Being a young adult woman has its own share of ups and downs. Along with the perks – drinking, shopping for the latest fancy clothes, and romance – comes the disadvantages, from finding a job (and keeping it) to finding lasting love, just to name a few. The three women featured in the new comedy web series DYED, HIGHLIGHTED AND HOPEFUL experience all of life’s highs and lows – together.
The show’s five episode first season debuted on its official web site, plus Hello Giggles’s web site and Youtube channels (see links below). Sara Apol, Alison Koellisch and Muretta Moss (also the show’s co-creators) portray Sara, Alison and Muretta, respectively, and while they say that factor is a coincidence, the problems they face in each episode are always changing – and humorous. “All three girls are the pretty one, the smart one, the joyful one, and the spunky one. Each week they take on issues or problems (usually created by themselves) and must rise to the challenge. Whatever they go through they make sure that they do it together and with their special zest for life,” they say. The show also stars Mike Coen, Ben Seeder and Amanda Depover, talented actors and comedians that Koellisch and Moss met in their stand-up days (more on that later). A Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a second season of the show will be launched soon.
Apol, Koellisch and Moss created DYED, HIGHLIGHTED AND HOPEFUL after some fun nights together, resulting in some memorable moments for all three. “The three of us would get together and have dance parties whenever we were feeling happy, sad, or anything. We would just completely let go and look like complete fools. The pure joy that it brought us inspired Alison and Muretta to start writing the series, and we forced the beautiful Sara Apol to come along,” they say. Koellisch and Moss, both veterans of the improv circuit (Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade, and their current gigs at IO West) created a comedy that would not only provide them with a chance to make their own work, but also to make the most of their talents as comedic actresses. Yet, while they had a lot of experience in front of the camera, being behind it was something completely different. “It was something. We had both (Alison and Muretta) been a part of other series but we had never taken on such a role before. I learned a lot about organization and set design. We were lucky to have Behn Fannin (the show’s director) because he helped us bring the vision to life. By the end we were a little family,” they say.
The production process was also made easier because of Muretta and Koellisch’s experiences in improv comedy. “Because we are comedic actresses we wanted to write roles for ourselves that we could really be ourselves and have some fun in. So we looked in the mirror and cast ourselves in it. The other guest stars (Coen, Seeder and Depover) are all very talented comedians that we have met through UCB and IO West,” they say. Inspired by their own artistic creativity, plus such comedies as SCTV (Second City Television), MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATRE 3000, and STRANGERS WITH CANDY, the creators of DYED, HIGHLIGHTED AND HOPEFUL feel that their show is unlike most comedies on the web not only because of the portrayal of its characters, but also because of its upbeat and positive nature. “We wanted a series that made you feel like everyone was invited. We wanted to do a series that wasn’t blue for no reason. We also wanted to make sure that the three main characters believed in each other and would go along with each other no matter what. We want the world to feel the love!”
ON THE WEB: www.DyedHighlightedandHopeful.com and www.hellogiggles.com
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/user/hellogiggles
TWITTER: @DHHwebseries