Photo by: Sarah Marisa Newman
Photo by: Sarah Marisa Newman
Photo by: Sarah Marisa Newman
Katie Carpenter, whose vast array of credits range from nail-biting horror flick ‘All Girls Weekend’ to ‘House of Cards,’ tells us about ‘Maid to Order,’ the popular webseries about to kick off its second season on July 27 on its official website. Season 2 continues the story of two clueless roommates who start a fantasy maid service only to discover fantasy is just as hard to manage as reality. This time around, Margot (Carpenter) must maneuver urban Atlanta on her own, as June (Kendra Carelli) faces her own obstacles in Los Angeles.
How long of a journey has this – as in, the web series- been for you Katie?
It started about two years ago. We shot the pilot in fall of 2015, then season one in spring of 2016. The second season was shot this past spring.
Where did you get the inspiration for the story from?
I’d gotten several gigs off of Craigslist, and whenever I talked about them, people responded with a mix of shock and awe. So I figured out it wasn’t necessarily a normal thing. Then I saw all these ads for maids who dressed up and cleaned houses on Craigslist. I legit was about to apply, but then I wrote the pilot for ‘Maid to Order’ instead.
Was it shot in your neck of the woods?
Season 1 was filmed entirely in Atlanta. Season 2 was shot in Atlanta and Los Angeles.
Do you imagine a much different series had a major TV network got hold of it?
I think the kind of network that would be mutually attractive is one who would allow us to keep our identity. I’d be excited to work with them to polish our show in a way that would fit the network, but still stay true to the world we created.
I don’t imagine certain networks would be interested in the kind of raciness we bring to the table, but we’d be a perfect fit for Comedy Central, FX, HBO and Netflix. (If you execs are reading this, I generally answer my email 20 hours out of the day, so I will respond as soon as possible!)
How would you describe the tone of the show?
‘Maid to Order’ is bright, quick-witted and zany. Basically, it’s as if Kimmie Schmidt was transformed into a character from ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,’ and the story is set in Atlanta.
How did you choose your cast?
For the first season, I cast most of the roles along with our executive producers, Kevin Welch and Kendra Carelli. This past season, we had a few actors in mind we wanted to use for some of the roles, namely Clare Carey, Ana Marie Lagasca and Michelle Rose. But- we enlisted the help of a casting director, Morgan Landers, who works in casting at Tyler Perry studios. She found some great talent in LA and ATL (Atlanta)!
How has advances in technology opened up doors for you – both as an actress and one of the creative forces behind a web series like this?
The internet can be a beautiful and giving place. Think about it-you can post a video one day and it could go viral, and then doors which have never been open before are suddenly accessible. The possibilities are endless.
We’ve gotten a ton of encouragement from our supporters. I’ve had people contact me via email or on Instagram about movies or TV shows they saw me in from all over the world, which is really crazy.
I don’t consider myself a recognizable face or anything, so I’m very grateful for the people who continue to send kind words and good vibes. We hope we can get enough attention or produce a good enough project to get us noticed by a major network and take our show to a larger scale.
The internet can also be dark and terrible place. But when we see a handful of rude comments, I’m like, ‘They’re watching the show?! We’re getting enough publicity to get haters!’ You have to look at the positive.