DOWN the MIDDLE
Los Angeles, California | Series
Comedy
Odd Couple + Dharma & Greg + 2020: Meet Karen, an uptight workaholic who lives for the job, and Aurora, a bohemian trust fund baby who's never punched a clock. Her father, owner of a boutique ad agency, announces his surprise retirement, forcing this polarized pair to find a way to work together.
DOWN the MIDDLE
Los Angeles, California | Series
Comedy

1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $34,082 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
218 supporters | followers
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Odd Couple + Dharma & Greg + 2020: Meet Karen, an uptight workaholic who lives for the job, and Aurora, a bohemian trust fund baby who's never punched a clock. Her father, owner of a boutique ad agency, announces his surprise retirement, forcing this polarized pair to find a way to work together.
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
In our 6 part series about this odd couple, we have two women: Karen is an uptight workaholic who lives for the job; and Aurora is a bohemian trust fund baby who has never had to punch the clock. Her eccentric father, owner of a boutique ad agency announces his surprise retirement, forcing this polarized duo to find some way to work together as 50/50 partners in The Gregory Agency.
BUT, what is this REALLY about?
Cultivating the curiosity and willingness to connect with someone on the other side of the fence, someone on the other side of yourself. And what is possible when that happens? How does life expand?
It's ALSO about...
1. E.Q. vs. I.Q. - When we look, don’t we really need both? With as complex and connected as the world is now, there can’t be a one-size fits all solution to problem solving and making progress.
2. Women in Partnership: In a world where women have been constantly in comparison with one another by virtue of their attractiveness (or the size of their "dowry"), what does it look like when there is (supposedly) equal footing with men, and women need to work together on something they care about? What does it look like when women work together outside of competition?
3. Polarized People Meeting in the Middle: What does that take? What does that look like? The relationship model of the "odd couple" is not new. It cycles around again and again in our human story because it’s necessary. How we relate to one another on seeming opposite sides of any issue will continue to trigger polarized reactions. How can we learn to really listen to another viewpoint and be able to learn from one another’s underlying values and needs? What could we accomplish if we did?
We're sure this story will break any day now...
SO MANY THINGS! Scroll down and pick your favorite.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Package
Costs $2,500
A good camera makes ALL the difference - help us rent our D.P. a good one.
Locations/Set Design
Costs $3,500
Office (3 days) Apartment (1 day) Bar/Restaurant (1 day) NICE House (1 day) all meant to be in CO.
Catering
Costs $2,000
Can't make good stuff when you're hungry. We need crew lunches and craft services for 6 shoot days.
Grip & Electric
Costs $1,500
Keep us in our BEST light! Great lighting design and execution makes every shot look fabulous.
Editing
Costs $5,000
It'll take a lot of time and expertise to turn our 6 days of footage into the vision we've imagined.
Talent & Creative
Costs $7,500
We want to hire and pay fairly the amazing talent we plan to put on -camera for our series.
Crew
Costs $11,000
It takes a village...to shoot a great project - and it takes many hands at 4 locations for 6 days!
Stylist/Wardrobe/Make-Up
Costs $3,000
This magician will dress up and doll up between 5 and 20 cast members each day for 6 days.
Sound Department
Costs $3,000
"Can you hear me now?" We want to make sure that you do with a great sound crew.
Production Assistants
Costs $1,000
You can never have enough help on set - but we want as many as we can have, and pay for!
About This Team
Michelle Barton (Creator, Producer, Performer): Bridges the world of story telling through acting, poetry, dance and co creative writing. Michelle has produced and acted in an award winning short film screened at the Director’s Guild in Los Angeles. Most recently she facilitated an immersive dance ceremony at the Vortex Immersion Dome, and is currently developing an immersive dome show mixing 360 video and live performance.
Heather Dowling (Creator, Producer, Performer): An actress and writer who impersonated someone who wanted a “real job” since the age of 14, Heather finally gave it up. Since then, wrote and produced Unemployed. Finally., an award-winning solo-show, playing 39 different characters that made it all the way to 42nd Street in NYC.
David Fickas (Writer, Producer, Director): Since making his first award-winning feature film in 1999, David has co-written and directed live events, television shows and digital series for the likes of FTVS, MSN, Funny or Die and IFC.
Brice Beckham (Writer, Producer, Editor): Originally a child actor, Brice started early as one of the stars of Mr. Belvedere. Scripts he has co-written with David Fickas have been sold to SyFy, ABC Family, VH1 and Perfect Storm.
Michael Dowling (Producer): An Emmy award winning producer and editor, Mike's career has spanned news, sports, commercials, TV shows, documentaries and film. The last 17 years or so, have taken him from the sidelines of the Super Bowl to the heart of Hollywood where he currently works at Paramount Pictures.
Leah Cevoli (Crowdfunding Guru): Leah has a reputation for crowdfunding success and social media magic. To date, she has managed or co-managed 60+ successful campaigns, raising over 6 million dollars in funding, and has consulted on dozens of other successful campaigns, including many right here on Seed & Spark.
Adrienne Visnic (Admin Assist): An actor and a singer, Adrienne also loves to produce live events - including an award-winning equity show and her own sold-out solo cabaret at the prestigious Rockwell Table & Stage. Her acting work has appeared on Disney Channel, ABC, & ABC Family.
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
In our 6 part series about this odd couple, we have two women: Karen is an uptight workaholic who lives for the job; and Aurora is a bohemian trust fund baby who has never had to punch the clock. Her eccentric father, owner of a boutique ad agency announces his surprise retirement, forcing this polarized duo to find some way to work together as 50/50 partners in The Gregory Agency.
BUT, what is this REALLY about?
Cultivating the curiosity and willingness to connect with someone on the other side of the fence, someone on the other side of yourself. And what is possible when that happens? How does life expand?
It's ALSO about...
1. E.Q. vs. I.Q. - When we look, don’t we really need both? With as complex and connected as the world is now, there can’t be a one-size fits all solution to problem solving and making progress.
2. Women in Partnership: In a world where women have been constantly in comparison with one another by virtue of their attractiveness (or the size of their "dowry"), what does it look like when there is (supposedly) equal footing with men, and women need to work together on something they care about? What does it look like when women work together outside of competition?
3. Polarized People Meeting in the Middle: What does that take? What does that look like? The relationship model of the "odd couple" is not new. It cycles around again and again in our human story because it’s necessary. How we relate to one another on seeming opposite sides of any issue will continue to trigger polarized reactions. How can we learn to really listen to another viewpoint and be able to learn from one another’s underlying values and needs? What could we accomplish if we did?
We're sure this story will break any day now...
SO MANY THINGS! Scroll down and pick your favorite.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Package
Costs $2,500
A good camera makes ALL the difference - help us rent our D.P. a good one.
Locations/Set Design
Costs $3,500
Office (3 days) Apartment (1 day) Bar/Restaurant (1 day) NICE House (1 day) all meant to be in CO.
Catering
Costs $2,000
Can't make good stuff when you're hungry. We need crew lunches and craft services for 6 shoot days.
Grip & Electric
Costs $1,500
Keep us in our BEST light! Great lighting design and execution makes every shot look fabulous.
Editing
Costs $5,000
It'll take a lot of time and expertise to turn our 6 days of footage into the vision we've imagined.
Talent & Creative
Costs $7,500
We want to hire and pay fairly the amazing talent we plan to put on -camera for our series.
Crew
Costs $11,000
It takes a village...to shoot a great project - and it takes many hands at 4 locations for 6 days!
Stylist/Wardrobe/Make-Up
Costs $3,000
This magician will dress up and doll up between 5 and 20 cast members each day for 6 days.
Sound Department
Costs $3,000
"Can you hear me now?" We want to make sure that you do with a great sound crew.
Production Assistants
Costs $1,000
You can never have enough help on set - but we want as many as we can have, and pay for!
About This Team
Michelle Barton (Creator, Producer, Performer): Bridges the world of story telling through acting, poetry, dance and co creative writing. Michelle has produced and acted in an award winning short film screened at the Director’s Guild in Los Angeles. Most recently she facilitated an immersive dance ceremony at the Vortex Immersion Dome, and is currently developing an immersive dome show mixing 360 video and live performance.
Heather Dowling (Creator, Producer, Performer): An actress and writer who impersonated someone who wanted a “real job” since the age of 14, Heather finally gave it up. Since then, wrote and produced Unemployed. Finally., an award-winning solo-show, playing 39 different characters that made it all the way to 42nd Street in NYC.
David Fickas (Writer, Producer, Director): Since making his first award-winning feature film in 1999, David has co-written and directed live events, television shows and digital series for the likes of FTVS, MSN, Funny or Die and IFC.
Brice Beckham (Writer, Producer, Editor): Originally a child actor, Brice started early as one of the stars of Mr. Belvedere. Scripts he has co-written with David Fickas have been sold to SyFy, ABC Family, VH1 and Perfect Storm.
Michael Dowling (Producer): An Emmy award winning producer and editor, Mike's career has spanned news, sports, commercials, TV shows, documentaries and film. The last 17 years or so, have taken him from the sidelines of the Super Bowl to the heart of Hollywood where he currently works at Paramount Pictures.
Leah Cevoli (Crowdfunding Guru): Leah has a reputation for crowdfunding success and social media magic. To date, she has managed or co-managed 60+ successful campaigns, raising over 6 million dollars in funding, and has consulted on dozens of other successful campaigns, including many right here on Seed & Spark.
Adrienne Visnic (Admin Assist): An actor and a singer, Adrienne also loves to produce live events - including an award-winning equity show and her own sold-out solo cabaret at the prestigious Rockwell Table & Stage. Her acting work has appeared on Disney Channel, ABC, & ABC Family.