My Roommate's an Escort explained

Genre:Comedy
Composer:Julian Francis Adderley
Country:Canada
Language:English
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:11
Location:Toronto, Ontario
Cinematography:Russ Goozee
Editor:Julian Francis Adderley
Runtime:4–7 minutes
Company:MRAE Productions
Network:YouTube

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.

Background

My 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

Each 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

Reception

The 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

Awards:

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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kelly. Brian. Roommates inspire Rainone's project. Sault Star. 14 April 2017.
  2. Web site: Hadley. Chris. MY ROOMMATE'S AN ESCORT: TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT PEOPLE, LIVING UNDER ONE ROOF. Snobby Robot Transmedia Magazine. 14 April 2017.
  3. Web site: Anderson. Jason. The Last Laugh gets extended run at Hot Docs. The Star. 10 March 2017 . 14 April 2017.
  4. News: Doyle. John. John Doyle: Online and on TV, April is the coolest month. The Globe and Mail. 3 April 2017 . 14 April 2017.