As SNOBBY ROBOT has documented over the past year, web series have become a huge part of the larger filmmaking community in New Orleans and all over Louisiana (affectionately known as Hollywood South). Shows like SUNKEN CITY, LEAST FAVORITE LOVE SONGS, BOURBON WHIZ, plus the Baton Rouge-based WARREN have added to the already booming level of production that the entire state has experienced over the past few years.

Continuing in that proud tradition is the new drama web series OPEN MIKE, created by Gian Smith and premiering its first season of 8 episodes on April 2nd on its official Youtube page via Smith’s Black Progressive Experience (PBE: S.OU.L.) network. Currently, teasers for OPEN MIKE that feature the show’s individual characters just before their main arcs begin.

The series follows the lives of five people, each with distinctively different, but dramatic lives, and individual talents that are just as unique. While Smith is reluctant to give any details away of what the overall series will be like as a whole (a la the often unpredictable season by season nature of the hit AMC series BREAKING BAD), he did say that the first of what he hopes will be four seasons of OPEN MIKE will be like this:

“Season one of OPEN MIKE is a story of five different individuals and different personalities trying to find their way. They become loosely connected and by the end of the series their relationships are centered around an open mic poetry show that three of them have come together to produce.”

OPEN MIKE stars Michael Moore (himself a national champion slam poet performing under the name A Scribe Called Quess) as Mike, an artist and student from New York who now calls the Big Easy home, but who also struggles to leave his past – and past behavior – behind as he tries to make a new life for himself there.

As soon as he arrives there, though, he’s tested by the highly amorous Lola (played by series assistant director and New Orleans radio personality Nicole Collins, also known for her roles as Patrice Glover on the HBO series TREME and as Rachel in the Oscar-winning 12 YEARS A SLAVE). Lola proves to be one of many challenges for Mike as he tries to restart his life and to pursue his dreams.

Along with Lola, her roommate Chanel (played by actress/playwright Davida Chanel) is known for being a popular local radio personality, but sees acting as perhaps her best chance of becoming a star even though she is growing older, and even though she doesn’t share quite the same enthusiasm for acting as her sister Christy (Christy Williams).

However, she chooses to involve herself in the profession not necessarily as a performer, but as someone who wants to help other aspiring actors and actresses including Chanel, who she represents as her agent.

Rounding out the cast is Baton Rouge rap artist Brenton “Tiny” Francois as Archibald, who currently holds down the role of Chief Financial Operator at the school Christy and Mike attend. Yet, he’s not necessarily happy with his job, and is hoping that he can find a way out of it. Just how, though, remains to be seen. The series also features cameo appearances by acclaimed local talent including Lance E. Nichols (best known for his role as Larry Williams on TREME) and Helen Krieger (LEAST FAVORITE LOVE SONGS), and local New Orleans radio host Angel Saunders, just to name a few.

For Smith, himself active in slam poetry (poetry performed in front of live audiences, usually in intense, competitive format), the concept for OPEN MIKE was developed originally as something that was slightly different than the web series he now seeks to bring to audiences today. “About two years ago I wrote and filmed a crude pilot for the show, but back then it was pretty much only about Mike, a man meandering through the New Orleans spoken word scene trying to siphon its women. His foil Lola was also originally written in, but with a very different purpose than she has now. I have a screenplay that’s been in production for years about Lola and had intended spinning her character off from the show. So Lola was born long before I even thought of Mike.”

As the series’ story and concept developed, Smith drew from plenty of sources to further the production process, and as he explains it’s one that’s rapidly evolving. “There have been a lot of inspirations throughout this process. Some of them dating back to my childhood and some of them happening as I moved along with the project so I guess I could say until the final episode the show is constantly in development.”

A key example of that constant development was its casting, and as Smith’s cast came together he would adapt those additions to his scripts. “In most cases I cast first then wrote the parts for the individual. “Like I said, Christy came to me after auditions were closed for Lola, but because I wanted to include her in this project I wrote up a small part into a bigger one. I am most notable as a spoken word poet so Mike and I have quite a bit of history which doesn’t even speak to us having attended high school together 20 years ago, if he had not said yes to being Mike I would have never pursued this project or maybe just tried to play Mike myself which might have been disastrous,” he recalls.

In addition to Moore, Smith also had long standing friendships with Francois (going back to their days at the now defunct Jean Gordon Elementary school in New Orleans), plus working partnerships with Chanel and Collins, who both collaborated with Smith on Chanel’s stage play HIP HOP IS ALIVE at the popular New Orleans Fringe Festival. From there, their professional relationship grew into something more. “It was there that I met Nicole Collins whom I acted alongside in one of the vignettes and am now in a romantic relationship with as well as being partners in my company, and by partners I still mean I’m in charge even if it’s hard to communicate that to her sometimes,” he adds.

Having paid for OPEN MIKE’s production out of his own pocket, Smith found that just getting the series off the ground was only the beginning of an even greater set of challenges. “Often times this (being self-funded) meant that a lot of what needed to get done was by favor. The only thing harder than getting people to give their efforts or resources as a favor is trying to put those favors on a schedule that syncs with the other favors you need. Some things weren’t going to get done without money, so that was that. But some of this was pure guerrilla film making. I guess the good thing about being a mostly one man crew is that it’s easier to avoid trouble when you’re getting shots where you don’t exactly have permission.”

Smith also says that although he hopes to have OPEN MIKE run for four seasons, it depends on how much funding he can secure (including for the first season, which he says may not necessarily run for eight episodes) and he has not ruled out putting the series on hold mid-season to raise those funds.

As he explains, OPEN MIKE is the foundation for a larger plan for Smith and his PBE: S.OU.L. network’s success. “The goal of this program is to serve as the flagship for my network. Ideally all of the other programs I have in mind will come to fruition one day so this venture is definitely about developing a revenue stream in order to produce more content.”

Inspired heavily by Spike Lee’s works, most notably SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT, plus the romantic drama LOVE JONES and the recently wrapped New Orleans HBO series TREME, OPEN MIKE promises to be a drama that will appeal to audiences not only seeking great stories but also a series that will feature characters viewers can easily identify with.

“I hope that the characters are ranging enough that most people would want to watch. If you are a lover of spoken word, you definitely want to tune in. Even if you’re a casual fan you’ll really enjoy the honesty of the characters because none of the main characters like poetry even though three of them decide to start an open mic. If you like New Orleans you will love this show because it’s authentic from a lifer. If you need a break from reality content and TMZ/world star hip hop videos you will like this show.”

Along with compelling stories and characters that will strike a chord with viewers, another unique aspect of OPEN MIKE is that the art of slam poetry plays heavily into the overall atmosphere of OPEN MIKE and to its storytelling throughout each episode. For Smith, it’s a feature that takes its inspiration from a familiar source: “Each episode contains a unique performance by a spoken word artist built into the story. That was where I drew the similarity with TREME in the way they highlight musical talent every episode. My performers include 5 poets who have participated with our local slam team that has 3 championships at the National Poetry Slam,” he says.

Among the poets appearing in each episode are the nationally acclaimed Sunni Patterson (veteran of Russell Simmons’ popular DEF POETRY JAM), plus a host of talented, award-winning artists who’ve gained recognition locally and throughout the country (two performers appeared on the TVOne series VERSUS AND FLOW). “They are all performing original work which has contributed to the theme of each episode or sometimes to the characters themselves. If I didn’t know so many great poets I knew would lend me their voices this project would never have been conceived,” Smith adds.

Yet, the biggest key to OPEN MIKE’s success is the passion of Smith, and combined with the allure of the Crescent City, plus Smith’s enthusiasm, is the hard work he put into each episode. All of that is on full display throughout OPEN MIKE. “I feel like this series has a soul. It’s got style, and charm, It’s gotten a lot of effort and even if it’s not always the most technically savvy, it’s got the love of it’s creator. I love New Orleans and it’s one of the hardest things to explain New Orleans without telling someone to see for themselves. I feel like this series has the essence of New Orleans through and through. Mood, theme, style. Pure home to me. That being said, since one cannot truly ever encapsulate New Orleans, there’s a lot missing. But that’s why there’s a season 2, 3 and 4!”

(Note: The series is not currently closed-captioned but Smith hopes to utilize that feature at some point.)

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/bpexperience

An excerpt from the series can be viewed here: