On Valentine’s Day we tell you about a love story, a Kickstarter campaign, a team of talented creators and a huge passion for web series.
I prepared a very original Kickstarter campaign…». How could I do not write about this amazing story on Valentine’s Day? This message was from Yas Bou, “madly in love” with Maude Morisette, creator of the Canadian web series “The Dump”. «She has been working on this project for 2 years, day and night», continues the message, «and invested all her savings. Instead of buying a house, we put everything in a web series about puppets. We may be a little insane!»
“The Dump” it’s an original web series, that describes itself as a show in which “South Park meets Sesame Street”. The new season of this web series, that stars cheeky puppets, is going to come and is asking help with the Kickstarter campaign, offering really interesting and interactive rewards. Moreover, the campaign is an initiative from Yas, who simply wants Maude to do more of what she loves, always surrounded by her close friends and talented collaborators. «I have a corporate job but I always feel energized when I’m surrounded by creative people. Whether it’s on a set or at festivals meeting amazing creators from all around the world». To learn much more about “The Dump”, I asked some questions to the madly in love Yas and to the amazing and talented Maude.
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When and how did you get the idea of “The Dump”?
Maude: It came to me in the middle of the night! I woke up and started drawing the puppets and imagining the universe where the characters live underground in the sewers! I also wanted a product that is easily marketable. After drawing all the characters I called a friend who’s really gifted with his hands and we hit the fabric store to gather the supplies. His mom is a very good seamstress and with her sewing machine we started making the puppets in their basement. It took 2 months to finish making them. For me it was really important to design original and imperfect puppets that don’t go unnoticed.
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When did the project start?
Maude: That famous sleepless night was in September 2014. Then, after designing the puppets I made a pilot with 2 friends and we presented it to Canadian broadcasters. There was interest but the timing was bad because of major budget cuts everywhere. Also, it’s not always easy to team up with other producers who don’t necessarily share the same approach. So in the spring of 2015, Yas and I drove on Route 66 in the US all the way to Los Angeles. I reflected a lot and I remember the moment! I was walking up a hill and I turned to him and said: “How about I do it independently? I take all my savings and put them in The Dump?” He said: let’s do it!
The French Canadian version La Dump (ladump.tv) was released in the fall of 2015 and the English one The Dump (thedumptv.com) was released in the summer of 2016. - Describe “The Dump” with three adjectives and explain them.
Funny: that one’s pretty obvious!
Fast-paced: that one’s even more obvious!
Fearless/eclectic: we push the envelope to offer something unique. -
Describe the main characters with a sentence.Beauty is a former small town pageant winner and a compulsive and naive alcoholic with the sweet voice of an old smoker. She eats whatever she finds: Q-tips, rocks, screws, paper. Everything except gluten!
Beard, President Trump’s illegitimate son, is the male with no alpha. He’s a strange mix between a Viking, a pirate, a cowboy, a Scot and he always carries a gun.
No-Faced Fairy, she does everything except help and cure people.
Dead Grandma, she passed away but they like to keep her around in case they need to reanimate her.
Coked-Up Newsreader, the paranoid news anchor who believes he’s a star.Dictator, the disconnected leader who tries to assert his authority by shouting gibberish. - The main characters are really…let’s say “outside the box”. Did you receive any attack, strong critique excetera, because of your characters behavior?No, not all. People understand the concept and idea. Viewers are used to South Park and Family Guy pushing the limits of what’s acceptable. Actually, Maude’s grandmother hates the show and thinks it’s unacceptable. Which is a good sign.
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I know that it’s a Maude’s idea, but Yas has supported the entire project in any way.To Maude: what did bring you to invest all your money and time in this project?
Passion and the desire to do things differently! I studied commerce before comedy and it’s a great way to mix both. And when I do something I’m all in so it’s natural for me to invest everything.
To Yas: What did bring you to support her in this “crazy for most people” idea?I know how talented and motivated Maude is. She’s stubborned and she doesn’t stop until she gets what she wants so I knew it was going to be successful. Plus, she has the best team of collaborators and it’s inspiring to be surrounded by creative people who follow their dreams and make things happen.
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Tell us more about the team behind the season one of The Dump.
Besides Maude the other writer and comedian is Simon Delisle a great up-and-coming standup in Montreal. David Gagné is the director and editor. He worked on many successful web series and he also works mainstream TV shows. You saw the editing and the pace of The Dump? It’s this guy. Simon Cohen is the script editor. He works with the most popular stand up comedians in the Province of Quebec and works on a few TV shows. Eric Trottier is the super assistant director, editor, everything. He can do anything: write, adapt, shoot, edit. The English voices are done by amazing actors Mike Paterson and Jennifer Morehouse.
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Season II is coming…Right? You started a crowdfunding campaign few days ago, in order to engage your fans and cover all the remaining costs. Is this right? Tell us something more about this Kickstarter campaign.
We want to include the audience and the web series community as much as possible. We want Season 2 to be a big party where everyone passionate about creating series is invited. That’s why the rewards are so “inclusive” where we invite backers to be part of the show literally. Also, we’ll keep the backers informed of all steps and share behind-the-scenes stories.
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The rewards are really amazing, especially (in my opinion) the one “DECLARE YOUR LOVE or even PROPOSE in the series”. Will you think there will be someone who will propose in the series? Maybe…Are there already someone who planned to propose in the web series?
We have 2 backers so far who will declare their love in The Dump Season 2. We exchanged emails already to see what they wanted to do. They’re creative! One wants to declare his love to his wife on the beach where they got married. He sent us a picture and we’ll do a funny animation of them. She likes the show so he wants to surprise her! The other one wants to declare his love to Poutine which a traditional Quebec meal. It’s fries, cheese and gravy. Our viewers are crazy!
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The second season will be more connected to our present, right? Tell us something more.
We want Season 2 to be even more topical and socially-engaged. Through comedy, we’ll address current events and social themes like the US and international news, LGBT rights and acceptance, environmental issues, racism, relationship with elders, gender equality, and more. It’s important for us that the series carries a strong message.
