Reviving Nikki & Nora, moving on to season 2 and some of their crowdfunding challenges
When Nikki & Nora didn’t get picked up by UPN in 2004, many of us thought it was another one of those great shows that just didn’t quite make it. Whether it was the network execs or the target demo who didn’t fully understand the potential of this crime-fighting duo, doesn’t really matter anymore. But Nancylee Myatt – who wrote the original UPN pilot – wasn’t just going to sit around and mope. What she did was far more extraordinary.
She gave them a second life.
Set in Post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, Nikki & Nora’s cast and crew, together with its large online fan base [UPN’s Nikki & Nora pilot was leaked on the internet and garnered a vast support group] stepped into an exciting journey of intensive crowdfunding, smart casting and the most successful web series yet produced by tellofilms. According to Nancylee Myatt, Nikki & Nora’s creator, writer and director of its first season, “It just seemed like perfect symmetry to have the couple who were kept alive on the internet, return to the audience via the web.”
We – at Acting Indie – love success stories like Nikki & Nora, so we reached out to Nancylee Myatt and the cast and crew of Nikki & Nora because they have some exciting news to share with all of us: Season 2 is coming and the crowdfunding starts around Valentine’s Day, 2015!
In an all-inclusive interview with Writer/Director Nancylee Myatt, tellofilms co-owner/Executive Producer Christin Baker, Actors/Co-Executive Producers Christina Cox and Liz Vassey and Guest Star Kitty Swink – “Dottie Reid” in Nikki & Nora’s first season – they tell us all about the rush of crowdfunding, the excitement of reviving their characters and what we can expect going into season 2.
She gave them a second life.
Set in Post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, Nikki & Nora’s cast and crew, together with its large online fan base [UPN’s Nikki & Nora pilot was leaked on the internet and garnered a vast support group] stepped into an exciting journey of intensive crowdfunding, smart casting and the most successful web series yet produced by tellofilms. According to Nancylee Myatt, Nikki & Nora’s creator, writer and director of its first season, “It just seemed like perfect symmetry to have the couple who were kept alive on the internet, return to the audience via the web.”
We – at Acting Indie – love success stories like Nikki & Nora, so we reached out to Nancylee Myatt and the cast and crew of Nikki & Nora because they have some exciting news to share with all of us: Season 2 is coming and the crowdfunding starts around Valentine’s Day, 2015!
In an all-inclusive interview with Writer/Director Nancylee Myatt, tellofilms co-owner/Executive Producer Christin Baker, Actors/Co-Executive Producers Christina Cox and Liz Vassey and Guest Star Kitty Swink – “Dottie Reid” in Nikki & Nora’s first season – they tell us all about the rush of crowdfunding, the excitement of reviving their characters and what we can expect going into season 2.
“We will not be wrecking cars, blowing up buildings, re-creating a Mardi Gras parade, jumping off bridges to catch the bad-guys, etc.”
Nancylee Myatt: First of all I want to thank the Acting Indie team on behalf of the Nikki & Nora family for watching the series, keeping the conversation alive, and showing your love for our favorite New Orleans crime fighting couple. I also want to acknowledge our amazing team in front of the camera and behind the scenes. It truly took a village of generous and talented people to bring Nikki & Nora back to the faithful fans.
Acting Indie: You’re very welcome. We were proud supporters of the first season and loved every minute of it on tellofilms.com! First, tell us about more about yourself. How do you see yourself as a director?
Nancylee Myatt: I actually don’t see myself as a director first. I see myself as a writer. Someone who creates characters, their back stories, how they walk and talk, how they react to love or disappointment, the environment surrounding them, and the hand they’ve been dealt. When you know that much about a character, it’s difficult to keep yourself from wanting to influence the performance on the screen. However, I also know that a nurturing and creative relationship between a director and an actor who is bringing the characters and story to life will elevate the words and world beyond even what I imagined.
Acting Indie: So what happens when the writer becomes the director?
Nancylee Myatt: When stepping behind the camera as a director, I am immediately humbled by the scope of what a director does beyond blocking a scene and supporting a performance. I have a lot to learn about the visual aspects of storytelling. But I’m a willing student, and I hope to keep growing as I go. I would describe my job as a director as a team leader with a vision - that is only as good as the collaboration I have with my DP, camera crew and actors.
Acting Indie: You’ve done such a great job directing season 1 of Nikki & Nora; will you be spearheading the production of season 2 as well?
Nancylee Myatt: The second season of Nikki & Nora will be directed by Mary Lou Belli, who has directed a lot of my work in the past. I think she’ll bring a fantastic eye and energy to the set this year. [Mary Lou Belli is an Emmy award winning director]
Acting Indie: You call yourself a writer first, so how do you conceive your stories?
Nancylee Myatt: Some projects are brought to me – meaning, an idea or area aimed at a certain demographic or network. The development teams want me to flesh it out and give it context and a series engine, etc. The original ideas that come from me are usually a character, story or world that I can’t stop thinking about. It haunts me, or excites me, or stalks me until I put something on paper. Every writer has their own process. I’m one of those people that more often than not will just start writing – even if it’s the Cold Open of a show or an essential scene that defines characters and voices. Then I’ll go back and start looking for the framework of the piece, the story and character development. And of course, putting it in a format or story structure for the medium I hope it will land on. Short answer – the characters find me, I’m just doing their bidding. [Note: A Cold Open is an industry term for a scene before opening credits]
Acting Indie: Most writers have their “babies.” Can you tell us a bit more about yours?
Nancylee Myatt: I’ve been a TV-writer for some 25 years – so there are volumes of journals, boxes, and shelves lined with ideas, pitches and scripts. Some of them got sold, some even got shot, and on the air. During the time I’m developing and creating characters and worlds, I fall a little in love with all of them. I think you have to – well for me, anyway… I have to be passionate about writing original material. It’s different than showing up on someone else’s show and churning out episodes. However, I have to say, there was one show which I didn’t create, that I was very passionate about writing – one that I really took pride in voicing and making it authentic for the audience. The series was created by Tom Lynch; it was called South of Nowhere. Currently, I have a lot of projects right now in various stages of development. Stay tuned!
You created Nikki & Nora, what was it like, finding out the original pilot wasn’t picked up by UPN?
Nancylee Myatt: It was my show -- I created those characters, their voices and their world. I was heartbroken when it didn’t get picked up. So when the chance to revisit “The one that got away” presented itself, I jumped. Plus that pilot brought Liz Vassey and Christina Cox into my life. We have remained close friends and are always looking for projects to do together.
Acting Indie: Tell us a bit more about resurrecting Nikki & Nora. What was the transition like, going from a network pilot to a full-season web series on tellofilms?
Nancylee Myatt: I used the characters I created for the original UPN pilot. In the pilot, however, the network wanted them to be part of the NOPD, while in this new web version; Nikki & Nora are back to being Private Detectives. I was able to resurrect them when the rights to those characters and story returned to me from the studio.
Acting Indie: How did you know the new Nikki & Nora would be a success? Did you feel it was something the audience was really waiting for?
Nancylee Myatt: I had been tracking the audience a bit, and I knew that they wanted to see Nikki & Nora again. I also had new stories to tell ten years later in a post-Katrina New Orleans.
Acting Indie: How did you pitch Nikki & Nora 2.0?
Nancylee Myatt: I went to Christin Baker at tellofilms first. I had a relationship with her and knew that the team would be invested in helping me make my dream come true of seeing Nikki & Nora together again. Plus, it just seemed like perfect symmetry to have the couple that was kept alive on the Internet, return to the audience via the web.
Acting Indie: How difficult was it, reviving those characters 10 years after the original pilot?
Nancylee Myatt: The voices came back right away. However, from a production point of view, it was really hard. We had one-tenth the budget we had in 2004. So for the new Nikki & Nora essentially shot a new network pilot for web series money.
Acting Indie: Something else that was probably a lot different from the pilot was the intensive crowdfunding prior to starting up production. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages that go with the crowdfunding process?
Christin Baker: The advantage is you really get to feel the love and support from your fans and it’s amazing. The outpouring of support is the best. The main advantage is you get the make the project. The disadvantage is the stress that comes during the process of being afraid you won’t hit your goal. The other thing is it does take a lot of time. We are very active on twitter and always thank people immediately and are constantly giving updates but that takes a lot of work. The other thing that people don’t always realize is getting the perks out is also stressful and time consuming. We are so lucky to have so many backers but it can be overwhelming to send 100 letters overseas. It’s a great problem to have but we are constantly thinking about the perks we have to get out before they go.
Acting Indie: Is it a tool you intend to use for the second season as well?
Christin Baker: Yes we will use Indiegogo. There will be some returning perks, but we also have some new awesome ones that we think the fans will really love. I don’t want to give an exact date but just think of February and “love is in the air.” That’s all we will say about a specific date.
Acting Indie: Being perfectly candid; you far exceeded your fundraising goal for season 1, how did it do in terms of viewers? Did that exceed your expectations as well?
Christin Baker: It was awesome! We had so many people sign up to watch Nikki & Nora when it came out and after it came out. It is our most popular project to date and still – usually – gets the majority of the views on tello. It has been a big success for us.
Acting Indie: How did the fact that so many of you (cast & crew) were so close prior to filming/going through the process of the crowdfunding together translate on-screen or in your collaboration?
Nancylee Myatt: We purposefully pulled together a cast and crew where the majority of us had already worked together. A shorthand and respect was already in place, which is incredibly valuable for a low budget project, which is bound to be stressful. I’d like to give a special thank you to my wife, Paige Bernhardt, who is a talented writer in her own right and my producing partner. 24-7, Paige never got a break from me during production. Perhaps for the second season, I’ll put her up in a lovely hotel room…
Christin Baker: I actually got to know Liz [Vassey] and Christina [Cox] first when we were planning and executing the crowdfunding campaign. Before that I had only met them once briefly. The crowdfunding process really helped me become colleagues from a distance and formed a bond before being on set. We had many phone calls and e-mail exchanges during the process. These two ladies are hilarious and the banter was so much fun and we were able to have fun and be playful because of this process. For me this was fantastic and really helped form a trust before working with them on set.
Acting Indie: You’re very welcome. We were proud supporters of the first season and loved every minute of it on tellofilms.com! First, tell us about more about yourself. How do you see yourself as a director?
Nancylee Myatt: I actually don’t see myself as a director first. I see myself as a writer. Someone who creates characters, their back stories, how they walk and talk, how they react to love or disappointment, the environment surrounding them, and the hand they’ve been dealt. When you know that much about a character, it’s difficult to keep yourself from wanting to influence the performance on the screen. However, I also know that a nurturing and creative relationship between a director and an actor who is bringing the characters and story to life will elevate the words and world beyond even what I imagined.
Acting Indie: So what happens when the writer becomes the director?
Nancylee Myatt: When stepping behind the camera as a director, I am immediately humbled by the scope of what a director does beyond blocking a scene and supporting a performance. I have a lot to learn about the visual aspects of storytelling. But I’m a willing student, and I hope to keep growing as I go. I would describe my job as a director as a team leader with a vision - that is only as good as the collaboration I have with my DP, camera crew and actors.
Acting Indie: You’ve done such a great job directing season 1 of Nikki & Nora; will you be spearheading the production of season 2 as well?
Nancylee Myatt: The second season of Nikki & Nora will be directed by Mary Lou Belli, who has directed a lot of my work in the past. I think she’ll bring a fantastic eye and energy to the set this year. [Mary Lou Belli is an Emmy award winning director]
Acting Indie: You call yourself a writer first, so how do you conceive your stories?
Nancylee Myatt: Some projects are brought to me – meaning, an idea or area aimed at a certain demographic or network. The development teams want me to flesh it out and give it context and a series engine, etc. The original ideas that come from me are usually a character, story or world that I can’t stop thinking about. It haunts me, or excites me, or stalks me until I put something on paper. Every writer has their own process. I’m one of those people that more often than not will just start writing – even if it’s the Cold Open of a show or an essential scene that defines characters and voices. Then I’ll go back and start looking for the framework of the piece, the story and character development. And of course, putting it in a format or story structure for the medium I hope it will land on. Short answer – the characters find me, I’m just doing their bidding. [Note: A Cold Open is an industry term for a scene before opening credits]
Acting Indie: Most writers have their “babies.” Can you tell us a bit more about yours?
Nancylee Myatt: I’ve been a TV-writer for some 25 years – so there are volumes of journals, boxes, and shelves lined with ideas, pitches and scripts. Some of them got sold, some even got shot, and on the air. During the time I’m developing and creating characters and worlds, I fall a little in love with all of them. I think you have to – well for me, anyway… I have to be passionate about writing original material. It’s different than showing up on someone else’s show and churning out episodes. However, I have to say, there was one show which I didn’t create, that I was very passionate about writing – one that I really took pride in voicing and making it authentic for the audience. The series was created by Tom Lynch; it was called South of Nowhere. Currently, I have a lot of projects right now in various stages of development. Stay tuned!
You created Nikki & Nora, what was it like, finding out the original pilot wasn’t picked up by UPN?
Nancylee Myatt: It was my show -- I created those characters, their voices and their world. I was heartbroken when it didn’t get picked up. So when the chance to revisit “The one that got away” presented itself, I jumped. Plus that pilot brought Liz Vassey and Christina Cox into my life. We have remained close friends and are always looking for projects to do together.
Acting Indie: Tell us a bit more about resurrecting Nikki & Nora. What was the transition like, going from a network pilot to a full-season web series on tellofilms?
Nancylee Myatt: I used the characters I created for the original UPN pilot. In the pilot, however, the network wanted them to be part of the NOPD, while in this new web version; Nikki & Nora are back to being Private Detectives. I was able to resurrect them when the rights to those characters and story returned to me from the studio.
Acting Indie: How did you know the new Nikki & Nora would be a success? Did you feel it was something the audience was really waiting for?
Nancylee Myatt: I had been tracking the audience a bit, and I knew that they wanted to see Nikki & Nora again. I also had new stories to tell ten years later in a post-Katrina New Orleans.
Acting Indie: How did you pitch Nikki & Nora 2.0?
Nancylee Myatt: I went to Christin Baker at tellofilms first. I had a relationship with her and knew that the team would be invested in helping me make my dream come true of seeing Nikki & Nora together again. Plus, it just seemed like perfect symmetry to have the couple that was kept alive on the Internet, return to the audience via the web.
Acting Indie: How difficult was it, reviving those characters 10 years after the original pilot?
Nancylee Myatt: The voices came back right away. However, from a production point of view, it was really hard. We had one-tenth the budget we had in 2004. So for the new Nikki & Nora essentially shot a new network pilot for web series money.
Acting Indie: Something else that was probably a lot different from the pilot was the intensive crowdfunding prior to starting up production. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages that go with the crowdfunding process?
Christin Baker: The advantage is you really get to feel the love and support from your fans and it’s amazing. The outpouring of support is the best. The main advantage is you get the make the project. The disadvantage is the stress that comes during the process of being afraid you won’t hit your goal. The other thing is it does take a lot of time. We are very active on twitter and always thank people immediately and are constantly giving updates but that takes a lot of work. The other thing that people don’t always realize is getting the perks out is also stressful and time consuming. We are so lucky to have so many backers but it can be overwhelming to send 100 letters overseas. It’s a great problem to have but we are constantly thinking about the perks we have to get out before they go.
Acting Indie: Is it a tool you intend to use for the second season as well?
Christin Baker: Yes we will use Indiegogo. There will be some returning perks, but we also have some new awesome ones that we think the fans will really love. I don’t want to give an exact date but just think of February and “love is in the air.” That’s all we will say about a specific date.
Acting Indie: Being perfectly candid; you far exceeded your fundraising goal for season 1, how did it do in terms of viewers? Did that exceed your expectations as well?
Christin Baker: It was awesome! We had so many people sign up to watch Nikki & Nora when it came out and after it came out. It is our most popular project to date and still – usually – gets the majority of the views on tello. It has been a big success for us.
Acting Indie: How did the fact that so many of you (cast & crew) were so close prior to filming/going through the process of the crowdfunding together translate on-screen or in your collaboration?
Nancylee Myatt: We purposefully pulled together a cast and crew where the majority of us had already worked together. A shorthand and respect was already in place, which is incredibly valuable for a low budget project, which is bound to be stressful. I’d like to give a special thank you to my wife, Paige Bernhardt, who is a talented writer in her own right and my producing partner. 24-7, Paige never got a break from me during production. Perhaps for the second season, I’ll put her up in a lovely hotel room…
Christin Baker: I actually got to know Liz [Vassey] and Christina [Cox] first when we were planning and executing the crowdfunding campaign. Before that I had only met them once briefly. The crowdfunding process really helped me become colleagues from a distance and formed a bond before being on set. We had many phone calls and e-mail exchanges during the process. These two ladies are hilarious and the banter was so much fun and we were able to have fun and be playful because of this process. For me this was fantastic and really helped form a trust before working with them on set.
“New Orleans is truly a co-star to Nikki & Nora. If you can’t get an interesting shot in this city, you need a new director and DP.”
To have that as a jumping-off point and then add ten (!) years of life experience together only made the end result that much more layered, complex, and hopefully better.
Christina Cox: Well, it was the huge paycheck we all got. Oh wait….
Acting Indie: Would you say the production (Pre-during-& Post) process is any different; working on a web series than it is working network TV or feature film?
Nancylee Myatt: For me as a writer – the location and action of many scenes are influenced by what we can afford or get vs. what’s most interesting for the story. Without network money, it always becomes more of a character piece. You have to be more creative in the way you sell certain aspects of the story, that otherwise would be easy with millions of dollars. We will not be wrecking cars, blowing up buildings, re-creating a Mardi Gras parade, or jumping off bridges to catch the bad-guys.
Acting Indie: You have two strong leads, but also a well-loved band of supporting characters. How did they get involved?
Nancylee Myatt: We reached out to talented actors who were friends of ours, who also had a big and diverse fan base to bring with them. Which for crowdfunding a web series is very important.
Kitty Swink: Armin [Shimerman, Kitty’s husband who also played J. Hewitt Kemp in Nikki & Nora Season 1] and were cast through Nancylee and Paige. I have been working for or with them forever. From appearing on Social Studies, a series that Nancylee ran years ago, to directing Miss Something, a wickedly funny musical the two of them wrote almost 20 years ago, to developing things with Nancylee and doing South of Nowhere as a character and acting coach. I will do anything they ask me to do. If I am available, I am in. Plus, being in NOLA with all these folks, old friends like Tess Harper and Jim Beaver. Getting to know Liz and Christina better and making new life-long friends like Christin Baker and Shannan Leigh Reeve. Working with my adorable husband, Armin. Liz is my new favorite person to drink red wine with, by the way. I love the project, the people and NOLA.
Acting Indie: Was the “I never really believed in vampires” quip written specifically after Armin Shimerman was cast or did it just end up working out with his Buffy past? [Armin Shimerman starred in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” as Principal Snyder]
Christin Baker: Okay I usually don’t take credit for writing and stuff but I did pitch that after we knew Armin would be on the show. I am a HUGE Buffy fan and so I thought it would be fantastic to have Armin make a mention. I’m very proud of that and thank you for noticing!
Nancylee Myatt: And Armin was a sport to deliver it.
Acting Indie: Janina Gavankar is such a great musician in real-life. How did she react when you told her: “Yeah, your character gets to kind-of play piano in season 1, but it’s going to sound more like she’s abusing the instrument”?
Nancylee Myatt: Janina was great and was up for anything we asked her to do. In addition to asking her to not play the piano so skillfully, we also asked her to play drunk. Something she has never been, as she is not a drinker. Janina delivered a great happy-drunk performance.
Acting Indie: Who will be coming back for season 2?
Nancylee Myatt: We’ve reached out to all of our series regulars and hope they can all join us again in New Orleans. Who will return, in the end, will be based on a couple of factors – whether they are available, as we have to compete with convention schedules and bigger budget jobs that carry bigger contracts. What’s also important is how the new script and story impacts their characters. Jim & Janina, aside from being our incredibly talented friends, were important to the story because we needed the NOPD to be represented. Not just for the new story, but also get out the back story of Nikki & Nora no longer being on the force and the death of Nora’s brother and father. Having Wally Langham on screen again with Liz Vassey talking about things of a CSI nature was meta-licious. I’m hoping it will work out for all three of them to return. As of right now it looks like we’ll be seeing Armin Shimerman, Kitty Swink, Tess Harper and Justin Jones who played “Dexter.”
Acting Indie: Any new faces we can expect in season 2?
Nancylee Myatt: We’ve reached out to some NOLA-notables like Mad Men’s Bryan Batt and Tiki Guru Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. We want to populate N&N’s New Orleans with familiar locals like we did last year with Ti Martin from Commander’s Palace and artist Simon Hardeveld. We hope to bring you a couple of exciting new guest stars to Season 2.
Acting Indie: One other notable cameo was that of “Nancylee”. Were those cameos planned or just on-the-day ideas? Will she be returning for season 2?
Nancylee Myatt: Only one of those was planned. If I do make a cameo this year, I will be in a costume. Cuz, that’s what we do in New Orleans!
Acting Indie: Moving on to production! In Season 1, you seem to work a lot with natural daylight. Is this a decision that was made prior to production or did you just see it working out that way as you were getting along?
Nancylee Myatt: We scripted a lot of daylight scenes on purpose. A small budget hits every department. The camera & lighting department also feel that squeeze. You will see a lot of daytime scenes again in Season 2 for that reason. Also, we love shooting outside in New Orleans – it’s too interesting not to.
Acting Indie: There’s a lot of NOLA talent being represented in season 1 as well.
Nancylee Myatt: Yes, it was great to dip into the city’s talent pool. And it wouldn’t be Nikki & Nora if it were set in any other city. As I have said since the beginning, the city of New Orleans is truly a co-star to Nikki & Nora. We are telling stories that are influenced by New Orleans, visually and thematically. Plus, if you can’t get an interesting shot in this city, you need a new director and DP.
Acting Indie: Do you think a lack of CGI and therefore “having to look for those special places and people” gives a scene that extra edge?
Nancylee Myatt: Yes. I think this show lives and breathes its location. Nikki & Nora is my love letter to New Orleans and I think actually standing in these places, hearing the noises and voice of the city has influenced the performances, as well. Grounding and nourishing them. Plus it’s a great place to hang out when we call “That’s a Wrap.” It wasn’t hard to get people to come to NOLA to shoot.
Acting Indie: It’s obviously an area you love, but did you find any hidden gems while location scouting?
Nancylee Myatt: Not in scouting. We did have a night shoot where we were all caught in a termite swarm. Disgusting. There’s a behind the scenes video on the tellofilms site where you can see the horror. Also, Liz Vassey was almost hit by a car while jogging on St. Charles Avenue. Apparently the driver was watching the Streetcar and not Liz… While shooting the haunted tour-scene, there was also a very vocal young man, who had been “over-served” in a French Quarter bar that night. Our awesome on-set NOPD officers had to escort him to another block. Lots of distractions on the streets and sidewalks of NOLA.
Acting Indie: Unfortunately, your twitter feeds have established: no monkeys in season 2 but what can the audience expect?
Nancylee Myatt: By the way, we gave them their monkeys in Season 1… they were planted on and hidden in a few of the sets. The monkey craze was started by Christina, so she has to answer to that. There will be no livestock in Season 2 if we can help it. What can you expect? I don’t want to give any spoilers – We hope to have a bit more of a caper episode vs. a homicide or cold case, so look for it to be lighter in tone. I’d also like to have some fun New Orleans influences like Pirates and the Tiki Culture. We will also be focusing on the Art scene in the city.
Acting Indie: What are some of the lessons you’ve learned from season 1 that you’ll definitely be bringing into/leaving out of the new season?
Nancylee Myatt: Lots of lessons about what not to do, which I’m not going to share. I don’t want to pull back the curtain all the way, gotta keep the magic alive. The biggest help this year is going to be a bit of a bigger budget, another shooting day and a hiatus day added to the schedule.
Acting Indie: What we found interesting about Nikki & Nora is that it’s one of those rare occasions the film industry doesn’t let an LGBT film down. It’s an obvious given that Nikki & Nora are in a relationship and it’s treated with a sense of normalcy. Thankfully, you avoided the awkwardly forced “Oops, we bumped heads/brushed hands and ended up kissing and/or holding hands. This is so awkward” cliché scenes.
Nancylee Myatt: I think it’s all about the way the stories are being told that make them relatable or not. I’ve written a lot of characters in my career. I try to treat each as an individual, yet find stories and situations that speak to universal themes. I think Nikki & Nora - at its inception - personifies that. They were based on the characters “Nick & Nora,” from The Thin Man mystery movies. A married couple loving life and each other… and solving crimes. Because Nikki & Nora are a same sex couple, we get to address not only the common themes about being in a mature relationship, but also the things that are unique to a gay couple. They live in New Orleans, a very gay friendly city. One of my favorite scenes in Season 1 is a conversation that Nikki & Nora have while sitting in their car. It’s about getting married and told in only a way that a gay couple would experience. Win-win.
Liz Vassey: First of all, thanks for noticing that we strived for that normalcy. We talked at great length about how Nikki and Nora were a couple of ten-plus years, and we wanted to illustrate that as gracefully and realistically as possible. Personally, I love watching people co-exist in long-term relationships – gay or straight – because I think the magic is in the details.
Christina Cox: To me, that’s where part of the problem lies: "an LGBT-film”. Why are we concerning ourselves with labeling our stories? Why announce that we’re telling straight stories or gay stories? Why not just tell good stories? I respond to stories that resonate with the truth about life, love and the human experience. In the case of N&N, my character is many things, one of which is a person in love and in this particular story, a person in love with someone who happens to be of the same gender. I think when a story declares itself to be an "LGBT story with lots of LGBT characters!” it’s setting itself up for judgment based solely on that criteria. You don’t hear about a series pitching itself as “a straight show with tons of straight characters!’
Acting Indie: While there’s a great sense of improvement, do you think “The LGBT subject” is still too much of a touchy/sore subject that too many movies treat like an evil stepchild or something that’s either ridiculed or typecast exaggerated?
Liz Vassey: A few years ago, I would have said yes, but now? Shows like The Fosters and Transparent are right out front blazing a trail of normalcy and how wonderful is that?! For kids to be able to turn on the TV and say, “That’s me and I’m okay.”
Christina Cox: Many shows are exactly that, if we want to move past the label of “The LGBT subject”, we have to build the confidence that these characters have full and rich experiences that are compelling and interesting and will connect with audiences of all kinds because their struggles are universal struggles. Just tell GOOD STORIES.
Acting Indie: People can watch Nikki & Nora on Tellofilms.com, one of the few production companies that actually has an open-submission policy. Christin, Other companies often say “The rules won’t allow us to read unsolicited materials” What are those rules? What makes Tello different from the companies that apply the no-submission policy?
Christin Baker: We do have people sign a submissions agreement before they submit anything to tello. The fear is that – let’s say we are working on a lesbian dance web series and you are working on a lesbian dance series. You send us your lesbian dance series and we don’t make it but we make ours - you could sue us for potentially stealing your idea if you have protected your work via the writer’s guild or copy write protection. Our agreement basically says “hey we might be working on the same thing so you can’t sue us if you send us your material”. That’s the concern for those folks. We have to be careful with fan fiction too. If one of our series takes a storyline from that, they could sue us too. I’ve literally seen people refuse to even touch a script that someone tries to hand to them at a convention because of this issue.
Acting Indie: Would you say the production (Pre-during-& Post) process is any different; working on a web series than it is working network TV or feature film?
Nancylee Myatt: For me as a writer – the location and action of many scenes are influenced by what we can afford or get vs. what’s most interesting for the story. Without network money, it always becomes more of a character piece. You have to be more creative in the way you sell certain aspects of the story, that otherwise would be easy with millions of dollars. We will not be wrecking cars, blowing up buildings, re-creating a Mardi Gras parade, or jumping off bridges to catch the bad-guys.
Acting Indie: You have two strong leads, but also a well-loved band of supporting characters. How did they get involved?
Nancylee Myatt: We reached out to talented actors who were friends of ours, who also had a big and diverse fan base to bring with them. Which for crowdfunding a web series is very important.
Kitty Swink: Armin [Shimerman, Kitty’s husband who also played J. Hewitt Kemp in Nikki & Nora Season 1] and were cast through Nancylee and Paige. I have been working for or with them forever. From appearing on Social Studies, a series that Nancylee ran years ago, to directing Miss Something, a wickedly funny musical the two of them wrote almost 20 years ago, to developing things with Nancylee and doing South of Nowhere as a character and acting coach. I will do anything they ask me to do. If I am available, I am in. Plus, being in NOLA with all these folks, old friends like Tess Harper and Jim Beaver. Getting to know Liz and Christina better and making new life-long friends like Christin Baker and Shannan Leigh Reeve. Working with my adorable husband, Armin. Liz is my new favorite person to drink red wine with, by the way. I love the project, the people and NOLA.
Acting Indie: Was the “I never really believed in vampires” quip written specifically after Armin Shimerman was cast or did it just end up working out with his Buffy past? [Armin Shimerman starred in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” as Principal Snyder]
Christin Baker: Okay I usually don’t take credit for writing and stuff but I did pitch that after we knew Armin would be on the show. I am a HUGE Buffy fan and so I thought it would be fantastic to have Armin make a mention. I’m very proud of that and thank you for noticing!
Nancylee Myatt: And Armin was a sport to deliver it.
Acting Indie: Janina Gavankar is such a great musician in real-life. How did she react when you told her: “Yeah, your character gets to kind-of play piano in season 1, but it’s going to sound more like she’s abusing the instrument”?
Nancylee Myatt: Janina was great and was up for anything we asked her to do. In addition to asking her to not play the piano so skillfully, we also asked her to play drunk. Something she has never been, as she is not a drinker. Janina delivered a great happy-drunk performance.
Acting Indie: Who will be coming back for season 2?
Nancylee Myatt: We’ve reached out to all of our series regulars and hope they can all join us again in New Orleans. Who will return, in the end, will be based on a couple of factors – whether they are available, as we have to compete with convention schedules and bigger budget jobs that carry bigger contracts. What’s also important is how the new script and story impacts their characters. Jim & Janina, aside from being our incredibly talented friends, were important to the story because we needed the NOPD to be represented. Not just for the new story, but also get out the back story of Nikki & Nora no longer being on the force and the death of Nora’s brother and father. Having Wally Langham on screen again with Liz Vassey talking about things of a CSI nature was meta-licious. I’m hoping it will work out for all three of them to return. As of right now it looks like we’ll be seeing Armin Shimerman, Kitty Swink, Tess Harper and Justin Jones who played “Dexter.”
Acting Indie: Any new faces we can expect in season 2?
Nancylee Myatt: We’ve reached out to some NOLA-notables like Mad Men’s Bryan Batt and Tiki Guru Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. We want to populate N&N’s New Orleans with familiar locals like we did last year with Ti Martin from Commander’s Palace and artist Simon Hardeveld. We hope to bring you a couple of exciting new guest stars to Season 2.
Acting Indie: One other notable cameo was that of “Nancylee”. Were those cameos planned or just on-the-day ideas? Will she be returning for season 2?
Nancylee Myatt: Only one of those was planned. If I do make a cameo this year, I will be in a costume. Cuz, that’s what we do in New Orleans!
Acting Indie: Moving on to production! In Season 1, you seem to work a lot with natural daylight. Is this a decision that was made prior to production or did you just see it working out that way as you were getting along?
Nancylee Myatt: We scripted a lot of daylight scenes on purpose. A small budget hits every department. The camera & lighting department also feel that squeeze. You will see a lot of daytime scenes again in Season 2 for that reason. Also, we love shooting outside in New Orleans – it’s too interesting not to.
Acting Indie: There’s a lot of NOLA talent being represented in season 1 as well.
Nancylee Myatt: Yes, it was great to dip into the city’s talent pool. And it wouldn’t be Nikki & Nora if it were set in any other city. As I have said since the beginning, the city of New Orleans is truly a co-star to Nikki & Nora. We are telling stories that are influenced by New Orleans, visually and thematically. Plus, if you can’t get an interesting shot in this city, you need a new director and DP.
Acting Indie: Do you think a lack of CGI and therefore “having to look for those special places and people” gives a scene that extra edge?
Nancylee Myatt: Yes. I think this show lives and breathes its location. Nikki & Nora is my love letter to New Orleans and I think actually standing in these places, hearing the noises and voice of the city has influenced the performances, as well. Grounding and nourishing them. Plus it’s a great place to hang out when we call “That’s a Wrap.” It wasn’t hard to get people to come to NOLA to shoot.
Acting Indie: It’s obviously an area you love, but did you find any hidden gems while location scouting?
Nancylee Myatt: Not in scouting. We did have a night shoot where we were all caught in a termite swarm. Disgusting. There’s a behind the scenes video on the tellofilms site where you can see the horror. Also, Liz Vassey was almost hit by a car while jogging on St. Charles Avenue. Apparently the driver was watching the Streetcar and not Liz… While shooting the haunted tour-scene, there was also a very vocal young man, who had been “over-served” in a French Quarter bar that night. Our awesome on-set NOPD officers had to escort him to another block. Lots of distractions on the streets and sidewalks of NOLA.
Acting Indie: Unfortunately, your twitter feeds have established: no monkeys in season 2 but what can the audience expect?
Nancylee Myatt: By the way, we gave them their monkeys in Season 1… they were planted on and hidden in a few of the sets. The monkey craze was started by Christina, so she has to answer to that. There will be no livestock in Season 2 if we can help it. What can you expect? I don’t want to give any spoilers – We hope to have a bit more of a caper episode vs. a homicide or cold case, so look for it to be lighter in tone. I’d also like to have some fun New Orleans influences like Pirates and the Tiki Culture. We will also be focusing on the Art scene in the city.
Acting Indie: What are some of the lessons you’ve learned from season 1 that you’ll definitely be bringing into/leaving out of the new season?
Nancylee Myatt: Lots of lessons about what not to do, which I’m not going to share. I don’t want to pull back the curtain all the way, gotta keep the magic alive. The biggest help this year is going to be a bit of a bigger budget, another shooting day and a hiatus day added to the schedule.
Acting Indie: What we found interesting about Nikki & Nora is that it’s one of those rare occasions the film industry doesn’t let an LGBT film down. It’s an obvious given that Nikki & Nora are in a relationship and it’s treated with a sense of normalcy. Thankfully, you avoided the awkwardly forced “Oops, we bumped heads/brushed hands and ended up kissing and/or holding hands. This is so awkward” cliché scenes.
Nancylee Myatt: I think it’s all about the way the stories are being told that make them relatable or not. I’ve written a lot of characters in my career. I try to treat each as an individual, yet find stories and situations that speak to universal themes. I think Nikki & Nora - at its inception - personifies that. They were based on the characters “Nick & Nora,” from The Thin Man mystery movies. A married couple loving life and each other… and solving crimes. Because Nikki & Nora are a same sex couple, we get to address not only the common themes about being in a mature relationship, but also the things that are unique to a gay couple. They live in New Orleans, a very gay friendly city. One of my favorite scenes in Season 1 is a conversation that Nikki & Nora have while sitting in their car. It’s about getting married and told in only a way that a gay couple would experience. Win-win.
Liz Vassey: First of all, thanks for noticing that we strived for that normalcy. We talked at great length about how Nikki and Nora were a couple of ten-plus years, and we wanted to illustrate that as gracefully and realistically as possible. Personally, I love watching people co-exist in long-term relationships – gay or straight – because I think the magic is in the details.
Christina Cox: To me, that’s where part of the problem lies: "an LGBT-film”. Why are we concerning ourselves with labeling our stories? Why announce that we’re telling straight stories or gay stories? Why not just tell good stories? I respond to stories that resonate with the truth about life, love and the human experience. In the case of N&N, my character is many things, one of which is a person in love and in this particular story, a person in love with someone who happens to be of the same gender. I think when a story declares itself to be an "LGBT story with lots of LGBT characters!” it’s setting itself up for judgment based solely on that criteria. You don’t hear about a series pitching itself as “a straight show with tons of straight characters!’
Acting Indie: While there’s a great sense of improvement, do you think “The LGBT subject” is still too much of a touchy/sore subject that too many movies treat like an evil stepchild or something that’s either ridiculed or typecast exaggerated?
Liz Vassey: A few years ago, I would have said yes, but now? Shows like The Fosters and Transparent are right out front blazing a trail of normalcy and how wonderful is that?! For kids to be able to turn on the TV and say, “That’s me and I’m okay.”
Christina Cox: Many shows are exactly that, if we want to move past the label of “The LGBT subject”, we have to build the confidence that these characters have full and rich experiences that are compelling and interesting and will connect with audiences of all kinds because their struggles are universal struggles. Just tell GOOD STORIES.
Acting Indie: People can watch Nikki & Nora on Tellofilms.com, one of the few production companies that actually has an open-submission policy. Christin, Other companies often say “The rules won’t allow us to read unsolicited materials” What are those rules? What makes Tello different from the companies that apply the no-submission policy?
Christin Baker: We do have people sign a submissions agreement before they submit anything to tello. The fear is that – let’s say we are working on a lesbian dance web series and you are working on a lesbian dance series. You send us your lesbian dance series and we don’t make it but we make ours - you could sue us for potentially stealing your idea if you have protected your work via the writer’s guild or copy write protection. Our agreement basically says “hey we might be working on the same thing so you can’t sue us if you send us your material”. That’s the concern for those folks. We have to be careful with fan fiction too. If one of our series takes a storyline from that, they could sue us too. I’ve literally seen people refuse to even touch a script that someone tries to hand to them at a convention because of this issue.
“Shows like The Fosters and Transparent are right out front blazing a trail of normalcy and how wonderful is that?!”
Nancylee Myatt: I think there has to be a system in place that supports copyright/authorship, yet allows creativity and original ideas to flourish. I do not read unsolicited material or hear unsolicited pitches. It’s a slippery slope, fraught with lawsuits and “she stole my idea”-scenarios. When truthfully, there are very few new ideas. It’s all about a unique point of view. Here’s the good news – the Internet has provided a worldwide venue for people to showcase their talents and to use that space as your “audition” to get seen and open doors. It’s not unlike what we all were doing a couple of decades ago, writing and producing plays, short films, indie movies and trying to get them in festivals or theaters in front of the eyes of people who could help us make the next step. At the end of day, you actually have to do the work first – writers write, actors act, etc.
Acting Indie: Does the fact that Nikki & Nora is now a web series influence its chances of being released on DVD? Are there any plans in that direction?
Nancylee Myatt: No plans for a DVD at this point. Right now it’s about supporting tellofilms and their network, which is subscription based.
Christin Baker: We don’t really like to make DVD copies as it’s much easier to pirate for people. We are considering it as it has been requested. We have always been an all-digital company but it’s possible we will offer a DVD in the future.
Acting Indie: Last question. Let’s end it in a continuing vibe of NOLA positivity! Tell us something you are particularly proud of about Nikki & Nora!
Liz Vassey: I’m proud that we’re helping to give a painfully underrepresented group a chance to see themselves on screens. That’s right: detectives! I’m kidding! I mean the lesbian community, of course. I think a lot of the content we’ve seen in mainstream entertainment over the years has been dictated by fear (never the best motivator, in my opinion.) Fear of cancellation. Fear of controversy. Fear of rocking the boat. Many executives want to make sure they hit the magic bulls-eye that will appeal to everyone. And - in an effort to achieve broad appeal - smaller groups lost the ability to see themselves. Now, I think there’s been tremendous growth in the depiction of lesbians on TV since 2004, and I’m pleased by that, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the fact that people started tracking down our pilot on YouTube just to see themselves represented in some way was crazy flattering, but also extremely telling. Lesbian content shouldn't have been that hard to find! But I do believe it is getting better, and it’s about damn time. So, to finish my long winded answer: I’m proud that we’re a part of that! On a slightly lesser note, I’m also proud of our illustrious hair department for finding the magic potions that allowed me and CC to be in scenes together without drowning in New Orleans’ humidity-induced frizz.
Christin Baker: I’m proud of how amazing it looks on the budget we had. Not only are the city and the people pretty, but they are also super talented. We were able to get awesome talent because of the relationships Nancylee, Liz and Christina had.
Nancylee Myatt: That Nikki & Nora and their New Orleans still was as compelling and relevant for the audience now as it was ten years ago. There’s also a little sadness attached to that, that the GLTBQ-audience is still so hungry to see themselves in an entertainment landscape where they are still the minority.
Kitty Swink: That working together as a team made a micro-budget seem like a big budget because we all cared so much about the product and its outcome. That Nikki and Nora are treated like any other detectives, not like “gay” detectives. It is about good story telling, humor and honesty. I have worked on a lot of lesbian themed projects, starting with Last Summer at Bluefish Cove over 20 years ago. What interests me is making a good play or film or episode and creating three-dimensional human beings and that is what happened here. It is good television. [“Last Summer at Bluefish Cove” is a 1980 LGBT-themed theater piece considered to be one of the first contemporary quality plays of its kind]
Christina Cox: What makes me proud about Nikki & Nora is the clear and obvious evidence that you can’t keep a great story down! The length of time the fans have kept these two alive is simply astounding (and quite humbling) to me. I’m also terribly proud of the fact I still fit into my jeans from the original pilot.
Acting Indie: Does the fact that Nikki & Nora is now a web series influence its chances of being released on DVD? Are there any plans in that direction?
Nancylee Myatt: No plans for a DVD at this point. Right now it’s about supporting tellofilms and their network, which is subscription based.
Christin Baker: We don’t really like to make DVD copies as it’s much easier to pirate for people. We are considering it as it has been requested. We have always been an all-digital company but it’s possible we will offer a DVD in the future.
Acting Indie: Last question. Let’s end it in a continuing vibe of NOLA positivity! Tell us something you are particularly proud of about Nikki & Nora!
Liz Vassey: I’m proud that we’re helping to give a painfully underrepresented group a chance to see themselves on screens. That’s right: detectives! I’m kidding! I mean the lesbian community, of course. I think a lot of the content we’ve seen in mainstream entertainment over the years has been dictated by fear (never the best motivator, in my opinion.) Fear of cancellation. Fear of controversy. Fear of rocking the boat. Many executives want to make sure they hit the magic bulls-eye that will appeal to everyone. And - in an effort to achieve broad appeal - smaller groups lost the ability to see themselves. Now, I think there’s been tremendous growth in the depiction of lesbians on TV since 2004, and I’m pleased by that, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the fact that people started tracking down our pilot on YouTube just to see themselves represented in some way was crazy flattering, but also extremely telling. Lesbian content shouldn't have been that hard to find! But I do believe it is getting better, and it’s about damn time. So, to finish my long winded answer: I’m proud that we’re a part of that! On a slightly lesser note, I’m also proud of our illustrious hair department for finding the magic potions that allowed me and CC to be in scenes together without drowning in New Orleans’ humidity-induced frizz.
Christin Baker: I’m proud of how amazing it looks on the budget we had. Not only are the city and the people pretty, but they are also super talented. We were able to get awesome talent because of the relationships Nancylee, Liz and Christina had.
Nancylee Myatt: That Nikki & Nora and their New Orleans still was as compelling and relevant for the audience now as it was ten years ago. There’s also a little sadness attached to that, that the GLTBQ-audience is still so hungry to see themselves in an entertainment landscape where they are still the minority.
Kitty Swink: That working together as a team made a micro-budget seem like a big budget because we all cared so much about the product and its outcome. That Nikki and Nora are treated like any other detectives, not like “gay” detectives. It is about good story telling, humor and honesty. I have worked on a lot of lesbian themed projects, starting with Last Summer at Bluefish Cove over 20 years ago. What interests me is making a good play or film or episode and creating three-dimensional human beings and that is what happened here. It is good television. [“Last Summer at Bluefish Cove” is a 1980 LGBT-themed theater piece considered to be one of the first contemporary quality plays of its kind]
Christina Cox: What makes me proud about Nikki & Nora is the clear and obvious evidence that you can’t keep a great story down! The length of time the fans have kept these two alive is simply astounding (and quite humbling) to me. I’m also terribly proud of the fact I still fit into my jeans from the original pilot.
If you haven’t seen Nikki & Nora season 1, please go to tellofilms.com and subscribe!
UPDATE! Nikki & Nora just launched their Season 2 crowdfund and came in smashing!
Nancylee Myatt, Liz Vassey & Christina Cox tell you why they need you to support the second season:
UPDATE! Nikki & Nora just launched their Season 2 crowdfund and came in smashing!
Nancylee Myatt, Liz Vassey & Christina Cox tell you why they need you to support the second season:
Here are some more useful links for you to follow in the mean time:
Tellofilms on Facebook
Tellofilms on Twitter
tellofilms.com to subscibe and watch Season 1 of Nikki & Nora
Nikki & Nora on twitter
Nancylee Myatt on Twitter
Christin Baker on Twitter
Christina Cox on Twitter
Liz Vassey on Twitter
Kitty Swink on Twitter
Jim Beaver on Twitter
Janina Gavankar on Twitter
Armin Shimerman on twitter
Mary Lou Belli on twitter
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