Touchpoint Films launches Whatever, Linda, a web series about women on Wall Street who made off with more Ponzi money than Madoff
Touchpoint Films is pleased to present Whatever, Linda, a compelling new type of original series that’s bringing network-level production quality to the web series, and changing the way people consume and interact with content online.
Whatever, Linda is a dark and funny dramedy. It’s 1978 and young Linda Thoroughbred is down and out in New York City. Attractive, cunning and newly divorced, Linda is a victim of circumstance, downtrodden by the burdens society has placed upon her. She’s so broke she’s drinking pickle juice. The series starts with Linda winning a sweet entry-level gig as a secretary at a high-flying Wall Street financial firm. Approaching her wit’s end, and seeking her own brand of justice, she meets three other similarly disenfranchised women at work and recruits them in a plot to stick it to the man through a diabolically lucrative, Madoff-esque Ponzi scheme. The plan makes the four fast friends and makes them fast money, but they quickly realize that getting away with a Ponzi scheme isn’t as easy as it seems, and that the cost for getting ahead is often paid in blood.
Whatever, Linda explores female-driven storytelling and feminism in the workplace, both themes that are very relevant in the current cultural zeitgeist. The series was created by a dream team consisting of co-creators, writers, and producers Julian De Zotti and Hannah Cheesman, Toronto and Los Angeles-based interactive agency Secret Location, co-executive producer Mackenzie Donaldson, producer Kevin Saffer and Touchpoint Films, and director Matt Eastman. View the series trailer above.
“Coming from advertising I’ve had a tricky relationship with female characters,” says Matt Eastman, director of Whatever, Linda and creative director and resident director at Touchpoint Films. “Sadly, I’ve done the ‘beer babe’ thing in the past. So, with ‘Linda,’ I really wanted to lose my ‘male gaze.’ The series really is a feminist parable, in my mind.”
“The idea of a woman committing large-scale fraud is anathema to how we are inclined to think of the ‘gentler sex,’” adds Hannah Cheesman, co-creator, writer, producer and star of Whatever, Linda. “The dramatic possibilities therein made themselves immediately apparent and felt exciting right away.”
Touchpoint Films partnered with Secret Location to produce the 10-episode series around an interactive platform, with an online-oriented distribution and design strategy in mind. All episodes of Whatever, Linda will be available on a responsive website hub at Whateverlinda.com, which will make episodes viewable on desktops, tablets and mobile devices. The site connects fans to the narrative and immerses them in the story world. It features content including studio guides for each of the main characters with content pulled from in-character Instagram and Twitter accounts, infographics displaying the hierarchy of the show’s invented corporate world, and feminism through the ages as seen through the perspective of Linda Thoroughbred. Using groundbreaking, cross-platform, custom-built share technology created for the series by Secret Location, images and short videoclips can be shared across social sites like Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr, putting control in viewers’ hands and allowing them to socially curate the content they feel is most compelling. A section of the website hub also allows viewers to give ideas for the second season of Whatever, Linda, putting control even more firmly into the hands of fans.
“Whatever, Linda is a new approach to creating and distributing online content,” says Kevin Saffer, founder and executive producer, Touchpoint Films. “The series has been strategically designed to form a deeply engaged fan-base and provide long-term scalability for the narrative and characters. Not only does it give the audience a great story, but it also gives them the power to control how they engage with it.”
“It’s indisputable that the internet is the new frontier for creative content and is quickly becoming how most people consume media,” adds James Milward, founder of and producer at Secret Location. “We were thrilled to be involved in this production not only because of the compelling plot and amazing team attached, but also because it offered an opportunity to jump into the waters of actually producing original scripted content online.”
Whatever, Linda, was produced with the participation of the Independent Production Fund and made possible with the support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation. The series stars Cheesman as the tall, blond and cunning Linda, Little Mosque on the Prairie’s Sheila McCarthy as Linda’s office manager, and Shit Girls Say creator Graydon Sheppard as Linda’s cross-dressing prostitute neighbour. All episodes of Whatever, Linda can also be found on the YouTube channel ThisIsDrama, a U.K.-based producer and distributor.
Prior to its official launch on March 16th, Whatever, Linda received widespread acclaim and many international awards, recognized by over 15 festivals and awards to-date. Highlights include: three wins at Raindance WebFest, United Kingdom, for Best Lead Actor, Hannah Cheesman as Linda, Best In Production and the Raindance Discovery Award for Best Writing; selection as Miami WebFest’s Best In Festival; three wins at Vancouver WebFest for Best Drama, Best Canadian Series and Best Original Score; and three Canadian Screen Award nominations for Best Original Program or Series produced for Digital Media – Fiction, and two for Best Performance In a Program or Series produced for Digital Media – Fiction for Hannah Cheesman and Terra Hazelton. Beyond these recognitions, the series’ key team members were on-hand to present a panel at the lauded SXSW Interactive Festival, speaking to the subject of “An Internet Odyssey: The Next Gen Of Webseries.”
Whatever, Linda represents a new stream of creative output for the now three-year-old Touchpoint Films, as the majority of the company’s portfolio is commercial advertising and branded content. “We love working with major brands and agencies to bring creative ideas to life,” adds Saffer. “But getting back into narrative and long-format production has always been part of our business plan. We are looking forward to developing and producing more longer-format projects in the future.”
About Touchpoint Films
Touchpoint Films a boutique production company specializing in all aspects of creative and commercial production. Whether it’s a commercial or a scripted web series, a guerrilla advertising stunt or an experiential installation, our clients can always rely on the same care, attention to detail, and passion for the work.
Our roster of collaborators is made up of talented filmmakers with a wide breadth of expertise, who work together to make great branded and original content.
Touchpoint is located in Toronto, Canada with a satellite office in Los Angeles. To find out more please visit www.touchpointfilms.com
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