Rooftop Mind Announces Surprise Bonus Episode for Its Layoff Laugher, "Sevvy Hounds"

Aug. 28, 2012 - PRLog -- Los Angeles, CA – Rooftop Mind, the production company behind the irreverent new comedy web series Sevvy Hounds, has unveiled plans to release a surprise “bonus” episode simultaneously on its YouTube and Blip channels on Wednesday, September 5. The episode, titled “Aftershocks,” will serve as an epilogue to the first season of the series, which has attracted more than 11,000 views to date for its initial run of five episodes. The series was co-directed by Michael Schindler and Leor Baum, and stars Andy Schindler and Marcus Jones.

Sevvy Hounds explores the lighter side of the downtrodden economy by taking its audience into the offices of Gaggle Corp, where disillusioned employees embrace company cutbacks as an opportunity rather than a threat. Led by head troublemaker Trent Steele (played by Andy Schindler), they launch a campaign of incompetence and misbehavior to get themselves laid off. The desired fruit of their non-labor is a taste of the company’s generous severance pay – or as they call it, “sevvy.” As office antics spiral out of control, however, Steele and his half-ally, half-adversary, Melvin Pratt (played by Jones) become entangled in a company investigation that could lead to a world of trouble.

“Aftershocks” shines a light on how things have gone for Steele and Pratt since successfully snagging severance and parting ways at the end of Episode 5. Despite their earlier mutual triumph, there is no love lost between the two men, and that angst spills over onscreen in surprising ways.

Series creator Michael Schindler says he wrote Sevvy Hounds as a response to what he saw during his time in corporate America. “Our series exaggerates things for laughs, but severance seekers definitely exist,” Schindler said. “It’s kind of a sad commentary on the state of corporate America, but some people see a severance check as their best move these days. Either they hate their jobs, or they see no way to get ahead the old fashioned way. Or both.”

Even though those underlying issues are serious, Schindler says he wants audiences to be able to laugh at them. “To me, comedy is at its best when it deals with real problems. It can give us a fresh perspective and some emotional distance to better deal with things. And laughing beats crying.”

All episodes of Sevvy Hounds can be viewed at http://youtube.com/sevvyhounds or http://blip.tv/sevvyhounds. The word “sevvy” – created by the filmmakers – has entered the public lexicon via Urban Dictionary: http://urbandictionary.com/sevvy.

For more information about Sevvy Hounds, go online to http://sevvyhounds.com or contact Michael Schindler directly via the contact information listed below.

About the Filmmakers

Series creator Michael Schindler is a filmmaker who finally gave into his love of cinema after a successful career in corporate finance. As Vice President of CinePartners Entertainment (http://cinepartners.net), he was involved in all aspects of financing, development, and production. After co-producing Metamorphosis, starring Christopher Lambert, Schindler left CinePartners and co-founded Rooftop Mind (http://rooftopmind.com), a Los Angeles-based production company focused on producing unique, story-driven films.

Rooftop Mind co-founder Leor Baum is a Los Angeles based writer and director who has produced and directed a series of narratives, commercials, and documentaries that have been distributed internationally. Constantly expanding his use of genre and style, Leor is dedicated to stimulating audiences with innovative, memorable experiences. In addition to co-directing and producing Sevvy Hounds, his new short film Parallel Avenue premieres at the LA Shorts Fest on September 8.