#011 Filmmaker Friends: "Going Pop" w/ Courtney & Tyler
A colorful conversation with Courtney O’Donnell and Tyler Miguel Mercer on comedy, collaboration, and creating their pop-princess mockumentary.
If you’ve searching for a watch with the sharp, hilarious energy of Veep, The Other Two, or Running Point, I have just the short for you.
Going Pop, a new short written & starring comedian Courtney O’Donnell and directed by Tyler Miguel Mercer, is a surefire LOL. I spoke with both creators about the making of the film, and the conversation was as entertaining as the short itself.
I love following Courtney on the socials, she never fails to bring the laughs with her satirical and character-driven comedy. Her recent “female/queer start-up founder” series has made me truly cackle. And it’s clear by her incredible take on Severance that she’s a master of plot analysis and theories.
I had the pleasure of working with Tyler back in 2022 on my short film Rabbit Hole, and it’s clear why he’s good at what he does. He approaches filmmaking with a pragmatism that never undercuts the humor. Together, the duo have crafted something both playful and precise.
Watch Going Pop below, and dive into our conversation!
Aaron: In this industry, a lot of people are scared to do their thing, their project. They're waiting for validation or permission. So I'm curious where this came from, and when you decided, “I'm making this.”
Courtney: You want me to kick it off, Tyler?
Tyler: Of course. Why wouldn't you answer that?
Courtney: I'm waiting for validation to answer the question… [laughter].
I started doing comedy in 2019 and I had this kind of fun runway in Brooklyn, and that was sort of cut off at the knees with the pandemic. And then into 2022, 2023, I was really trying to think about what I wanted. And I've always wanted to create, make TV, be in things, write things.
Tyler: Yeah. And Courtney had always wanted to do something inspired by the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky and an adaptation of The Brothers Karamazov. Of course.
Courtney: And those were all words I know.
Aaron: Right. Same. Definitely.
Aaron: How did you guys connect and what was that relationship like at the beginning?
Tyler: Courtney had posted an Instagram reel that I thought was really funny. And I liked, commented, followed her. And she followed me back.
We started DMing. I was like, “That could be a whole character. . .you could make a short, you can make a series. I'm excited to see what else you're going to post.”
Courtney: I never saw myself just like an online creator. But honestly, like as cheesy as it sounds, I feel like Tyler, you really like gave me confidence.
And then we just really hit it off. Our friendship and professional connection just kind of allowed us to make this. Like, what should we work on together?
Aaron: It sounds like it's the perfect mix of Tyler being inspired by [Courtney] and Courtney being encouraged by [Tyler].
Speaking of alter egos, how much of this is drawn on your past? I loved the post you shared of your young-self singing pop songs and your music video.
Courtney: It wasn't something I've always thought like, I'll make a short about being a musician or this character or show, but it all sort of like came together in this really nice way. There was this nice through line that I had really earnestly tried to pursue music. I've always loved music. And it’s so fun to think of yourself as this like larger-than-life persona. And pop star is like the best way to do that.
Aaron: You did it so well, too. It's hilarious, but also relatable.
Aaron: The production value was just so incredible, from the costumes to the cinematography, to the casting. So I'm just curious, when you did those people come on board? Were those people you knew already, what was your network like?
Tyler: One thing that this short has really shown is how excited people are by the freshness of voice that Courtney brings to the table. So it didn't really take a lot of convincing or bribing to get people to just come and do great work to support Courtney.
I shoot in Los Angeles with Nina Ham (cinematographer), who feels like another part of my brain, we always joke that we're siblings, like, we are very simpatico.
Courtney: Maddrey Blackwood and Madalyn Bond did costumes. They were huge in making this world really feel special, like that last costume, where I'm in this sort of Marie Antoinette vibe, or at the podcast recording studio, down to just, different props laying around the set of the dressing room. That was really special.
Tyler: When you have such clarity of artistry, the way that Courtney does, it's so infectious, and people key into it in a way that you don't really have to explain a lot, right? If what you're doing is clear, then not only is it going to come across to the audience, but in making it, everyone who touches the creation of it is gonna get it right away.
People were going above and beyond and then asking us what else they could do. Like our composer, Alex Shenkman, who does music for New Amsterdam is really, really great, talented musician, but also just a wonderful person. And near the end of the process, he was like “Really, if we need to do more, just tell me, I'm so excited to do this.”
And that's how it felt in costume design. That's how it feels in color grading. That's how it felt with anyone who put anything into this.
Aaron: That’s incredible to hear. Honestly, it felt like Going Pop could air tomorrow on HBO Max. That clear and deliberate vision definitely comes across in the final product.
Aaron: With the cast. Every time a person would pop up, I'm like, Oh, these are all people that I'm excited to see. You know, Evan Williams, Kel Cripe, Richard Perez, Alyssa Limperis. Were those friends of yours? Did you audition people? What was the process?
Courtney: The casting was really fun. I wrote the role of Quinn for Kel. As well as Ricky for Richard Perez. I knew those people were going to be the people I wanted. They're like two of my favorite comedians and people I'm inspired by. And then when it came to the rest of the team, we were like what can we do to bring this ensemble together?
Tyler: I was like what about Alyssa Limperis? And we though she would be too busy— she was doing What We Do In The Shadows. But she said yes before I even finished asking her to do it. And she suggested Evan because the two of them were friends and work together.
The second that we got on set, we were like, why didn't we think of this first?
Aaron: Everyone vibes so well. I felt like this is such a perfect mashup of that kind of ensemble comedy like Veep or The Other Two.
Aaron: Did you guys plan to go straight to release, or did you talk about doing a film festival run or anything like that?
Tyler: The problem with hard comedy is when it gets too short, it feels like a sketch, which then doesn't feel like it warrants a festival run. And then when it's too long, you run the risk of not being programmed based on length. And I've known from past experience that the festival circuit is really tough when it comes to comedy, specifically hard comedy.
One thing that I always ask creators when they come to me with a short film script is like, what is your primary goal for this short film? Is it that this is going to be a proof of concept? Is it that this is going to be a calling card for your reel? Is it going to be that you want this to get into film festivals? There are different strategies to all those different kinds of answers.
Courtney's goal was to use this as a proof of concept to leverage into pitching as a television series.
It became clear: let's just lean into a full three act arc. So landing at the 15 mark really helped us craft something that does feel like more of a pilot presentation that Courtney can use as a proof of concept for turning this into a television show.
And the feedback we're getting online is, I want to see this as a TV show. And that's great. Because that was like the main purpose of this.
Courtney: This is the first project that I've written and starred in, and I was I was like, “Oh, you just make what you want to make? You just make the thing you think is funniest. And it is just as long as it is.”
And then afterwards, when Tyler and I were talking about whether or not to go the festival route, hearing all these things— “hard comedy doesn't play that well” or “it's a lot about the scheduling of the block”— I think if I had had those in the back of my mind, I might have changed it. I would have made something different. But I'm so glad we did it because what we made is what I wanted to make.
Aaron: Have you started pitching it? Have you done any meetings yet? Are you gearing up for that?
Courtney: That has been the best part about this. We started pitching this week, and going to continue to take it out. It's all really working out in a way that is kind of best case scenario.
Courtney: I just saw Naked Gun. I can't recommend it enough. The hard comedy is back. And I’m on a 30 Rock rewatch bender.
Tyler: I finished Slow Days, Fast Company by Eve Babitz. I was born and grew up in Los Angeles, and came back three and a half years ago— the tail end of COVID, writer's strike, it was a tough time. And so I've been reading a lot of LA lit. I'm trying to adjust my relationship with Los Angeles, letting it sort of seep into my pores.
I’m reading The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis before it comes out as a FX series through Ryan Murphy. And that was just like, pure, hedonistic, dark fun.