Local web series We're Here Now gets nominations
A web series set and filmed right here in Dayton has received 4 nominations by Austin WebFest, a web series-based festival.
We’re Here Now from Sixteen 37 Productions is nominated for best comedy, best female lead, best writing and audience choice. Chad Wyckoff is the founder of the company. He started the company because he wanted to tell stories that needed to be told.
>>>>MORE FROM Sixteen 37 Productions
“I feel that stories that need to be told are not mainstream. It’s something that hasn’t been told before. We need to shake things up a bit in the film world,” he said.
Wyckoff is also the writer and lead actor in the web series We’re Here Now. This script is the fastest one he has ever written. Probably because many characters and scenes in the series are plucked from Wyckoff’s own life.
“I have numerous socialite friends who are actually really caring. I took 3 close friends of mine and threw them into a location that would drive them insane,” he said.
That location ended up being Dayton. However, it didn’t start out that way.
“It was originally set in Oregon. It was a place I visited that was night and day from New York. I wanted a place that didn’t have the same points of view as those in New York. I decided on Dayton because I decided to stay. Also, there was a lot or art and rehab of neighborhoods being done,” he said.
Many Dayton locations are featured including The Trolley Stop and Ghostlight Coffee. Wyckoff was actually at Ghostlight Coffee writing the finale when he decided to film there.
“It just fit. It was different enough from New York, but close enough to be believable,” he said.
>>>>WATCH MORE EPISODES OF We're Here Now on YouTube
Production of the series took 10 days working 12 hours each day. Caley Rose played the lead female, Jen Buckley; and Gavin Eastlack played Gavin Fairmount. Wyckoff points out that the series is really about friends who actually become family.
“These three characters cannot survive outside of each other. I hope it shows that the characters do crazy things, and they have a deeper friendship that goes beyond family because it’s chosen,” he said.
The hope is that there will be a second season with much more hilarity and possibly a twist when we meet Chad’s mother. There might be some Donald Trump jokes thrown in for good measure as well.
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While the show hasn’t blown up YouTube, it does have a respectable amount of views per episode. The best thing according to Wyckoff is that there have been zero negative comments. The people who watch it, love it.
“You need to support artists that are not backed by massive companies telling you what to watch. You should watch something because you want to. You want real characters. We have all been in these situations and we tell them from a point of view that isn’t Hollywood. Also, it’s from Dayton, so watch it,” Wyckoff said.
Watch the series here and visit Sixteen 37 Productions online to see future projects.
