There is a new tv-show for all you 20-something year old Brooklynites and no it doesn’t have Lena Dunham in it.
This is the hottest new web-series that not only makes fun of influencers (like we all do), but is an honest coming of age story perfect for this generation.
“Heeldraggers” is a must watch animated mini-series created by Emily Bernstein. The show hits way too close to home when it comes to just how hard it is to grow up and make mistakes in the city that never sleeps.
The Cartoonist relates a lot to the main character Millie who seems to be a little self absorbed and all over the place. The mini-series takes us along the life of Millie and her two best friends, Nel and Ari as they are trying to get by life with a few drunken nights to make then forget their responsibilities.
For those of you that can’t commit to a tv-show then this under 10 minute series is the perfect our millennial short attention spans. Bernstein partnered with End Cue, a creative agency, that helped produce the first five episodes. Hopefully we get a taste of more soon.
With some references to influencers and creatives, Bernstein opens up each episode with the perfect title sequence that goes in the format of matching a cliche identity with the characters that you will actually meet in real-life when you step in Brooklyn.
From a man who reads “Post Web Experimental Media Intern” to a woman that is “Cultivating My Personal Brand” while she is wearing a photo of herself on her crop top.
The whole show is a hilariously written and so well-connected to this generation. There are problems we all seem to face, from finding a job, getting over an ex, and even finding a roommate who isn’t’ a psychopath, only to find out they are the one dating your ex.
With a Sex in the City meets Girls vibe you definitely do not want to miss the coolest thing to be created.
The Knockturnal was able to speak with the creator of the show, read on for more insight on “Heeldraggers” and check out the first episode for yourself here.
The show will be featured on YouTube and Vimeo.
This show is a very relatable for millennials living in NYC, where do you draw inspiration?
As a millennial (gag) living in NYC (double gag), I’m inspired by my friends, my enemies, and a lot of obnoxious strangers at coffeeshops where I sit and draw. This show is rooted in a mixture of intense misanthropy and genuine admiration for people who seek meaning and realness in a world that feels increasingly fake and empty. “Millennials” are, on the one hand, deeply hatable because of their hilariously overblown sense of entitlement. On the other hand, a lot of “millennials” are challenging people to be more political, more intellectually flexible, and more open to new ideas (or old, ignored, but still very good ideas). That is genuinely exciting and it creates a tension that’s really interesting to explore as a creator. Two of the main characters in Heeldraggers, Ari and Nel, are pretty ambiguously gendered. Their best friend is a super-cute blonde girl with a Carrie Bradshaw complex. At the end of the day, they’re all just supporting each other in the constant struggle to be their most authentic selves. That’s friendship! I think.
Do you relate to the character Millie at all and why?
Millie is kind of like the worst parts of me. She genuinely wants to “grow up,” emotionally, mentally, and fiscally, but she often stands in her own way. She’s impulsive and a little self-destructive and a lot more extroverted than me. In a lot of ways I identify more with Ari, the socially anxious, introverted recluse who cloisters himself in his apartment for days on end, trying to perfect some passion project he’s obsessed with. And on some days I feel like Nel, the voice of reason, font of sage advice, and well of emotional support. But I like that each of these characters is emotionally giving in their own way. That is definitely me 100% and something I value in the people I keep close to me.
Where do you think the character will be led in the future when the show continues? Will the characters still be in NYC?
A candy-colored New York City is definitely a character on this show, with all its volatility and weird, beautiful contradictions. I think life in your 20’s can feel so dramatic and intense that a cartoon-ified NYC is the perfect metaphor for that state of mind. This first mini-season is really centered on Millie but I would love to see more from Nel and Ari’s perspectives. They’ve been very intentionally positioned as the Mirandas to Millie’s Carrie, but not to minimize them. I wanted to draw a parallel to Sex and the City to play up the huge gap between Millie’s expectations of adulthood (fun, flirty sitcom life) vs the reality (weird, hard, embarrassing, then suddenly, unexpectedly, great). I would love to shift the focus to her maybe more interesting, more complex BFFs, without making a show that’s explicitly about gender dysphoria. Androgyny and nuanced masculinity / femininity is good for EVERYONE (not just the LGBTQ community) and I think it can be deliciously baked into a heartfelt story about friendship and “adulting.” You can be dealing with the most politically polarizing, personally challenging stuff in the world and still have to buy groceries and go on Tinder dates.
I feel like you made the perfect architect of an adult living in New York who will probably watch your cartoons. Why is it that so many adults tries to hide what makes them children?
Are people trying to hide it? I think people are maybe a little too proud of behaving like children. A lot of “adults” I know are like bad babies in restaurants. They throw fits when they don’t get what they want, yell at you about nothing, can’t share, need constant attention, etc. I think it’s just important to nurture the right parts of your inner child. The wonder, the joy, the emotional open-ness, and the sense that you’re allowed to make mistakes. For me, friendship is the thing that brings me back to those things. Friends order too much pizza, stay up late, make you laugh, and remind you that there’s still room to “play,” even in the sick, sad world of adulthood.