~ A ~ w ~ h ~ i ~ l ~ e ~
(1) single while (contents include: web series, solo show, feature film, etc.)
hello & happy September1!
It’s been awhile! Not too long I hope, but certainly a while2. That’s one (1) while for anyone keeping track. I’ve whiled away plenty of time this summer; whiled that time straight to the bank in some cases, particularly since (I’ve been told)…time? equals? ...money?
So, someone check my math here, but if:
time = money
&
tragedy + time = comedy
Is it also true that tragedy + money = comedy? Just trying to solve for “x” here and, imagining various catastrophes befalling our current cast of billionaires, it certainly ring true.
I was recently delighted by some hourglasses in Montreal that were able to put a price tag on time3. 30 seconds for $18 Canadian is only $13.08 in US dollars. That’s a little under fifty cents a second, but I’ve had some seconds that are worth waaaaaay more than that so I’m sure it all averages out in the end. All in all, not a bad deal! But don’t trust my Canadian Time Cost (CTC) to United States Time Cost (USTC) because it is also true that I incurred over $100 in tragic cellular roaming charges while looking at these hourglasses.
This was over a month ago now so:
time = 1 month
tragedy = -$100
means that: 1 month + (-$100) = comedy
Ok, it’s mathematically sound so, I can laugh about it. I’m not flipping over my hourglass and laughing for a exactly thirty seconds about it just to make sure I get my money’s worth…
Speaking of money, this is a thirty second mid-substack break to confirm that I paused all paid subscriptions to this newsletter a few months ago. I appreciated every penny that folks generously sent my way, but I felt like I already have too many different jobs for this to also be a job and I’d prefer to keep it open, free, and in all likelihood, slightly irregular. Don’t worry, if you’re itching to financially support art I’m cooking up, I’ll let you know what’s coming down the pike on an art-by-art basis. Okay…READ ON!
I was looking at these hourglasses in Montreal because I was at the Just for Laughs festival with my friend Claire McFadden. The pilot for a web series we’d created together was screening in the festival, and now you can watch the whole series online at your leisure! If you’re looking to binge the show, it will take about 10 minutes, so plan your evening accordingly.
DENISE SELLS HOUSES - SEASON 1
Also, I’ve found myself genuinely moved by how overwhelmingly positive, sweet, and playful the comments have been on TikTok! The series seems to have a hit genuinely cozy corner of the web, and I love it.
ABBY PAJ TRIES TO STAY ALIVE - OPENING 9/11 at THE NEO-FUTURISTS
I’m producing my partner Abby’s upcoming solo show ABBY PAJ TRIES TO STAY ALIVE at The Neo-Futurists and you can buy tickets now! We’re in the thick of rehearsals with an amazing team. They’re practicing harmonica in the other room as I type this. The show wrestles with darkness, disaster, and depression and finds the light, life, and laughter in the midst of it all. Also, just as the title promises, it is very much about staying alive.
(p.s. I made a promotional video that I think will get yanked from #Social#Media for copyright infringement, so here’s a little sneak peak before I’m BUSTED.)
WE MADE A MOVIE IN POUGHKEEPSIE
Busy summer! I had the pleasure of working on a feature film that shot in Upstate New York this summer. I was assisting my friend and director Blythe Haaga on her directorial debut and it was a delightful, exhausting, and exhilarating 18-day shoot. MOVIES, MAN! I love ‘em. Let’s do it again real soon.
The film is currently in post-production but I’ll report back whenever it emerges from the editing-chrysalis into a fully formed film that you can catch in theaters!
POST - A COMEDY PILOT
Speaking of post-production…a few months ago, we also released a mini-episode sizzle reel (!) for a comedy pilot I co-wrote with my friend Ethan Stoller about that very process. Check it out below if you haven’t already encountered it elsewhere on the net.
I’D BE REMISS TO NOT MENTION MISC.
Thank you, as always, for reading. There are a lot of things to pay attention to out there and I don’t take your stroll/scroll through this newsletter for granted.
Anything in particular you think I should pay attention to this week? Give me a shout!
over & out & more soon,
Will
A very rabbit rabbit to all who celebrate.
Hi, Will! Fabulous update. This is Catelyn by the way. Hope you’re well.
Gut punched by 1,000 years from now by Franklin