If you haven’t been watching Awkward Embraces, you’ve been missing out on one of the best shows to come along in any medium. Yeah, you heard me. It’s that good, and that funny. Awkward Embraces tells the story of three friends – Jessica, Candis, and Lyndsey – and their dating misadventures. It’s a simple concept, but what makes the webseries special is not only the incredible chemistry between the three leads and the sharp writing, but the fact that the lead character is an honest representation of a geek girl.
Awkward, but charming; naive about relationships, but willing to learn; beautiful with a real body, not the anorexic “beauty” too often favored in Hollywood; Jessica is a joy to watch because she feels like a real person. She also feels like a real female geek, dropping Star Trek references as easily as she breathes; feeling the desperate need to explain why her Star Wars t-shirt is funny even when it’s clear the person she’s speaking to won’t get it, or care. When I saw the episode where Jessica loses herself in talking about “Darmok,” her favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, I squealed loudly thinking, “That’s my favorite episode, too!!” What every woman I’ve introduced to Awkward Embraces, geek or not, has said to me after watching is “Oh my God! This sounds like me and my friends!”
The Awkward Embraces Season 2 party at Celebrity Vault in Los Angeles gathered some of the creme de la geek: Alexis Cruz (Skaara in Stargate), Robin Thorsen (Clara of The Guild and a guest star on an upcoming episode of Awkward Embraces!), Michelle Rodriguez (Ana Lucia on Lost) who was guest-DJing that night, as well as the Awkward Embraces leads themselves: Jessica Mills, Candis Phlegm, and Lyndsey Doolan. The event, hosted by Comikaze, was also a benefit for the charity Gamers United, which provides comics and games to children’s hospitals. The place was packed with comics professionals, webseries creators, geek writers/hosts, and even a Slave Leia – all there to support a webseries that seems to have come from nowhere to being on its way to becoming a true geek phenomenon a la The Guild! When Awkward Embraces didn’t have enough funds to finish their second season, they started an IndieGoGo campaign to raise the $10,000 they need to complete it. They’ve already exceeded their goal with two weeks to spare! Clearly, the show has passionate fans and supporters who don’t shy away from an awkward embrace.
I spoke with writer/star of Awkward Embraces, Jessica Mills, about her work, the show, diversity in the entertainment industry, and what it’s like to be geekdom’s newest heroine!
How did you come up with the idea for Awkward Embraces?
Jessica Mills: I’ve had a lot of bad dating stories – I think everyone has a lot of bad dating stories – but my thing is, rather than be upset, I would rather turn it into comedy. So I would always go to work after a horrible date and tell everybody at work and make it funny, make it a funny story. So I had this stock of funny stories. So, I wanted to do something on the web, I made a short film about the worst story, which is the donut story. [S1, Ep4 - “The Morning After”]
So that’s a true story?
JM: Oh yeah, that’s true! I did not leave it on his doorstep. I brought the donuts back and we awkwardly ate them before never speaking again. But, you know, “things got weird” isn’t really a good way to end an episode. “And then things just petered out kind of weirdly…” [laughs]
We had so much fun shooting the donut episode that everybody was like “Let’s do more!” So, I pulled from my stock, and now I pull from other stories and things that people tell me.
So, it was originally only the episodes it takes to tell the donut story?
JM: It was originally a short film, so it was [just] the donut episode. And actually, there’s footage of the guys sitting on a couch talking. Initially it was going to be the guys talking about what happened, the girls talking about what happened, and then flashbacks to what happened. But then, once I wrote the rest of the season, I didn’t have anymore “guy perspective” stuff, so we ended up cutting that out so that it would fit more with the rest of the series.
How did you meet Lyndsey and Candis, and did you try to meet people who spell their names weird on purpose? Lyndsey with a “y”, Candis with an “i” – where did you find these people?
JM: [laughs] We went to college together! So, yeah, maybe it’s a Texan thing with the weird spellings? But all three of us are from Texas and we all went to college together.
What I love about Awkward Embraces, aside from the geekiness, is the fact that you’re all gorgeous but you all look normal. Was that a conscious thing when casting the show?
JM: That’s definitely one of my philosophies, that people don’t have to look “perfect” to be watchable. I think people want to see people who look like them, I think they’re tired of… And, you know, there’s nothing wrong with someone who’s a size 2 as long as they fit the role and do a good job in it. But I get tired of these really pretty people who aren’t very good actors who get work over and over and over. So, with my production company and what I do, one of the things I wanna do is only cast people because they fit the role, because they’re brilliantly funny, and not give a damn about…I don’t care what color you are, I don’t care what size you are, whatever. If you do a great job and you fit that role, you’re gonna have it, and people are gonna love watching you because you fit the role and you’re really good.
I wanted to talk to you about your production company [Project A Productions], because I looked at the trailer on your website, and…
JM: Oh, you were the one! [laughs]
I’m curious about Death Echoes, and about your other projects. What’s going on?
JM: Death Echoes is a feature, which requires quite a bit of money, so it’s sort of on hold. I love the script, so I definitely want to rework the script if I do [end up doing] it. It’s the first thing I ever wrote, so there’s some rough patches in there that I want to smooth out. But I would still love to do it.
Other than that, I’m developing a couple of other web series at the moment, because I just love it! When I’m stuck in traffic, all I do is think of stories I wanna tell. So, if I come up with something cool, I start to develop it, and then I’ll start to find people who might wanna work on it with me. Nothing is solid enough that I can be like “oh yes! i have this new thing that I’m gonna do!” but it’s there, in the works.
Do you consider yourself a writer? An actor? Are you a hyphenate? Or is it something you don’t even think about?
JM: No, I do. People really want me to pick. I guess, there’s a theory that you can’t be equally good at more than one thing, and that’s a fair assumption. But I do what I love, and I’m not going to stop doing what I love just because….I don’t know. It’s a very strange place for me. I was nothing but an actress for fourteen years. Then I started doing this, and suddenly I was a writer and a producer, and discovered I really love writing and I love the process of producing, but I’m still an actress. I produce things for myself to act in still! So, I don’t know what to call myself anymore. People ask me what I do, and I just say I create web content. That’s the only thing I can think of to say. That’s the easiest sort of short explanation, but I can’t pick a favorite over acting, writing, or producing. But would I produce something that I weren’t acting in? Maybe? Would I act in something I weren’t producing? Um, yeah! Would I write something that I weren’t producing or acting in? I don’t know? You know what I mean? It’s very weird. I”m having a crisis. [laughs] Not really, but… It’s true, though, because labels become so important in how to market yourself espeically here [in L.A.].
That actually leads into my next question: it seems like a lot of the popular webseries come out of L.A. Do you think there are certain advantages to being here? Do you think someone where you come from in Texas could have a webseries be as successful? How do you feel that location contributes to your success, or having access to certain things?
JM: Well there have been successful webseries out of other places. My friend in Austin sold a webseries which did fairly well and won lots of awards and stuff, so it is possible. I think as far as being here, you have access to guest stars, I guess, so that gets you a little more notoriety, a little more press…Plus, there are all these mixer events. You can go to the TubeFilter event and talk to those guys, then get written up in TubeFilter. Your ability to network and meet people and hand them your business card and then have them take a look at your show then mention your show to someone, that kind of thing? I think that helps a lot. I think it’s kind of necessary. I don’t know that I would be as successful if I had done it in Texas, because I wouldn’t have been….
Plus as far as finding people to work for free, and really talented people, this is where people go when they really wanna have a career. So it’s easy to find people who are just starting out that are really passionate, really excited. They just want a project on their resume, they just want to meet people, they just want to network, so they’ll work for free or for cheap because they’re on their way working their way up, and the work is really good! There are a lot of advantages to being here, or in New York.
What about the production end of it? Getting props for free and stuff like that?
JM: That part is actually easier elsewhere, because everybody is shooting all the time here. Plus, there’s permits and stuff like that where, if you don’t have a lot of money, you have to figure out ways around it. But if I were in Texas and I wanted to shoot on a street corner, as long as I’m not blocking traffic, nobody cares. Here, if I shoot on a street corner, they’re going to be like “Where’s your permit? Where’s your insurance?” So, producing is much easier somewhere else. Plus, when you’re not the one millionth show shooting that week, people are much more excited about “Yeah! Come to my house!” They wanna see what it’s like, and they’re cool. But here it’s like “Ugh! Really?! Another one?!” [laugh]
[Note: This interview took place 16 days into the Awkward Embraces IndieGoGo campaign. They were at $6,000 in 16 days. They are currently over their $10,000 with about 15 days left in the campaign]
How are fundraising efforts going?
JM: The IndieGoGo campaign is going phenomenally! We’re so blown away by the support for the show. We’re just so excited….yeah…I can’t even talk about it I’m so….I mean, I start to think about it and my brain just goes *beep*.
Do you think events like GeekGirlCon are necessary? [Jessica will be on a panel at GeekGirlCon this year!]
JM: I think it’s good that we’re having them for sure – like the Geek Girls Exist panel [at SDCC] last year and GeekGirlCon. We’re pushing through barriers slowly but surely, like we’re starting to have more of a voice and more of a presence to be like “We are geek consumers, too! We’re here! We’re just like everyone else!” I think it’s awesome that we’re starting to celebrate that and bring more attention to that. I think it is necessary. And I’m ready for Hollywood to portray a geek girl who doesn’t wear glasses, maybe. It all goes back to normal people. It’s OK to have normal people in entertainment!
Check out Awkward Embraces, now in its second season! Season 1 as well as the 3 current episodes of Season 2 are all available at their website! And if you’d like to help make Awkward Embraces even better, you can donate at their still-running IndieGoGo page HERE and get some sweet rewards, or donate on their website. Speaking as someone who’s tried producing a webseries before, I know how difficult it is, and how little (read: nothing) everyone is getting paid. If you want to keep quality work like this out there – out there, and not beholden to a studio that would likely change everything good about it – put your money where your browser is!
Words and pictures by Teresa Jusino.
