RIGHT IN THE LEFT LANE - A Comedy Zoom Web Series
Columbia, South Carolina | Series
Comedy
Ready to laugh about politics in the era of Zoom? A black Democrat running for Congress in SC hires his white college roommate and lifelong republican for his campaign. Mixing a good ol boy with Democrats leads to blunders, viral videos, a night in jail, and maybe just a few life lessons.
RIGHT IN THE LEFT LANE - A Comedy Zoom Web Series
Columbia, South Carolina | Series
Comedy
1 Campaigns | South Carolina, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $9,739 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
62 supporters | followers
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Ready to laugh about politics in the era of Zoom? A black Democrat running for Congress in SC hires his white college roommate and lifelong republican for his campaign. Mixing a good ol boy with Democrats leads to blunders, viral videos, a night in jail, and maybe just a few life lessons.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Mission Statement
Our hope is that Right in the Left Lane brings laughter, new perspectives, and compromise into political discussions. At its core, the series provides a new lens on political and racial issues in the South, showing how bipartisanship and cross-the-aisle friendships and cooperation begin when we listen to each other.
About the Project | The Story
Right in the Left Lane is a political satire set in our current COVID environment. This 5-part web series chronicles the ups and downs of life on a Democratic political campaign in the Republican stronghold of South Carolina. When Darius, a charismatic yet technology challenged Black congressional candidate in South Carolina, agrees to bring on his former college roommate and Republican state party chair, he hopes to build a better campaign strategy. But mixing a lifelong Republican with his diehard Democratic staff might not be completely smooth sailing. From their first joint press conference (including a disastrous disguise) through a botched donor visit and a night in jail, watch as this eccentric campaign staff creates chaos on-and-off the campaign trail, and comes together in the pursuit of the one thing they all love – a chance to make this country a little better for everyone!
Meet the Candidates (and their Teams)!
The Democrats:
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Darius Lane is an African-American Demoncratic congressional candidate in the Republican stronghold of South Carolina, proud dad to Nala, and a bit technologically inept. Darius truly believes in his ability to create positive change. This election, he faces unpredictable challenges - from being locked out of Zoom meetings to saving his team after his old army buddy and dyed-red Republican, Bubba, joins as Press Secretary.
The Fundraising Chair for Darius’ team, Magalena loves connecting with people, and is always looking for the brighter side in a bad situation. She brings a fearless sense of fun to the campaign trail, and reminds everyone to look at the bigger picture when things get rocky. One of the more mature members of the team, Mags is independent and sexually empowered.
The most level-headed and reliable member of Darius’ team, Monifa is Darius’ friend, confidant, and colleague, the moral and ethical ‘rock’ of this campaign. She feels passionately about social change and racial justice, but still finds time to unwind with a glass of wine at the end of a gruelling day on the campaign trail.
One of the younger members of Darius’ team, Alex is a fun, creative and motivating Volunteer/Field Coordinator. At first, he clashes with the new Republican recruits due to their very different perspectives on social issues but they quickly learn to find common ground and work together.
Fashionable and bubbly, Sophie is Darius’ social media manager. A recent college graduate, she is excited to be working on such an important political campaign. Navigating the rocky road of a Democratice campaign with conservatice staffers, she gains real-world experience without losing her fresh perspective on life.
Darius’ 12 year-old tech-savvy daughter and inspiration for running for office, Nala helps her dad’s campaign (and saves him from numerous Zoom mishaps!) while struggling with oboe lessons and racism at a school. Sweet and funny, Nala is the heart of Darius’ campaign.
The Republicans:
Director of the South Carolina Republican party and friend of Darius from their Citadel days, Bubba Lane never pictured himself as joining a Democratic campaign team. Though he initially struggles to connect with Darius’ team and their ideals, he finds himself gaining a new perspective on race and politics in SC. A GOP member with a softer side, he is also an avid baker and proud dog-dad to Sweet Lips.
An eccentric who believes in any and all conspiracy theories, Ron also is excellent at designing campaign ads and causing chaos. He believes in Bubba, and, despite his staunch conservative background, follows him when he joins Darius’ team, bringing his snazzy slogans and bizarre fashion sense along with him.
The quintessential white woman Republican career politician, Camilla knows how to win and how to get voter support. She is determined to defeat Darius at whatever cost, and has no qualms about throwing her ‘friends’ under the bus to accomplish her goals.
Our Campaign Staffers
The creative team behind the concept, Kevin Schumacher, an entrepreneur, and Darion McCloud, a leader in the Columbia acting community, are the first-time creators behind this series. Kevin has had a varied career as an entrepreneur, community leader, and now as a film producer with his new business, The Smallest Deed Films. Lead actor and creator Darion is the co-founder and creative director of The NiA Company, the former President of the Friends of African American Art and Culture affiliate with Columbia Museum of Art, and the winner of various awards for his work in theatre and as a community leader. Motivated by their own racial discussions and politics, the team brought on three more writers, Perry Simpson, Mary Lou Clyde and Christina Xan. The writing and directing teams and the majority of the cast all live in South Carolina, making this a production close to their hearts, building on their own experiences of political and racial biases.
Why We’re Running (This Web Series Campaign)
In 2008, Kevin Schumacher welcomed his son Julian into his life. He was a happy, healthy, and noticeably brown baby. As a white father to an African American son, Kevin’s life and perspective changed instantly, as he began to experience racial bias in a new way. Most people were happy for his family but he soon realized that they had crossed some imaginary cultural line and it changed everyone’s view of them. Growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, Julian became accustomed to being the only African American kid in the group, and by 4 years old, was asking his father, “why am I brown?” This was further brought to light for Julian when he began to be singled out in daycare, elementary school and even sports.. Julian’s experiences with racial bias inside and outside of school led Kevin to rethink his own ideas about race in the United States. As part of this journey, Kevin teamed with Darion to create Right in the Left Lane.
March Madness
Having commenced production in January 2020, by early March, Kevin, Darion, and the writing team had finished writing the script and started to schedule for a summer of filming, envisioning a ‘normal’ in-person filming process. However, as the Covid-19 pandemic swept the nation, they realized they needed to protect the health and safety of the cast and crew by thinking outside of the (physical) box and into the virtual box of Zoom! This past spring and summer, the writing team revised their script to mirror the new reality of virtual political campaigning. The producers all accepted the challenge of locating a director and actors and that could work from their own homes, using their own equipment, and doing their own makeup and costuming. The advantages were quickly apparent. The series would employ the best actors and director available from all over the country, and equipment became a minimal expense. But bringing people together from such a broad area has also brought challenges - challenges such as working from different time zones, ordering door dash for actors scheduled without much break time, and shipping higher-resolution webcams. Bonding over learning how to utilize this new process together, we built a close cast and crew despite remaining apart, creating a web series that provides laughs while capturing the difficulties of our time.
An October Surprise
We are launching episode 1 at the end of October! Yeah! At this point, we have completed shooting the web series and are currently in the process of editing!
The Budget
Right in the Left Lane is powered by grassroots campaigning. Our proposed budget is $37,000, but we only need $31,000 for all of production and post-production. We have already raised $19,000 through private donations. It’s vital we achieve our goal of raising the remaining $12,000 by November 24. We will fight for this (web series) campaign, but it would mean so much to us if you’d join us on our journey. Please contribute in some way to our campaign and become part of this historical production!
Budget Breakdown
Stretch Goals
Our $12,000 goal is the absolute minimum we need to raise to finish production.
If we raise $13,500 we'll be able to cover the costs of our original score!
If we raise $14,500 we'll be able to pay for our sound design and our mix
If we raise $15,500 we'll be able to cover film festival submissions and promotion ensuring Darius' story will reach the largest possible audience!
If we raise $17,000 we'll be able to market the show to 200,000 more people helping our series make a change in even more people’s lives!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production
Costs $500
difficulties with Zoom caused us to run a little over budget. Please help.
Script Consulting
Costs $150
We relied on 4 outside consultants for help writing the script and formatting it.
Meals
Costs $428
So we had thought everyone would eat at home, but when you shoot 10 hrs straight, well...
Props and Costumes
Costs $225
Wait until you see the costumes Ron wears! Worth every penny!
Film REsizing
Costs $750
We captured each Zoom screen using Quicktime which lead to a resolution 4 times what we needed. Oops
Director
Costs $1,500
We landed a great director from LA to tackle the project. Worth every penny!
Editing of the Entire Series
Costs $3,000
Due to COVID-19 the project was filmed over zoom, using 5 computers to record. Editing is priority.
Marketing & Outreach
Costs $1,500
We want to bring this project out to the world! PR, Social Media, Email Marketing, Distribution.
Crew & Writers Team
Costs $1,500
Our crew & writer's team worked diligently to bring this project to life, we want to give back.
Film scene assembly & DIT for editor (multiple screen capture rendering, audio, visual)
Costs $1,000
5 computers, 5 renderings, multiple screens = a significant amount of storage & assembly time.
Share this update!
About This Team
WRITERS
PERRY SIMPSON
Perry Simpson is an actor, writer, and director based in South Carolina. He has appeared in such films as Faith’s Song, Chattahoochie, and Six Characters in Search of an Author. He has also appeared in numerous local and university theatre productions and has served as a consultant/editor for several original plays including “Pouf”, “Blue Camp” and “Sharks and Other Lovers”.
CHRISTINA XAN
Christina Xan is a poet, playwright, photographer, and Adjunct Professor of English at the University of South Carolina. She is currently a PhD Candidate in American Literature, an Assistant Director of two Writing Centers, and on the Board of Directors for an art and literary nonprofit organization, where she runs a monthly gallery. Her work has been published by The Patriot, Snow Island Review, Z Publishing House, The Jasper Project, and Jasper Magazine. She has had several plays produced and stage-read, and her play “Glass” was turned into a short film that premiered and toured SC festivals in 2017.
DARION MCCLOUD
Darion McCloud is a cofounder and creative director of The NiA Company. The creator and Captain of Story Squad. A Riley Institute Diversity Fellow and a Leo Twiggs Scholar, he is also a former President of the Friends of African American Art and Culture affiliate with Columbia Museum of Art. Darion is an Indie Grits Fellow and the recipient of the Literacy Leader Award and the Dr. Andrew Billingsley Award both from the University of South Carolina. Darion is also the 2018 Jasper Theatre Artist of the Year. He’s a teaching artist as well as a performer and consultant working with students and all age adults. As a professional storyteller he has performed in venues as varied as prisons and Governor’s Mansions though he may be most fond of being the favorite of many school children.
Darion's directing credits include The Whipping Man, Intimate Apparel, Our Lady of 121st Street, Br'er Rabbit, Fat Pig, What'chamacallit!, Knock Me A Kiss. Some favorite roles include Macduff in MacBeth, Othello in Othello, Levee in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Bernard in Boys in the Band, Actor 5 in Transparency of Val, Other in The White Problem, Ananse in Br’er Rabbit among others.
LOU CLYDE
Lou Clyde (writer) is a Buffalo transplant living in Columbia, South Carolina. She has written and published four full-length comedies including Pouf!, which was recently selected for the 2020 SheNYC Summer Theatre festival. Lou’s humor has been influenced by the works of Erma Bombeck, David Sedaris, and Dave Barry, and she is obsessed with Shitt's Creek. www.louclyde.com
ACTORS
KELSEY EDWARDS - SOPHIE
Kelsey Edwards is an actress and musician best known for her role as Abby in the internationally loved film Minor Details. She can be seen as the spokesperson in dozens of viral ads and has played opposite celebrities like Jennette McCurdy (iCarly) and Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Veep). Across social media she is known as the "internet big sis" and her primary goal is to help motivate and inspire teen girls to find confidence within. Catch her in Orion Pictures' newest film 'The Wolf of Snow Hollow' releasing on Oct 9.
All social @kelseymarieedwards YouTube: youtube.com/kelseyedwards.
TIM RERUCHA - BUBBA
TIM RERUCHA is a good ole boy originally from Polk County Florida. Moved to New Jersey/New York area 8 years ago.. Appearing on stage, in commercials, film, and TV consistently over the last 10 years. He was recently awarded 2019 Outstanding supporting actor in the musical The Putnam County Spelling Bee for his role as a Vice Principal Panch.
He was awarded Outstanding Comedic Actor in a Comedy Webseries at the LAWEBFEST 2014 for his Starring role as Seth Morgan in The Sex Trade. He can also be seen doing standup comedy around the NYC area. He is managed by Ingrid French Management. Tim is a huge animal lover and enjoys any thing outdoors. He is also a beekeeper and harvests his own honey.
TimRerucha.com IMDB @TimRerucha
Instagram @TimRerucha
Twitter @TimRerucha
RENAE GEERLINGS - CAMILLA
ANDREA COLEMAN - MONIFA
Andrea Coleman is a Brooklyn based writer, performer and lawyer originally from Virginia. The law comedy show she created and stars in, "Wack or Woke? Andrea Coleman Judges the Law," has been featured in The New York Times, TimeOut NY, NPR and aired on PBS. In New York, Andrea has performed standup at Comedy Cellar, Comic Strip, Gotham and Caroline’s. She's toured her standup at SF Sketchfest, Women in Comedy Festival and Austin Sketch Fest. She is an Actor on a UCB Maude Team and a writer on an Armory Sketch team. She’s performed at The Shakespeare Theater in DC and Orlando Shakespeare Festival in Florida. The short film she wrote and starred in, BFF, aired on BET and AspireTV and was an official selection at 15 Film Festivals. She’s a featured RISK! Storyteller and starred in the critically acclaimed web series “All My Friends Are Married."
A’KHERI MCDANIEL - NALA
RYTIS VALIUNAS - ALEX
Rytis Valiunas is a professional Lithuanian actor currently residing in New York city. He is a graduate of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York city. His credits include the lead role of the Antichrist in the American Theatre of Actors‘ production of „The Coming of Antichrist“, the charismatic talent agent Barry Bevins in BRAATA Productions‘ musical „Welcome to America“ and the enigmatic Damien Dragnova in First Person Xperience‘s immersive performance „RED“. Most recently Rytis created a talk show on Youtube, called „Your Favorite Villain starring Rytis Valiunas“ where each episode different artists share their stories about the life of an artist, their latest creative endeavours and talk their all time favorite villains as well.
ADRIENNE LOVETTE - MAGALENA
Adrienne Lovette is an award winning Latina actor, director and writer. She was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and grew up in Orlando, Florida. Adrienne created her own indie company called The Garage Productions, which focuses on people who are diverse and underrepresented. Since then, The Garage Productions has created several award winning short films, a feature film, and an Instagram web series, all of which showcase diversity, the LGBT community, and differently-abled people.
As an actor, Adrienne has played opposite Naomi Watts, Aziz Ansari, Joaquin Phoenix, Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams just to name a few. Adrienne’s favorite TV roles include BETTER CALL SAUL (AMC), RAY DONOVAN (Showtime), FOSSE/VERDON (FX), THE DEUCE (HBO), THE SINNER (USA), MASTER OF NONE (NETFLIX), MR. ROBOT (USA), and GOTHAM (FOX). Some of her favorite film credits include SUNLIGHT JR., JOKER, CAR BATTERY, BLIND DATE, THICK HEART and A BOY LIKE THAT. Her favorite theatre credits include, TOP GIRLS (NYC), NICKEL AND DIMED (FL), GREASE (FL), WEST SIDE STORY (FL), TENDERLOIN (NYC), THE SEAGULL (NYC) and OEDIPUS THE KING (FL).
Adrienne wrote, produced, and starred in the award-winning feature film drama WHEN I'M WITH YOU, which premiered at Cinequest, won “Best Feature Film” at the Sacramento Film and Music Festival, and is now on Amazon Prime. Most recently, Adrienne has been named “Women Directing Mentorship Semifinalist” through Series Fest sponsored by Shonda Rhimes company Shondaland and was the winner of the SUNDANCE collab film challenge in May 2020! Adrienne directed the award-winning short thriller film HIDDEN DAYLIGHT, which won "Best Film" at Phoenix Comicon, "Best Short Film" at Freak Show Horror Film Festival, and earned her the title of "Women in Horror Honoree" at FEARnyc. She also directed, co-wrote, and starred in a short romantic comedy called BLIND DATE, which was nominated for "Best Screenplay" and "Best Short Film" at the New Classic Cinema Film Festival, and nominated for "Best Short Film" at the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Festival. BLIND DATE and HIDDEN DAYLIGHT are now on DirecTV, AMAZON PRIME and FLIXA. She also directed an award-winning female-driven comedic web series called YOU’RE THE PEST, which can be seen on YouTube and won "Best Web Series" at Glowfest. She co-directed the award winning Latinx coming-of-age short drama called THIS BOYS VIDA which is being adapted as a web series, and won “Best Trailer” at “HollyWeb Festival” . She co-wrote, produced, and starred in an Instagram web series called #INSOCIAL. Adrienne is currently promoting the horror/thriller film she directed called, THE DARK ROOM, which is currently screening at festivals nation whide, and premiered at the Catalina Film Festival. She is currently working on several feature scripts, pilots and music videos. For more information, visit her on IMDB: www.imdb.me/AdrienneLovette,
www.AnAdrienneLovetteFilm.com, www.AdrienneLovette.com and www.TheGarageProductions.com.
DARION MCCLOUD - DARIUS
Darion McCloud is a cofounder and creative director of The NiA Company. The creator and Captain of Story Squad. A Riley Institute Diversity Fellow and a Leo Twiggs Scholar, he is also a former President of the Friends of African American Art and Culture affiliate with Columbia Museum of Art. Darion is an Indie Grits Fellow and the recipient of the Literacy Leader Award and the Dr. Andrew Billingsley Award both from the University of South Carolina. Darion is also the 2018 Jasper Theatre Artist of the Year. He’s a teaching artist as well as a performer and consultant working with students and all age adults. As a professional storyteller he has performed in venues as varied as prisons and Governor’s Mansions though he may be most fond of being the favorite of many school children.
Darion's directing credits include The Whipping Man, Intimate Apparel, Our Lady of 121st Street, Br'er Rabbit, Fat Pig, What'chamacallit!, Knock Me A Kiss
Some favorite roles include Macduff in MacBeth, Othello in Othello, Levee in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Bernard in Boys in the Band, Actor 5 in Transparency of Val, Other in The White Problem, Ananse in Br’er Rabbit among others.
CHARLES MILANO - RON
Charles Milano is an actor, writer, golfer, sport fanatic, and retro video game lower. Originally from New Jersey, he moved to LA in 2010 and started acting training at the New York Film Academy, along with teachers like Stan Kirsch, Howard Fine, John Ruskin, and more. A background grounded in clowning and improv, Charles has also worked as a host and producer for a series of sports talk shows on the BitesizeTV networks.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Mission Statement
Our hope is that Right in the Left Lane brings laughter, new perspectives, and compromise into political discussions. At its core, the series provides a new lens on political and racial issues in the South, showing how bipartisanship and cross-the-aisle friendships and cooperation begin when we listen to each other.
About the Project | The Story
Right in the Left Lane is a political satire set in our current COVID environment. This 5-part web series chronicles the ups and downs of life on a Democratic political campaign in the Republican stronghold of South Carolina. When Darius, a charismatic yet technology challenged Black congressional candidate in South Carolina, agrees to bring on his former college roommate and Republican state party chair, he hopes to build a better campaign strategy. But mixing a lifelong Republican with his diehard Democratic staff might not be completely smooth sailing. From their first joint press conference (including a disastrous disguise) through a botched donor visit and a night in jail, watch as this eccentric campaign staff creates chaos on-and-off the campaign trail, and comes together in the pursuit of the one thing they all love – a chance to make this country a little better for everyone!
Meet the Candidates (and their Teams)!
The Democrats:
Darius Lane is an African-American Demoncratic congressional candidate in the Republican stronghold of South Carolina, proud dad to Nala, and a bit technologically inept. Darius truly believes in his ability to create positive change. This election, he faces unpredictable challenges - from being locked out of Zoom meetings to saving his team after his old army buddy and dyed-red Republican, Bubba, joins as Press Secretary.
The Fundraising Chair for Darius’ team, Magalena loves connecting with people, and is always looking for the brighter side in a bad situation. She brings a fearless sense of fun to the campaign trail, and reminds everyone to look at the bigger picture when things get rocky. One of the more mature members of the team, Mags is independent and sexually empowered.
The most level-headed and reliable member of Darius’ team, Monifa is Darius’ friend, confidant, and colleague, the moral and ethical ‘rock’ of this campaign. She feels passionately about social change and racial justice, but still finds time to unwind with a glass of wine at the end of a gruelling day on the campaign trail.
One of the younger members of Darius’ team, Alex is a fun, creative and motivating Volunteer/Field Coordinator. At first, he clashes with the new Republican recruits due to their very different perspectives on social issues but they quickly learn to find common ground and work together.
Fashionable and bubbly, Sophie is Darius’ social media manager. A recent college graduate, she is excited to be working on such an important political campaign. Navigating the rocky road of a Democratice campaign with conservatice staffers, she gains real-world experience without losing her fresh perspective on life.
Darius’ 12 year-old tech-savvy daughter and inspiration for running for office, Nala helps her dad’s campaign (and saves him from numerous Zoom mishaps!) while struggling with oboe lessons and racism at a school. Sweet and funny, Nala is the heart of Darius’ campaign.
The Republicans:
Director of the South Carolina Republican party and friend of Darius from their Citadel days, Bubba Lane never pictured himself as joining a Democratic campaign team. Though he initially struggles to connect with Darius’ team and their ideals, he finds himself gaining a new perspective on race and politics in SC. A GOP member with a softer side, he is also an avid baker and proud dog-dad to Sweet Lips.
An eccentric who believes in any and all conspiracy theories, Ron also is excellent at designing campaign ads and causing chaos. He believes in Bubba, and, despite his staunch conservative background, follows him when he joins Darius’ team, bringing his snazzy slogans and bizarre fashion sense along with him.
The quintessential white woman Republican career politician, Camilla knows how to win and how to get voter support. She is determined to defeat Darius at whatever cost, and has no qualms about throwing her ‘friends’ under the bus to accomplish her goals.
Our Campaign Staffers
The creative team behind the concept, Kevin Schumacher, an entrepreneur, and Darion McCloud, a leader in the Columbia acting community, are the first-time creators behind this series. Kevin has had a varied career as an entrepreneur, community leader, and now as a film producer with his new business, The Smallest Deed Films. Lead actor and creator Darion is the co-founder and creative director of The NiA Company, the former President of the Friends of African American Art and Culture affiliate with Columbia Museum of Art, and the winner of various awards for his work in theatre and as a community leader. Motivated by their own racial discussions and politics, the team brought on three more writers, Perry Simpson, Mary Lou Clyde and Christina Xan. The writing and directing teams and the majority of the cast all live in South Carolina, making this a production close to their hearts, building on their own experiences of political and racial biases.
Why We’re Running (This Web Series Campaign)
In 2008, Kevin Schumacher welcomed his son Julian into his life. He was a happy, healthy, and noticeably brown baby. As a white father to an African American son, Kevin’s life and perspective changed instantly, as he began to experience racial bias in a new way. Most people were happy for his family but he soon realized that they had crossed some imaginary cultural line and it changed everyone’s view of them. Growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, Julian became accustomed to being the only African American kid in the group, and by 4 years old, was asking his father, “why am I brown?” This was further brought to light for Julian when he began to be singled out in daycare, elementary school and even sports.. Julian’s experiences with racial bias inside and outside of school led Kevin to rethink his own ideas about race in the United States. As part of this journey, Kevin teamed with Darion to create Right in the Left Lane.
March Madness
Having commenced production in January 2020, by early March, Kevin, Darion, and the writing team had finished writing the script and started to schedule for a summer of filming, envisioning a ‘normal’ in-person filming process. However, as the Covid-19 pandemic swept the nation, they realized they needed to protect the health and safety of the cast and crew by thinking outside of the (physical) box and into the virtual box of Zoom! This past spring and summer, the writing team revised their script to mirror the new reality of virtual political campaigning. The producers all accepted the challenge of locating a director and actors and that could work from their own homes, using their own equipment, and doing their own makeup and costuming. The advantages were quickly apparent. The series would employ the best actors and director available from all over the country, and equipment became a minimal expense. But bringing people together from such a broad area has also brought challenges - challenges such as working from different time zones, ordering door dash for actors scheduled without much break time, and shipping higher-resolution webcams. Bonding over learning how to utilize this new process together, we built a close cast and crew despite remaining apart, creating a web series that provides laughs while capturing the difficulties of our time.
An October Surprise
We are launching episode 1 at the end of October! Yeah! At this point, we have completed shooting the web series and are currently in the process of editing!
The Budget
Right in the Left Lane is powered by grassroots campaigning. Our proposed budget is $37,000, but we only need $31,000 for all of production and post-production. We have already raised $19,000 through private donations. It’s vital we achieve our goal of raising the remaining $12,000 by November 24. We will fight for this (web series) campaign, but it would mean so much to us if you’d join us on our journey. Please contribute in some way to our campaign and become part of this historical production!
Budget Breakdown
Stretch Goals
Our $12,000 goal is the absolute minimum we need to raise to finish production.
If we raise $13,500 we'll be able to cover the costs of our original score!
If we raise $14,500 we'll be able to pay for our sound design and our mix
If we raise $15,500 we'll be able to cover film festival submissions and promotion ensuring Darius' story will reach the largest possible audience!
If we raise $17,000 we'll be able to market the show to 200,000 more people helping our series make a change in even more people’s lives!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production
Costs $500
difficulties with Zoom caused us to run a little over budget. Please help.
Script Consulting
Costs $150
We relied on 4 outside consultants for help writing the script and formatting it.
Meals
Costs $428
So we had thought everyone would eat at home, but when you shoot 10 hrs straight, well...
Props and Costumes
Costs $225
Wait until you see the costumes Ron wears! Worth every penny!
Film REsizing
Costs $750
We captured each Zoom screen using Quicktime which lead to a resolution 4 times what we needed. Oops
Director
Costs $1,500
We landed a great director from LA to tackle the project. Worth every penny!
Editing of the Entire Series
Costs $3,000
Due to COVID-19 the project was filmed over zoom, using 5 computers to record. Editing is priority.
Marketing & Outreach
Costs $1,500
We want to bring this project out to the world! PR, Social Media, Email Marketing, Distribution.
Crew & Writers Team
Costs $1,500
Our crew & writer's team worked diligently to bring this project to life, we want to give back.
Film scene assembly & DIT for editor (multiple screen capture rendering, audio, visual)
Costs $1,000
5 computers, 5 renderings, multiple screens = a significant amount of storage & assembly time.
Share this update!
About This Team
WRITERS
PERRY SIMPSON
Perry Simpson is an actor, writer, and director based in South Carolina. He has appeared in such films as Faith’s Song, Chattahoochie, and Six Characters in Search of an Author. He has also appeared in numerous local and university theatre productions and has served as a consultant/editor for several original plays including “Pouf”, “Blue Camp” and “Sharks and Other Lovers”.
CHRISTINA XAN
Christina Xan is a poet, playwright, photographer, and Adjunct Professor of English at the University of South Carolina. She is currently a PhD Candidate in American Literature, an Assistant Director of two Writing Centers, and on the Board of Directors for an art and literary nonprofit organization, where she runs a monthly gallery. Her work has been published by The Patriot, Snow Island Review, Z Publishing House, The Jasper Project, and Jasper Magazine. She has had several plays produced and stage-read, and her play “Glass” was turned into a short film that premiered and toured SC festivals in 2017.
DARION MCCLOUD
Darion McCloud is a cofounder and creative director of The NiA Company. The creator and Captain of Story Squad. A Riley Institute Diversity Fellow and a Leo Twiggs Scholar, he is also a former President of the Friends of African American Art and Culture affiliate with Columbia Museum of Art. Darion is an Indie Grits Fellow and the recipient of the Literacy Leader Award and the Dr. Andrew Billingsley Award both from the University of South Carolina. Darion is also the 2018 Jasper Theatre Artist of the Year. He’s a teaching artist as well as a performer and consultant working with students and all age adults. As a professional storyteller he has performed in venues as varied as prisons and Governor’s Mansions though he may be most fond of being the favorite of many school children.
Darion's directing credits include The Whipping Man, Intimate Apparel, Our Lady of 121st Street, Br'er Rabbit, Fat Pig, What'chamacallit!, Knock Me A Kiss. Some favorite roles include Macduff in MacBeth, Othello in Othello, Levee in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Bernard in Boys in the Band, Actor 5 in Transparency of Val, Other in The White Problem, Ananse in Br’er Rabbit among others.
LOU CLYDE
Lou Clyde (writer) is a Buffalo transplant living in Columbia, South Carolina. She has written and published four full-length comedies including Pouf!, which was recently selected for the 2020 SheNYC Summer Theatre festival. Lou’s humor has been influenced by the works of Erma Bombeck, David Sedaris, and Dave Barry, and she is obsessed with Shitt's Creek. www.louclyde.com
ACTORS
KELSEY EDWARDS - SOPHIE
Kelsey Edwards is an actress and musician best known for her role as Abby in the internationally loved film Minor Details. She can be seen as the spokesperson in dozens of viral ads and has played opposite celebrities like Jennette McCurdy (iCarly) and Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Veep). Across social media she is known as the "internet big sis" and her primary goal is to help motivate and inspire teen girls to find confidence within. Catch her in Orion Pictures' newest film 'The Wolf of Snow Hollow' releasing on Oct 9.
All social @kelseymarieedwards YouTube: youtube.com/kelseyedwards.
TIM RERUCHA - BUBBA
TIM RERUCHA is a good ole boy originally from Polk County Florida. Moved to New Jersey/New York area 8 years ago.. Appearing on stage, in commercials, film, and TV consistently over the last 10 years. He was recently awarded 2019 Outstanding supporting actor in the musical The Putnam County Spelling Bee for his role as a Vice Principal Panch.
He was awarded Outstanding Comedic Actor in a Comedy Webseries at the LAWEBFEST 2014 for his Starring role as Seth Morgan in The Sex Trade. He can also be seen doing standup comedy around the NYC area. He is managed by Ingrid French Management. Tim is a huge animal lover and enjoys any thing outdoors. He is also a beekeeper and harvests his own honey.
TimRerucha.com IMDB @TimRerucha
Instagram @TimRerucha
Twitter @TimRerucha
RENAE GEERLINGS - CAMILLA
ANDREA COLEMAN - MONIFA
Andrea Coleman is a Brooklyn based writer, performer and lawyer originally from Virginia. The law comedy show she created and stars in, "Wack or Woke? Andrea Coleman Judges the Law," has been featured in The New York Times, TimeOut NY, NPR and aired on PBS. In New York, Andrea has performed standup at Comedy Cellar, Comic Strip, Gotham and Caroline’s. She's toured her standup at SF Sketchfest, Women in Comedy Festival and Austin Sketch Fest. She is an Actor on a UCB Maude Team and a writer on an Armory Sketch team. She’s performed at The Shakespeare Theater in DC and Orlando Shakespeare Festival in Florida. The short film she wrote and starred in, BFF, aired on BET and AspireTV and was an official selection at 15 Film Festivals. She’s a featured RISK! Storyteller and starred in the critically acclaimed web series “All My Friends Are Married."
A’KHERI MCDANIEL - NALA
RYTIS VALIUNAS - ALEX
Rytis Valiunas is a professional Lithuanian actor currently residing in New York city. He is a graduate of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York city. His credits include the lead role of the Antichrist in the American Theatre of Actors‘ production of „The Coming of Antichrist“, the charismatic talent agent Barry Bevins in BRAATA Productions‘ musical „Welcome to America“ and the enigmatic Damien Dragnova in First Person Xperience‘s immersive performance „RED“. Most recently Rytis created a talk show on Youtube, called „Your Favorite Villain starring Rytis Valiunas“ where each episode different artists share their stories about the life of an artist, their latest creative endeavours and talk their all time favorite villains as well.
ADRIENNE LOVETTE - MAGALENA
Adrienne Lovette is an award winning Latina actor, director and writer. She was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and grew up in Orlando, Florida. Adrienne created her own indie company called The Garage Productions, which focuses on people who are diverse and underrepresented. Since then, The Garage Productions has created several award winning short films, a feature film, and an Instagram web series, all of which showcase diversity, the LGBT community, and differently-abled people.
As an actor, Adrienne has played opposite Naomi Watts, Aziz Ansari, Joaquin Phoenix, Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams just to name a few. Adrienne’s favorite TV roles include BETTER CALL SAUL (AMC), RAY DONOVAN (Showtime), FOSSE/VERDON (FX), THE DEUCE (HBO), THE SINNER (USA), MASTER OF NONE (NETFLIX), MR. ROBOT (USA), and GOTHAM (FOX). Some of her favorite film credits include SUNLIGHT JR., JOKER, CAR BATTERY, BLIND DATE, THICK HEART and A BOY LIKE THAT. Her favorite theatre credits include, TOP GIRLS (NYC), NICKEL AND DIMED (FL), GREASE (FL), WEST SIDE STORY (FL), TENDERLOIN (NYC), THE SEAGULL (NYC) and OEDIPUS THE KING (FL).
Adrienne wrote, produced, and starred in the award-winning feature film drama WHEN I'M WITH YOU, which premiered at Cinequest, won “Best Feature Film” at the Sacramento Film and Music Festival, and is now on Amazon Prime. Most recently, Adrienne has been named “Women Directing Mentorship Semifinalist” through Series Fest sponsored by Shonda Rhimes company Shondaland and was the winner of the SUNDANCE collab film challenge in May 2020! Adrienne directed the award-winning short thriller film HIDDEN DAYLIGHT, which won "Best Film" at Phoenix Comicon, "Best Short Film" at Freak Show Horror Film Festival, and earned her the title of "Women in Horror Honoree" at FEARnyc. She also directed, co-wrote, and starred in a short romantic comedy called BLIND DATE, which was nominated for "Best Screenplay" and "Best Short Film" at the New Classic Cinema Film Festival, and nominated for "Best Short Film" at the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Festival. BLIND DATE and HIDDEN DAYLIGHT are now on DirecTV, AMAZON PRIME and FLIXA. She also directed an award-winning female-driven comedic web series called YOU’RE THE PEST, which can be seen on YouTube and won "Best Web Series" at Glowfest. She co-directed the award winning Latinx coming-of-age short drama called THIS BOYS VIDA which is being adapted as a web series, and won “Best Trailer” at “HollyWeb Festival” . She co-wrote, produced, and starred in an Instagram web series called #INSOCIAL. Adrienne is currently promoting the horror/thriller film she directed called, THE DARK ROOM, which is currently screening at festivals nation whide, and premiered at the Catalina Film Festival. She is currently working on several feature scripts, pilots and music videos. For more information, visit her on IMDB: www.imdb.me/AdrienneLovette,
www.AnAdrienneLovetteFilm.com, www.AdrienneLovette.com and www.TheGarageProductions.com.
DARION MCCLOUD - DARIUS
Darion McCloud is a cofounder and creative director of The NiA Company. The creator and Captain of Story Squad. A Riley Institute Diversity Fellow and a Leo Twiggs Scholar, he is also a former President of the Friends of African American Art and Culture affiliate with Columbia Museum of Art. Darion is an Indie Grits Fellow and the recipient of the Literacy Leader Award and the Dr. Andrew Billingsley Award both from the University of South Carolina. Darion is also the 2018 Jasper Theatre Artist of the Year. He’s a teaching artist as well as a performer and consultant working with students and all age adults. As a professional storyteller he has performed in venues as varied as prisons and Governor’s Mansions though he may be most fond of being the favorite of many school children.
Darion's directing credits include The Whipping Man, Intimate Apparel, Our Lady of 121st Street, Br'er Rabbit, Fat Pig, What'chamacallit!, Knock Me A Kiss
Some favorite roles include Macduff in MacBeth, Othello in Othello, Levee in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Bernard in Boys in the Band, Actor 5 in Transparency of Val, Other in The White Problem, Ananse in Br’er Rabbit among others.
CHARLES MILANO - RON
Charles Milano is an actor, writer, golfer, sport fanatic, and retro video game lower. Originally from New Jersey, he moved to LA in 2010 and started acting training at the New York Film Academy, along with teachers like Stan Kirsch, Howard Fine, John Ruskin, and more. A background grounded in clowning and improv, Charles has also worked as a host and producer for a series of sports talk shows on the BitesizeTV networks.