PERTH, Australia, May 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — A vivacious young reporter walks into the television station for what she hopes will be the first day of the rest of her life as she fights for the underdog and exposes injustice. She is passionate, driven … and bitterly disappointed to learn that she only got hired because her slightly batty housemate acted as her agent and if she wants to keep her job, she must go head to head in a ratings battle against The Boss' Nephew.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130507/PH07483-a )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130507/PH07483-b )
You've just met Nicole, the lead character the Australian web based sitcom, Blowflies. Set in the studios of fictitious current affair television program NTG Today, Blowflies is a satirical critique on mainstream media and provides a fly on the wall, tongue in cheek account of how contemporary current affairs programs are made.
The series chronicles Nicole's attempts to make a difference in a jaded studio, where she is quickly introduced to the show's working motto to 'never let the truth get in the way of a good story.' On her first day in the office, her workmate Simon warns her that interviewing the subject of her first piece would be a 'bad idea' and she should just file the story borrowing themes from a piece he worked on last week.
Anita Barnes, the actress who plays Nicole, says that the viewers also get to watch as Nicole battles with her conscience and ethics against her desire to forge a successful career.
"Nicole goes into the studio thinking that she's on her way to making it as a reporter and quickly finds that things at NTG Today are not as she expected," Ms. Barnes said.
"Nicole faces challenges every step of the way and she finds herself having to ask herself how far she is willing to go to succeed. It doesn't help that her moral compass is her lovable but loopy housemate so she really does have to rely on her own judgement and initiative to not only make it through a workday with her job in tact but also continue trying to land that big scoop or story that will launch her career.
"The Boss wants ratings at any cost and Nicole's colleagues are happy to comply. They've resigned themselves to the fact that they aren't going to win any Walkley Awards and that the station has no substance so when Nicole thinks they are helping her they are really just fulfilling self serving purposes.
"Blowflies is my first lead role so I can definitely relate to what Nicole is going through – I know how it feels to want something and be working towards it but thankfully my own career progression has gone a little more smoothly than hers!" Ms Barnes quipped.
The independent production is the brainchild of Western Australian producer Jonny Walks, and represents months of collaboration with an ensemble cast that is made up of talented newcomers and seasoned all stars including Rose McKenna and Leon Grey.
"Blowflies is something that I had wanted to work on for some time but needed to find the right group of actors to really bring it together. Blowflies has been described as 'a show about making a difference' and while that certainly is applicable to Nicole's journey at NTG Today, it also describes the production. You don't often see a female lead in comedies, but we knew we didn't want Blowflies to be another version of what is already being done," Mr. Walks explains.
"It's an honour to work with such a professional and talented cast, the actors really helped to shape Blowflies. They were really involved in the character development, and the characters actually share traits with their actor," Mr. Walks explains.
Blowflies is a six part web series. Episodes 1 – 3 are already available to view online at www.blowfliestv.com.