Talking With: Georginna Feyst about Comedy Series “Americans Abroad”

This edition of Talking With focuses on actress and creator Georginna Feyst about her mockumentary comedy series “Americans Abroad.”

During the pandemic, no one was traveling, so a second season didn’t feel like an option. Then, Georginna and her co-creator/co-star Natalia Bortolotti got the idea to head back to the editing room and retool the original 6-episodes. Now, the fresh installments which recently re-released on YouTube, include bonus footage, animation sequences and subtitles in both Spanish, Italian and English for the hearing impaired.

Also during this time, the show started gaining momentum on the international festival circuit, earning "Best Web Series" at Five Continents Int’l Film Fest in Venezuela and Barcelona Planet Film Fest. The success continued as a finalist at NY International Film Awards and Oniros Film Awards; Semi-Finalist at Web Series Festival Global; and official selection status at 18 other festivals.

To learn more, we are Talking With: Georginna Feyst.

What is the premise of “Americans Abroad”?

GEORGINNA FEYST: “Americans Abroad” is an award-winning mockumentary-style digital series that follows the exploits of an inept travel show host and her sarcastic unpaid intern, as they attempt to travel across the globe without a budget. The comedy is fueled by the host's endearing cluelessness and her intern's sarcastic commentary, as the traveling duo find themselves caught-up in misunderstandings about travel, culture, and life itself.

Why did you originally want to create the series?

GF: Natalia, my co-creator/co-writer, and I came up with the idea while traveling in Italy. We were talking about the many differences in culture between Italy and the US, and thought it would be funny to create a parody travel series.

How is this new re-release even better than the first time around?

GF: We wanted to give fans a second season, but because of the travel and filming limitations during COVID-19, we felt an enhanced re-release of Season 1 was the best way to give our fans something new and also expand our audience, with subtitles in three languages. We've always felt Europeans would appreciate the show's humor, so we have added Spanish and Italian subtitles, as well as English subtitles, to cater to the hearing-impaired and deaf community, as well as Millennials and Gen Z'ers who like to watch shows without sound.

My production company, Real Art Daily (RAD) Productions', animation studio and video editors have been hard at work adding new and fresh custom animations, video effects, sound effects, and other cool stuff. We also improved production value with new sound editors and ADR and coloring specialists. We really feel fans, old and new, will love and appreciate our enhanced season. Also, all the episodes have a new joke at the opening, which is different for each episode. It brings the comedy right up front and leaves the viewers wondering what sarcastic joke will start the next episode.

As both the star and creator, what helped you the most in bringing this project to the screen?

GF: Tenacity and hard work, coupled with an amazingly talented team. Anyone who has attempted to make a show on a micro budget knows how much goes into bringing your ideas to the screen. We are very proud of how far we've come and feel confident that we have a great proof-of-concept to take this show to the next stage for Season 2. We're also proud of the great marketing materials we've created - from a comic book, to clever and funny concept art, gifs and animations - which provide another layer of funny to the episodes. We are also now on TikTok and Instagram Reels too, packaging over 100 jokes in short bites of comedy for our fans, new and old, to enjoy.

What was your favorite moment from working on the show?

GF: The Mystery Island episode features a joke about “ukes” (ukuleles). The host misunderstands the word “ukes” and thinks they are nuclear devices. Some of our favorite scenes are the ones we shot guerrilla-style - like when we’re running around the drug store or “borrowing” a dune buggy.

How did you determine where you would travel to for the series?

GF: We already had some of the travel scheduled and everything worked out serendipitously. When we ran out of money to travel, so did the characters. The comedy in the show was informed by reality in a lot of ways. They say the best comedy has elements of truth in it and this show is a great example.

Has the global pandemic impacted the show?

GF: Yes. We would have liked to have filmed a second season, but we haven't been able to shoot or travel for over a year. We thought about doing a few COVID mini-episodes. However, we felt re-releasing Season 1 was a better choice and would provide the best value to our fans, so we spent our time and energies during the pandemic preparing for the re-release. Some of the ideas we considered for the COVID mini-episodes may be recycled into Season 2.

With all the festival success, why do you think audiences are enjoying it so much?

GF: People love to travel and people love to laugh. Americans Abroad is such an original concept because, although there are many travel shows and many comedies, people haven't yet put the two together in this unique way. Also, so many people love the shows that have inspired Americans Abroad, like The Office, Absolutely Fabulous, Broad City and Christopher Guest’s mockumentary films, like Best in Show.

Are you planning a second season? And, any spoilers to share about it?

GF: Yes, we’re planning a second season. We’re thinking about visiting Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Greece. We may also expand the cast and the story in a very meta way, which we're sure the fans will love.

What inspires you the most creatively?

GF: I love the collaboration involved in creating a show together. Natalia and I have such a great time coming up with material together. Researching and writing comedy enriches our lives. The comedy itch can strike at any moment. We often find ourselves riffing until all hours of the night, or sometimes inspiration strikes at dinner, or in the car. Writing comedy in the car has, at times, proved hazardous.

Watch the newly re-released Season 1 of “American Abroad” on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/AmericansAbroadWebSeries

Or check out the website: americansabroadseries.com