From Indie Pilot to Hulu: ‘Everyone Is Doing Great’

The SAG-AFTRA President’s Task Force on Education, Outreach & Engagement hosted From Festivals to Hulu: Everyone Is Doing Great on Feb. 2. Featured guests included the cast, and producers of Hulu’s original series, Everyone Is Doing Great: show co-creators and actors Stephen Colletti and James Lafferty, actor and executive producer Michelle Lang, actor and co-producer Alexandra Park, and executive producers Eshom and Ian Nelms. Actor and According to a Source: A Novel author Abby Stern moderated the Q&A.

Everyone Is Doing Great follows the lives of two actors five years after the cancellation of their hit television show. Colletti and One Tree Hill alum Lafferty self-produced the pilot themselves and were heavily involved in developing the series, particularly with editing in post-production and pitching the series to networks and streaming sites. Throughout the panel, they and the rest of their team discussed the behind-the-scenes production work as well as their experiences in crowdfunding the project and exhibiting it at numerous film festivals. 

“To anybody who's an actor and is thinking about stepping back behind the camera, having [a production team] as a safety net is so imperative,” said Lafferty. “You need a team of people who you trust — and who trust you — to collaborate with. Understand that they're there to help you and make sure that you don't fail. They're there for the good of the project.” 

To watch the panel, scroll below. Other videos can be found at sagaftra.org/video. 

The views expressed by the guests are their own and not that of SAG-AFTRA. Any mention of products or services does not imply SAG-AFTRA’s endorsement. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for the advice of other industry professionals. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.