Executive producer Carey Lundin is rebooting her wildly popular 2008 social media hit, “Citizen Kate,” for a second term on the 2016 campaign trail, to air from the February primaries through the presidential inauguration next January.
Knowing that Millennials, 18 to 34, are America’s largest voting bloc “and the fact they don’t necessarily connect to any of the candidates in either party,” Lundin and her partners felt an urgency to revive their hit 2008 series.
“An estimated $4.4 billion will be spent on political advertising this year – and next to none of that will reach Millennials, so ‘Citizen Kate’ will be a voice in a crowded media space for underserved Millennial issues,” notes Lundin, a veteran political strategist and award-winning documentarian.
There will be a new face of “Kate” for 2016. Led by casting associate Erin Malysa an audition will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 12-13 for the two lead roles of optimistic reporter Kate Soglin and her best friend and severest critic, Alexa Lopez.
Malysa is seeking experienced SAG-AFTRA improv actresses in their mid-twenties, with a lot of energy who can meet a demanding travel schedule. Callbacks on Friday, Jan. 15.
Interested talent should contact their agents to set up an audition appointment. Contact Malysa at emalysa2@yahoo.com.
“This role will get a lot of media coverage and I think it’s a star turn for whoever wins,” says Lundin.
The audition takes place at Viva Lundin Productions’ office at 314 W. Institute Place, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Lundin and partners Pink Hippo Productions, plan to produce 20-to-30 social media episodes, ranging from 5-seconds to 5-minutes, as Kate and her posse interview key players in races in battleground states and visit college campuses in those states to help turn out the vote.
“Citizen Kate” 2008 was a social media phenom. Its 90 short episodes aired for 18 months and racked up two million views, through distribution by Verizon fios TV, Brave New Films and as an official YouTube partner channel.
“We learned that real life will trump what we script,” says Lundin, who created the series with LA -based John Heinsen, one of the world’s foremost experts on transmedia storytelling and a former Fox TV comedy executive.
“But to control the quality of the story, we can mix together real life and real people with improvisers, to create very satisfying, character-driven stories.”
Lundin says they’re also looking for a second writer for the show and for a publicist or PR firm “with a track record of connecting with Millennials.”
Lundin can be contacted at carey@vivalundinprodctions.com.
