial observations:

1) He’s rocking the burnt-out boho look: Paunchy. Hunched over a bit (from all those hours playing WoW, I’m thinking?) Longish, silver-tinged dreads with a pronounced bald spot. Filmy, aberrant, slightly chipped grayish teeth. A black motorcycle jacket that’s seen better days.  Overall?  Kinda got that Catch a Predator meets Crown Heights stylee. read article

Leesa Dean: Adventures of a Web Series Newbie – Rollo

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by Leesa Dean

Let’s call him “Rollo*.” Yes, he’s the fanboy I went out for coffee with. This is how it happened:

Every day I write to people. People with blogs, radio shows, who are influencers, essentially begging them to watch Chilltown and Lele’s Ratchet Advice Show. That’s part of the gig. Sometimes they write back and it’s great. We get interviews or featured. And we’ve been incredibly fortunate. Gotten a great outpouring from people. Been luckier than most. But more often than not, people don’t write back. At all. Good times!!! On a side note, if you’re into getting rejected don’t bother hiring a dominitrix to demean you or joining an online dating site. Simply release a web series. read article

The 100% True Story of How I Taught Myself How to Animate So I Could Launch A Web Series

chilltown2

By Leesa Dean

About five years ago I was at a crossroads.

I’m a writer, lucky enough to have sold a few shows. One to a cable network, a few others to production companies. Unluckily, I’ve never had a show actually go into production. It paid the bills, more or less, but was incredibly creatively frustrating. read article