Mock Travel Show About Jersey City Will Screen at New York Television Festival
By Jon Whiten • Sep 18th, 2009 • Category: Arts, Blog
If you were browsing your TV listings and came across something called Lost Cities, you’d most likely think it was a History Channel show about Atlantis or something along those lines. But the pilot for a show of that name screening next week at the New York Television Festival is nothing of the sort. It’s a mock travel show about Jersey City.
“Me and my comedy partner Pat have been meaning to make a Jersey City-central show for around four years now,” Lost Cities‘ creator Dan McNamara explains. The duo made a pilot two years ago that took place in Jersey City but wasn’t really about it, he says. That was known as Redeeming Rainbow, which starred Kristen Schaal from Flight of the Conchords. McNamara says Lost Cities is much more focused on Chilltown. “Everything [in the show] has to do with Jersey City,” he says.
McNamara, who lives Downtown, describes the show as “Rick Steves’ Europe meets Reno 911!. … It takes the travel show format and mixes it with a sketch comedy format. Each segment is a sketch but it’s shot in the travel show format.”
He says he’d be open to expanding the show beyond Jersey City’s borders, but that rests largely on what kind of budget it is given if it’s picked up. “If it’s a small budget we would stay in Jersey City,” he says.
McNamara, who also performs in New York monthly with his comedy group The Upset Triangle, says he’s excited about the festival and has high hopes that someone will notice his pilot.
“It’s a great opportunity for unestablished and independent content creators to get their work viewed by industry types; whether it be a production company or a VP of original development at a cable station or network,” he says. “Pilots that have been selected in the past have been bought by NBC, A&E, and HGTV.”
Even if the pilot doesn’t get picked up, he notes, “it’s a great opportunity for making contacts.”
Screening info:
New World Stages
340 W 50th St.
NYC
Comedy 6 Block:
1st screening: Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6:15 pm
2nd screening: Friday, Sept. 25 at 5:00pm
Tickets are free and can be reserved here.
Check out the trailer:
Like what you've read here? Please consider making a donation or becoming a sustaining member. As a grassroots news organization, we rely on community support -- as well as paid advertising -- to survive.
Jon Whiten is the founding editor of the Jersey City Independent; he now works for a public-policy nonprofit in Trenton.
Email this author | All posts by Jon Whiten
