There’s no doubt that Bushwick is a vibrant place where food, culture, community, and entertainment intertangle. Well now a setting for a new series, can be added to that list. “Myrtle & Willoughby” is the name of the humour-filled, millennial-centric mini-series that was recently released on Vimeo.
Brittany Tomkin and Jorja Hudson are the masterminds not only responsible for creating the series, but for portraying the two lead characters Myrtle and Willoughby. There’s elements of Brooklyn throughout the show. While most of the influence is from Bushwick, the names of the two lead characters were actually inspired by a subway stop.
“There’s a stop on the G train called Myrtle-Willoughby Avenues. One day I was riding by it and I thought that those would be fun names for two young female detective characters,” said Hudson.
Myrtle and Willoughby make up the Millennial Crimes Unit where finding missing iPhones and attending yoga class all for the sake of solving a crime seem absurd yet commonplace in their lives. “I just had this image from early on that they’d be these goofy cartoon-ish women trying to prove themselves in the world,” explained Hudson.
Myrtle and Willoughby take the viewer along for all types of misadventures. However according to the show’s website the main plot line explored deals with, “a twenty-something [that is] found dead in a Bushwick gallery with a bag of Molly and an unsent text message.” Myrtle and Willoughby become obsessed with this crime and risk everything (even brunch) to get to the bottom of it.
The series is also pretty relatable and touches on the nuances of the millennial experience in Brooklyn. “At some point, you’ll meet a character that has three jobs. Then you see later that Willoughby actually has 16 roommates,” Hudson told Bushwick Daily.
Like many millennials Myrtle and Willoughby fight to prove their importance and impact throughout the series.
“[They are] experts who aren’t really taken seriously by people that are older than them or other people in the precinct, but at the same time all the other millennials that need their help take them very seriously, ”explained Tomkin.
Choosing Bushwick as the setting was purposeful and added the spice the creators felt the show needed. “Bushwick is just so [special] and colorful.There so much street art and graffiti everywhere. We thought it’d be a very vibrant looking environment,” explained Hudson.
Tomkins and Hudson wanted the authenticity to really shine through, so you might notice a local business or two make appearances in the series.
“We were lucky enough to work with a bunch of local Brooklyn businesses including Dunwell Donuts, Clara’s Bar, Woops Bakery, The Starlight Bar and Grill, Shaktibarre and others,” said Hudson.
The series has been picking up steam in the festival circuit. “We got to go to some great festivals. Just For Laughs was a lot of fun. We won best short form pitch last year,” said Tomkin.
Tomkins and Hudson were also lucky enough to work with a pretty talented cast and crew from various friends and connections in the NYC comedy and entertainment world.
As for what’s next, they plan on sharing the series with as many people as possible. “[Since] we only released [two] weeks ago we are still in the midst of figuring that out. But I’m also excited for whatever comes next because this was a fantastic experience,” explained Tomkin.
To participate in all the absurdities, watch the show on Vimeo or on the official website. Also check out the show’s Instagram for updates on all things “Myrtle & Willoughby.”
All images courtesy of Myrtle & Willoughby.
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