During the WGA Strike, my buddy Hunter and I were sweating our ovaries off picketing together in the summer heat. Hunter was able to do something very few men have been able to: make me laugh. So, in true LA fashion, we thought, why not turn this friendship into #content? Thus, GETAWAY was born!
GETAWAY is a half-hour comedy + thriller about codependent besties who quit the LA hustle and move to Joshua Tree in search of a simpler life — but things take a dangerous turn when the secrets they thought they left behind follow them out to the desert. Will a geographical move cure their existential dread? Or is the unfortunate reality true: WHEREVER YOU GO... THERE YOU ARE.
GETAWAY explores codependent friendship, the mounting gentrification of the California desert, escaping toxic romances, and how guilt festers like an open wound until it demands you face it. You can now read our pilot HERE, or DM us and we will perform it for you (SAG rates apply). Enjoy our baby and let us know what you think!
My favorite part of collaborating on a project is the relationship that forms during the harrowing process that is writing. Less of a sweet blossoming friendship and more of two old war buddies who have been through the trenches together. It’s a deep bond that lasts long after hitting that final ‘Save’ on Final Draft.
As mostly a solo writer, I always get a little nervous gearing up to co-write something. Despite being the loudest person on the planet, I fear my ‘voice’ will somehow be silenced. But like most of my fears, this one proves to be all in my head. I find collaboration, especially on scripts, to be like a relationship on steroids: it requires deep trust, care, and most of all the humility to be part of something larger than yourself. You have to know which battles are worth fighting for and when to trust your partner that the Peleton joke you think is brilliant is actually so 2017.
For me, writing is often something that can only be enjoyed in retrospect. With the script done (for now), I find myself nostalgic for Hunter and I’s endless texts, shared Google docs, and ranting voice notes. And those tender first days when our baby was still gestating and not yet birthed. An idea is like a gift from the universe. It’s the funniest inside joke and the juiciest secret. It’s heaven, right here on earth.
No matter what happens next for GETAWAY I find myself once again in awe of what writing has done to me. I am no longer the person I was before this project. GETAWAY forced me to excavate deep nuggets I’d long since tried to bury and bear witness to someone else doing the same. It’s an intimacy you just don’t get when catching up over a cup of coffee and it’s my favorite way to make a friend.
In the spirit of trying to show the writing process alongside the final product, I wanted to share some texts Hunter and I exchanged while in the trenches writing GETAWAY. Enjoy!
Hi JESSE,
As usual I am so proud of the way you are growing and expanding in so many ways. I just want to let you know I’m available for auditions and casting calls. I can definitely play an oddball from a small desert town! Hugs, Roya.