As we get closer to production on Small Town Drama, I thought it might be a good time to start sharing some of the journey behind the project.
One of the questions I get asked most often is whether the show is based on my life.
The answer is both yes and no.
Small Town Drama is a fictional series. Pleasant Storm is fictional. The characters are fictional. The events are fictional.
But the emotions behind it are very real.
For most of my adult life, I’ve bounced back and forth between small-town America, Hollywood, New York City, and places in between. I’ve experienced the excitement of chasing big dreams, the disappointment of watching opportunities disappear, the feeling of leaving home, and the strange experience of returning years later as a different person.
This series grew out of those experiences.
The main character isn’t me, but there are pieces of me in him. There are pieces of people I’ve known in almost every character. There are conversations inspired by real moments, relationships inspired by real relationships, and situations inspired by things I’ve experienced over the last twenty years in entertainment.
What fascinated me wasn’t Hollywood itself. It was what happens when someone leaves a small town, changes, and then comes back.
How do old friends react?
How does family react?
What happens when people remember the version of you that existed twenty years ago, but that’s no longer who you are?
Those questions became the foundation of Small Town Drama.
At the same time, I didn’t want to make a show that was simply about one person. I wanted to create an entire community. That’s how Pleasant Storm was born. Over the last several months, we’ve built businesses, schools, landmarks, radio stations, local celebrities, town politics, and enough history to make the town feel like it existed long before the cameras arrived.
And now we’re getting close to the exciting part.
Scripts are moving forward. Casting is underway. Locations are being secured. Sponsors are joining the project. The pieces are slowly coming together.
For years, Small Town Drama existed only as notes, outlines, and ideas scattered across notebooks and computer files. Seeing it finally move toward production is both exciting and a little surreal.
There is still a tremendous amount of work ahead, but for the first time, I can see the world of Pleasant Storm beginning to come to life.
Thank you to everyone who has supported this project so far. I look forward to sharing more behind-the-scenes updates as we continue the journey toward production.
— Bradley Laborman