i can’t even follows pop culture enthusiasts, Em and Lex and their fandom adventures. It is the debut series for creators Hayley and Alyce Adams and stars Louise Cox and Tiana Hogben.
What inspired your web series?
The series was born out of a love for web series and a desire to work together. Alyce and I always planned to work as a team, maybe one day on TV, and web series just felt like the perfect place to learn. The characters are also extreme versions of ourselves, so we really didn’t have to look far for ideas!
Why did you choose web series as your format?
We love online content and have been avid subscribers of countless Youtube channels for years, so it was a medium that we knew very well. But, our exposure to it meant that a lot of the ideas we were having would best belong online as a web series. We felt like the audience for the type of show we wanted to make was online, so it was a natural decision to structure our idea into a web series.
What are the steps you took to build on your story and production from Season 1 to Season 2?
For the second season, we basically crewed up much more strategically. This time around we have one cinematographer, one production designer, one key editor and 3 directors across 6 episodes. Our aim was to be more consistent and also make everything look better! For season 1, it was all about experimenting and learning, but for season 2 we took it much more seriously in pre-production to make everything run smoother when shooting. It really is about building a team of people you like and respect.
Season 1 was based on movies and Season 2 centres around TV shows. Was this intentional and did you find any difference in incorporating the references into the series?
That is a really interesting point, and to be honest, it was not intentional! The first season in a way was easy to write, because we could cover the biggest franchises like Harry Potter or Star Wars, but in the second season we had to look for other untapped material. The show does focus on specific pop culture, but of course it’s always better when there’s a big enough audience who is going to get the references, hence why we have a Game of Thrones episode this season. Incorporating the references is the best part of writing any episode and it’s the same process whether for film or TV. The only rule is that it has to be from a fandom we enjoy.
What was your target audience and how did you build a relationship with them?
Our target audience were really people just like us, people who loved obsessing over TV, books, films – anything pop culture related – so the initial relationship was already established because we had them on Facebook. Wanting to extend our reach, we used sites like Tumblr and went to conventions like Supanova, where we knew we would have the best chance of a receptive audience. Through that, it really then turned into word of mouth. The show is niche and there isn’t much content out there like it, so if one person liked the joke or got the reference about Drarry (Harry Potter & Draco Malfoy) fanfic, they’re more likely to tell their friends because it’s not seen in traditional media.
How did you approach the marketing of your series?
Season 2 hasn’t officially come out yet, so that will be an interesting process. We have a few people hanging around from season one, waiting for more episodes, but we’re still treating it like we’re starting from scratch. We’ll be launching all at once, and pushing it pretty hard. With binging culture, it just feels like we’re asking too much of the audience to come back every week, or even every few days. If they like it, we want them to be able to watch everything at once. We’ll also be launching on Facebook shortly after, which is different to season 1. Facebook video has just become so prevalent, that it’s too hard to just stick to YouTube.
What are the challenges you came across while making your series and how did you overcome them?
I don’t know if you can tell, but our series relies on a lot of pop culture references and images. Therefore our biggest problem was copyright – and it still is! At the start, we tried to avoid it where we could, but we quickly realised that our show didn’t work without it. The internet is a strange place and is governed a little like the wild west, so we came to the conclusion that if we did get told to take our content down, then we were probably doing something right for it to be big enough to get a huge company’s attention. (Which sadly? or happily? hasn’t happened yet.)
What did you want to achieve when you created this series?
For us, we had small but specific goals for the series. Firstly, we wanted to create something that we could show others that demonstrated our style and interests. Girl power + nerds. Check. As a sister duo team, it was also a test to see if we could make something together. Thankfully we are both still alive and were even willing to do a second season, so a definite success. Lastly, we wanted at least one of our episodes to reach 1,000 views. That may seem like a small number, but we know of a lot of other series that really struggle to break that first hurdle. I think it’s important to define metrics like that for yourself, but also to be realistic. Expecting 100,000 views is setting yourself up for disappointment. Luckily all our episodes ended up moving past our 1K mark, so for us we considered the series a success.
What advice would you give to emerging creators?
Think small. I know that sounds kind of counter-intuitive, but especially for first time creators, make your idea achievable. Making a web series is hard work, especially when everyone is working for free or for very little money. Cutting down on cast and crew means that it will actually get made. That sci-fi series that requires a lot of extras and special effects? Save it for the next one. Learn what doesn’t and does work on a small series first – that way you haven’t wasted your time and money even if it isn’t a huge success. There’s a reason why our series only has two characters and is set in one location. Sometimes having those limitations can actually help you come up with a great (but practical) idea.
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