The pilot episode for a new sitcom called Jobseekers, filmed in and around Derby by YSP Media, is scheduled for its first screening to an audience at the QUAD arts centre in Derby on 8 December. Guests in attendance at the exclusive premiere will include the cast, crew and supporters with a limited number of tickets available to members of the public on a first-come, first-served basis through the QUAD Box Office.
Following the experiences of friends Ben, Gaz, and Josh, (played by Joseph Maudsley, Adam Horvath and Ed Kear respectively), Jobseekers records the hilarious and sometimes ridiculous challenges and obstacles that each of them encounters and has to overcome in their respective efforts to find work after being reunited in Derby. Though a comedy, Jobseekers reflects the genuine struggles that some looking for employment face with the script being drawn from both actual and anecdotal experiences.
Filmed over 7 days in July 2013 on a micro budget, the Jobseekers pilot has harnessed the talents of experienced actors and a crew of professional film makers, several of whom met and studied in Derby before building their expertise in film making across a wide range of film projects. The film production company YSP Media was so impressed with the script from writer Lee Dilley, currently a student at the University of Derby, that it decided to help him to fulfil his dream of seeing his sitcom idea brought to the screen. It is hoped that Jobseekers will be picked up by a TV production company for development into a series and writers Lee Dilley, Paul Farrell and Beth Foster-Hunter have almost completed the writing for the full first run of episodes.
In addition to the cast and crew who all provided their services for free, YSP Media has invited local supporters of the production to the screening at QUAD, including a number of local businesses and organisations based in Derby. Director and Co-Producer Christopher Bevan, said:
“We were completely overwhelmed by the generosity shown to us during the filming in July and August of this year. Organisations such as Derby Homes and local Derby-based businesses including Hox wine bar, Bar Marrakech, SSC Laser Cutting and Giorgio Reggiani, all gave us permission to use their premises to provide completely authentic backdrops to our filming. This gave the production tremendous authenticity and will really help to ‘sell’ the concept through the high production values used in the making of the pilot, despite the tiny budget we had available to us. Jobseekers has provided us with a great opportunity to showcase the creative talent available in Derby and the East Midlands region.”
Tickets to this exclusive, one-off screening are available through the QUAD Box Office with the opportunity to view the Jobseekers pilot and attend a Q&A session with the cast and crew.
Book here: http://www.derbyquad.co.uk/film/jobseekers-pilot-screening