These days, it’s never been harder to ‘be a man’. For two men (one gay, the other straight), knowing how to be manly becomes more and more challenging in the new comedy web series HE’S WITH ME, produced by Monday Morning Productions in association with Actorman Entertainment, producers of the 2013 Webby Award Honoree and multi-award winning web series HUSTLING, which is in the final week of its Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the show’s third season. (See links below). The show, which premiered on Youtube last Monday, was written and created by Jason Cicci and directed by Sebastian LaCause (writer/producer/director of HUSTLING).

HE’S WITH ME stars Cicci as Martin, a gay man who meets straight Ted (played by Bradford How) at the wedding of Martin’s constant adversary, Eddie (John Cramer). From there, Ted and Martin begin an awkward but rewarding friendship, learning more about each other – and caring for each other – along the way. The cast also includes Darcie Siciliano as Martin’s best friend Valerie, and Ryan Duncan as Benny. 10 episodes are set for the show’s first season, with new episodes airing every two weeks.

HE’S WITH ME grew not only out of a well-received stage show, but also from Cicci’s own real life experiences. “The show was developed first as a live stage sitcom, where we performed episodes in front of an audience, much like a sitcom. The show is semi-autobiographical, reflecting a few friendships that I have had with straight men. I realized that some of the situations created by a straight man/gay man friendship were really amusing and opened a conversation about how comfortable men are with being there for each other emotionally,” Cicci says.

HE’S WITH ME’s development as a web series began when Cicci started writing the scripts for the show, which was then called THE MEN’S ROOM. For LaCause, the series was a great opportunity for him to display his talents as a director when Cicci approached him to helm the series. “This was my first offer to direct anything other than my own work so I was beyond thrilled and knew that this could be an invaluable project for me to learn and grow and hone my skills. Not only as a director because I would also shoot, edit and help Jason produce the series. THE MEN’S ROOM scripts were cute but they weren’t ready to be shot. If I was to direct I needed to “see” the show and I couldn’t yet,” LaCause says. After further development of the series, its storyline and its characters, both he and Cicci decided on a new title for the series. THE MEN’S ROOM became HE’S WITH ME, a title that perfectly befit the story of the show’s two main characters, Ted and Martin.

Cicci found his cast through a series of workshops and readings, plus several private casting calls. While the casting process ran relatively smoothly, production of each episode was another story. “We shot 10 episodes over the course of 4 months, according to locations, mostly. This means that we didn’t necessarily shoot in order.  In fact, our last day of shooting found us shooting our 4th episode. Coming up with a shooting schedule for an ensemble cast of 5 had its challenges but we eventually got it all!” he says. With a small crew, even some of the show’s cast helped with the production. “They are helping us slate, or holding lights or assisting in any way that we need to get the shot or complete the scene. It’s very communal. but it gives everyone a sense of pride and ownership to the project. Like ‘we made this’,” LaCause says.

Cicci feels that HE’S WITH ME stands out among many web series in large part due to the natural on-screen chemistry of its ensemble cast, plus its sophisticated approach to its storytelling. “The story is told not only with humor but with heart,” he says. Along with the show’s ‘film-like’ production style, the show’s relaxed, free-flowing approach to humor also sets the show apart from others. Says LaCause: “I wanted the comedy to be very easy. Not pushed. I didn’t want anyone “going for the laugh” – most of the time. I like when comedy happens organically out of a situation. An awkward moment. Natural comedy. To me, that’s the funniest and the most relatable kind of comedy. I also wanted the actors to “be” the characters (and) not “act” them. All of them already possessed the qualities needed, (and) they didn’t need to add anything on top of that. I wanted the characters to be real people, going through real situations. Then the moments would be there. Comedic, tender and tragic.”

Cicci and LaCause each have bigger goals as filmmakers and also as web series creators. “I would say my inspiration for storytelling has always been trying to share a point of view, educating people about a certain issue and my hope to make people laugh, cry or move them somehow. I’ve always thought of entertaining people as a philanthropic thing to do with your life,” Cicci says. “Artistically the show is helping me find my voice and my aesthetic as a film maker and creator. It’s helped me become a better director and cinematographer and editor. I want other creators who discover the show to want to make shows just like it. I want it to be a new way to think about web series,” LaCause says.

With HE’S WITH ME, both Cicci and LaCause hope to bring viewers a smart, funny and meaningful comedy about modern life, one that will tell a unique story about the changing climate men find themselves in. Says Cicci: “If there’s any message that I think the show conveys, it’s that the terrain of modern day men is changing and it can be confusing, enlightening and amusing. I think it’s always been hard to ‘be a man’. With the times we’re living in changing so quickly, it can be hard to keep up, be true to yourself, be a friend to other men and accept who we are.” LaCause echoes those sentiments: “To me, the message of the show is that gay and straight men at their core are more alike then maybe we think. We all want the same things. We are all equal in our quests for love, friendship and a better life.”

HE’S WITH ME:

YOUTUBE: youtube.com/user/HWMtheseries

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/HesWithMeTheSeries

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/HWMtheSeries

HUSTLING:

YOUTUBE: www.hustlingthewebseries.com

FACEBOOK:  www.facebook.com/HustlingTheWebSeries

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/hustlingseries

KICKSTARTER: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hustlingseries/hustling-season-three