Sitcom podcast creator dreams of making it big in Hollywood
The creator of a fictional comedy podcast hopes her creation gains enough traction to become something greater and proves there are other ways to break into the entertainment industry.
The upcoming second season of “The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles” will make its premiere on Jan. 20 on all major audio-streaming services.
The sitcom-style podcast created and written by Burbank resident Ann Sloan is about a character named Carlötta Beautox and her obsession to become famous.
The series made its debut last year and features actress Samantha Gordon as Carlötta and Trevor Lissauer as Dave, Carlötta’s landlord and talent manager.
Having worked in the entertainment industry for a few decades, Sloan said the podcast was a way for her to poke fun at the lengths people go to in order to make a name for themselves, which is something she’s witnessed on countless occasions.
“The whole first season was about, as many people do in this town, her doing gigs — working as a barista and going to auditions,” Sloan said. “She’s trying to become a star but she’s failing miserably at everything.”
At the end of the first season, Carlötta miraculously becomes an overnight sensation after being recognized as someone else.
The upcoming season picks up from there, and Sloan said the podcast will be more about the fragility of being famous and how it can go away in an instant.
“[Carlötta] is a little immature, so she’s going to learn that if you put it all out there, you really can get burned, and she’s going to get burned in this second season,” Sloan said. “It’s funny and it’s silly, but there’s also this cautionary tale there, too, that you have to maintain your own sense of identity.”
The concept for Sloan’s comedy was originally meant for an animated series, but after learning about the numerous fictional podcasts available on the internet, Sloan decided the podcast format would best suit her needs.
While people can publish their media through studios and networks or online video services like YouTube, Sloan said there are many obstacles to get one’s work published — such as having enough funding or the proper equipment.
But podcasting is much easier than most traditional methods, she said.
“There’s a lot of money involved in other mediums, but podcasting had none of that,” Sloan said. “You could record a podcast in your house if you wanted to. I still go to a studio to record our show, but from a financial standpoint, they’re cheap to do.”
Fictional podcasts have already started to prove themselves as another way to make it into mainstream media.
Sloan said the Amazon Prime show “Homecoming” started as a fictional podcast before being picked up by Universal Cable Productions, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal.
Sloan said she hopes “The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles” gets enough attention to either be picked up by a studio or become an animated series.
