To “ghost” someone is to immediately end contact with a person, without any reason offered to that person for ceasing such contact. While being ghosted is a heartbreaking experience, though, everyone who’s gone through it has their own memorable stories to tell.
For the past year, actor/comedian Savannah DesOrmeaux (American Horror Story: Coven, NCIS: New Orleans) has heard those stories as host of the popular live monthly talk show Ghost Town.
Now expanding her audience beyond Ghost Town‘s New York City-based presence, DesOrmeaux’s new web series adaptation of Ghost Town offers viewers worldwide a chance to hear a diverse group of entertainers talk about how their once-fledgling flings went from optimistic chatter to inexplicable silence.
Ghost Town debuted its first of three episodes on DesOrmeaux’s web site, YouTube and Instagram TV pages on February 13th (links below). The show features hilarious ghosting stories from, and fun segments with, comedian Andrew Barbato, actors Coral Pena (The Post, NBC’s The Enemy Within) and Daniella DeJesus (Orange Is the New Black) and pop jazz singer Ms. White (Billboard).
GHOST TOWN host/creator Savannah DesOrmeaux.
DesOrmeaux’s strange brush with ghosting ended up motivating her to create Ghost Town. “The idea for Ghost Town was born from being ghosted by a gentleman caller because of an alleged ‘surgery’. She later found out that the surgery was actually real (and it was on his penis) but the process of putting him on blast and producing this series was already well underway,” DesOrmeaux says.
In retooling Ghost Town for digital audiences, DesOrmeaux kept the familiar structure of the existing live version while diversifying her collection of celebrity guests for its online presentation.
“For the live show, I stick to conversing with comedians,” explains DesOrmeaux. “For the series, I broadened the scope to include actors and musicians, as well. As long as they were cool and had a funny story to share — I wanted them on.”
A significant reason for the success of Ghost Town is the show’s commitment to inclusion on both sides of the camera. “My entire crew and cast was comprised of not a single straight white man. Having been on many sets chock full of those, the production of it went along quite seamlessly,” notes DesOrmeaux.
The positive impacts of Ghost Town also extend to DesOrmeaux’s filmmaking career. “Professionally, the show has made an absolute supreme producing boss out of me for the show and series,” she adds. “I’ve also gotten to meet insanely talented (and really hot) comedians from having them on my show.”
Making Ghost Town has also changed DesOrmeaux’s ghosting habits. “Initially, I really cared hard when people would ghost me rather than have an honest conversation but now I find myself not caring because I think I’ve maybe turned numb,” she comments. “I also have stopped ghosting people entirely to keep the brand strong. I have a bevvy of drafts saved in my phone of things to say to people instead of ghosting. I share them with my friends for good karma. Isn’t that psychotic?”
L-R: DesOrmeaux and comedian Andrew Barbato, her guest on the first episode of GHOST TOWN.
Ghosting may be a phenomenon commonly associated with millennials, but through its offbeat yet relatable discussion of the topic, Ghost Town proves that the decision to leave someone without explanation isn’t one that falls exclusively to one demographic.
Nor are the experiences of ghosting the same for everyone, as DesOrmeaux and her guests explore in each episode.
“I think it’s irreverent and without an agenda,” says DesOrmeaux of Ghost Town. “The show isn’t trying to solve anything having to do with the ‘ghosting’ trend. It’s just trying to take ownership of its universality. It’s truly comedic (and honestly gorgeous?) that we all at some point choose to abandon someone after giving them an evening (or up to many months) of our life. All of us do it! Hilarious!”
NOTE: DesOrmeaux says that GHOST TOWN will be closed-captioned on her YouTube channel.
ON THE WEB: http://savannahdeso.com/ghosttown
YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/channel/UCDo6QLyKQxmlGdEnZfq2O0g
INSTAGRAM: @savannahdeso a.k.a. https://www.instagram.com/savannahdeso/channel/