I’ve spent the last two years writing stories set in the nostalgic, magical world of Everly Heights. I like to think of it as my own little MCU (Meeks Cinematic Universe). Now, I want to bring it to life, and I’m looking for collaborators.
Everly Heights is a ficitonal town in Ohio based on my hometown in the Ohio Valley. In the 90s, it was known as the “Home of the Arts. In the modern era, it’s a rusted, busted town overrun by drugs with only one artistic venue left. In Everly Heights, you’ll find a diverse cast of characters ranging from families, actors, and punk rockers to kid detectives, wizards, and witches. Everybody in-and-around town knows each other, so you never know when a familiar face will pop up in another character’s story to lend a hand or make trouble.
The “Everly Heights scripts” are set from the early 1990s through 2022. It’s a connected world with history, populated by idiosyncratic characters questioning their identities in relation to the changes around them. Thematically, every story attempts to answer the question “Is nostalgia a good thing or a bad thing?”
Are you a voice actor, illustrator, animator, or marketer who wants to help me package the MCU for an upcoming Kickstarter? Sign up below for news, casting calls, and other ways to get involved.
The Scripts
The “MCU” is made up of seven individual scripts (three screenplays and four pilots), ranging from coming-of-age period pieces to sci-fi comedies.
Nosloo the Great (1994)
INSPIRATIONS: ALF, Mork & Mindy, Bewitched
I’ve always loved “we’ve got a secret” sitcoms, where a typical suburban family is hiding something earth-shattering. I focus on the emotional toll keeping a big secret from everybody takes on a person, even a hardened government agent like Jim Colvin.
Very Special (1994)
INSPIRATIONS: Family Ties, Full House, Hi Honey, I’m Home
Very Special started as a concept for an ongoing live improv show where we’d use the Harold longform improv format to stage a weekly sitcom with ongoing continuity. Every story is a “very special episode” that changes the status quo of the Special family.
Zoo of Zero Tolerance (1997)
INSPIRATIONS: Square Pegs, Pen15
Zoo of Zero Tolerance is based on a true story. When I was a teenager, I lost out on winning a free trip to Space Camp because my mom thought the call telling me I won was a telemarketer. I also used to make ZZT games as a form of early artistic expression. At its heart, Zoo of Zero Tolerance is a story about two childhood friends growing out of their friendship.
Kids Like Us (1999)
INSPIRATIONS: Clerks, Empire Records, my local punk scene
The punk scene in my hometown was the first place I felt like I belonged and was accepted for who I was, a nerdy theater guy who liked Barenaked Ladies as much as he loved jumping in the mosh pit. Kids Like Us is a story about troubled kids finding their own family, and what happens when that family grows apart.
Fanboy (2019-2021)
INSPIRATIONS: Moving back to Los Angeles in 2022, my 4/5ths complete Dogboy book series, and my career change in 2019.
Fanboy is a wish-fulfillment fantasy from a former fan podcaster/self-published author, no doubts. Beneath that fantasy, Fanboy is about how we deal with loss. I wrote it while dealing with some deep and painful personal losses shortly after I moved back to Los Angeles in 2022.
The Last Chance Detective Agency (2021)
INSPIRATIONS: Encyclopedia Brown, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Barry
I loved Encyclopedia Brown when I was a kid and always wondered what became of him when he grew up. I based my “middle-aged kid detective” Danny Chance on people with huge potential I grew up with who never found the means or motivation to get out of our hometown and do something big. The Last Chance Detective Agency is a story about smart people who get stuck.
Curtain Call (2022)
INSPIRATIONS: All the scripts that came before it, Our Town, Under Milk Wood, and the Slacker longform improv format.
Starring dozens of characters old and new, Curtain Call is the ultimate “Everly Heights” crossover/finale. Curtain Call is my version of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town with a little DNA stolen from my comedy series The Fakist: One Last Day. I used the spreadsheet and the Slacker longform improv format to write this one. Look for a video on how I adapted it soon. Like all good improv, everything pays off in the end.
What’s Next?
I’m creating an animated/live-action anthology called Everly Heights. I want to produce an animated pilot to build interest and secure funds through crowdfunding or traditional investors so I can pay people. I’m also looking for writers to join a virtual writer’s room to write additional episodes of the TV pilots (Very Special, Nosloo The Great, etc.).
Help Build Everly Heights
I have big plans for this universe, but I’m going to need some good collaborators. Want to help me get the project off the ground? Sign up below for news, casting calls, and other ways to get involved.
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