Where we’re going, we don’t need cable.
Coming soon to a computer screen near you is “Euston Prep,” a new Web series out of Los Angeles.
Kacy Bartleigh, the 23-year-old director of the project, graduated from the New York Film Academy last year and has never worked on a project like this before.
“So far, the workload has been very much a labor of love,” she said. “Everyone gets along so well and is incredibly talented.”
Executive producer and co-creator/writer Andrew Connor has had the idea for a series like this for a few years, ever since “Veronica Mars” began to dwindle from the airwaves.
“Annie (Liu) and I are both huge fans of ‘Sherlock Holmes,’ and modeling the characters after Doyle’s archetypes, but putting them in a different location, seemed interesting to us,” he said. “We figured, as members of the entertainment-loving public, it would be interesting to others as well.
“I hope people will realize why we’re doing this — to tell a good story,” Connor said.
Annie Liu, executive producer and co-creator of “Euston Prep,” works around schedules and problems in order to keep the project moving forward.
She said Connor is “more in charge of the story and writing it because his work schedule is more intense,” and with Bartleigh’s help, she has been “mostly in charge of actual production.”
“We’ve finished a pilot script, and we’re in the process of finishing up outlining the rest of the six-episode season because we have an overarching series-long story in mind,” Liu said.
“Our photographer, Jason Boulanger who did the promotional photo shoot with us, did it all as a personal favor,” Liu said. “I think that says a lot about the passion and interest for this project: People are willing to donate their time and services to helping us making ‘Euston Prep’ a reality.”
The crew will need more than favors from friends to make this project available to the public. In order to make the 45-minute pilot a reality, the team created an “Indiegogo” donation page. Their goal might seem large — $25,000 — but all donations will cover basic expenses needed to produce a pilot episode.
None of the money raised will go toward payment of the cast or crew, so it’s a good thing they love their work. Liu said she knows it’s “a lot to ask for people to work for free, but in the end, we’re all doing this because we wanted to create opportunities for ourselves to tell a really good story.”
“It has been such a collaborative process so far with everyone being so open and accepting of ideas, which is very rare,” said Chelsea Taylor, the actress who plays Charlie Reid on “Euston Prep.”
Noah Hunt, 21-year-old actor and musician, plays Declan Rhodes. He met Taylor in an acting class a while ago, and she got him involved with the Web series.
“I want people to connect with it,” Hunt said. “This story is original and intriguing, so if they do [connect with it], we will obtain the opportunity to bring this piece of art to a much wider audience.”
Due to the creators’ love of “Sherlock Holmes” and “Veronica Mars,” viewers should expect plenty of surprises from the Web series.
“‘Euston Prep’ will bring you a lot of mystery, intrigue, and suspense, but there will also be a healthy dose of comedy if I have anything to do with it,” said Matt Devine, who plays Noah Bailey.
Some of Devine’s previous projects (“The Wedding Dance” and “Break of Day”) have also used donation-raising websites such as Indiegogo or Kickstarter to help pay for costs.
“I am no stranger to Web-based productions,” Devine said. “There is a lot of talent in Los Angeles, and the Internet is making it possible for more of that talent to be seen.”
“The Indiegogo project is amazing because it allows us to spread the word on different medias to a wide array of people,” said Kat Bradley, a 24-year-old writer of the show.
She got started on the project when Connor asked for her input during the beginning stages, and she was eventually asked to be a member of the team.
“I hope people realize that we’re a group of people dedicated to making a good show, and they’ll be able to expect an exciting episode week after week. I am confident we can deliver.”
If you want to see this exciting show come to life, visit www.indiegogo.com/Euston-Prep to make a donation.
For more information about the cast and crew or to watch the promo video, visit www.eustonprep.com.
SUMMARY:
“Euston Prep” is about a teenager named Noah who earns a scholarship to attend a prestigious boarding school. He meets his roommate, Declan, a political dynasty heir, and Declan’s childhood friend Charlie, the granddaughter of a famous movie star.
Unfortunately for Noah, Declan and Charlie drag him into a world of intrigue, political conspiracies and mystery as something more sinister seems to be at play on the quiet grounds of Euston Prep, proving that maybe boarding school is quite literally murder.
Matt Devine, Chelsea Taylor and Noah Hunt portray the crime-fighting trio of “Euston Prep.”
