'Life's a Drag' Pilot Premieres at Brooklyn Web Fest; Series Crowdfunding for Next Episode

The multi-talented Ian Verdun stars as Melvin Everman in Life's a Drag.

Life's a Drag premiered at Brooklyn Web Fest on Friday, October 9. Based on the positive reaction from a packed theater, creator and star Ian Verdun has a hit on his hands.

Life's a Drag is a story about self-discovery as straight(ish) down-on-his-luck actor, Melvin Everman (played by Verdun), in an act of desperation, "inexplicably embarks on a journey that will lead him to Drag superstardom. Along the he'll will meet a host of colorful characters, some new and some old as he struts his way to glory. But before the crown is won, he'll have to go toe to toe with more than a few shady queens, and be forced to come to terms with the most damaged parts of himself, forever altering the perception of his own identity, and testing the foundations of his relationships."

Chatting with members of the audience at Brooklyn Web Fest, it was obvious the pilot made an impact. Viewers instantly cared about Mel and his friends, rooted for him, and against the boss that fired him (played by series director Sebastian La Cause, Hustling). The superb pilot script was full of humor and heart, and sets up a potentially fascinating journey for Mel that seems new and fresh.

I asked Verdun what inspired him to create Life's a Drag.

"Honestly, I wrote the first episode in three days after experiencing my worst year in recent memory," Verdun explained. "It was the kind of year where life just takes a huge crap on you...repeatedly...in rapid succession. Really, the only way I could retain any form of sanity was to write about. I think a lot of artists can relate to exercising their demons through their craft, I'm certainly no different."

Ian Verdun in Life's a Drag.

"I'm also a huge fan of RuPaul's Drag Race and I live in West Hollywood so drag almost seems like a constant element playing in the background of my life," he said. " I've always respected the craft of Drag Queens, not to mention the mystique involved in their profession. So Life's a Drag was born. It's a way for me as an artist to explore (and pay homage to) a group of artists who's world I find to be fascinating, and at the same time take an active part in making sure that quality LGBT stories, not to mention diverse stories have a place to be heard. I really love the idea of humanizing the world of drag; of getting to the moments out of the makeup and away from the spotlight, to tell the story of group of disparate people who are all drawn to this life, putting on perfect faces as they deal with all the very real drama present in their day to day lives. As an artist, I want the freedom to tell a story as truthfully as possible, and to shine a light on communities who's stories deserve to be told. And if that all sounds a bit too self-righteous, you could also say I just really wanted to see what I'd look like all dolled up. Suffice it to say, I wasn't disappointed."

The cast also includes Toofun West, Santana Dempsey, Amanda Hyde, Andy Gala and Stephen Guarino.

The Life's a Drag team is taking a slightly different approach to crowdfunding. The show is currently raising the money necessary to produce the second episode, and to get the word out, via an Indiegogo campaign.

The first part of the pilot is now available online. Check it out below:

Emmy Winning Web Series 'The Bay' Is Looking For A New Executive Producer

The team from The Bay celebrates the show's Emmy win.

The Bay won a Daytime Emmy earlier this year in the web series drama category. The show's production company, LANY Entertainment, is now looking for a new executive producer to oversee the show's next season.

"There are lots of wonderful irons in the fire right now, not only for the series, but for LANY Entertainment as a whole, and we are looking to partner up with a strong Powerhouse Producer on an Executive level who would be the perfect addition to our family and have the same passion as all of us," creator Gregori J. Martin wrote in a post on Facebook. "We feel this will not only be a great opportunity to continue to expand our Emmy Award winning series, but to help keep both my focus, and my partner Kristos Andrews, leading actor on the show's focus more so on the creative elements of the series. We have, not only a wonderful cast and crew, but a great producing team and would like to add that perfect EP leader/team player candidate to our roster!"

With Martin busy working on other projects, how about former General Hospital EP Wendy Riche helm The Bay? We've seen her receive "special thanks" in the show's credits in the past. Web series superstars Sebastian La Cause (Hustling) or Michael Caruso (Winterthorne) would be other excellent choices.

Who do you think should be the new executive producer of The Bay?

WATCH: HUSTLING Series Finale

Sebastian La Cause's HUSTLING was named Best Web Series - Drama at the recent 5th Annual Indie Series Awards. In the final two episodes of the series, Ryan's life takes another dramatic turn after the the Paper Magazine article from the sleazy Simon (Marc Sinoway) is published. Watch the series finale below to see how it all ends.

5th Annual Indie Series Awards Red Carpet Show (Part 1): Carolyn Hennesy, Sebastian La Cause, Christine Lakin, Eric Martsolf, Darin Brooks & Kelly Kruger

In Part 1 of WE LOVE SOAPS TV's 5th Annual Indie Series Awards Red Carpet Show, Michael Goldberg chats with actress and author Carolyn Hennesy, who brilliantly hosted this year's ceremony. Also featured are Sebastian La Cause, producer and star of Best Web Series - Drama winner Hustling; Christine Lakin, producer and star of Lovin' Lakin and one of Indie Series Awards judges this year; Days of our Lives star Eric Martsolf, a presenter who will appear in the upcoming zombie comedy Acting Dead; and Bloomers nominee Darin Brooks with Kelly Kruger, former star of The Young and the Restless.

Watch Part 1 (Episode 5.26) below and stayed tuned for more Red Carpet interviews soon.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Sebastian La Cause on His HUSTLING Journey and the Indie Series Awards

Sebastian La Cause's HUSTLING is nominated for nine Indie
Series Awards this year.

On the latest episode of WE LOVE SOAPS TV (5.22), Michael Goldberg chats with three-time Indie Series Award-winner Sebastian La Cause, who is nominated again this year in the "Best Lead Actor - Drama", "Best Writing - Drama", and "Best Web Series - Drama" categories.

La Cause talks about the evolution of HUSTLING over the past three seasons, and the show's upcoming finale. He also shares his reaction to this year's ISA nominations.

Watch below:



To catch up on HUSTLING, visit hustlingthewebseries.com. Follow Sebastian La Cause on Twitter @hustlingseries.

RELATED:
- WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Andrew Glaszek on HUSTLING and his Indie Series Awards Nomination

First Round of Presenters for the 5th Annual Indie Series Awards Revealed

We Love Soaps and the Indie Series Network are excited to reveal the first round of presenters for the 5th Annual Indie Series Awards, which celebrate the best in independently produced, scripted entertainment created for the Web. Stars from Television, Film, Broadway and the Internet are coming together to celebrate the very best of the World Wide Web.

The Indie Series Awards, hosted by Carolyn Hennesy, will take place on April 2, 2014 at the historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood.

The first 10 presenters are listed below:

Charlene Tilton

Tilton is nominated for her work in DeVanity. She is best known for playing the role of "Lucy Ewing" on the smash primetime hit Dallas. Her many television appearances include The Love Boat, Eight is Enough, Fantasy Island and Murder, She Wrote. Film credits include Edge of Salvation, Hemingway and Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker. In 2012, she appeared as a contestant on the British ice-skating show, Dancing on Ice.

Christine Lakin

Lakin made her film debut at age 11 in TNT’s The Rose and The Jackal. She is still remembered fondly for her work as “Al” in the sitcom Step By Step, which ran for a successful 7 seasons. Lakin voices multiple roles on FOX’s Family Guy, most notably as news anchor “Joyce Kinney”. She also stars in a recurring role on ABC Family’s Melissa & Joey. Other TV credits include True Blood, Breaking In, The Hard Times of RJ Berger. Her film credits include New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, Reefer Madness, You Again and the feature adaption of Veronica Mars. She will be appearing in the upcoming zombie comedy web series Acting Dead.

Indie Series Awards Spotlight: Lead Actor - Drama

The Indie Series Awards celebrate the best in independently produced, scripted entertainment created for the Web. In the next of our 5th Annual Indie Series Awards Spotlight features, We Love Soaps takes a look at the nominees in the Best Lead Actor - Drama category: J. Julian Christopher, BULK, Richard Cutting, Milgram and the Fastwalkers, Peter Halpin, 3some, Van Hansis, EastSiders, Jason Kuykendall, Dark Pool and Sebastian La Cause, Hustling. Watch the nominated work featured in an episode of each of their series below:

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Andrew Glaszek on HUSTLING and his Indie Series Awards Nomination

Andrew Glaszek plays "Jay" in HUSTLING.

On the latest episode of WE LOVE SOAPS TV (5.18), Michael Goldberg chats with actor Andrew Glaszek, who is nominated in the "Best Supporting Actor - Drama" category at the upcoming 5th Annual Indie Series Awards for his work as "Jay" in HUSTLING.

Glaszek shares thoughts on his first acting nomination, working with HUSTLING creator Sebastian La Cause and the evolution of Jay, and his passion around raising money for Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS in the annual Broadway Bares event.

Watch below:



To catch up on HUSTLING, visit hustlingthewebseries.com. Follow Andrew Glaszek on Twitter @AndrewGlaszek.

For more on Andrew's upcoming show, "Nothing But Trash," visit nothingbuttrashnyc.wix.com.

Indie Series of the Week Poll Results (February 9-15, 2014)

101 WAYS TO GET REJECTED was favorite
web series of the week.

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Indie Series of the Week" poll for web series that aired February 9-15, 2014.

101 WAYS TO GET REJECTED finished in first place this week, followed by FAMILY PROBLEMS, the season premiere of DEVANITY, and new episodes of YOUSTAR: ROAD TO FAME and HUSTLING.

Check out the complete results below including the Favorite Actor, Actress and Couple/Duo of the Week:

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	101 WAYS TO GET REJECTED	8	1
2	FAMILY PROBLEMS	1	14
3	DEVANITY	7	21
4	YOUSTAR: ROAD TO FAME	2	1
5	HUSTLING	-	2
6	THE BOYS WHO BRUNCH	-	0
7	LUNGS	5	1
8	OUR CULTURAL CENTER	11	0
9	THE WAITING ROOM	3	1
10	TEENAGERS	4	1
11	LOVEFAIL.COM	6	2
12	YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND	12	0
13	KISS HER I'M FAMOUS	-	0

See the rest of the poll results and watch last week's Top 3 Indie web series below:

HUSTLING Releases Three New Episodes: "Oops," "Smack," and "Pumpkin Seeds"

Jay (Andrew Glaszek) and Ryan (Sebastian La Cause).

HUSTLING, nominated for nine Indie Series Awards this year, has released three new episodes from its third and final season.

Episode 3.5 "Oops" - Ryan (Sebastian La Cause) gets a warning from Catherine. Jay (Andrew Glaszek) goes on an out-call, Geoffrey (Gerald McCullouch) tries to connect with Ryan; and Ryan takes Julien (Facundo Rodriguez) to a birthday party at Liv's (Jessica Press) where there is more than one awkward moment and a secret is revealed.

Episode 3.6 "Smack" - Ryan (La Cause) returns home after rescuing Jay (Glaszek) from a predicament to find Julien (Rodriguez) not too happy with his relationship with Ryan. Rosa (Daphne Rubin-Vega) spells out the details of her proposal, with the help of Ryan's mother Lena (Sharon Washington). Geoffrey (McCullouch) arrives late to work after spending some time with a trick. Joel (Kevin Spirtas) receives some interesting news and Geoffrey puts Ryan in an uncomfortable position; while Liv (Press) recounts a bad decision.

Episode 3.7 "Pumpkin Seeds" - Ryan (La Cause) and Geoffrey (McCullouch) deal with the aftermath of their awkward moment. Ryan recalls another event from when he first meets Jay (Glaszek). Liv (Press) puts her plan into action while Simon (Marc Sinoway) digs up more dirt.

Watch "Oops," "Smack," and "Pumpkin Seeds" below:

ISA5 Spotlight #1: Nominee Reaction - Carolyn Hennesy, Sebastian La Cause, Michael Caruso, Jillian Clare, Caitlynne Medrek, Armando Saldanamora, Kelsey Jorissen & Mike Donis

Nominees for the 5th Annual Indie Series Awards were revealed in a special episode of We Love Soaps TV on Wednesday. (You can find a complete list of nominees here.) The ISAs celebrate the best in independently produced, scripted entertainment created for the Web.

The 5th Annual ISAs will take place on April 2 at the historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, hosted by Carolyn Hennesy. Over the next two months, We Love Soaps will put the "Spotlight" on the nominated series, as well as the nominees in front of and behind the camera. Check out our first Spotlight feature below which includes reactions from Michael Caruso, Sebastian La Cause, Jillian Clare, Caitlynne Medrek, Armando Saldanamora, Kelsey Jorissen and Mike Donis.

ISA5 host and Single Siblings guest star Carolyn Hennesy:

The fact that my time on the Single Siblings set was one of the happiest work days in many moons for me is truly the cake. The nomination is the icing, the sprinkles and the delightful butter-cream rosettes all rolled into one. A sublime experience all around. So many thanks Meryl Hathaway, Chris Alvarado and my "hubs" Jim O'Heir! Excelsior!

Hustling producer/director/writer/actor Sebastian La Cause:

The support and recognition of Hustling by the ISAs is overwhelming and incredibly joyful. It's extremely motivating and will continue to inspire me well beyond the ceremony.

DeVanity producer/writer/actor Michael Caruso:

The cast and crew of DeVanity are so incredibly honored to be recognized alongside so many other series we love and respect. This is an exciting time for web series, and we are thrilled to be returning to the ISAs for the third year in a row.

Watch the MYTHOS Season 2 Teaser Trailer

MYTHOS won two Indie Soap Awards (now the Indie Series Awards) last year for its excellent first season. The show returns in late January for Season Two, and teased what's ahead in a new teaser trailer. Watch it below:

Indie Series of the Week Poll Results (December 29, 2013-January 4, 2014)

ADDICTS ANONYMOUS was voted favorite web series of the week.

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Indie Series of the Week" poll for web series that aired December 29, 2013-January 4, 2014. ADDICTS ANONYMOUS came out on top for the second week in a row.  The return of HUSTLING was next, followed by the mid-season finale of RAGGED ISLE's mid-season finale, and new episodes of KNOCKED DOWN and DECo.

Check out the complete results below including the Favorite Actor, Actress and Couple/Duo of the Week:

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	ADDICTS ANONYMOUS	1	5
2	HUSTLING	-	2
3	RAGGED ISLE	-	17
4	KNOCKED DOWN	3	2
5	DECo.	2	1
6	THE GALLERY	7	1
7	THE WALKING TEDD	-	0
8	GAYS ANATOMY	-	0
9	SERIES REGULAR	12	0
10	LUNGS	4	0
11	CONNECTIONS	-	0
12	INTERVENTION	6	0
13	TAINTED DREAMS	-	0
14	LINKS	15	0

See the rest of the poll results and watch last week's Top 3 Indie web series below:

Sebastian La Cause's HUSTLING: Watch The First Four Episodes of the Third and Final Season

HUSTLING kicked off its third and final season today with the release of four brand new episodes. The show follows Ryan Crosby (Sebastian La Cause), a male escort/adult film star who hits forty and realizes his life is not what he envisioned. He struggles with how to initiate change and uncovers a passion for cooking. With some tough love from his land lady (Daphne Rubin-Vega) and the help of a chef (Gerald McCullouch), who teaches him the ins and outs of fine cuisine, Crosby is set off on the path to transformation - which is filled with sex romps, peculiar situations and constant reminders of the world he's trying to leave behind.

The series explores how using sex as a transaction can create a false sense of control that once gone will leave you hustling to pick up the pieces and how in the end we are all struggling to live better lives.

Watch the first four episodes of HUSTLING of the new season below:

Sebastian La Cause, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gerald McCullough and Marc Sinoway at the HUSTLING Season 3 Screening on WE LOVE SOAPS TV

On the latest episode of WE LOVE SOAPS TV (5.9), Roger Newcomb traveled to Tribeca Cinemas on December 16th to speak with the stars of the three-time ISA winning web series HUSTLING at the show's Season 3 premiere screening.

Watch out our latest episode below featuring HUSTLING creator and star , as well as cast members Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gerald McCullough and Marc Sinoway.

HUSTLING Releases Season 3 Teaser Video

Season 3 of Sebastian La Cause's ISA-winning web series HUSTLING is coming soon. The show released a teaser video for the third and final season today. Check it out below:

WATCH: HE'S WITH ME Series Premiere

In the series premiere of HE'S WITH ME, Martin (Jason Cicci) meets Ted (Bradford How) for the first time in the bathroom at Val and Eddie's wedding, while Benny (Ryan Duncan) watches unamused. Val (Darcie Siciliano) tries to convince Martin to step outside his comfort zone; and Eddie (John Cramer) gets an ear full from Ted after a few rounds of whiskey.

HE'S WITH ME was directed, shot and edited by Sebastian La Cause, creator of HUSTLING and three-time Indie Soap Award winner.

Watch the first episode below and let us know what you think.

HE'S WITH ME, Directed by Indie Soap Award Winner Sebastian La Cause, Coming June 24th (Video)

Monday Morning Productions in association with Actorman Entertainment presents the new, original comedy series HE'S WITH ME debuting June 24th at 3 p.m. ET on YouTube. The series is the latest from director Sebastian La Cause, three-time Indie Soap Award winner from HUSTLING. Created by and starring Jason Cicci, HE'S WITH ME "observes the stumbling blocks inherent in navigating the waters of modern manhood."

Support New Seasons Of Indie Soap Award Winners DEVANITY and HUSTLING

Two of the best indie series out there, Indie Soap Award winners DEVANITY and HUSTLING, are both currently fundraising for new seasons. Check out videos from each below and click the links to go to their campaigns.

In this video, ISA-winning writer Michael Caruso explains why your contributions to DEVANITY mean so much.



Support DEVANITY's IndieGoGo fundraising efforts here (less than three days to go).

Below three-time ISA-winner Sebastian La Cause and the HUSTLING cast talk about their show.



Support HUSLING's IndieGoGo fundraising efforts here (21 days to go).

RELATED:
- Michael Caruso wins Indie Soap Award for Best Writing

ISA4: Brad Bell Wins Best Actor (Comedy)

At the 4th Annual Indie Soap Awards, HUSTLING stars Sebastian La Cause, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Jessica Press presented the Best Actor (Comedy) award.

The nominees were:
Ben Baur, HUNTING SEASON
Brad Bell, HUSBANDS
Sean Hemeon, HUSBANDS
Dane Joseph, DRAMA QUEENZ
Rob Michael Hugel, I HATE BEING SINGLE
Ed Robinson, PAIRINGS

Brad Bell won and gave one of the most memorable speeches of the night.

Oh crap, I really should have written a speech. And earlier I won for writing so the irony is not lost on me that I didn't write anything. This is the second thing I've ever won in my life. This really means a lot because I think some people look at the character of Cheeks as a stereotype or caricature or something two-dimensional. What I really wanted to do with this script and this story was to show that even if you have stereotypes, even if you are feminine and have long eyelashes, or you love Madonna, or you sashay down the street, it doesn't mean that you're not a fully developed human being and you don't have depth or dimension. My femininity is actually what gives me strength. It is not a weakness. To Jane Espenson and Jeff Greenstein, who directed a performance that I never would have delivered on my own, and my co-stars Sean Hemeon and Alessandra Torresani, I would not have been able to deliver without them giving me that energy, thank you. And really thank you so much for this. This means a lot to me.

Watch a montage of the nominees and the speech below: