Great American Roadtrip! Kickstarter for Season 3 of LGBT Series 'EastSiders' Underway

The great American road trip is about to get a lot gayer. EastSiders, the Indie Series Award-winning LGBT series from writer/director/actor Kit Williamson, has announced that their third season will follow the show’s central characters Thom (Van Hansis, five-time Daytime Emmy nominee for his work on As The World Turns and EastSiders) and Cal (Kit Williamson, Mad Men) as they hit the highway from New York City to Los Angeles. Will this be the trip of their lives, or the end of the road?

The producers have launched a Kickstarter campaign to complete the new season. The journey home to Silver Lake was shot on-location in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada and (of course) California over 35 days last fall. Now the production is seeking funding for additional shoot days, and post-production costs. The campaign is set to run until June 6th, by which time they must have raised their minimum goal of $60,000 or they will not receive any of the funds. The first two seasons of the series were also financed through crowdfunding, with two successful campaigns raising over $178,000.

Previous cast members Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat), Brianna Brown (Dynasty, Devious Maids, General Hospital), Stephen Guarino (Happy Endings), Willam Beli (RuPaul's Drag Race) Traci Lords (Crybaby), Matthew McKelligon (You're Killing Me), Jonathan Lisecki (Gayby) and John Halbach are all set to return. Additional cast members will be announced during the Kickstarter campaign.

Kit Williamson & John Halbach to Host Indie Series Awards

Multi-hyphenate artists and filmmakers Kit Williamson and John Halbach will host the 8th Annual Indie Series Awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, at 8:00 PM PT.

"We are so excited to be hosting the ISAs," said Williamson and Halbach. "It's a great event for content creators to come together and celebrate their work over the last year and we are honored to welcome everyone to a very special night."

The ISAs celebrate the best in independently produced scripted entertainment created for the Web. In total, 48 series from around the world are nominated in 29 categories.

John Halbach and Kit Williamson are actors, internet entrepreneurs and husbands, best known as the producers and stars of the Emmy-nominated LGBT web series EastSiders. The series is now available on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and Fullscreen, and distributed on DVD and VOD by Wolfe Video. John and Kit both began their careers acting on Broadway before turning their sights to the web, and are now documenting their adventures as newlyweds with an ongoing travel series for Out Magazine.

Kit Williamson played the role of Ed Gifford on the final two seasons of Mad Men and can currently be seen alongside Chris Hardwick in a national campaign for Comcast Xfinity. In addition to writing, directing and starring in EastSiders, Kit has sold pilots to CBS and Super Deluxe. He is also a travel writer and gay rights activist who has written for The Advocate, Out Magazine, Out Traveler, The Huffington Post Queer Voices, The Fight Magazine, Indiewire and The Jackson Free Press. He is also the co-founder of Brooklyn Web Fest and Content Creator Conference, now in its third year.

John Halbach is an actor, producer and social media expert with an advertising agency background, whose clients have included: Fun Home, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Disney on Ice, Disney Live, Marvel Universe Live, Rituals Skincare, Chef Chris Santos, The Empire Hotel, Fusion TV and The History Channel.

John and Kit are the co-owners of Go Team Entertainment, a production company and digital strategy agency whose clients include HarperColins, MGM Resorts, Key West Tourism, Out Magazine/Here Media, AHF, Freixenet, Audi, Parke and Ronen and numerous Broadway shows and digital series.

The couple resides in Silver Lake with their cat Albee, and you can follow them at @kitwilliamson and @johnhalbach. Al doesn’t have his own Instagram, but he is heavily featured on his dad’s accounts, much to his annoyance.

Since 2009, the Indie Series Award has honored the most creative and progressive talent in independent web series.

The 8th Annual Indie Series Awards will be held on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, at The Colony Theatre in Burbank at 8 p.m. PT/11 p.m. ET.

To find out more about the Indie Series Awards, visit indieseriesawards.com.

'EastSiders' Is Back And The Relationships Are More Complicated Than Ever

EastSiders stars Van Hansis as Thom and Kit Williamson as Cal.

Indie Series Award-winning drama EastSiders is back! Season 1 ended on a bleak note for Cal (Mad Men's Kit Williamson) and Thom (As the World Turns' Van Hansis) with Cal moving out of their apartment when it seemed like they couldn't get past each other's infidelity. Season 2 begins with Cal and Thom waking up in bed with another guy, a threeway that Cal barely remembers. With their trust issues still unresolved and new boundaries being explored, will their relationship be able to survive?

The series, which was created by Williamson, also stars Fresh Off the Boat's Constance Wu, Matthew McKelligon, John Halbach and features guest appearances from Sean Maher, Stephen Guarino, Brea Grant, and Traci Lords. Brianna Brown, who was terrific this summer on Devious Maids, is a fascinating new addition for season 2 as Cal’s sister, Hillary.  Other newcomers include Satya Bhabha, Adam Bucci, Vera Miao, and Willam Belli.

With top-notch production values, a talented engaging cast and fascinating complicated relationships, EastSiders is must-see Web TV for fans of great character drama.

Watch the Season 2 trailer below:

'EastSiders' Season 2 Trailer Released

EastSiders stars Van Hansis and Kit Williamsone star as Thom and Cal.

Indie Series Award-winning EastSiders has released a trailer for the show's upcoming second season. Things didn't look good for Silverlake couple Cal (creator Kit Williamson) and Thom (As the World Turns Emmy nominee Van Hansis) when last we saw them.

Based on the new trailer, it looks like they are opening up their relationship to help keep it alive, but will that work?

If you're looking for a continuing story with drama, humor and heart, EastSiders might be the one for you.

EastSiders also stars Constance Wu, Matthew McKelligon, John Halbach and features guest turns from Sean Maher, Stephen Guarino, Brea Grant and Traci Lords. Brianna Brown (Devious Maids, General Hospital) joins the cast this season as Cal’s sister, Hillary, along with new additions Satya Bhabha, Adam Bucci, Vera Miao, and Willam Belli.

Season 2 is being released through Wolfe Video and Vimeo on September 15. You can pre-order the entire second season here.

Watch the trailer below:

5th Annual Indie Series Awards Red Carpet Show (Part 5): Jane Espenson, Brad, Bell, Caitlynne Medrek, Kate Conway, Lindsey Middleton, Sierra Hersek, Lisa Gifford, Karolina Sivas, Rob Healy, Ron Hanks, Robert Keller, John Halbach, Matthew McKelligon

Out With Dad

In Part 5 of We Love Soaps TV's 5th Annual Indie Series Awards Red Carpet Show, Michael Goldberg chats with Jane Espenson (Husbands), Brad Bell (Husbands), Caitlynne Medrek (Out With Dad), Kate Conway (Out With Dad), Lindsey Middleton (Out With Dad), Jason Leaver (Out With Dad), Sierra Hersek (Dark Pool), Elisar Cabrera (3some), Lisa Gifford (3some), Karolina Sivas (Broken at Love), Rob Healy (Broken at Love), Ron Hanks (Golden California), Deshaude Barner (Orange Juice in Bishop's Garden), Robert Keller (Gay Nerds), JP Larocque (Gay Nerds), John Halbach (EastSiders, Wallflowers) and Matthew McKelligon (EastSiders).

Watch Part 5 (Episode 5.30) below:



RELATED:
- 5th Annual Indie Series Awards Red Carpet Show (Part 1): Carolyn Hennesy, Sebastian La Cause, Christine Lakin, Eric Martsolf, Darin Brooks & Kelly Kruger
- 5th Annual Indie Series Awards Red Carpet Show (Part 2): Lisa Roumain, Darcie Siciliano, John Cramer, Jade Harlow, Vanessa Verduga, Michele Kanan, Sean Kanan, Brent Bailey, Joanna Sotomura, Jessica DiGiovanni, Brennan Caldwell & Josh Duboff
- 5th Annual Indie Series Awards Red Carpet Show (Part 3): Cherish Lee, Kit Williamson, Brea Grant, Dane Ohlrogge, Kelsey Jorissen, Coco Fernandez, Jonathan Holbrook, Jillian Clare, Patrika Darbo, Brandon Goins, Colleen Zenk & Philip Cook
- 5th Annual Indie Series Awards Red Carpet Show (Part 4): Charlene Tilton, Michael Caruso, Walt Willey, Sharon Farrell, Brian Beacock, Nate Golon, Lisa Kay Hayward, Jason Leaver, Aaron Tsang, Brent Bailey, Jessica Martin, Robert Bergin & Bhama Roget

Watch the Latest Episode of 'Wallflowers': Bryce and Jane Get Cold Feet

Wallflowers' Jolly Abraham and Robert Bogue.

In the newest episode of Kieran Turner's Indie Series Award-nominated web series, Wallflowers, Bryce (Patch Darragh, Mercy), and Alex (John Halbach, EastSiders) have been seeing each other for a while but have yet to have a relationship defining conversation. That that all changes when a post coital push notification pushes the subject. Fred (Robert Bogue, Guiding Light) and Jane (Jolly Abraham, Onion News Empire) must also evaluate their situation in light of the impending visit of Fred's daughter.

Set in the witty, cruelly comedic dating world of contemporary New York City, Wallflowers details the ensemble exploits of a tight knit group of sassy, creative Gen-X stragglers coping with the ecstasy and the agony of single life - as members of a Manhattan support group for the hopelessly single.

Watch the episode ("V") below:

WALLFLOWERS: Episode 3 The one with the new assistant and the casting couch

WALLFLOWERS has returned! This week's WALLFLOWERS introduces a new gay character, Wade, played by Daniel Abeles (Smash) and features another steamy encounter between Bryce and Alex (Patch Darragh and John Halbach) What is the story with Wade? What is going to happen with Bryce and Alex? Check out the latest episode to find out!

For more on WALLFLOWERS and to catch up on previous episodes, visit STAGE17.tv.

'EastSiders' Announces Second Season; Willam Belli, Satya Bhabha, Adam Bucci & Vera Miao Join Cast

Indie Series Award-winning EastSiders, a critically acclaimed dark comedy starring Van Hansis (As The World Turns) and Kit Williamson (Mad Men) as a gay couple trying to stay together in the aftermath of infidelity, has announced that the series will return for a second season. The production will launch a Kickstarter campaign to finance the show on April 14.

Written and directed by award winning playwright Kit Williamson, EastSiders, explores the aftermath of infidelity on a gay couple in Silverlake, CA.

"I'm so excited to take the show back where it started: in the fans' hands, on Kickstarter," said Williamson. "This is a very unique moment in time where audiences have the power to say what kind of stories they want to see told. We've been so lucky to have found an amazing community of viewers that have been with us from day one, and continues to grow every day. I hope they want to see more from us, because I am so excited to continue telling this story.”

INTERVIEW: Kieran Turner, Robert Bogue and John Halbach Preview WALLFLOWERS Season 2

Created, written and directed by Kieran Turner (Jobriath A.D.), the web series WALLFLOWERS centers around a group of thirtysomethings dealing with life in New York City, who come together in a group for singles. At its heart, WALLFLOWERS highlights the bonds of friendship and the magic of love. Romance plays a major part in the show's second season, airing on STAGE17, and we are introduced to two potential new couples in the premiere--sexy and sweet Alex (John Halbach, EASTSIDERS) & cynical Bryce (Patch Darragh) and cocky Fred (Robert Bogue, GUIDING LIGHT) & feisty Jane (Jolly Abraham).

Love is universal, something we are all looking for. Daytime soap opera fans who are missing their daily dose of “love in the afternoon,” can check out WALLFLOWERS and find it, along with deep friendship, love, humor and romance.

We Love Soaps recently had the chance to speak to Kieran Turner, John Halbach, and Robert Bogue about the second season of WALLFLOWERS and more. Read our exclusive interview.

WE LOVE SOAPS:  Kieran, how did you come up with WALLFLOWERS?
KIERAN TURNER:  It was something that I had written as a pilot several years ago, but it was a little different. It wasn't necessarily focusing on that specific age group of older thirtysomethings I wrote it as a pilot just to see if I could write television and I kind of shoved it in a drawer and didn't do anything with it. I had made a film, a documentary called Jobriath A.D., about the first openly gay rock start star, and this was in 2012, and had been on the festival circuit with it. The programmers there had invited a web series called THE OUTS to participate. I wasn't very well versed in web series. But I was very impressed with what the folks at THE OUTS had been able to do. It had good writing, good production values, it looked really professional, and I realized people were actually doing it to this level and it was amazing.

WATCH: EASTSIDERS Season Finale

On the first season finale of EASTSIDERS, it's moving day. Kathy (Constance Wu) and Ian (John Halbach) patch things up and then Kathy helps Cal (Kit Williamson) pull his life together to say goodbye to Thom (Van Hansis) with dignity. Thom wakes up in Jeremy's (Matthew McKelligon) apartment and makes a surprising discovery. Thom and Cal finish packing.

Check it out below:

EASTSIDERS Tackles Abortion In New Episode

LogoTV.com series EASTSIDERS joins the list of programs in television history that have tackled the controversial topic of abortion. In the new episode, out today, Kathy (Constance Wu) decides to terminate her pregnancy without notifying her boyfriend Ian (John Halbach).

“It was really important to me that Kathy's abortion be handled without any judgement," say series creator (and star) Kit Williamson. "Growing up in Mississippi, the subject of abortion was almost verboten. The sole abortion clinic in the state is constantly under siege by both protestors and lawmakers, with a steady barrage of "regulations" and limitations threatening to undermine a woman's right to choose. It's a fact of life that many women in their mid-twenties have abortions and in a way I felt like avoiding the story the characters were presenting would make me complicit in stigmatizing those women."