News from Suz Brockmannwww.SuzanneBrockmann.com@SuzBrockmann (on Twitter...?)March 14, 2023
Marriage of Inconvenience
New Romantic Comedy TV Series Coming April 6thWatch the Marriage of Inconvenience trailer on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1Dlz5fs7p00
Hey, gang!We officially have a trailer for MARRIAGE OF INCONVENIENCE, my 6-ep rom-com TV series!
MARRIAGE OF INCONVENIENCE: New names, new jobs, new lives, new husbands...? Two total strangers entering a witness protection program must pretend to be happily married to hide their identities from the dangerous people who want them dead.
Below is the official press release/announcement about the show! (scroll down!)It was so much fun to make this show--particularly to set a rom-com TV series in a world where many of the characters love to read. Franklin, our English professor character played by the amazingly funny David Allen Singletary, is frequently caught with a book in his hands. In the photo below, Franklin's enjoying Adriana Herrera's AMERICAN LOVE STORY, while in the background is a shelf holding many books, including romances by Pintip Dunn, Erica Ridley, Farrah Rochon, and (ahem) Suzanne Brockmann.)See, we reached out to some of our favorite authors, and they helped us get releases from their publishers to use their books as props in our show.This helps establish that our characters live in the real world, as opposed to a fictional world where they'd be reading a fictional or generic unnamed book, right? (Right!)Here's Franklin (David Allen Singletary) again, with Dreyer's English:And here's Diane (Tammy Dahlstrom), the witness protection handler getting her reading time interrupted by a phone call from Owen.Fun, right? (Also, a romance-friendly world is always one I want to spend a little time in!!) We love honoring authors we love, plus a little product placement is always nice! We also give a shoutout to Alyssa Cole as another character's book club is reading one of her books!Adriana Herrera pulled double duty by giving us permission to use her likeness in a flyer for a local booksigning, used as set decoration on a college campus wall in one of Franklin's flashback scenes. (P.S. I did most of the graphic art for the show's set decoration. There are many MANY little Romancelandia easter eggs for viewers to find!)MARRIAGE OF INCONVENIENCE starts streaming on Dekkoo on April 6th.All six episodes will drop at once! You can watch via the Dekkoo channel available via Amazon Prime, or directly at Dekkoo.com.Between now and April 6th, we're working hard to get the word out about our little indie show, so if you're a blogger or reviewer or influencer of any kind (romance! books! TV! LGBTQ! comedy!) and are interested in an interview with Jason or David or Jason and David, or even producer-me, let me know and I'll help set that up. You can reach me via email at [email protected] It's an ancient, dusty account, I know, but using it as my public contact works for so, SO many reasons! :-)OKAY, here's the official press release announcement about the show, for those who want to know more:
New York, NY – Dekkoo.com, a subscription streaming service, will launch its new original series, Marriage of Inconvenience, on April 6th. The romantic comedy follows two strangers who enter a witness protection program and must pretend to be happily married in order to hide their identities from the dangerous people who want them dead.
The series is being called a 21st century gay version of The Odd Couple. It stars Jason T. Gaffney as Owen, a messy, street-smart dropout with anger issues, and David Allen Singletary as Franklin, an even-tempered English professor who prides himself on his attention to detail in every area of his carefully structured life. About the only thing the two men have in common is that they're gay. Now, living together in a very small house as Mr. and Mr. Fulton, they find they share something else: they can't stand each other.
In addition to playing the role of Owen and directing four of the episodes, Jason T. Gaffney wrote the series with his longtime writing partner, Ed Gaffney, who also happens to be his father. He likens Marriage of Inconvenience to the Netflix series, Grace and Frankie, “because while some of the guys’ arguments are hilarious, others are not so much; and watching them slowly fall for each other as they navigate their complicated pasts, and the very bad people relentlessly hunting them down, makes for a fun journey.”
David Allen Singletary agrees. He calls Marriage of Inconvenience “funny, touching, sad and hopeful... At its core, it is story of love and how love can come from the most unexpected of places and cannot be controlled.”
David Allen Singletary grew up in Sarasota, Florida, where he was a child actor, frequently working with Disney and Nickelodeon studios. After graduating college, Singletary moved to NYC, where he worked in theatre for twelve years before relocating to Los Angeles, where he lives now, to pursue TV and film.
“We cast David as Franklin very early in the writing process,” Jason T. Gaffney reveals. “Our early revisions to the script and to his character were with him in mind, which is a fun way to write. He’s one of my favorite people on the planet and I’m really looking forward to the world getting a chance to see him shine.”
Singletary feels fortunate to have been cast as Franklin. “As a big guy and an actor of color I am often asked to play a convict, prisoner, security guard, or gang member. While I respect and understand that these are characters whose stories need to be told, it’s rewarding to play a role that reflects my own life.”
“There really is a huge problem in Hollywood with sticking actors in roles based on stereotypes,” Gaffney continues. “As a writer, director, and producer, I feel an obligation to be as inclusive as possible.”
He was careful to cast as many out LGBTQ+ actors as possible for the roles in Marriage of Inconvenience. Nearly all of the actors playing gay men are out gay men, including Jason Carceras as Lenny, and Jewell Wilson Bridges as Peter. Veteran comedic out actor Alec Mapa makes a cameo in the series, playing the role of Claude. Additionally, Nicole Asava and Sylvia Batey Alcalá, the two actors who play the neighbors, are both part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Gaffney worked to create a diverse crew and post-production team, too, making sure that at least half were women, including Diliana Deltcheva who directed two of Marriage of Inconvenience’s episodes, and Jasmine Sankaran who did post-production sound. Gaffney’s camera crew was predominantly queer women, led by director of photography, Nacia Schreiner, and gaffer Lisa Tom; and his real-life husband, Matt, is an executive producer.
Jason T. Gaffney was born and raised in Massachusetts. While other kids played sports and video games, he wrote movie scripts for his theatre friends to perform. He moved to NYC to attend AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts for musical theatre, but ultimately found film to be a better fit.
“I hope people laugh out loud watching Marriage of Inconvenience, but I also want the show to make them think,” Gaffney reflects. “One of the main challenges Owen and Franklin both encounter throughout the series is to try to figure out who they want to be and to learn how to be completely true to themselves. I think that’s something many of us are striving for.
“Also, the idea that these two total opposites can learn to have an open mind, listen to one another and unite for the common good. We should all endeavor for such enlightenment.”
Marriage of Inconvenience premieres on Dekkoo on April 6, 2023.For more information, visit Dekkoo.com or IMDb.com: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12368998/
Watch the Marriage of Inconvenience trailer on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1Dlz5fs7p00
Heads up and LAST CALL for my BLAME IT ON RIO Goodreads signed paperback giveaway for US readers. This ends March 17th!Here's the link: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/361694-blame-it-on-rio
Okay, that's all the news for now!As always, please feel free to email, blog, post, tweet, spout, and/or share any or all of my news with your social circle. In fact, I'd love it if you could help spread the word about Marriage of Inconvenience! (Share that trailer! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!) Love and hugs and don't stop fighting for equality, equity, peace, hope, and love,