An open letter to everyone I know and everyone they know, as well:

Hi everyone! Matthew Bowers here.

As you may or may not be aware, I'm the creator of a webcomic called Hilarity Ensues (www.HilarityEnsuesPDX.com). You can visit the site and check it out for yourself if you haven't yet, but it's basically about two young men moving to Portland and trying to figure out their lives. It's a very personal project for me, one that's close to my heart and that I'm very excited about. It's visually very different from most webcomics out there, in that the art (up to this point, anyway) is produced with actors and photographs, rather than a pen and a piece of paper.

There are currently one hundred strips online, but after #100 was posted last summer, the strip went on hiatus. This happened for a number of reasons, but without going into all that, let's just say that we're trying to get the strip up and running again. The artwork is now going to be split half and half -- that is to say, half the strips will still be photographs, and the other half will be drawn by a rotating cast of artists.

I currently have the next three story arcs in production, through #150. #101 - 120 were photographed over several weekends in Beaverton and Hillsboro, and now just need dialogue and word balloons. #121 - 139 are being drawn by a gentleman from California who offered his services when I posted an open call for artists on the website, and #140 - 150 are being drawn by my dear friend Ashley.

REGARDING ACTORS / MODELS

The next arc following Ashley's is going to be another photo-arc. And here's where I start to need your help.

See, the actress who played one of the main characters, Nadine, no longer lives in Portland, and I need a replacement. The "new" Nadine doesn't really need to look much like the "old" Nadine, but I am hoping to find someone with the same general look -- that is: tall, slender, and pretty. My circle of friends is pretty small, unfortunately, and I don't know anyone who fits the bill.

And so I turn to you. If you, or anyone you know, live in the greater Portland area and would be interested in playing Nadine, please e-mail me (bowersensues at gmail dot com). Keep in mind that this would be a semi-long-term commitment -- I'm not asking for you to sign a contract or anything (nor will you be paid, although you would get a bio on the site and a link to your own personal site, should you have one), but I'd basically just like someone who isn't a flake, and who isn't planning on leaving Portland anytime soon. I know life intrudes and the unexpected can happen, I'm just saying that if you're planning on moving to Albuquerque in six months, you might not be the best person for the part.

Some general info: The photo shoots typically take a few hours and tend to be scheduled on the weekends. I've simply used natural light in the past, although that MAY change in the future. I tend to take way more photos than I need and I ask for a lot of "takes" to get the right expressions and body language (not to mention light, framing, exposure, etc.). We have a lot of fun on the shoots, though. We're all friends, and the atmosphere is very relaxed. There's a lot of laughing and joking and general tomfoolery. I also tend to get made fun of a lot, so you'll have that to look forward to.

REGARDING ARTISTS

I'm also still on the prowl for more artists. If you'd like to draw an arc or arcs, drop me a line. I'll give you a sample script or two to draw, just to get a feel for your style and make sure you're a good fit, and assuming you are, I'll get you started with some real scripts. This would also be gratis, just so you know, but obviously like the actors, you'd get artist credit, a bio on the site, and a link to your own personal site, should you have one.



I really hope you can help! I love writing and producing Hilarity Ensues, and I hate that it's been on hiatus so long. I have a lot of plans for these characters. There's a lot left to the story I have to tell, and if you can help it see the light of day, I'd be forever in your debt.

Feel free to re-post this or forward this wherever / to whomever you like.