My Roommate's an Escort is a Canadian comedy web series created, written by, and starring Katie Uhlmann and Trish Rainone.[1] All 11 episodes of the first season are directed by Uhlmann, and the series premiered on YouTube on April 3, 2017. Rainone plays a non-confrontational, small-town girl living in Toronto who suspects her new roommate Kesha, played by Uhlmann, is a call girl.
| My Roommate's an Escort | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by |
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| Directed by |
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| Presented by |
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| Starring |
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| Composer | Julian Francis Adderley |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 11 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Production locations | Toronto, Ontario |
| Cinematography | Russ Goozee |
| Editor | Julian Francis Adderley |
| Running time | 4–7 minutes |
| Production company | MRAE Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | YouTube |
| Release | April 20 – April 20, 2017 |
Background
editMy Roommate's an Escort was written by Katie Uhlmann and Trish Rainone. Uhlmann and Rainone met at a mutual friend's party and bonded over similar ideas about creating "strong female-driven content." The series went from concept to completion in twelve months.[2]
A preview for the series debuted at the 2017 Toronto Short Film Festival.[3]
Plot
editEach episode opens with the same intro, establishing the house where most of the series is set. The same music plays for the intro and outro. Heather, a girl from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, now living in Toronto, finds a new roommate online, Kesha, who may or may not be a private escort. Heather passive-aggressively tries to find out more about Kesha, unintentionally getting dragged into her world and the sketchy characters who inhabit it. In each episode, Heather retreats to vent at her one place of solace, a tattoo shop.
Cast
edit- Katie Uhlmann as Kesha
- Trish Rainone as Heather
- Bobby Del Rio as Sam
- PJ Lazic as Terry
- Stephanie Baird as Megan
- Alan Peterson as Golden Jimmy
- Jane Luk as Jen
- Natasha Bromfield as Susie
- Juan Carlos Velis as Bernie
- Matthew Willson as Jazz
- Angela Asher as Joanne
- Barbara de la Fuente as Ronda
- Ellen Dubin as Ginger
- David Sparrow as Daddy
- John Tench as John Jebovah
- Jake Raymond as John
- David Emanuel as Ricky
- Aisha Evelyna as Kristy
- Karlo William as Guillaume
Reception
editThe Globe and Mail reviewed it positively, describing it as "wry and a bit bonkers" but "endearing and quite funny" and "highly polished for a low-budget production."[4]
Awards and nominations
editAwards:
2018 Best International Series – Miami Web Festival – Miami, USA
2017 Best Web/New Media Award – Kapow Intergalactic Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA
2017 Best Actress – Katie Uhlmann – Yes! Let's Make a Movie Festival, Montreal, Canada
2017 Audience Choice Award – Austin Revolution Film Festival, Austin, USA
2017 Director's Choice Award – Best Web Series – Austin Revolution Film Festival, Austin, USA
Nominations:
2018 Best Comedy – Vancouver Webfest – Vancouver, Canada
2018 Best Web Series – Miami Web Festival – Miami, USA
2017 Best Actress – Katie Uhlmann – TO Webfest – Toronto, Canada
2017 Best Actress – Trish Rainone – TO Webfest – Toronto, Canada
2017 Best Trailer – Bilbao Web Fest – Bilbao, Spain
References
edit- ^ Kelly, Brian. "Roommates inspire Rainone's project". Sault Star. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ^ Hadley, Chris. "MY ROOMMATE'S AN ESCORT: TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT PEOPLE, LIVING UNDER ONE ROOF". Snobby Robot Transmedia Magazine. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ^ Anderson, Jason (10 March 2017). "The Last Laugh gets extended run at Hot Docs". The Star. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ^ Doyle, John (3 April 2017). "John Doyle: Online and on TV, April is the coolest month". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 14 April 2017.