TRUE INDIE: Creators of ‘BAB On 3!’ Defy Ageism and Sexism in Hilarious New Indie Series

For some reason that no one can intelligently articulate, Hollywood generally seems to think that life stops at 40. (For women, at least.) In fact, writers and performers 40 and above are often categorized as "older," and can see their opportunities significantly diminish over time. Not so, however, for Gina Dobson, Carla Turner, and Jennifer Pyle, who are turning the tables on that narrative, using the downtime during the recent strikes to create their own work.

The trio, who are performers based out of Virginia, created the award-winning web series BAB On 3! (bad-ass bitches, to be exact - watch the pilot for context), along with their production company, BAB on 3 Productions, to empower not only themselves, but also other marginalized voices, using humor to address typecasting by the film industry. The three main characters, “seasoned actresses," if you will, forge an unlikely friendship, solidified by a common struggle and quest for survival and renewed identity.

I was excited to have the chance to sit down with Gina, Carla, and Jennifer and dish about our hilariously bad on-set experiences, their creative process when writing and producing BAB On 3! and what advice they'd give to other artists looking to create their own material.

Rebecca: How did the idea for BAB On 3! come about? What made you decide that you wanted to produce your own work?

Gina: The roles for women over 40 are very limiting. Mostly just old lady roles. If you were lucky, you might get asked to audition for the Mom of a lead character. We wanted more. We wanted characters that could inspire and take charge – good or bad. We weren’t ready to fade into background roles while listening to the estrogen leave our bodies. While laughing over the lunacy of our audition experiences, we decided to write our own material. As Jen’s character Noelle says in episode 2, sometimes you gotta fight the system from the inside.

Carla: We were on our way back from the most hilarious duo gig I had ever done. Gina was an M&M and I was her handler. I was not prepared for the hilarious-ness. I have no idea if it was Gina’s dream to be a red M&M outside a convenience store, but it sparked an idea that I had been working on in my head for the two of us. I shared my ideas for a script for a duo who met by accident at a funeral and who formed a friendship around this accidental meeting. And subsequently, the duo was interested in acting and they went on crazy auditions. I was sure the adventures of a red M&M and her handler would be a hit. Gina told me she had been discussing something similar with Jen, a fellow actress on a podcast she was working on. We all met on Zoom to discuss the idea and then “badabing, badaboom": BAB on 3 Productions.

I was definitely inspired by Gina’s tenacity to try anything. Once I saw her in that M&M costume with those two fans blowing to make her ginormous, I knew that anything was possible. The desire to produce my own work came during COVID when, I believe, the lull in work for actors began to stir everyone’s creative juices. While it seemed that COVID threatened to isolate many creatives who crave the ingenuity and energy of other people to find ways to collaborate. Thanks to many platforms that make remote face-to-face meetings possible, I was able to find my tribe and begin the exciting journey of creating our own content - BAB On 3!

Jennifer: For me, it started during the pandemic when my husband and I started to film our own content since gigs were scarce for obvious reasons. At the same time, Gina and I were working together on a comedy podcast series called FINE IN DANDEE, so I reached out to her to discuss the idea of filming something of our own because something told me we were simpatico in our artistic proclivities. During our conversation about what stories we could tell, we realized we shared some of the same frustrations and experiences in the industry related to roles for “older” women. That really sparked the concept and when Gina suggested bringing Carla on board, it fanned the flames of the BAB On 3 movement! Gina was the common thread/glue that made it possible.

Rebecca: I love how relatable your series is, since almost any actor is bound to have crazy stories from auditions and being on set. What was the writing process like as you mined your own stories? How did you narrow down which were the best to write episodes around?

Gina: We have Zoom brainstorm meetings where we come up with episode ideas based on our true experiences. At one time we had a running list of 24 or so ideas. Seriously, we should sell tickets to these meetings – you wouldn’t believe the stories. We chose our favorites for season one, and the writing of the script is 100% collaboration. 

Carla: Nothing is stranger to me than real life - the best place to mine ideas. I love how we can brainstorm truly outrageous moments that happened in real life and embellish those moments to create comedy genius. Our writing process usually begins over coffee at a local coffee shop where we casually catch up and then someone yells out, “Now that’s an episode.” Or someone, during the conversation will say—”What you said just now has to be a line in an episode.” From these conversations we build skeleton outlines that then become bare-bone scripts that we pass around and adorn until ”Voila” - a BAB episode is born.

Really it’s like cream in milk - out of the brainstormed idea, it seems like the ones that want to be written just rise to the top. The others we rotate to the bottom of the list. Sometimes two ideas morph into one episode, so having plenty of material is a plus.

Jennifer: Between the three of us we certainly have not lacked for crazy stories! Each episode of BAB On 3! contains kernels of true events that happened to one of us or that we have witnessed. We brainstormed as a team early on and came up with a list of potential topics for each episode and we evaluated them from the standpoint of the progression of the story and the relationship between the characters. Honestly, some of them we also knew would be more complicated technically, and we wanted to gain experience as filmmakers before tackling them. Now that we have filmed a handful of episodes, we are savvier about choosing topics that get our message across but are also doable in a short time frame from a production standpoint.

Our writing process starts with one or two of us creating the “bones” and the other one helping to fill in the gaps, especially around her own character. It has worked seamlessly, and honestly, it’s a magical thing to watch the script get better and better with each person contributing to it, like a beautiful quilt in dialogue form.

Rebecca: You were able to land some hard-to-get locations, including a laundromat and a funeral parlor! How did you go about securing these? What tips might you have for shooting on a budget?

Gina: Carla and I went cold-calling on funeral homes one day. The first one we pulled up to, I thought Carla had already called and talked to them. Nope. We just walked in and asked if we could shoot a comedy there, and oh, yeah, can we put someone in a casket? No one believed we would get one, but by the end of the day, we had two funeral homes that wanted us to shoot there. Sometimes you just gotta ask. A lot of people are excited to support the film industry.

Carla: What is a million dollars to a man who has no friends? I tell you, if you have friends you are wealthier than can be translated into dollars and cents. No, seriously, it is good to keep a good name and to maintain friendships with people. The laundromat and funeral parlor were secured through the assistance of friends who value friendship and believe in the BAB Mission. People love to dream, and there is just something soul-satisfying about helping a person achieve their dream that re-ignites your own. 

Tips for shooting on a budget:

-Call in favors that you have done for others; we are all in this together 

-Help other creatives build their portfolios

-Have the end in mind; dream big then be creative with what you have 

-Thrift with Gina—this is the biggest tip of all!

Jennifer: As Carla would say, “the worst thing they can say is no,” so that’s our mantra when we approach potential locations. Our goal is to build relationships with local businesses and provide support for them through giving them credit in our films and promoting them on social media where appropriate. Many of them are happy to help, and find the filmmaking process fascinating, so we would encourage filmmakers to go for it and bring an answer to the “what’s in it for me” question these location owners will have. It’s a win-win!

Rebecca: BAB On 3! explores several themes, including female friendship, sexism, and, especially, ageism. What roadblocks have you yourselves encountered in the industry over time? Have you noticed a difference in roles offered to you, or that younger actors are treated differently on set?

Gina: Since I already talked about the acting roles above, let me add that these issues exist not only in the roles but in other areas of filmmaking. We wanted to create a female-empowering, as well as inclusive, production team. We wanted to open the doors for women and other underrepresented people for jobs as sound engineers, editors, directors of photography, etc. 

Carla: To be honest, some of the challenges I have experienced on set are with hair or make-up artists that do not feel comfortable doing darker skin tones or African American hair. Even when there is an artist, I often come fully made up with my hair done because I have noticed that this has been a challenge on some of the sets I have been on. I’m excited about how even these types of differences and challenges will be addressed in the script and how this also develops in scenes that focus on our growing friendship.

Discussing differences sometimes presents tension or challenges but asking honest questions builds relationships and answering honestly builds trust.

Jennifer: There are so-- many instances I have encountered from the roles I see in breakdowns to how younger actors are treated on set. I’m a data geek (previous corporate role in process improvement) so when I started seeing casting notices for men in their 40s and 50s but their wives were listed as being in their 30s, it made me take notice. I started tracking how many breakdowns were for women over 40 vs men over 40 and also the type of roles. 

For instance, many roles listed as old crone, grandma with greying hair, spinster, witch, etc. called for a woman 40-45. The roles for women over 50 usually call for a woman with white hair and fragile stature and are librarians, angry old women, or sweet granny who bakes cookies and knits. The roles for men over 50 are often described as silver fox, distinguished with salt and pepper hair, and could be CEO, secret agent, drug lord, or some complex edgy character. These are not absolutes and there are certainly places for all of the aforementioned roles, however, the lack of variety for older female actors is apparent if you look at what is offered.

Rebecca: What advice would you have for other writers and performers interested in producing their own work? What are the most important lessons you’ve learned along the way?

Gina: You don’t have to know everything. That’s what a good team is for. Shoot for the edit. Connections are important. Network. Network. Network. Humans are pretty cool. Some of them even know stuff. And a crafty table should consist of more than an open jar of peanut butter and an expired bottle of Tylenol.

Carla: Find your tribe—that would be one of the biggest pieces of advice I would give writers and performers interested in producing their own work. This tribe will ride the wave with you when you are high and console you when you crash on the shore, and at the same time motivate you to get back out there and cheer you on while you try.

One of the most important lessons I have learned along the way is to “find your tribe,” and when you find them, even if it is in small ways–like posting their pic on social media or sending a text–let them know you appreciate their efforts on the team. The BAB tribe is amazing because we could not do this alone. From the boom operator to the set dresser to everyone in between—the most crucial and important part of producing this work has been a cohesive tribe—a tribe that will rock with you, and when a rock threatens to block your path, they’ll roll right over it with you. 

Jennifer: Surround yourself with dedicated, passionate people by building a team of resources who will support your mission/vision and be your biggest cheerleaders. We would not be two years into this BAB on 3 Productions journey if it weren’t for the cadre of incredibly talented, supportive people on our team. It takes a village and we have learned that the indie filmmaking community is filled with folks who are not interested in stepping on you to get ahead and are more than happy to offer you a hand – a rising tide lifts all ships! 

We have forged relationships with fellow filmmakers as far away as California and it is important to us to actively support fellow content makers. It has been one of the most rewarding lessons I have learned since embarking on this endeavor. I must mention, of course, the incredible bond and friendship Gina, Carla, and I have developed over the past two years is the most important aspect of all – we are FRAMILY, and that’s priceless.

Watch BAB On 3! on YouTube! 

Follow BAB on 3 Productions on social media: Facebook and Instagram

Although unique in format and distribution, the web series at its core contains the same basic elements that we look for in every type of visual entertainment: memorable characters, satisfying stories, and intriguing conflict. If you can demonstrate your writing talent in a web series, you’ll also be proving your ability to handle larger-scale formats like feature screenplays and television scripts.

This course will give you the tools you need to get started writing and producing your very own series from the ground up.