Frequently Asked Issues Questions
Q: So what’s the deal with Season 2?
A: As Yoda would say, patience you need! After season 1 of Issues wrapped, key members of the production team were struck with some major setbacks, including writer/director Scott Nap, who spent a major portion of 2009 without a home after his family’s place was destroyed by flooding.
Q: What can we expect in Season 2?
More geeky goodness of course! The show will return with shorter episodes in a longer season format. Some characters you loved to hate will show up again. Some characters you assumed were dead will return (hey, it’s a show based on comic books, and with those suckers, NO ONE stays dead). New writers have joined the team to put our characters through more retail madness. And despite some stated opinions, this show isn’t a rant about how people hate retail work. It’s a show about how strange that world can be. Where else is Zeke going to get the inspiration to write….oh wait, we’re getting ahead of ourselves, aren’t we? Stay tuned!
Q: Are Zeke and Mack going to hook up?
A: You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?
Q: Will Jared strike back?
A: Oh, Mr. Sain. He is down and out after the Comic Relief crew punk’d him into oblivion. If he does come back, he’ll be a much more humble man.
Q: Who is spying on the Comic Relief team?
A: Jared was defeated. Maybe that spy’s work is done?
Q: Then what about The Owner?
A: Oh, our Emperor Palpatinean overlord is still watching…and if he needs to, he will strike. But for now, the Comic Relief crew is more concerned about simply getting through the day with money in the bank and some semblance of sanity.
Q: Any hopes to get comic book writers/artists/fans on the show?
A: We would LOVE to have people cameo as themselves on Issues! We’d be thrilled! Just email us when you’re free! Kevin Smith, Seth Green, call us! Geoff Johns, we’re talking to you!
Q: How can I be on the show?
A: Email us at issuestheseries@gmail.com for more information!
Q: So how did Issues come about?
A: After graduating college, Scott began developing a script set at the Jersey Shore. After the WGA Strike, Scott found film work in the tri-state area scarce and grew frustrated with the lack of opportunities for recent graduates. Scott wrote scenes during his lunch breaks while working as a bookstore supervisor, using several customers as inspiration for show fodder. Following up with his former employer at Comic Relief in Lawrenceville, Scott was able to get the green light to film the show in his former workplace.
Q: Is it true that the show’s lead writers have never met?
A: Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. Scott lives in NJ, Joey in California. They’ve known each other for nearly ten years, but no, they haven’t met. The collaborations began due to a shared love for all things geek, particularly Star Wars, superheroes and the film world. Ain’t technology wonderful?
Q: How did casting go?
A: For season 1, the casting was pretty smooth! Kevin Sebastian, Sarah Croce and Autumn Weisz were locked in early on in production after stellar auditions. Dan Halden auditioned for Zeke but immediately became a favorite for Leslie. Tom Hanley wowed the casting team after writing and delivering an original monologue in character as antagonist Jared “In” Sain. Louise Flory won a tight race for the part of Mack after a strong audition and perseverance with the NJ Transit system. Joanne Colan and Noah Rothman were brought on early as Zeke and Gwen while Katie Ritz was the final piece to the puzzle, after submitting her audition tape via DVD.
Q: What’s this TCNJ connection all about?
Scott graduated from The College of New Jersey. While there, he worked alongside future Issues editor Michelle Dunlap and her boyfriend (future Issues jack-of-all-trades) Eric Owens. Two members of Scott’s previous film, Danielle Tararuj and Tristan Kamrad, became Issues lighting assistants. What prompted this collegiate “Napotism” was actually residual frustration from the strike in 2007- it was becoming increasingly difficult to get on board a production unless it was shot in New York or LA, and those productions often used feeder programs from city-based schools. So Scott found like-minded people in search of projects from around the greater Comic Relief area and life. Scott’s sister Colleen, an award-winning collegiate graphic designer, developed the logo and opening credit art. High school friends Jess K. Witty and Matt Schwabauer helped in the casting. Even Scott’s girlfriend Jaime helped track down props!
Q: So apparently there was a spooky connection between Tom Hanley (Jared) and Scott?
A: Tom Hanley (Jared) and Scott Nap were both working on senior film project at the same time. While Tom focused on the ghosts of Monmouth University, Scott chose to film a project focusing on a ghost story from TCNJ. Hanley was written up in the Asbury Park Press while Napolitano was covered by The Trentonian. They didn’t realize they had read about the respective projects until after Tom was cast.
Q: Apparently unexpected connections happened a lot on set!
A: You’ve got that right, bub! Dan Halden (Leslie) was brought on board before editor Michelle Dunlap became attached to the project. It was only after looking at the show’s official facebook page that Dunlap realized she had attended the same high school as Halden and had known him through theater projects.
Q: Did you guys actually film during store hours?
A: If we interrupted your Sunday browsing at Comic Relief, we apologize, but yes, we were the idiots with the camera and bright lights. Several store customers can be seen in the background, adding to the meta-feel of the show. Production began in earnest in September of 2008 and wrapped on November 30th of the same year.
Q: Where the heck did Ennis come from?
A: Ennis is the brainchild of actor Sean Beattie. He and director Scott Nap attended the same high school. When Scott spoke about filming Issues, Sean suggested a character that spoke only in gibberish. As a result, Ennis was given life and became a recurring character throughout season 1.
Q: Did that holdup scene cause problems?
A: Um…no? (shifty-eyed look) While several people outside of the store looked quite confused as to why Kevin Sebastian had a gun to Noah Rothman’s head, we DID station crew members outside to reassure them it was all a part of the show. You think the cameras would have been a clue though…
Q: Is that a real sword Mack is using?
A: Louise (Mack) became quite accustomed to tapping into her inner Highlander during filming. While the sword is made from real metal, the edge is dulled. However, that did not stop the actress from practicing between takes to get a sufficiently flashy look and sound for when the camera rolled. And while the joke on the show is that Mack has a penchant for broadswords, the blade she uses is actually considered a ‘bastard sword’. Yeah, we don’t make this stuff up. But since Mack is ‘one tough broad’, the weapon was christened Blanche, the Broadsword (mainly because it was meant to cause enemies to get a little pale). Blanche will return in Season 2.
Q: The window. Talk.
A: The most asked question about season 1 of Issues is probably ‘did you actually break the front window of the store or is that an effect?’ Oh…if only. Prompting months of ‘To soon?’ jokes, the destruction of the Comic Relief storefront forced the production team to get creative with the blocking of shots for Episode 5 and Episode 6. Thankfully, Comic Relief’s owner did not throw Scott into the rancor pit they suspect is under the rug in the back room after finding out about the mishap…
Q: How many of the retail situations from Season 1 are based on reality?
A: More than we’d like to remember. The story of Zeke’s first day in retail is actually a fairly accurate retelling of what happened to Scott’s first day at work while in high school, while Jared’s antics are inspired by a radio DJ several crew members knew.
