Ep188 - Katie Locke O'Brien and Claire Gerety-Mott ("The Hub")

Recently, Michael Eisner, former head of Disney and ABC, lamented that he couldn't find women who were funny and hot. Eisner predicted he'd get flack for saying this and, of course, he did. While many people focused on citing women they believed were funny and hot, this week's guests have a very different perspective: the idea that it's a studio heads job to find talent is largely outdated. In the last few decades, cameras have moved from film to digital and from being so prohibitively priced that only the biggest studios could afford them to being so affordable that…well…our guests were able to make and sell a show for under $10,000. Starting with two Masshole characters they loved, Claire Gerety-Mott and Katie O'Brien set out to create a comedy series based on their characters' lives called The Hub. When they couldn't get their pilot to the gatekeepers of Hollywood, they got scrappy and produced the show themselves, so Hollywood could see what it was missing. Before Claire and Katie could release it, the show was optioned by one production company, and then bought by IFC, where they developed it for television. The Hub didn't make it to series, but that deal has ultimately led to Katie and Claire inking a deal with the very same network Michael Eisner used to head, ABC. The old days of studios acting as gatekeepers are disappearing. Now, women who are funny and hot can make the content they think is needed for relatively cheap and put it out into the world to let the people decide what is worth watching. In the 21st Century, the biggest barrier to making a TV show, writing a book (which both Katie and Claire have done) or generally fulfilling your artistic vision is your willingness to put in the work and create it. In this interview, Claire, Katie, Hunter and Bryan discuss their biggest artistic inspirations, the comedy they love and why the real barrier to creativity nowadays is awe. Featured Link #1: www.watchthehub.com Guest Links Website: www.watchthehub.com