Friends First

As a blogger, there's one thing I've struggled with:  what to do when my professional news is good but personal news is bad. Today is one of those days, and I've decided that I will simply report the personal.

This morning, a friend of mine texted me that she was very sick and being admitted to the hospital. She asked me to pray or send good vibes, which I did immediately, and especially during my yoga this afternoon.

I decided to share this news here because it reminded me of something I told Missy when we first began our web series. I had said, "No matter what happens with this project, it's always going to be friends first." I live my life this way, and this news stood as an important reminder that friends and family come before professional priorities.

Secondly, my hospital-stricken friend has been there for me and supporting me since the beginning of my time in LA. A Titus figure, if you will. She even worried about my attending Full Circle's events, for fear that it was a cult. (Do I sound like Kimmy or what?) I assured her it was not, and I loved that she truly cared about my wellbeing.

Coincidentally, I happened to come across the below image on Instagram today. I call upon the collective power of healing and community and ask you to please send any positive vibes you can to my friend. Namaste.

Eventful Weekend

I attended some great events this weekend! On Saturday, I went to an Outfest panel entitled Web Series: In With the New Out. After a screening of episodes of "80/20," "Wallflowers," "Dyke Central," "Kelsey," "The Transgender Project," and "Where the Bears Are," Canadian moderator Damian Pelliccione of Boys in Tech spoke with representatives from each of the web series. Thanks to the other Canadian on the panel, Kevin O'Keefe from "The Transgender Project," I learned that there are government funds available for Canadian web productions. As a Canadian filmmaker in LA, I'm not quite sure if I would qualify, but it's definitely something I will be investigating. My major takeaway from the event was that I learned that this type of project can go in various directions - a web series can find success through many outlets. I'm excited to see where ours will go!

On Sunday, I attended Full Circle's Activ888 meditation, where I heard guest Mark Shapiro speak on the topic of authenticity. I'm particularly passionate about this subject, so I was very interested in his talk. I loved that, in speaking about authenticity, he fused it with the word "community." As Missy and I focus on our Unbreakable Missy & Lori series, and stay true to our project and ourselves, I believe that we will find a strong community who will support us. I am happy to say that we've actually received some wonderful feedback on Twitter recently, with our viewers saying that our first episode was "so funny," "awesome," and that they "look forward to seeing it progress."

Twitter feedback regarding Unbreakable Missy & Lori Episode 1

Today, I came across "Unbreakable Me: Finding Yourself After Parenthood #KimmySchmidt" by mommy blogger Lisa Collins. Collins reminds us to embody Kimmy Schmidt's zest for life, and to discover your true self. Perhaps your authentic self? At the end of her article, Collins asks, "Have you introduced the world to Unbreakable You?" I reiterate, have you?

The Times They Are A-Changin'

I think I'm becoming Kimmy Schmidt. Not only do I look the part and have the requisite wardrobe and accessories, today I thought to myself, Why don't people wear tie-dye anymore? It made me long for the days of youth when we used to tie bizarre knots on white shirts (sometimes also socks in my case) and soak them in various colored dyes. I was clearly born in the 80s.

My Kimmy Schmidt jewelry

Another sign that the times are changing is the way in which we consume media. It became clear during my time at Famous Birthdays that the younger generation finds their audience through means beyond traditional media such as film and television. YouTubers, Instagram celebrities, Viners, etc. are now the norm.

Even Netflix has contributed to a shift in the way we consume media, with a new study reporting that binge watching is on the rise and has become the new normal. A Cable.co.uk article even goes on to say that "some of the most popular TV shows among binge viewers have been original series produced by Netflix, including House of Cards and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and that "37% of people have spent an entire weekend bingeing a show." For those of you who fall into this category, happy weekend bingeing!

Sugar, Sugar

I'm so exhausted from a full day of filming, but I wanted to be sure to record today's events because they were truly amazing. Today's theme? Sugar!

Missy and I, along with our cameraman Brayden, filmed our entire Episode 3 today (filmed before Episode 2 due to scheduling). We started the day with an early morning at Sprinkles Cupcakes to shoot some key scenes for the episode, our first dose of sugar.

Missy at Sprinkles Cupcakes

In the afternoon, we headed to the beach for our second dosage of sugar:  legendary boxer "Sugar" Shane Mosley. We were fortunate to have an opportunity to film with him, just hours after his upcoming August fight with Ricardo Mayorga was announced! He'll be coming out of retirement for this summer's rematch, but it was clear that Mosley has continually kept up his rigorous routines despite his retirement. I was interested to learn about his yoga and meditation practices, and build sandcastles at the beach alongside this down-to-earth celebrity. It was truly an honor to work with him and to have him in our episode.

The Unbreakable Missy & Lori team with Shane Mosley

The day was also interspersed with various locations for other scenes, and we were so excited that we were able to finish production on an entire episode in one day. I think you can tell from our huge smiles below just how sweet our day was!

Unbreakable Missy & Lori

What's in a Name?

Last night, Missy and I discovered the following on Instagram:

The humorous officialnamemeanings Instagram account had clearly taken note of our Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt parody and included us in their hashtags for the name Kelly. How exciting!

I've been thinking a lot about names recently, especially since Missy and I are using our own names for the Unbreakable Missy & Lori series. I've thought about the fact that two famous people, who were born with the last name Weiss, changed their names:

1. Jonathan Taylor Weiss became the teen heartthrob known as Jonathan Taylor Thomas (JTT).
2. Erik Weisz became the notorious magician Harry Houdini.

Is this a sign? It's quite interesting because the first thing I noted about Missy, before I even met her, was that her last name was my grandmother's maiden name. Though we are most likely not related, I love that we have yet one more thing connecting us.

Unbreakable Ellie Kemper

Ellie Kemper at the Upright Citizens Brigade on June 8

As I was sifting through my notes today, I came across some words of wisdom that I had jotted down on June 8. That evening, Missy and I had the opportunity to see a panel with the cast of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt at the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB). When asked about how to succeed in the entertainment industry, Ellie Kemper had stated the importance of creating your own material, as it puts you in control. Upon hearing that, I was ecstatic, as that's exactly what Missy and I are doing. Kemper went on to emphasize, "Don't quit." Just like her Kimmy Schmidt character, Kemper highlighted the importance of persevering despite challenges. I love how inspirational she is, both on-screen and in-person.

While working on our Unbreakable Missy & Lori social media, I listened to a Comedy Insider podcast interview that Scott Dikkers conducted with Kemper. Here, I obtained additional insight into Kemper's career. I learned that she only discovered an interest for comedic acting during college, much later than other successful actors. Also, her sister's internship with Conan O'Brien provided her with the helpful connection that led to a gig on his show. She also auditioned for Saturday Night Live at one point, but didn't make the cut. As Dikkers pointed out during the interview, it seemed that Kemper had a drive to succeed, such that any road bumps she hit along the way were minor and left her unscathed. This is quite motivating for me, as I embark on this mysterious journey for Unbreakable Missy & Lori.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

This is my first full week dedicated to Unbreakable Missy & Lori. Both Missy and I coincidentally had our girlfriends in town last week, and now it's back to the grind for me. Side note:  a funny moment last week was when the four of us were carded and I was the only one without a New Jersey driver's license! Sadly, I haven't had that one for several years, but I always have Jersey in my heart.

Today seemed to whiz by! I spent the day catching up on my emails, checking some important items off my To Do list, and preparing things for our next two episodes. I also met Missy for a meeting to discuss our upcoming filming day on Thursday. I'm so eager to get back into production! At one point, I even cried of happiness today when I emailed a very exciting potential filming location and they rapidly responded positively. It's so amazing how everything is falling into place and I am very grateful for each moment.

One thing we still need, though, is some beach paraphernalia! If anyone in the LA area would like to lend us some blow-up beach toys, beach chairs, etc. for filming, please let us know.