2018 NYC Web Fest - Just Doug
A D-list poker celebrity tries to parlay his success into a career he's woefully underprepared for: Hollywood. Join Doug Kim on his quest for the American dream: love, liberty and the pursuit of Justice.
Interview with Actor/Writer/Exec Producer: Douglas Kim
Watch Just Doug here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your webseries?
I made my webseries because I was at a point in my acting career where I wasn't doing what I wanted to do, which was act, because I wasn't getting auditions, I wasn't getting in rooms. So I decided to make something for myself first and foremost to showcase myself as an actor, but to also show what being an Asian American actor looks like, fighting for so few opportunities when it's already hard enough as it is as an actor, it's nearly impossible as one who you never see on screen.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this webseries?
You should watch this webseries if you want to gain an accurate representation of what Asian American life looks like, as it was acted, written, and directed by Asian Americans, and also if you like personal comedies about millennial life like shows like Insecure, Atlanta, Master of None, Girls, etc., and also if you're just wanting to have some fun and some laughs!
How do personal and universal themes work in your webseries?
As a semi-autobiographical comedy, my character's anxieties and my own pretty much mirror each other, and show kind of what being a creative as an Asian American looks like. We're so often told to stay within the lines and that we're not allowed to be anything else and that we're told that we don't matter that going into the creative fields as an AsAm is a daunting task, with no real support structure even within our community to rely on. Universally, I think anyone who can relate to not having a voice and being disenfranchised can relate to these sorts of struggles, of being unseen and invisible.
How have the script and webseries evolved over the course of their development?
We came across a short by Vin Diesel called Multifacial, a short he produced after he was burned out from Hollywood as inspiration. In it, he plays an ethnically ambiguous actor who can't book gigs because casting directors don't know exactly where to place him. The short was eventually seen by Steven Spielberg who then gave him his big break by putting him in Saving Private Ryan. Of course, we didn't expect those same results, but we wanted to model our piece after that to kind of highlight the struggles an Asian American actor faces.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Excellent feedback! We were featured in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, Splinter, and the Verge:
https://splinternews.com/a-new-webseries-is-diving-deep-into-the-struggles-of-as-1821971401
Not only that, our community response has been very positive and people keep asking for more episodes!
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Nope! If anything, it's strengthened it, as many have said that they want to see more Asian American content!
What are you looking to achieve by having your webseries more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
To grow our audience as we gear up for additional content and try to be able to prove that an audience does exist for this kind of content!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this webseries’s message?
We need to get this to the audience that it needs to go to, which is difficult to do without a marketing budget. If we did grow to a significant audience, we would then look for an executive producer or a show runner to come on board to help develop it and take it to the next level, as a fully developed TV series in the vein of an Insecure or Atlanta and then buyers who see what we're trying to do and greenlight the project!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this webseries to have?
I'd like the impact of Just Doug to be able to tell my personal Asian American story and that people would see it as a step towards humanizing us, showing that we have the same desires, fears, hopes and dreams as all Americans. So long we have been otherized and misunderstood by society, because we have been excluded from participating in its culture, that I want to be able to take control of our narrative and write ourselves into the fabric of American history.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this webseries?
Is it preferable to remain an outsider but o be comfortable, or possibly suffer fighting for inclusion?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Doug Kim is writing a side webseries to the show, but is also working on a feature script and developing a podcast about Asian American entertainment related issues.
Dan Chen works for Jubilee Media on YouTube as a director, he's also released a short film Ella that was recently on "Short of the Week" and is working on post production on another short he directed.
Eric Cook works for Varient Entertainment
Cynthy Wu (actress) can be spotted on American Vandal Season 2!
Gilbert Galon is a producer on the podcast Tigerbelly
Interview: October 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Just Doug
A D-list poker celebrity tries to parlay his success into a career he's woefully underprepared for: Hollywood. Join Doug Kim on his quest for the American dream: love, liberty and the pursuit of Justice.
Length: 26 minutes
Key cast: Douglas Kim, Gilbert Galon, Cynthy Wu
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): executive producers, showrunners, buyers, distributors
Social media handles:
Facebook: justdougseries
Instagram: justdougseries
Where was this filmed? various locations around Los Angeles, CA
Funders: Douglas Kim
Made in association with:
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Facebook Watch www.facebook.com/justdougseries