All About Lizzie

All About Lizzie is an exciting new and fun television series I had read about. Thanks to the Internet I got ask the creator/director John Hopson about it all. If you get a chance when it becomes available. seriously go check it out. I’ve seen the Pilot and loved it. So read on.

http://www.allaboutlizzie.com/

1.) What was the inspiration behind the series?

It was a combination of things, It started when I was watching Will and Grace with my ex-girlfriend (roommate) now lesbian. I said, “Wow this is like us only in reverse” My ex replied, ” It is, you should write a script about this”. Many men are fascinated by the lesbian world and would like a bit more insight and understanding into this universe. My sister is also lesbian and I used to hang out with her and peers often. My determination to get the show out grew when many people including my college professors told me the show was too controversial and would never air. I became very determine to prove them wrong.

2.). How did the cast and crew come on board for the series?

Many of the cast members auditioned for their roles. How the roles of Lizzie and Jordan became cast was interesting. We had been auditioning for three weeks for the role of Lizzie and after three weeks of brutal casting we had given up on finding our Lizzie. Allison entered the room she was very late and begged for an opportunity to audition. Too be honest I was very tired and a bit frustrated how late she showed up. I remembered how it was for me as an actor so we gave her an opportunity and she seize the moment. She was a bit young, but delivered. As for the role of Jordan Corey landed the role by filling in for the main actor who could not make it to a reading. Corey had done such a phenomenal job that we had no choice, but to give the role to Corey, who has done an amazing job.

3. How long did it take to write each episode?

About three weeks per episode. It depends on how well the writing teams gels. Sometimes an episode can get cranked out in a week and half.

4. How did the internet play a part in what you are doing?

A huge part. Had it not been for the internet I would have never had met you. We used many sources of social media from YouTube to Twitter to get the word out about our show and through that we connected with ROKU who plans streaming the first season of All About Lizzie.

5. Do you think streaming/VOD has changed the face of Television and movies itself?

Absolutely! Many audiences have out grown predictable network television and reality TV has leveled out a bit. Cable TV for many Americans is just too expensive. Most of the cast on All About Lizzie are streaming over cable TV. Which is very logical given that you can stream 10.00 a month versus 100.00 a month for cable television. Netflix out grossed HBO last year and will probably will gross higher numbers this year. It would seem that streaming is the next evolution in film and television.

6. Is it harder to get shows up and running these days?

With so many cable channels popping up and the emergence of streaming getting shows up are easier. Ten years ago I would say two-thirds of the TV shows we see today would not have gotten on the small screens. Having said that, the competition is much harder these days. There are a lot of talented people that are now getting opportunities to show-case their talent. The viewers have also become a lot smarter as well.

7. What do you hope people will get out of the series?

Tolerance for alternative lifestyles, but also I hope my will have fun watching the show. We are hoping to change the way television is view by audiences. We want to redefine expectations for film.

8. What were challenges faced when getting the show together?

The biggest one was financing. Two of my investors pulled out right before the filming. I had to sell my car and several family heirlooms I also had to cash out my 401k program to make up for the lost financing. Working with a limited crew do to lack of financing. There are people I will be indebted to for the rest of my career, that really step up to the plate. Another would be confidence. This being the first major project I worked on I found myself hoping that the talent and crew would believe in me and see me for my lack of experience.

9. What are you working on next?

I have several projects that I am working on each one quite different from the All About Lizzie experience. One being a documentary on veterans.