County talents shine in CBC Gem series filmed at Isaiah Tubbs
Administrator | Aug 23, 2020 | Comments 0
Prince Edward County talents shine as extras in one of Canada’s weirdest and most successful digital series.
Season five of The Amazing Gayl Pile: The Last Resort was filmed last fall at Isaiah Tubbs. The season is post-apocalypic and has been streaming since Friday on CBC Gem. (link below)
The comedic series satirizing home shopping channels morphs into a surreal show set on a farm called Rootopia where Kangaroos are being harvested for pouch mucus, and nuclear war was imminent. The last season, Apocalypse Soonish, garnered 2019 Canadian Screen Award nominations for star Morgan Waters as Gayl Pile in the best lead performance category and Inessa Frantowski, who plays an over-the-top personality Gayl worked with at the Shop at Home Network.
After surviving nuclear war, viewers will see former home shopping host Gayl Pile transform Isaiah Tubbs into the Orillia Sands Fashion Resort, the world’s first post-apocalyptic beach resort. When a group of refugees from Barrie disrupt the tranquility of his lakeside paradise, Gayl goes to terrifying lengths to show everyone who’s boss.
Moments into the first episode, the County’s Lenny Epstein and Gavin North are quickly recognized, alongside Deborah Kimmett, who has done several shows in the County. Conor Forbes and Paul Snepsts are also extras in the fifth season.
Epstein says he was thrilled with being an extra for one day – playing Mr. Wilson -and getting some decent screen time.
“The casting director posted on some Facebook groups looking for performers in the area and so I sent in my photo and they called me in for background,” said Epstein. “It was a blast! The County has so many great locations.”
North, he noted, was on set for several days as a resort guest “and has a pretty great high five moment in episode two”.
Produced by LaRue Entertainment, The Amazing Gayl Pile: Last Resort is the fifth installment of the International Emmy-nominated and Canadian Screen Award-winning comedy series.
Executive producer and co-president of LaRue Entertainment, Andrew Ferguson has dozens of awards and nominations to his credit and is highly praised by his dad, Mayor Steve Ferguson.
“They loved their time at Isaiah Tubbs and it was way cool to spend time on the set and watch the shooting,” Steve noted. “He’s a seriously cool kid. I’m a music guy and Andrew’s in film and TV so we discuss the attributes of both, but he has Canadian screen awards and was Oscar shortlisted.”
Andrew’s company is based in Toronto and Los Angeles. Starting out on the hit Canadian comedy series Kenny vs. Spenny, followed by a full-time position at eOne in the production and development of prime-time television, Andrew transitioned into the digital space producing and directing the online content for MTV’s teen drama Skins.
In 2010 he joined forces with lifelong friend Matt King to build and launch LaRue and under that banner produced The Amazing Gayl Pile, True Dating Stories, Filth City, She Stoops to Conquer and the Oscar shortlisted My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes, among others.
In its five season run to date, The Amazing Gayl Pile has showcased some of the best in Canadian comedic talent, including Waters and Frantowski, Chris Robinson, Linda Kash, and Scott Thompson, as well as tapping international performers such as Jon Hamm, Paul Scheer, Jack McBrayer, and June Diane Raphael.
Viewers of the show are sure to delight in seeing Isaiah Tubbs and Sandbanks highlighted in the season.
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