With the prevalence of professional (and professional-looking) videos on YouTube and other platforms that showcase comedians doing their thing, it’s a challenge to find a creator generating content that stands out from a cinematic perspective. One of those individuals, however, is making a sizable dent in that virtual bubble, and that person is Todd Montesi. The Brooklyn-born standup comic – a veteran of shows such as HBO’s Crashing (2017-2019) and the upcoming mini-series Tune in to Goonan – has taken a film-centric approach to his endeavors, most notably in his ongoing YouTube program PN & Friends, which documents the adventures of one “PN” (played by Montesi) as he looks for love while being annoyed by friends and other characters in New York City. A film buff with a vast knowledge of the arena, Montesi has applied texture and depth to his web-based effort while retaining an off-the-cuff feel that belies its meticulously planned foundation. As a result, PN & Friends has received myriad accolades during its continuing run.

CURNBLOG recently reached out to Montesi about his endeavors ranging from his involvement in the creative process to his cinematic inspirations, and his insights are intriguing. We provide them here.

SHB: What led you to develop your own web series, and how did you leverage your knowledge of and experience with filmmaking to do so?

TM: Basically I wanted to just put my funny ideas out there. I’ve had this idea for a sitcom of a “Charlie Brown”-esque character based on my life, and I got fed up of waiting for opportunities to happen to me or trying to pitch this to producers and managers who just don’t get it because it’s not a derivative product. Basically I’m a creative just creating with whatever outlet they have. I use social media to promote my project by making full episodes and then divvying them up into “morsels” to post daily online on multiple platforms. I do this to get the word out for my PN project, where people get accustomed to its beats and universe as it grows steadily as a brand. I kind of approach my webseries like a rapper with mixtapes—with each new episode being the mixtape, and each funny scene posting a killer track. We’ve been getting great feedback … and hopefully we can push through soon and get this on a premium platform (i.e., HBO, Netflix, etc.).

SHB: Who were your greatest influences in the world of cinema with regard to your efforts onscreen and behind the camera?

TM: I really like the works of Scorsese, Cassavetes and Truffaut. They were dramatic directors who were very funny and approached humor in a real-world, humanistic way. I also feel literature influenced me when it came to imagery as well. For example, I remember as a kid reading and casting classics like The Iliad in my mind with Golden-Age stars as well as contemporary performers, and “directing” the epic battles in my head.

SHB: When it comes to distribution, the web series process is different from the procedures for mainstream films. How did you navigate this arena to get the word out about PN & Friends?

TM: I use social media to promote its universe. Cutting up episodes into “snackable content” allows exposure to new people who stumble upon PN & Friends—and if they’re interested, to watch full episodes. It’s very grassroots what I’m doing, but I’m stubbornly persistent, and I have a solid work ethic.

SHB: What kind of challenge does financing present, and which strategies would you recommend to people endeavoring to enter this space?

TM: I have NO MONEY. I shoot episodes with a smartphone and mostly use natural light. It’s very DIY but it’s led me and my crew to be a tight unit when it comes to shooting and creating narrative on the fly. We have an outline, but it bends depending on our circumstances. For example, if an actor’s late at X and another actor has a hard out at Y, we have to figure how to make it work narratively speaking, and usually we make it work. It’s fun, educational, and thrilling to make these mini-movies happen. It’s real film school ‘cause when it comes to art, you just have to do it. (This is not a surreptitious Nike ad, ha ha!)

SHB: Has PN & Friends been shown at any festivals, and is it slated to appear in any in the future?

TM: Yes. We were recently screened at the Hip Hop Film Festival, and we’re looking into creating our own monthly “PN-Con” to screen new monthly episodes in front of our growing audience.

SHB: Where do you see the series going after 2019?

TM: I’m pushing hard to get this on a premium platform (HBO, Netflix, etc.), so I’m just growing it more and spreading the PN gospel. People always like rooting for an underdog, right? Actually, no, they don’t: They just say that, and THAT’S why I feel PN is relevant: Its weirdos trying to be heroes in their everyday lives, just like everyone else today—underdogs who don’t even know they’re dogs.

Check out the latest episodes of PN & Friends

For full episodes of PN & Friends and more visit here.