Life isn’t just defined by the way you live it. It’s also defined by how you react to the good and bad moments that can occur in a single day. For comedian/filmmaker Todd Montesi, the power of humor has helped him to understand the often unusual happenings and off-kilter personalities that he’s seen in his native Brooklyn.
As the creator and star of his own comedy web series PN And Friends, Montesi has found endless storytelling possibilities in Brooklyn’s many idiosyncrasies and unique characters. In each of the show’s monthly episodes, Montesi (portraying the positive-thinking yet incredibly naive PN) connects with an assortment of idiosyncratic city dwellers who become as much a part of his daily doings as the neighborhood he lives in. Montesi’s title character responds to the absurdity around him with his own hopeful point of view, even if the situations he gets enveloped in don’t always end happily.
Tackling everything from gentrification, racism and political divisions to the hardships of life during the COVID-19 pandemic, PN and Friends features Montesi co-starring with a troupe of equally funny supporting actors from the New York comedy world – some of whom, like frequent collaborator David “The Voice” Stein take their already comical personas to an even more manic level.
PN and FRIENDS star/creator Todd Montesi.
Equally notable are the performances of Taiger Williams as PN’s scheming Uncle Groper, Kenzie Klem as PN’s love interest/fellow vegan (also named Kenzie) and Ian Ghent as Kenzie’s irascible boyfriend/nemesis to PN, Ian. By the way, did we mention that one-time White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci pops in during two of PN‘s episodes?
These performers, plus the genuinely lo-fi production aesthetics of PN and Friends‘ monthly episodes and the “slice of life” comedy approach it shares with shows like Larry David’s classic Curb Your Enthusiasm, make for a surreal yet entertaining series that Montesi proudly calls “Seinfeld on crack” – taking on hot social topics while upending an assortment of traditional sitcom tropes.
As Montesi prepares to continue production of PN and Friends, he chats with Snobby Robot about the origins of his web series and the role his life as a Brooklyn-born comedian/resident has played in the creation of PN‘s zany characters and plot points.
Snobby Robot: What (and/or who) inspired you to create PN & Friends, and how was the show developed?
Todd Montesi (“PN”, series creator): I wanted to create a sitcom based on my offbeat brand of humor. Part of the (show’s comedic) elements (are) based on myself, like the “living with my grandmother” bit, and (me) being a huge wrestling nerd. After my appearance on the HBO series Crashing, I was trying to pitch it around the industry but no one really “got” it, so I had to create it myself.
I had no money but I just wanted to get my story out there, so (I) used whatever we got (smartphones, natural lighting, funky offbeat paths, etc.) It soon developed into its own crazy thing once I started shooting episodes, and we’ve been having fun ever since (“we” being the cast, crew and fans of the show).
SR: Talk about the character “PN” that you play in this series, and how he relates – or tries to relate – to all the wacky personalities he meets in each episode.
Montesi: PN is the sunny protagonist in a dark absurd world. He tries to do the right thing and lead an honest life amid the chaos of post-modernity. He’s “a man-child who’s just trying to be a man.” We see him lead his regular life and go through everyday sitcom calamities, only to come out the same cheery guy as before. PN contrasts with the rest of the characters on the show by being so “pure” (to the point of self parody) but soon a story behind that will be revealed – maybe even a conspiracy? – that would really unravel what the story is truly about. (Think Pinocchio in a 21st century dystopian setting.)
SR: As a born-and-raised Brooklynite, how has your life there – and the people you’ve met over the years – inspired the funny plot lines and characters of PN & Friends?
Montesi: I’m constantly mining my own life for story arcs and beats for the show. New York City is such a struggle (especially when you’re poor) that it forces you to be creative just to keep sane, and we include that in the show. We’re taking the Seinfeld formula and making it smoke crack.
Foreground, L-R: PN and FRIENDS co-stars Melissa Weisman, Todd Montesi and David “The Voice” Stein. Background, L-R: Co-stars Keith Mackler, actor/musician/stuntman Leek Wynder (as himself) and Matt Nagin.
SR: Were any of the storylines and characters based on real events/real people, or were they exaggerated for comedic effect? If so, are there any examples of such?
Montesi: A little of both. Since we’re putting out full episode content monthly, it forces us to have a quicker turnaround so we shoot the episodes Curb Your Enthusiasm style.
We have an outline story and the actors basically improvise scenes, with me feeding key lines when necessary. We give our actors lots of creative freedom on how they approach their characters, which makes the show feel real despite the anarchy displayed on screen.
David “The Voice” Stein, for example, is the actor playing an unrestrained version of himself. It’s fascinating seeing the performers playing fun house mirrors of themselves. Again, it adds a sense of realness to the surreal-ity of the content.
SR: How has the show’s comedy and production style evolved since it began?
Montesi: We’re still basically using the same things we were before (smartphone, natural lighting) but we’ve become better filmmakers & crafters of storytelling. Filmmaking is about (using) the limitations you’re dealing with to tell the story you want to tell, so it made us constantly think of ways to “be concise” and “succinct” in production since we didn’t have luxuries bigger budget (productions) have. It also forced us to shoot differently and expand on the idea of how to relay narrative to the audience. That’s the fun part of posting these monthly episodes. You can literally see and map out our progression.
SR: What’s been the production process like overall for PN & Friends?
Montesi: Usually I work out an outline, set up shoot dates, see who are available etc. Before the pandemic I’d walk all around the city and note interesting places to use for future scenes. I also believe in letting the story “tell itself” so I’m very flexible when it comes to the scripting. For example, if an actor is not available for a scene or cancels at the last minute, we improvise and make it work.
Then after we finish shooting I take the footage, sequence it, then send the edit list to my frequent editing collaborator, comedian Joe Pontillo. There are so many funny talented people out here in the scene and I just want to promote and put them out there. They deserve to be stars because they are stars.
L-R: David “The Voice” Stein and Todd Montesi.
SR: Your most recent episode centered around the COVID-19 quarantine, and featured a hectic video chat scenario. How did that episode come together, including for the “commercial” segments interspersed within the video chat and character vlogs?
Montesi: I was planning a new story arc for the series when obviously the pandemic threw a wrench on that. It made me reconsider what I want to do and say with this project. All this content is basically promoted to push it to bigger content platforms like HBO and Netflix.
With this pandemic, I looked at it as an opportunity to address what’s really going on psychologically with society and kick up the satire. I wanted to keep the story going no matter what, so we made the “Quarantine Years” content for it. One of the great things about the sitcom format is that it can actually address society directly and deconstruct it, kind of like an old relic of classical theater. Again, (I) let the story write itself out.
I was helping out a comedic performance artist named Satan (also a character in my series) and we thought it would be a kick to start a church via Zoom (with the idea of attracting Zoom bombers and making fun of them in a controlled environment but within the PN universe). Of course, only 2 people checked in (friends of the show) and it became a funny joke in itself.
It was my first time using Zoom so I did not save in gallery mode for that segment. I edited it, in a way, with extra remote content. I had to make it a cool stylistic “TV” watching experience. Again, don’t get frustrated when creating, look for solutions all around you. In the end it came off as a great segment that also pushed the overall story/show mythology forward.
SR: Two of PN & Friends’ episodes feature guest appearances from ex-White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci. How were you able to get him to be part of the show, and what was it like working with him?
Montesi: We got his cameo by literally hiring him via Cameo, the app where you can get greetings from celebrities. We’ve used Scaramucci a bunch of times via the app and you can tell he’s in on the joke too. (We) appreciate his contributions and him having a sense of humor about it. You can tell he really gets into these.
L-R: PN and FRIENDS co-stars Todd Montesi, Kenzie Klem and Ian Ghent (from the episode “The Crush”).
SR: You’ve described PN & Friends as “Good Times meets Curb Your Enthusiasm with a little bit of Adult Swim thrown in for flavor”. Discuss how the show pulls off that stylistic approach while also addressing important social issues – racism, gentrification, politics, etc. – and subverting classic sitcom tropes.
Montesi: Again, we shoot with smartphones. Even though the cinematic aspect might suffer from the lo-fi aesthetic, we get more natural actual reactions from the actors and environment.
You get away with a lot more shooting with a smartphone than with a Canon 5D (camera). People let their guard down and you’re most likely will get an interesting response from your environs.
For example, we did an episode where Satan hires PN & Friends to help promote his brand. We ended up outside Penn Station trying to get people to high five him during Christmastime and it was a very hilarious “man on the street” segment, which culminated with a construction worker bellowing “Satan is freezing! Tell him to go back to hell!” It’s a real New York City show, and we try to use all our professional expertise & film-making gumption to make something random, cool, weird and accessible.
SR: In terms of audiences, who do you think would like to watch PN & Friends?
Montesi: Comedy fans really dig it, as in people who are kind of jaded by mainstream comedic content. We’re going to quadruple down on the weird and mysterious and also, always with the funny. We have a cult following and hopefully our acolytes will start spreading the PN gospel as we enter our show’s third cycle. Instead of seasons, we mark every 10 episodes as a cycle.
SR: Besides its comedic approach and lo-fi production methods, what do you feel makes PN & Friends unique from other sitcoms?
Montesi: Its energy and verve. Lots of TV shows are too glossy (and) too pretty (to the point) that it feels out of touch. Our show is strange but in a (realistic) way. It’s comfort food and abstract postmodernism at the same time. It’s Seinfeld on crack!
SR: Finally, what do you hope people get out of watching PN & Friends?
Montesi: I hope people see the humanity in it, and that weirdos can be heroes as well.
Watch all episodes of PN and Friends on YouTube: