April 30, 2024 • 48 mins
A special video episode where our team and the cast of the series answers your questions.
SPOILER ALERT: Please wait to listen to this after completing the entire series.
For more information, visit www.thecrimeatcampashwood.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
Hi there, My name is Laura Hunter Drago and I am the
creator and writer of the crime at Camp Ashwood.
You also might recognize my voice because I play Margot in
the series. So I like to do this at the end
of a podcast. Sit down, do a little Q&A and
also make it a video episode so that you can put a face to a
voice. Since you have been listening to
(00:27):
us for the last however many months you've been listening,
sometimes it's nice to have a visual so you can listen to this
episode as an audio episode if that's your preferred way.
But you can also go on Spotify or YouTube and check out the
video version if you would like to say hello and see our faces.
Secondly, if you have not listened to the whole series of
(00:50):
the crime at Camp Ashwood or youhaven't started it yet, please
don't listen to this episode until you've listened to the
entire series because we will betalking about spoilers.
As a writer and because this is a mystery, you really don't want
to be spoiled. So if you have not finished the
series yet, please do that before you do this episode.
So I'm going to be answering a few questions that you guys have
(01:13):
sent in about the series and then we'll be talking to our
other cast members so that you can get to know them really
quickly and find out how to learn more about them because
they're all amazing and I want you to see their faces too.
So First things first, I want totalk about the song that closes
the series. There is a great little moment
(01:34):
for our Mercedes who I don't know.
I think it's your it's up to interpretation.
But as the writer I feel like she's sort of her spirit is kind
of still permeating the camp. And we have our Halle Smith, who
is a singer who plays Sadie, sing an acapella version of a
song called Home Away From Home.And we did that in a very I say
(01:59):
it's like the sad girl autumn version of the song is in the
last episode the series. But we also recorded and fully
produced a camp style version ofthe song, which I think is very
fun and upbeat and that is separately available anywhere
you listen to music. But we're going to play it here
through Spotify so that you can hear the full upbeat, exciting
(02:24):
version of Home Way from Home, the crime at Camp Ashwood song.
So I thought it would be fun to start this episode out with
that. High in the Blue Ridge
Mountains, you'll find my memories among the birds.
And trees A. Place where I am free, at
(02:48):
Ashwood, in my home, away from home, and of the friends I've
made, the best of all was you. A sister over s'mores, a piece
of living roof that all ye are waiting, and most sweet summer
nights. You're.
(03:08):
Far away, but always on my side,riding my enemies among the
birds and the trees. A place where I am free had
Ashwood in my home away from home.
(03:30):
OK, so that's the song. Hallie came in and recorded that
with me in the studio. I wrote the lyrics.
We did it up at RK Studios up near where I live in Los Angeles
County, and it was a super fun experience, just something
totally different. I've never written a song before
and I just thought it was a nicelittle ending to the show and
also a companion piece to have like the camp song version
(03:52):
because camp songs were a huge part of my own summer camp
experience as a kid. It was a big camper.
We'll talk about that more, but I thought it would be cool to
just have a little extra piece of content.
So I hope you guys enjoy it and listen to it.
And you know, it's a great introduction to the series, I
think, for people that haven't heard it yet.
So if you're telling your friends about this, you can tell
them about the camp song too. Anyway, let's get down to the
(04:17):
questions that you guys sent in.First off, someone asked what
made you write this? Why is it a podcast?
That's a good question. The reason I wrote this show is
because I was a camper. I did go to camp in Asheville,
NC Now let's let's not get weird.
(04:39):
That was a great experience. Nobody died at that camp.
I'm not going to name the camp. It's no longer in Asheville.
They are. They moved somewhere else.
But it was an amazing experience.
Very big part of my life growingup and so I've always wanted to
write about the area and also just about sort of the nature of
being a camper. I assume a lot of people who
listen to the show are also campers, and I think it's like a
(05:01):
certain breed, especially someone that starts going to
sleep away camp like for long periods at a very young age.
I think it's a specific type of person and I was just such a
cool, unique experience and I feel like you, anybody who is a
camper or was a camper knows that you just get to know people
really quickly in a really almost like family kind of way
(05:25):
like sisters. And so I think for Margo and
Veronica and Sadie, that was sort of like their bond is just
this really strong and intense periods of hanging out together
over the summer without your parents, where you're sort of
first learning how to navigate the world as an individual
rather than within your blood relatives.
(05:47):
And so I just kind of wanted to write about that time.
And I also really wanted to write about North Carolina and
Asheville. I think it's such a beautiful
area. I can, like, close my eyes and
still smell the grass and see the mountains.
I haven't been there in years, but I still, like, have a really
strong feeling of the place. And so I I was excited to write
about that. The reason it's a murder mystery
(06:09):
is because that is what I typically write about.
I'm also a a film screenwriter and and I usually stay in that
sort of thriller mystery crime genre.
And so that's why this included that.
So why is it a podcast? That's a good question.
The main reason is that I think there's a really cool thing
(06:30):
happening right now in the podcast world and in the fiction
podcast world where it's sort ofstill the Wild West and you kind
of have free reign to make something that you're just
passionate about without waitingfor any sort of quote, UN quote
gatekeepers to give you permission to do it.
And for me, I didn't start writing until later in life and
(06:52):
I just wanted to have something that was sort of all mine that I
could kind of show run and do everything for and get out into
the world without having to havea huge budget for it, quite
honestly. And I've really been
recommending to like other writer friends that if they are
feeling that way and and just sort of want to get something
out and to have sort of completecreative control, that a podcast
(07:14):
is an awesome way to do that. And also I have a production
company called New Girl Pictureswith one of my very best friends
from all the way back in high school, Samantha Mocker.
She and I worked on another podcast together that has done
quite well. It's called Saint Mary's School
for Children with the Stigmata. It's a horror podcast.
It's also not a camp show but itis a boarding School for Girls.
(07:39):
So kind of like similar vibes inmore of a in like the science
fictiony horror genre whereas this is more like real world
crime genre. So if you were, you know,
finishing Ashwood and like, oh, I wish I had another similar
show to listen to. I feel like because I also
produce and do the sound and also play one of the voices in
(08:01):
that show. You might also like it, so check
out Saint Mary's School for Children with the stigmata.
If you're looking for something new to listen to, it's the if
you're on Spotify, the first recommended host recommended
show on our More like This section of our page.
So you can find that pretty easily there.
And so yeah, if we had made Saint Mary's and had a really
great response and just have enjoyed that whole process of
(08:25):
being able to sort of interact with listeners over the Internet
pretty easily, find out what they like, what they don't like,
like grow the show from there. And I think that's been a really
rewarding process. So I had learned a lot from
doing that and learned that there was an audience that was
waiting for the sort of fully cast, almost radio play like
(08:46):
audio TV shows, which is what I feel like this is.
And so this seemed just like thenatural thing to do next.
I have been editing the audio myself.
I love doing it. It's pretty fun.
And so I knew I could do that. I knew I could cast it.
And yeah, it was just like this can get made immediately and and
(09:07):
be put out there. And so to have it get a good
response, you know, this show, the script for it won the Austin
Film Festival Fiction Audio Award last year and that was
really exciting. So it's been a really cool
process and I'm glad that we made it a podcast because I
think if it wasn't a podcast, itwouldn't be out in the world
yet. I'd still be waiting.
So that's just something to think about if you are a
(09:28):
creator. OK, so next question.
What are some of the show's mostimportant themes to you as the
writer? So I think that there obviously
is this murder, mystery, crime solving happening in the show.
But to me, what the series really is about is kind of the
(09:49):
intense nature of especially female friendships during our
youth and how that sort of translates into who we become
and influences us as adults. And I think another thing that
for me the show is really about is how we all have our own ideas
of the narratives of both of ourselves and of our friends.
(10:11):
And so we don't always necessarily see people clearly.
We sort of see this story that we've written about them.
And I think the most sort of obvious character in this who
exemplifies that is June, who isliterally performing these ghost
stories that are about domestic violence and a bad boyfriend.
(10:31):
And instead of sort of just being honest about the fact that
she is experiencing those thingsin real life, she's making up a
story about them. And as a sort of a way, I feel,
to to get out the secret that she's keeping to that same end.
You've got someone like Sadie who comes across as this bubbly
girl with kind of a perfect life, at least to Margot and
(10:53):
Veronica. And I think Margot, Her journey
in this series as an adult is realizing that someone can be
all of those things, happy, bubbly, popular, and still have
something really deep going on, something, you know, much
different than you would have assumed by the story that you'd
(11:15):
written about them. So that for me is the sort of
overarching theme of the show isjust about how we all have to
look a little deeper and see past our biases and the stories
that we write about other peoplein our minds.
Next question, What is your favorite moment in the series?
So I have a couple. What I'm going to do because I
(11:37):
think it's not fair I can't justpick one, is because I think I
have maybe one for each. When I introduced you to the
actors, I'm going to mention my favorite moment that they each
have in the season. But I will say that my favorite
overall moment, just because it was a fun build up and I think
it's a cool reveal, is at the end of episode 7, The Dance.
(12:00):
When Margo finds the map made ofinvisible ink, it's just fun.
I had an enjoyable time creatingthe groundwork for that one, and
I also had kind of forgotten about invisible ink and how cool
it is. So that was just a fun thing to
play with. It felt very summer camp.
We did literally have invisible ink at my summer camp that we
(12:21):
used to, like, write secret notes to each other, not about
murder but just about like boys that we liked or whatever.
So yeah, that was a really fun one for me and I thought it was
a good little cliffhanger to endan episode on.
Next question is, how much do you think June really knew about
Rick's past? I think June is a really
(12:43):
interesting character and I think she maybe knew more than
we would like to believe that she knew because it like makes
you question her character and her morals if she hasn't come
forward in all this time. But I do think it may have been
more of a subconscious knowing than an actual knowing.
(13:05):
I think often when people are inrelationships that are not
healthy, they are sort of havingto blind themselves just to
survive it. And I think that is in my
opinion what her experience was,that I think she knows that this
person would be capable of something like that, but she
sort of pushed it to the back, back of her mind so she doesn't
(13:28):
have to deal with it. So like is to me, I think she is
culpable in this 20 year period that we've been waiting to find
out who the murderer is. But I do think she's also a
victim in the situation and has been, you know, brainwashed and
been through so many things. So it's a very Gray area for me.
(13:51):
And that's just what makes her kind of an interesting little
thing to think about. I would love to know what other
people think about that, like how much they feel like she was
responsible not for what happened to Sadie, but for the
length of time that it's taken to solve the case.
Just curious, I like to know what people think.
(14:15):
Next up, how did you decide how Sadie's murder would be revealed
in the finale? This was something I spent a lot
of time with. I actually wrote two different
versions of the last episode. One version had Veronica, played
by our lovely Misha Brooks, who we'll hear from later, actually
(14:36):
hypothesize about what might have happened, and her guesses
as to what might have happened were very close to the fully
written scene that we actually end up hearing in the show.
But I had considered not having the scene with Rick and Sadie
fully play out and leaving it more open to interpretation.
(14:56):
I just felt like we actually recorded both ways, and I
listened to it both ways, and I think it's more satisfying as an
audience member. I hope so, to actually hear the
full scene play out and know what happened.
And so in a way, the audience ends up knowing what happened
more than Veronica and Margo Do,because that scene is not
(15:16):
something that they're seeing orhearing.
It's something that's happening,just like a memory from the past
for Sadie, really. So yeah, I thought that was an
interesting it. It's a it's sort of a hard
decision to make as a writer of how much you show of something
like that. But I felt like in this case I
did myself really want to know like actually what happened to
(15:38):
her. And especially because in that
scene I feel like even though something horrible happens to
Sadie and she does end up dying.I think she also has this moment
of taking back her own voice andher, you know, saying I'm not
going to let you do this to me, I'm going to sing it from the
rooftops. So we do hear that she fought
back and I felt like that was important rather than leave that
open to interpretation that likeshe did in that moment realized
(16:01):
she had people who loved her andand that she didn't need to be
in this. So regardless of what happened
she did in her in that moment, like say I'm not going to end up
being this person. So this is a question I've
gotten from multiple people and it is will the series continue
past season one? This is a tough one for me.
(16:22):
I wrote this as a limited series.
We've actually had interest frompeople in developing it as a
television show or a feature, which I'm super open to and
would be fantastic. But I also love our podcast
audience and love this format and this did have an ending and
true ending. The this the final episode 12,
(16:43):
you know I had. We have the closure and and
that's how it was written, was to end there.
I do have in my mind some ideas for what life might be like for
Margo as she takes over Camp Ashwood and opens it back up.
And I do wonder a little bit if those Misty Willis stories had
(17:04):
more truth to them then we mighthave guessed, and if there might
be some ghostly happenings at Camp Ashwood.
So I think that there's some opportunity to explore that a
little bit down the road. I don't know if and when that
will happen, but we'll see how much people are clamoring for
more of the show. I I'm so appreciative of people
(17:26):
who've left comments and reviewssaying that they would like to
spend more time with these characters.
I love them too. And so I'm open to that and
we'll see what happens down the road.
It might be more like standalonekind of Ghost Story episodes in
the camp, but we'll see. I'm just putting it out there.
This has closure. This has ended, but there is, I
think, some opportunity for a possible continuation of the
(17:50):
series in a different form. So that's what I'll say for now
and definitely keep following our page.
Don't unsubscribe because we maydo more and I don't want you to
miss it. So that's why I'm telling you
that I haven't totally decided either way, but I love that
there's possibility. Any tips for people hoping to
(18:10):
make their own audio fiction podcast?
Yeah, so many tips. I would say #1 is just jump in.
Because I was just at a podcasting conference a few
weeks ago and just completely inspired by people who are
making things in all areas, not just fiction, but the, you know,
interview shows. And they're all in these really
(18:34):
specific areas of interest that you would never see on
television, You know, just like super niche audiences.
And it it's created this sort ofopen place where you can make
anything and you can find an audience for anything.
And if you can learn some of theskills that are required, you
(18:54):
know, audio editing, you can hire someone for that.
But you can also teach yourself.That's what I did.
You can cast things, you know, if you have a radio play or you
even have like a piece of theater that you would just like
to get out there almost like a table read.
I'm just a huge proponent of notwaiting for people to give you
permission to do things. So if you have an idea and you
(19:15):
want to make something, you should just do it.
And it doesn't take a huge amount of money or resources
like a film often does to do a podcast.
You know, it still does take time, work and resources, but
it's more achievable, I think, than some of the other media
forms. So yeah, just do it and hey,
(19:35):
reach out. I'm happy to, like, give advice
or look at things, consult or orwhatever.
But yeah, make your stuff. I'm excited to listen to it.
OK, So last question is, what was the casting process like for
this? That was so fun for me.
I love casting things. I was an actress, I guess I
still sort of am, 'cause I played Margot in this, but I was
(19:56):
like an auditioning actress for many years.
And so I love actors and I love working with them, and I was so
excited about who we had for this.
We ended up just with some really special people who were
involved and I would like you tomeet them.
So I'm going to talk about each of them and how they ended up
(20:17):
being on the show and then we will do a quick like 5 minute
little interview with them that you will see intercut between
these introductions. So first up we have Deborah Lee
Smith who plays June in the series.
Deb and I are actually really good friends.
And so I've known her for about 8 years and we just have been
(20:40):
friends and not really worked onanything professionally
together, just kind of supportedeach other's projects and this
seemed like a good opportunity for us to actually do something
together. So this was super fun.
Deb has these amazing camp counselor vibes just as a
person, which is like a very high compliment everybody who's
been to camp knows. And so I thought that she would
(21:01):
be perfect for this. And it made it really fun.
And I'm glad I got to do something with a friend.
And my favorite June moment in the series is probably, I mean,
it's hard. All of the ghost stories are so
amazing and I feel like are justsuch a fun part of the show.
And Deb did such a great job with the performance quality of
(21:23):
those and just making them thesebig moments that you could see a
group of girls getting excited for every night and like being
left on a cliffhanger. But I think probably my favorite
moment for her is the episode June and July, episode 11, where
we really find out this whole underlying back story that we've
sort of been building to with June, that that is one of the
(21:46):
bigger reveals in the series. I think Deb does a great job of
laying that monologue out there and and you really do feel for
her. And even though, as we talked
about that, I think the character has some culpability
in this 20 year period of of waiting to find out who the
murderer is. You can really start to
(22:08):
understand her and see the Gray area in that.
And that to me is just really interesting and sad too.
It's a sad story of someone thatsort of had these grand plans
and ideas and just the nature ofher life and the path that she's
been on hasn't allowed her to explore it.
And then we find out that she actually is going to give it
(22:29):
another go, which I think is beautiful and cool.
So I love that episode. And yeah, Deb does a great
performance in it. So let's meet her.
Hi, Deb. Hi, Laura.
OK. So how did you end up playing
June? Well, I auditioned for a few of
the different characters. I have to admit that June was
definitely one that I kind of went right for as a camper
(22:54):
myself. I was like a big kid counselor,
camper, and I was always the kidthat like straddled between
wanting to be a counselor and wanting to be a kid.
I was always like a rule follower, but then also wanted
to be like cool. And so definitely June's
mentality around things and justthe way she was written, I I
kind of gravitated towards her character right away.
(23:16):
OK, so you already kind of askedmy next question.
I wondered which. Is did you ever go to summer
camp as a kid, and do you have afavorite memory from camp?
Oh yes, I I went to a lot of different summer camps as a kid.
My mom was a teacher, and so I think that was like her time off
in the summer. So she was like, please go to
camp. So I actually have time.
(23:36):
I have real time off. I went to a lot of Girl Scout
camps, 'cause I was a big Girl Scout kid, and I would go to
horseback riding Girl Scout campevery summer for like 5 summers
in a row, which was just amazing, 'cause I love horses
and I, like, got really good at riding horses, taking care of
them. And then actually, after one
summer I ended up getting a job,like one of the instructors
(24:00):
asked if I would come and work on her ranch, like back in LA at
home. So it was really cool, 'cause I
got this opportunity to branch out my camp experience into the
real world, which was really fun.
And yeah, it was just a memory that has always stuck with me.
I. Did not know you were horses,
yeah. I will be in a Western one day.
Yeah, you should be OK What other projects do?
(24:23):
You have coming. Up Dad.
Oh, oh gosh. I have a lot of projects coming
up. I'm.
I do a lot of different things. I'm a writer and a producer as
well as an actor, so I've got a couple different producing
projects under my belt right now.
I have a producing project that is just in theaters and it's
about to land on a very big streamer in the summer, which is
(24:46):
a documentary about Reading Rainbow.
And then I have a new documentary that I'm in the
middle of post production on right now called Sell Your
House. And then I've got a couple of
scripts that I'm in the midst oflike finalizing and then ready
to take them out that I will be starring in.
And then I just finished a shortlast week that I produced and
starred in. That was is kind of a passion
(25:08):
project and kind of a showcase for a couple of the different
members of the people who are part of that script, because
we're going to take that. It's not really a proof of
concept for a larger script, butit's basically a proof of
ability because we need the director of that is going to be
the director for one of our features.
And so we need to be able to show that, like the director can
(25:29):
do directorial things, because it's really important, Hollywood
to be able to show that you can do the thing that you already
know that you and you know that as an actor as well.
I find that it's really important for me to continue
making my own work. And that's why I admire my
friends like Laura who are making their own work.
Because I think that it's so important to tell the stories
that we want to tell in an Ave. and in a space that we want to
(25:52):
tell them without, you know, necessarily outside influence.
That's watering things down because it just allows us to
embrace our true voice. Great answer.
I think you're such a badass. OK, tell people where they can
find you. You can find me on social media.
My handle is Deborah. Deborah under score.
(26:13):
L Smith. That's also my Twitter or X or
whatever. You can also find me on
Facebook. And I also have a podcast called
More Than You See, which is about having creative
conversations with creatives like actors, producers, people
in the industry about mental health.
And that's called more than you see.
And you can find that on all of the and all podcasting
(26:34):
platforms. OK, so Next up we have Misha
Brooks, who plays Veronica in the show.
Misha came to me through the traditional sort of audition
process we had on the normal casting breakdown sites.
We got a ton of submissions. I mean, I'm talking like
hundreds and hundreds of amazingpeople.
(26:54):
It was really hard to go through.
Misha was such an interesting find because I immediately I
really loved her voice. I loved the humor that she
brought to Veronica, who quite honestly was a pretty small
character when I first wrote thepilot and ended up being a much
bigger part of the series because of Misha and how much I
(27:16):
just enjoyed writing for her andher voice.
The funniest thing about her to me is that she plays this sort
of nerdy character on the show, like a kind of a shy girl as a
teenager. As an adult, I think she's much
stronger and Misha does an amazing job of playing both
sides of that. But Misha is like the most
interesting woman in the world. I'm just going to be honest with
(27:37):
you guys. She has this crazy back story.
I'm not going to like put her whole life on here, but she has
is so smart and also just beautiful and I just want just
go look her up, like go look herup because it she when I looked
up her Instagram account when she auditioned, I was like, Oh
(27:59):
my gosh, I just want to not onlyalready do I want to cast her,
but I really like want to know this person because she seems so
cool. My favorite Veronica moment in
the series is episode 5 called Veronica V Card.
It's one of my favorite monologues in the show and she
(28:20):
talks about her cousins making fun of her for never having a
boyfriend and calling her Veronica V card.
It's just a lighter moment in the show, but also I think a
real again this seeing more to someone than we assumed about
them. You know, you think that she is
just sort of this boy crazy girlwho can't get over the fact that
she's not dating anybody as a kid.
(28:42):
But actually she's being bulliedand it's she does have this sort
of deep wound around it. So those moments in the show
were really important to me. So anyway, let's meet Misha.
Oh, hi Misha. How did you end up playing
Veronica in Ashwood? Oh, like logistically.
(29:02):
No, just like how did you come to the part?
How did you find it? How did you like?
Were you just looking through? Yes, so if I remember correctly,
I believe it was on actor's. Access.
And I actually, what's funny is like I actually was in Tokyo at
the time and I was just looking and I was like let me just, you
know, be an active actor and andlook at what's out there.
(29:26):
And yeah, so I have my own mic set up, but I hadn't actually
done like a this kind of job before and I so I was super
excited to be able to apply to it when I found it.
So yeah, submitted my little take and yeah, I was thankfully
chosen. It was wonderful.
So wait, were you had your recording stuff with you in
(29:48):
Tokyo? Yes.
So I bought my, Yeah. So I was like, you know, I was
like, I never know what's going to be out there.
But a lot of like, I think voiceacting auditions are for like
commercials, right. So your narrative, even though
that's the stuff that I think isthe most exciting that games and
you're just like, Oh yes, I wantto be this person.
(30:09):
So I had it for that. Yeah.
I had the microphone and I woulduse the closet to like, record.
And then I said that like, my room, actually there was a
corner that was perfectly like the residence was perfect.
So I didn't actually have to hide in the closet.
That's good. It's good not to have to be in
the then just you know. I know Halle was talking about
(30:32):
she did like a demo version of the song for me in her closet.
She was like this is not we can't I was like OK, we'll go to
a studio for the song. So did you go to summer camp as
a kid or anything like that? And if you did, do you have a
favorite memory? I went to summer camp but I only
was allowed to go to day camp, so I actually have never done
(30:53):
the overnight. It was always this, like, thing
that other kids were allowed to do.
My mom's very much, way too overprotective for that was not
going to happen. So my sister and I, we went to
day camp, but it was in the woods, Camp Ponkapog in
Massachusetts, in the Blue hills.
And I have multiple memories of just like random things.
(31:15):
Like, there's a boardwalk going out into the lake, and I was not
paying attention. And I walked off the boardwalk
landing in basic essentially like up to my chest in mud.
And then had to, we walked back and they had to give me like a
giant extra T-shirt to wear for the rest of the day before my
(31:36):
mom picked me up. So that was fun.
And just like very random things, I had a retainer at the
time. I accidentally threw my retainer
out the lunch tray. And so we had to like, empty out
the entire trash bag searching for it.
And then they just closed it offand I put it back in my mouth.
No. So, like, yeah, summer camp
(31:59):
shenanigans. Just getting into trouble with
your mouth guard, that's I was always like, purposely trying to
lose my mouth guard because I didn't want to wear that thing.
I was achieved that. You tried.
Good job. That's so funny.
So wait, was it a camp where some people were overnight and
you were just during the day? So no, this was like a full on
(32:22):
just oh like day camp. I think it was probably it was
through like YMCA. Or PG.
Like, yeah, that would be betterthan like you weren't allowed to
stay overnight, but everybody else would.
That would have been sad. Really sad.
Oh sad. I also went to went to zoo camp
once. Zoo camp.
Zoo, Camp, so in the So, yeah, so I grew up in Boston, right.
So like the Franklin Park Zoo, they would have camp, summer
(32:46):
camp. And so you'd go and like you
could go behind the scenes with the animals and like help feed
them sometimes. Oh my gosh, you.
You did a lot of coloring. You did a lot of, like walking
around. I traded my, like, Pokémon with
my game. You know, did did all that.
That's awesome. Zoo camp.
That's very cool. OK, So what do you have coming
(33:09):
up next? Any projects that you're
working? On or anything here, Yeah, same
about. The question The immediate
future. I have two short films that I'm
in, in similar capacity and thenvery different capacities.
So one of them I'm actually working on myself.
So my first short film that I'veCo written and I'm executive
(33:32):
producing. Good for you, SO.
Acting in as one of the leads. And so that has been exciting,
terrifying and fulfilling in that process.
What's it about? Or do you wanna or is it
spoiler? So it is the title is Merfolk
and we'll say this is definitelyspeaks to.
(33:53):
I think most creatives have always desired to not lose this,
which I think is that like the child, when you're a child, you
have this joy for life and creativity and just embracing
like and that concept. And and I always was really
bewildered about why it was thatas soon as you become an adult,
(34:14):
you're supposed to lose that andyou're not allowed to, you know,
enjoy all of the all of, yeah, the wonder and imagination that
you used to have And yeah, you're not allowed to maintain
it. So this is very much speaks to
that where our main character, you know, she decides with the
help of her of her friend to give up her kind of high-powered
(34:37):
lawyer career to become a professional mermaid comedy
short film. It's, Yeah, So.
That sounds great. I'm assuming you've seen the
Netflix documentary The Mermaid.Yeah, it's fabulous.
I'm, I'm forgetting the name of it right now but it is fabulous.
It's so, so interesting. We have a a cousin whose family
(35:01):
has a house in that town in Florida where the where like all
the mermaids. I forget the name of the It's
like wishy washy or something like that.
Sounds mermaidy, but yeah, it's fascinating.
OK. And then I also I'm star as the
villain of a horror comedy. So that one I just act.
(35:21):
Fun. Of an undead person, so.
Oh, that's super fun. Oh, I'm excited.
You're gonna have to send me stuff when you have it.
And I can watch. OK, so where can people find you
online? You can find me on I Wanna Say
Every Single social media Platform pretty much by my full
name, Misha Brooks. And yeah, Instagram going to be
(35:43):
better at TikTok going to do more things.
But yeah, you can find me on allthe social media and then I have
my own like personal website, mishibrooks.com.
So very straightforward. Awesome.
Thank you. OK, and last but not least,
what's a murder mystery without its victim?
We have our Sadie, played by Hallie Smith.
(36:03):
Hallie is a fantastic actress and I she came to me the same
way that Misha did through the casting sites.
And I had also made that sectionof actors who were auditioning
for Sadie sing a song as part oftheir audition because
originally I thought we were going to go big and and license
(36:24):
the song. We didn't do all that.
I ended up writing an original song because I was like, I can't
have made these girls all auditioning with singing and not
use their voices. Especially because when I heard
Hallie's voice in her audition, I was just blown away.
She's so talented. It was so fun to record with her
in the studio. That's her harmonizing with
herself on the song and she madeall those harmonies up on the
(36:46):
spot. She's just super talented, sweet
girl, great energy, and she brought this real interesting
quality to Sadie that I hadn't so much seen when I was writing
it. Where in the description of
Sadie she is listed as a the Serena Vander Woodson of
(37:07):
campers, just like those vibes. But Hallie brought this sort of
sassy strength to her, which I loved, because I think it's
really important that we see that she's also this tough girl.
She's been through so much. We find out that I thought it
was a much more interesting takeon the character than having her
just be this sort of happy go lucky bubbly sweet girl that I
(37:28):
had originally written her as. So.
So Hallie brought this depth to it that I thought was really
exciting. I think my favorite Sadie
moment. Oh, that's a tough one in the
series. I think her monologue in episode
three, Initiation, where she's talking about her trip with Paul
to the tree, which is sort of this a genuine romantic moment.
(37:52):
I think in hindsight, especiallyknowing what happens to her and
what she's been through, it's actually really cool that she
had that experience. And I love the way Halle
performs it. And it's just a sweet, very real
sort of reaction from a teenage.So hi, Hallie.
Hey, how are you? I'm doing well.
(38:14):
How are you? Good.
OK. So how did you end up playing?
Sadie, So I I've been in LA for a couple years now and I've been
submitting to jobs a lot, just through actors access and
different various submission sites.
And I saw this project pop up and I've done a voiceover
(38:36):
industrial before, but I haven'tgotten to do anything that was
narrative and I love murder mysteries.
So it really excited me. And yeah, I saw this posting and
I decided to submit for it. And then, you know, I got an
audition and you were great. How it how it started and what.
(38:57):
And I could, like, do an imitation of it.
Carolina on my mind. I really had fun doing it.
I was like, oh you know, even though I'm in my closet using my
clothes as, like, noise dampeners.
This is really fun. That's great.
I love the visual view in your closet.
Doing it. I didn't realize you were a big
(39:18):
murder mystery fan. So how is it to play the girl
that dies? Yeah.
I yeah, I love, like Knives Out.I love Agatha Christie stories.
I love like a cozy murder mystery moment.
But yeah, And then I I feel likeI kind of forgot that I had even
(39:38):
submitted that audition, 'cause as an actor, that's kind of,
it's kind of the goal, honestly.You know, you, you do however
many auditions you have in the week, and you're just kind of
constantly going on to the next one and just trying to do your
best to be prepared for each one.
And like eventually everything kind of slips your mind.
And then I think you emailed me or I can't even remember how I.
How I think I reached out through the whatever the
(40:01):
messaging system on breakdowns is.
But yeah, I do remember because we had, you were the only one
that Sadie was the only character that we had singing
auditions for. And so I got to hear your lovely
voice. And then thus we have the song
that ends the series, which was also really fun.
Yes. Yeah, yeah, the the pipe dream
(40:24):
of being able to like get the rights to on my mind we did not
do funny. I didn't really know that song
before. It's a great song, A.
Long culture, but I had to look it up and learn it and I was
like. Well, you sang it very well.
All right. So did you go to summer camp at
all as a kid? And do you have like a favorite
(40:44):
summer camp memory? I did go to summer camp.
It's all a little blurry becauseI was, I was pretty young and
I'm, I can't remember. Sometimes it was related to Girl
Scouts, but I ended up quitting Girl Scouts 'cause I was like,
this is too much of A commitment.
I need to be a kid. But I did go to a couple of
(41:06):
sleep away camps, and I rememberone of them, I think it was
called Jockey Hollow in New Jersey.
And I just remember going in thelake and using canoes and hiking
in the woods. I just, I loved being outdoors.
I hated that the bunks, it was like so hot in there.
(41:26):
Like it just like did not cool down, 'cause it is humid and hot
in New Jersey in the summer. And I remember I I could never
pass the swim test. That was so stressful.
I remember that too. But that was like a big deal it.
Wasn't allowed in the deep. Yeah, we had like different
colored bands and you had to wear that all camp.
(41:49):
So you were like branded? Yeah, no, I think I I think I
was always red. I don't think I ever made it to
green or blue. So in some ways I guess you
could consider that traumatic, but it's actually just kind of
funny. Like I I was also very small.
Like, I think I just. I just couldn't do it.
And that's just weren't a. Swimmer, it's fine.
(42:12):
I like to think I'm better now. I'm sure you are, But the jury's
probably still out on that one. OK.
So do you have any other projects coming up that you want
to tell people about? Yeah, I just wrapped up ADR for
a feature film that I was in called The Bitcoin Executor.
We shot in Miami, which was really fun.
(42:33):
And yeah, we'll see. There's a potential that it
might premiere publicly this summer, and if so, I will
definitely be shouting from the rooftops, 'cause that would be
really exciting. But that's definitely in the,
like, finishing stages of being edited.
And then I'm also a writer and producer, director.
(42:56):
I've kind of got so many hats. You know, we all we're wearing a
lot of hats around here. But I I made my own short film
called Fiori Fosa. It's about two women in
Renaissance Italy who used to befriends, and now the odds have
turned against them. And it's basically a dreamy,
romantic thriller to see, you know, how much, how badly can
(43:21):
they hurt each other and still come back from it?
Interesting. Yes.
So we've screened at a couple offilm festivals and I think we
might be getting ready to share that publicly soon, so.
Fun. Oh, I can't wait to see that.
That sounds really, really cool.Got some other ideas
percolating, but I'll share those more as they become a
(43:43):
little more concrete. But yeah, definitely excited
about what's going on right now.Very, very cool.
OK, so where can people find youonline?
They can find me on Instagram atHalley Rose Smith
HALLYROSESMITH. They can find me on Facebook
Halley Smith and at my website halleysmith.com.
(44:06):
I also have a couple of songs onSoundCloud if.
You're. Really invested.
I didn't write them. They're from musical theater
demos that I've done in college,but I'm sure if you Google that
you can find it too if you're really interested.
Super cool, yeah. Oh, I also have a YouTube
channel, which I think is at Halle Rose Smith.
I want to say is my handle thereas well?
(44:28):
Very cool. All right.
Well, awesome. Thanks for coming and saying hi.
Thanks for missing me. Thanks for being cool and.
You're welcome. Thanks for being in it.
It's such a it's like an awesomeperformance tonight.
I'm so glad we had you. And I will say, yeah, listening
back to it, I was like, oh. A lot.
(44:51):
Yeah, it's a lot. It's a lot at the end.
I'm sure people are also surprised to hear your voice
without the accent too. That's always.
Oh yeah, don't have a southern accent, but I hope it was
convincing enough that it's veryconvincing accent.
If not, if I've offended anybody, I'm so sorry, no.
No, they need to calm down. Another bill part of the time.
(45:16):
OK, so thanks so much for tuningin for this little bonus
episode. I hope you've enjoyed it.
It's so nice to meet you all over video.
Please leave comments and you know, if you have additional
questions about the series or things that you would like to
see. If you want to see more, let us
(45:36):
know. And if you haven't already, one
request. Please give us a rating and a
review when you get a chance andshare the show with your
friends. We would love for more people to
know about it. I think it's a great thing to
watch over the summer. Watch, I say watch all the time
about this. It's listen, I know that.
(45:57):
But anyway, please share, let everybody know about the show.
We so appreciate your listening.It's awesome to have people
passionate about the things thatyou're passionate about and
excited about the things that you're making.
So it just completely warms my heart and brings immeasurable
(46:18):
joy to me that people have enjoyed this and I just couldn't
possibly thank you enough. Until the next time, we'll let
you know what we have coming up next, but if you want to find
out more about other projects wehave coming up, we're planning
on doing a short film and a feature film in the next couple
of years, and we also have a feature film out called To the
(46:40):
New Girl it's on to Be, as well as a couple of other platforms.
You can find out more about thatat to thenewgirl.com.
There's also both of our production companies,
newgirlpictures.com and Dragon Hunter productions.com, so check
us out there if you go to the crime at campashwood.com.
I know this is a lot of dot coms, but if you go to the crime
at campashwood.com, there's somefun March like the T-shirt I'm
(47:02):
wearing, if you're into that sort of thing.
But there's also a place to signup for a mailing list so that
you can be notified about futurethings that we do.
And we'll also be doing a fun giveaway on that for a piece of
March in the next month. So if you want to sign up to
possibly win something fun, go to the crime at campashwood.com
and do that right now and we will see you when we see you.
(47:25):
Thanks so much guys. High in the Blue Ridge
Mountains, you'll find my memories among the birds and
trees, a place where I am free. I dash will live my home away
from home and love the praise I've made.
(47:50):
The best of all was you. A sister over s'mores, a piece
of living roof. Let all you are waiting.
Most sweet summer nights. You're.
Far away, but always on my side,riding my enemies among the
(48:11):
birds and the trees. A place where I am free had
Ashwood in my home away from home.
Hi there, My name is Laura Hunter Drago and I am the
creator and writer of the crime at Camp Ashwood.
You also might recognize my voice because I play Margot in
the series. So I like to do this at the end
of a podcast. Sit down, do a little Q&A and
also make it a video episode so that you can put a face to a
voice. Since you have been listening to
(00:27):
us for the last however many months you've been listening,
sometimes it's nice to have a visual so you can listen to this
episode as an audio episode if that's your preferred way.
But you can also go on Spotify or YouTube and check out the
video version if you would like to say hello and see our faces.
Secondly, if you have not listened to the whole series of
(00:50):
the crime at Camp Ashwood or youhaven't started it yet, please
don't listen to this episode until you've listened to the
entire series because we will betalking about spoilers.
As a writer and because this is a mystery, you really don't want
to be spoiled. So if you have not finished the
series yet, please do that before you do this episode.
So I'm going to be answering a few questions that you guys have
(01:13):
sent in about the series and then we'll be talking to our
other cast members so that you can get to know them really
quickly and find out how to learn more about them because
they're all amazing and I want you to see their faces too.
So First things first, I want totalk about the song that closes
the series. There is a great little moment
(01:34):
for our Mercedes who I don't know.
I think it's your it's up to interpretation.
But as the writer I feel like she's sort of her spirit is kind
of still permeating the camp. And we have our Halle Smith, who
is a singer who plays Sadie, sing an acapella version of a
song called Home Away From Home.And we did that in a very I say
(01:59):
it's like the sad girl autumn version of the song is in the
last episode the series. But we also recorded and fully
produced a camp style version ofthe song, which I think is very
fun and upbeat and that is separately available anywhere
you listen to music. But we're going to play it here
through Spotify so that you can hear the full upbeat, exciting
(02:24):
version of Home Way from Home, the crime at Camp Ashwood song.
So I thought it would be fun to start this episode out with
that. High in the Blue Ridge
Mountains, you'll find my memories among the birds.
And trees A. Place where I am free, at
(02:48):
Ashwood, in my home, away from home, and of the friends I've
made, the best of all was you. A sister over s'mores, a piece
of living roof that all ye are waiting, and most sweet summer
nights. You're.
(03:08):
Far away, but always on my side,riding my enemies among the
birds and the trees. A place where I am free had
Ashwood in my home away from home.
(03:30):
OK, so that's the song. Hallie came in and recorded that
with me in the studio. I wrote the lyrics.
We did it up at RK Studios up near where I live in Los Angeles
County, and it was a super fun experience, just something
totally different. I've never written a song before
and I just thought it was a nicelittle ending to the show and
also a companion piece to have like the camp song version
(03:52):
because camp songs were a huge part of my own summer camp
experience as a kid. It was a big camper.
We'll talk about that more, but I thought it would be cool to
just have a little extra piece of content.
So I hope you guys enjoy it and listen to it.
And you know, it's a great introduction to the series, I
think, for people that haven't heard it yet.
So if you're telling your friends about this, you can tell
them about the camp song too. Anyway, let's get down to the
(04:17):
questions that you guys sent in.First off, someone asked what
made you write this? Why is it a podcast?
That's a good question. The reason I wrote this show is
because I was a camper. I did go to camp in Asheville,
NC Now let's let's not get weird.
(04:39):
That was a great experience. Nobody died at that camp.
I'm not going to name the camp. It's no longer in Asheville.
They are. They moved somewhere else.
But it was an amazing experience.
Very big part of my life growingup and so I've always wanted to
write about the area and also just about sort of the nature of
being a camper. I assume a lot of people who
listen to the show are also campers, and I think it's like a
(05:01):
certain breed, especially someone that starts going to
sleep away camp like for long periods at a very young age.
I think it's a specific type of person and I was just such a
cool, unique experience and I feel like you, anybody who is a
camper or was a camper knows that you just get to know people
really quickly in a really almost like family kind of way
(05:25):
like sisters. And so I think for Margo and
Veronica and Sadie, that was sort of like their bond is just
this really strong and intense periods of hanging out together
over the summer without your parents, where you're sort of
first learning how to navigate the world as an individual
rather than within your blood relatives.
(05:47):
And so I just kind of wanted to write about that time.
And I also really wanted to write about North Carolina and
Asheville. I think it's such a beautiful
area. I can, like, close my eyes and
still smell the grass and see the mountains.
I haven't been there in years, but I still, like, have a really
strong feeling of the place. And so I I was excited to write
about that. The reason it's a murder mystery
(06:09):
is because that is what I typically write about.
I'm also a a film screenwriter and and I usually stay in that
sort of thriller mystery crime genre.
And so that's why this included that.
So why is it a podcast? That's a good question.
The main reason is that I think there's a really cool thing
(06:30):
happening right now in the podcast world and in the fiction
podcast world where it's sort ofstill the Wild West and you kind
of have free reign to make something that you're just
passionate about without waitingfor any sort of quote, UN quote
gatekeepers to give you permission to do it.
And for me, I didn't start writing until later in life and
(06:52):
I just wanted to have something that was sort of all mine that I
could kind of show run and do everything for and get out into
the world without having to havea huge budget for it, quite
honestly. And I've really been
recommending to like other writer friends that if they are
feeling that way and and just sort of want to get something
out and to have sort of completecreative control, that a podcast
(07:14):
is an awesome way to do that. And also I have a production
company called New Girl Pictureswith one of my very best friends
from all the way back in high school, Samantha Mocker.
She and I worked on another podcast together that has done
quite well. It's called Saint Mary's School
for Children with the Stigmata. It's a horror podcast.
It's also not a camp show but itis a boarding School for Girls.
(07:39):
So kind of like similar vibes inmore of a in like the science
fictiony horror genre whereas this is more like real world
crime genre. So if you were, you know,
finishing Ashwood and like, oh, I wish I had another similar
show to listen to. I feel like because I also
produce and do the sound and also play one of the voices in
(08:01):
that show. You might also like it, so check
out Saint Mary's School for Children with the stigmata.
If you're looking for something new to listen to, it's the if
you're on Spotify, the first recommended host recommended
show on our More like This section of our page.
So you can find that pretty easily there.
And so yeah, if we had made Saint Mary's and had a really
great response and just have enjoyed that whole process of
(08:25):
being able to sort of interact with listeners over the Internet
pretty easily, find out what they like, what they don't like,
like grow the show from there. And I think that's been a really
rewarding process. So I had learned a lot from
doing that and learned that there was an audience that was
waiting for the sort of fully cast, almost radio play like
(08:46):
audio TV shows, which is what I feel like this is.
And so this seemed just like thenatural thing to do next.
I have been editing the audio myself.
I love doing it. It's pretty fun.
And so I knew I could do that. I knew I could cast it.
And yeah, it was just like this can get made immediately and and
(09:07):
be put out there. And so to have it get a good
response, you know, this show, the script for it won the Austin
Film Festival Fiction Audio Award last year and that was
really exciting. So it's been a really cool
process and I'm glad that we made it a podcast because I
think if it wasn't a podcast, itwouldn't be out in the world
yet. I'd still be waiting.
So that's just something to think about if you are a
(09:28):
creator. OK, so next question.
What are some of the show's mostimportant themes to you as the
writer? So I think that there obviously
is this murder, mystery, crime solving happening in the show.
But to me, what the series really is about is kind of the
(09:49):
intense nature of especially female friendships during our
youth and how that sort of translates into who we become
and influences us as adults. And I think another thing that
for me the show is really about is how we all have our own ideas
of the narratives of both of ourselves and of our friends.
(10:11):
And so we don't always necessarily see people clearly.
We sort of see this story that we've written about them.
And I think the most sort of obvious character in this who
exemplifies that is June, who isliterally performing these ghost
stories that are about domestic violence and a bad boyfriend.
(10:31):
And instead of sort of just being honest about the fact that
she is experiencing those thingsin real life, she's making up a
story about them. And as a sort of a way, I feel,
to to get out the secret that she's keeping to that same end.
You've got someone like Sadie who comes across as this bubbly
girl with kind of a perfect life, at least to Margot and
(10:53):
Veronica. And I think Margot, Her journey
in this series as an adult is realizing that someone can be
all of those things, happy, bubbly, popular, and still have
something really deep going on, something, you know, much
different than you would have assumed by the story that you'd
(11:15):
written about them. So that for me is the sort of
overarching theme of the show isjust about how we all have to
look a little deeper and see past our biases and the stories
that we write about other peoplein our minds.
Next question, What is your favorite moment in the series?
So I have a couple. What I'm going to do because I
(11:37):
think it's not fair I can't justpick one, is because I think I
have maybe one for each. When I introduced you to the
actors, I'm going to mention my favorite moment that they each
have in the season. But I will say that my favorite
overall moment, just because it was a fun build up and I think
it's a cool reveal, is at the end of episode 7, The Dance.
(12:00):
When Margo finds the map made ofinvisible ink, it's just fun.
I had an enjoyable time creatingthe groundwork for that one, and
I also had kind of forgotten about invisible ink and how cool
it is. So that was just a fun thing to
play with. It felt very summer camp.
We did literally have invisible ink at my summer camp that we
(12:21):
used to, like, write secret notes to each other, not about
murder but just about like boys that we liked or whatever.
So yeah, that was a really fun one for me and I thought it was
a good little cliffhanger to endan episode on.
Next question is, how much do you think June really knew about
Rick's past? I think June is a really
(12:43):
interesting character and I think she maybe knew more than
we would like to believe that she knew because it like makes
you question her character and her morals if she hasn't come
forward in all this time. But I do think it may have been
more of a subconscious knowing than an actual knowing.
(13:05):
I think often when people are inrelationships that are not
healthy, they are sort of havingto blind themselves just to
survive it. And I think that is in my
opinion what her experience was,that I think she knows that this
person would be capable of something like that, but she
sort of pushed it to the back, back of her mind so she doesn't
(13:28):
have to deal with it. So like is to me, I think she is
culpable in this 20 year period that we've been waiting to find
out who the murderer is. But I do think she's also a
victim in the situation and has been, you know, brainwashed and
been through so many things. So it's a very Gray area for me.
(13:51):
And that's just what makes her kind of an interesting little
thing to think about. I would love to know what other
people think about that, like how much they feel like she was
responsible not for what happened to Sadie, but for the
length of time that it's taken to solve the case.
Just curious, I like to know what people think.
(14:15):
Next up, how did you decide how Sadie's murder would be revealed
in the finale? This was something I spent a lot
of time with. I actually wrote two different
versions of the last episode. One version had Veronica, played
by our lovely Misha Brooks, who we'll hear from later, actually
(14:36):
hypothesize about what might have happened, and her guesses
as to what might have happened were very close to the fully
written scene that we actually end up hearing in the show.
But I had considered not having the scene with Rick and Sadie
fully play out and leaving it more open to interpretation.
(14:56):
I just felt like we actually recorded both ways, and I
listened to it both ways, and I think it's more satisfying as an
audience member. I hope so, to actually hear the
full scene play out and know what happened.
And so in a way, the audience ends up knowing what happened
more than Veronica and Margo Do,because that scene is not
(15:16):
something that they're seeing orhearing.
It's something that's happening,just like a memory from the past
for Sadie, really. So yeah, I thought that was an
interesting it. It's a it's sort of a hard
decision to make as a writer of how much you show of something
like that. But I felt like in this case I
did myself really want to know like actually what happened to
(15:38):
her. And especially because in that
scene I feel like even though something horrible happens to
Sadie and she does end up dying.I think she also has this moment
of taking back her own voice andher, you know, saying I'm not
going to let you do this to me, I'm going to sing it from the
rooftops. So we do hear that she fought
back and I felt like that was important rather than leave that
open to interpretation that likeshe did in that moment realized
(16:01):
she had people who loved her andand that she didn't need to be
in this. So regardless of what happened
she did in her in that moment, like say I'm not going to end up
being this person. So this is a question I've
gotten from multiple people and it is will the series continue
past season one? This is a tough one for me.
(16:22):
I wrote this as a limited series.
We've actually had interest frompeople in developing it as a
television show or a feature, which I'm super open to and
would be fantastic. But I also love our podcast
audience and love this format and this did have an ending and
true ending. The this the final episode 12,
(16:43):
you know I had. We have the closure and and
that's how it was written, was to end there.
I do have in my mind some ideas for what life might be like for
Margo as she takes over Camp Ashwood and opens it back up.
And I do wonder a little bit if those Misty Willis stories had
(17:04):
more truth to them then we mighthave guessed, and if there might
be some ghostly happenings at Camp Ashwood.
So I think that there's some opportunity to explore that a
little bit down the road. I don't know if and when that
will happen, but we'll see how much people are clamoring for
more of the show. I I'm so appreciative of people
(17:26):
who've left comments and reviewssaying that they would like to
spend more time with these characters.
I love them too. And so I'm open to that and
we'll see what happens down the road.
It might be more like standalonekind of Ghost Story episodes in
the camp, but we'll see. I'm just putting it out there.
This has closure. This has ended, but there is, I
think, some opportunity for a possible continuation of the
(17:50):
series in a different form. So that's what I'll say for now
and definitely keep following our page.
Don't unsubscribe because we maydo more and I don't want you to
miss it. So that's why I'm telling you
that I haven't totally decided either way, but I love that
there's possibility. Any tips for people hoping to
(18:10):
make their own audio fiction podcast?
Yeah, so many tips. I would say #1 is just jump in.
Because I was just at a podcasting conference a few
weeks ago and just completely inspired by people who are
making things in all areas, not just fiction, but the, you know,
interview shows. And they're all in these really
(18:34):
specific areas of interest that you would never see on
television, You know, just like super niche audiences.
And it it's created this sort ofopen place where you can make
anything and you can find an audience for anything.
And if you can learn some of theskills that are required, you
(18:54):
know, audio editing, you can hire someone for that.
But you can also teach yourself.That's what I did.
You can cast things, you know, if you have a radio play or you
even have like a piece of theater that you would just like
to get out there almost like a table read.
I'm just a huge proponent of notwaiting for people to give you
permission to do things. So if you have an idea and you
(19:15):
want to make something, you should just do it.
And it doesn't take a huge amount of money or resources
like a film often does to do a podcast.
You know, it still does take time, work and resources, but
it's more achievable, I think, than some of the other media
forms. So yeah, just do it and hey,
(19:35):
reach out. I'm happy to, like, give advice
or look at things, consult or orwhatever.
But yeah, make your stuff. I'm excited to listen to it.
OK, So last question is, what was the casting process like for
this? That was so fun for me.
I love casting things. I was an actress, I guess I
still sort of am, 'cause I played Margot in this, but I was
(19:56):
like an auditioning actress for many years.
And so I love actors and I love working with them, and I was so
excited about who we had for this.
We ended up just with some really special people who were
involved and I would like you tomeet them.
So I'm going to talk about each of them and how they ended up
(20:17):
being on the show and then we will do a quick like 5 minute
little interview with them that you will see intercut between
these introductions. So first up we have Deborah Lee
Smith who plays June in the series.
Deb and I are actually really good friends.
And so I've known her for about 8 years and we just have been
(20:40):
friends and not really worked onanything professionally
together, just kind of supportedeach other's projects and this
seemed like a good opportunity for us to actually do something
together. So this was super fun.
Deb has these amazing camp counselor vibes just as a
person, which is like a very high compliment everybody who's
been to camp knows. And so I thought that she would
(21:01):
be perfect for this. And it made it really fun.
And I'm glad I got to do something with a friend.
And my favorite June moment in the series is probably, I mean,
it's hard. All of the ghost stories are so
amazing and I feel like are justsuch a fun part of the show.
And Deb did such a great job with the performance quality of
(21:23):
those and just making them thesebig moments that you could see a
group of girls getting excited for every night and like being
left on a cliffhanger. But I think probably my favorite
moment for her is the episode June and July, episode 11, where
we really find out this whole underlying back story that we've
sort of been building to with June, that that is one of the
(21:46):
bigger reveals in the series. I think Deb does a great job of
laying that monologue out there and and you really do feel for
her. And even though, as we talked
about that, I think the character has some culpability
in this 20 year period of of waiting to find out who the
murderer is. You can really start to
(22:08):
understand her and see the Gray area in that.
And that to me is just really interesting and sad too.
It's a sad story of someone thatsort of had these grand plans
and ideas and just the nature ofher life and the path that she's
been on hasn't allowed her to explore it.
And then we find out that she actually is going to give it
(22:29):
another go, which I think is beautiful and cool.
So I love that episode. And yeah, Deb does a great
performance in it. So let's meet her.
Hi, Deb. Hi, Laura.
OK. So how did you end up playing
June? Well, I auditioned for a few of
the different characters. I have to admit that June was
definitely one that I kind of went right for as a camper
(22:54):
myself. I was like a big kid counselor,
camper, and I was always the kidthat like straddled between
wanting to be a counselor and wanting to be a kid.
I was always like a rule follower, but then also wanted
to be like cool. And so definitely June's
mentality around things and justthe way she was written, I I
kind of gravitated towards her character right away.
(23:16):
OK, so you already kind of askedmy next question.
I wondered which. Is did you ever go to summer
camp as a kid, and do you have afavorite memory from camp?
Oh yes, I I went to a lot of different summer camps as a kid.
My mom was a teacher, and so I think that was like her time off
in the summer. So she was like, please go to
camp. So I actually have time.
(23:36):
I have real time off. I went to a lot of Girl Scout
camps, 'cause I was a big Girl Scout kid, and I would go to
horseback riding Girl Scout campevery summer for like 5 summers
in a row, which was just amazing, 'cause I love horses
and I, like, got really good at riding horses, taking care of
them. And then actually, after one
summer I ended up getting a job,like one of the instructors
(24:00):
asked if I would come and work on her ranch, like back in LA at
home. So it was really cool, 'cause I
got this opportunity to branch out my camp experience into the
real world, which was really fun.
And yeah, it was just a memory that has always stuck with me.
I. Did not know you were horses,
yeah. I will be in a Western one day.
Yeah, you should be OK What other projects do?
(24:23):
You have coming. Up Dad.
Oh, oh gosh. I have a lot of projects coming
up. I'm.
I do a lot of different things. I'm a writer and a producer as
well as an actor, so I've got a couple different producing
projects under my belt right now.
I have a producing project that is just in theaters and it's
about to land on a very big streamer in the summer, which is
(24:46):
a documentary about Reading Rainbow.
And then I have a new documentary that I'm in the
middle of post production on right now called Sell Your
House. And then I've got a couple of
scripts that I'm in the midst oflike finalizing and then ready
to take them out that I will be starring in.
And then I just finished a shortlast week that I produced and
starred in. That was is kind of a passion
(25:08):
project and kind of a showcase for a couple of the different
members of the people who are part of that script, because
we're going to take that. It's not really a proof of
concept for a larger script, butit's basically a proof of
ability because we need the director of that is going to be
the director for one of our features.
And so we need to be able to show that, like the director can
(25:29):
do directorial things, because it's really important, Hollywood
to be able to show that you can do the thing that you already
know that you and you know that as an actor as well.
I find that it's really important for me to continue
making my own work. And that's why I admire my
friends like Laura who are making their own work.
Because I think that it's so important to tell the stories
that we want to tell in an Ave. and in a space that we want to
(25:52):
tell them without, you know, necessarily outside influence.
That's watering things down because it just allows us to
embrace our true voice. Great answer.
I think you're such a badass. OK, tell people where they can
find you. You can find me on social media.
My handle is Deborah. Deborah under score.
(26:13):
L Smith. That's also my Twitter or X or
whatever. You can also find me on
Facebook. And I also have a podcast called
More Than You See, which is about having creative
conversations with creatives like actors, producers, people
in the industry about mental health.
And that's called more than you see.
And you can find that on all of the and all podcasting
(26:34):
platforms. OK, so Next up we have Misha
Brooks, who plays Veronica in the show.
Misha came to me through the traditional sort of audition
process we had on the normal casting breakdown sites.
We got a ton of submissions. I mean, I'm talking like
hundreds and hundreds of amazingpeople.
(26:54):
It was really hard to go through.
Misha was such an interesting find because I immediately I
really loved her voice. I loved the humor that she
brought to Veronica, who quite honestly was a pretty small
character when I first wrote thepilot and ended up being a much
bigger part of the series because of Misha and how much I
(27:16):
just enjoyed writing for her andher voice.
The funniest thing about her to me is that she plays this sort
of nerdy character on the show, like a kind of a shy girl as a
teenager. As an adult, I think she's much
stronger and Misha does an amazing job of playing both
sides of that. But Misha is like the most
interesting woman in the world. I'm just going to be honest with
(27:37):
you guys. She has this crazy back story.
I'm not going to like put her whole life on here, but she has
is so smart and also just beautiful and I just want just
go look her up, like go look herup because it she when I looked
up her Instagram account when she auditioned, I was like, Oh
(27:59):
my gosh, I just want to not onlyalready do I want to cast her,
but I really like want to know this person because she seems so
cool. My favorite Veronica moment in
the series is episode 5 called Veronica V Card.
It's one of my favorite monologues in the show and she
(28:20):
talks about her cousins making fun of her for never having a
boyfriend and calling her Veronica V card.
It's just a lighter moment in the show, but also I think a
real again this seeing more to someone than we assumed about
them. You know, you think that she is
just sort of this boy crazy girlwho can't get over the fact that
she's not dating anybody as a kid.
(28:42):
But actually she's being bulliedand it's she does have this sort
of deep wound around it. So those moments in the show
were really important to me. So anyway, let's meet Misha.
Oh, hi Misha. How did you end up playing
Veronica in Ashwood? Oh, like logistically.
(29:02):
No, just like how did you come to the part?
How did you find it? How did you like?
Were you just looking through? Yes, so if I remember correctly,
I believe it was on actor's. Access.
And I actually, what's funny is like I actually was in Tokyo at
the time and I was just looking and I was like let me just, you
know, be an active actor and andlook at what's out there.
(29:26):
And yeah, so I have my own mic set up, but I hadn't actually
done like a this kind of job before and I so I was super
excited to be able to apply to it when I found it.
So yeah, submitted my little take and yeah, I was thankfully
chosen. It was wonderful.
So wait, were you had your recording stuff with you in
(29:48):
Tokyo? Yes.
So I bought my, Yeah. So I was like, you know, I was
like, I never know what's going to be out there.
But a lot of like, I think voiceacting auditions are for like
commercials, right. So your narrative, even though
that's the stuff that I think isthe most exciting that games and
you're just like, Oh yes, I wantto be this person.
(30:09):
So I had it for that. Yeah.
I had the microphone and I woulduse the closet to like, record.
And then I said that like, my room, actually there was a
corner that was perfectly like the residence was perfect.
So I didn't actually have to hide in the closet.
That's good. It's good not to have to be in
the then just you know. I know Halle was talking about
(30:32):
she did like a demo version of the song for me in her closet.
She was like this is not we can't I was like OK, we'll go to
a studio for the song. So did you go to summer camp as
a kid or anything like that? And if you did, do you have a
favorite memory? I went to summer camp but I only
was allowed to go to day camp, so I actually have never done
(30:53):
the overnight. It was always this, like, thing
that other kids were allowed to do.
My mom's very much, way too overprotective for that was not
going to happen. So my sister and I, we went to
day camp, but it was in the woods, Camp Ponkapog in
Massachusetts, in the Blue hills.
And I have multiple memories of just like random things.
(31:15):
Like, there's a boardwalk going out into the lake, and I was not
paying attention. And I walked off the boardwalk
landing in basic essentially like up to my chest in mud.
And then had to, we walked back and they had to give me like a
giant extra T-shirt to wear for the rest of the day before my
(31:36):
mom picked me up. So that was fun.
And just like very random things, I had a retainer at the
time. I accidentally threw my retainer
out the lunch tray. And so we had to like, empty out
the entire trash bag searching for it.
And then they just closed it offand I put it back in my mouth.
No. So, like, yeah, summer camp
(31:59):
shenanigans. Just getting into trouble with
your mouth guard, that's I was always like, purposely trying to
lose my mouth guard because I didn't want to wear that thing.
I was achieved that. You tried.
Good job. That's so funny.
So wait, was it a camp where some people were overnight and
you were just during the day? So no, this was like a full on
(32:22):
just oh like day camp. I think it was probably it was
through like YMCA. Or PG.
Like, yeah, that would be betterthan like you weren't allowed to
stay overnight, but everybody else would.
That would have been sad. Really sad.
Oh sad. I also went to went to zoo camp
once. Zoo camp.
Zoo, Camp, so in the So, yeah, so I grew up in Boston, right.
So like the Franklin Park Zoo, they would have camp, summer
(32:46):
camp. And so you'd go and like you
could go behind the scenes with the animals and like help feed
them sometimes. Oh my gosh, you.
You did a lot of coloring. You did a lot of, like walking
around. I traded my, like, Pokémon with
my game. You know, did did all that.
That's awesome. Zoo camp.
That's very cool. OK, So what do you have coming
(33:09):
up next? Any projects that you're
working? On or anything here, Yeah, same
about. The question The immediate
future. I have two short films that I'm
in, in similar capacity and thenvery different capacities.
So one of them I'm actually working on myself.
So my first short film that I'veCo written and I'm executive
(33:32):
producing. Good for you, SO.
Acting in as one of the leads. And so that has been exciting,
terrifying and fulfilling in that process.
What's it about? Or do you wanna or is it
spoiler? So it is the title is Merfolk
and we'll say this is definitelyspeaks to.
(33:53):
I think most creatives have always desired to not lose this,
which I think is that like the child, when you're a child, you
have this joy for life and creativity and just embracing
like and that concept. And and I always was really
bewildered about why it was thatas soon as you become an adult,
(34:14):
you're supposed to lose that andyou're not allowed to, you know,
enjoy all of the all of, yeah, the wonder and imagination that
you used to have And yeah, you're not allowed to maintain
it. So this is very much speaks to
that where our main character, you know, she decides with the
help of her of her friend to give up her kind of high-powered
(34:37):
lawyer career to become a professional mermaid comedy
short film. It's, Yeah, So.
That sounds great. I'm assuming you've seen the
Netflix documentary The Mermaid.Yeah, it's fabulous.
I'm, I'm forgetting the name of it right now but it is fabulous.
It's so, so interesting. We have a a cousin whose family
(35:01):
has a house in that town in Florida where the where like all
the mermaids. I forget the name of the It's
like wishy washy or something like that.
Sounds mermaidy, but yeah, it's fascinating.
OK. And then I also I'm star as the
villain of a horror comedy. So that one I just act.
(35:21):
Fun. Of an undead person, so.
Oh, that's super fun. Oh, I'm excited.
You're gonna have to send me stuff when you have it.
And I can watch. OK, so where can people find you
online? You can find me on I Wanna Say
Every Single social media Platform pretty much by my full
name, Misha Brooks. And yeah, Instagram going to be
(35:43):
better at TikTok going to do more things.
But yeah, you can find me on allthe social media and then I have
my own like personal website, mishibrooks.com.
So very straightforward. Awesome.
Thank you. OK, and last but not least,
what's a murder mystery without its victim?
We have our Sadie, played by Hallie Smith.
(36:03):
Hallie is a fantastic actress and I she came to me the same
way that Misha did through the casting sites.
And I had also made that sectionof actors who were auditioning
for Sadie sing a song as part oftheir audition because
originally I thought we were going to go big and and license
(36:24):
the song. We didn't do all that.
I ended up writing an original song because I was like, I can't
have made these girls all auditioning with singing and not
use their voices. Especially because when I heard
Hallie's voice in her audition, I was just blown away.
She's so talented. It was so fun to record with her
in the studio. That's her harmonizing with
herself on the song and she madeall those harmonies up on the
(36:46):
spot. She's just super talented, sweet
girl, great energy, and she brought this real interesting
quality to Sadie that I hadn't so much seen when I was writing
it. Where in the description of
Sadie she is listed as a the Serena Vander Woodson of
(37:07):
campers, just like those vibes. But Hallie brought this sort of
sassy strength to her, which I loved, because I think it's
really important that we see that she's also this tough girl.
She's been through so much. We find out that I thought it
was a much more interesting takeon the character than having her
just be this sort of happy go lucky bubbly sweet girl that I
(37:28):
had originally written her as. So.
So Hallie brought this depth to it that I thought was really
exciting. I think my favorite Sadie
moment. Oh, that's a tough one in the
series. I think her monologue in episode
three, Initiation, where she's talking about her trip with Paul
to the tree, which is sort of this a genuine romantic moment.
(37:52):
I think in hindsight, especiallyknowing what happens to her and
what she's been through, it's actually really cool that she
had that experience. And I love the way Halle
performs it. And it's just a sweet, very real
sort of reaction from a teenage.So hi, Hallie.
Hey, how are you? I'm doing well.
(38:14):
How are you? Good.
OK. So how did you end up playing?
Sadie, So I I've been in LA for a couple years now and I've been
submitting to jobs a lot, just through actors access and
different various submission sites.
And I saw this project pop up and I've done a voiceover
(38:36):
industrial before, but I haven'tgotten to do anything that was
narrative and I love murder mysteries.
So it really excited me. And yeah, I saw this posting and
I decided to submit for it. And then, you know, I got an
audition and you were great. How it how it started and what.
(38:57):
And I could, like, do an imitation of it.
Carolina on my mind. I really had fun doing it.
I was like, oh you know, even though I'm in my closet using my
clothes as, like, noise dampeners.
This is really fun. That's great.
I love the visual view in your closet.
Doing it. I didn't realize you were a big
(39:18):
murder mystery fan. So how is it to play the girl
that dies? Yeah.
I yeah, I love, like Knives Out.I love Agatha Christie stories.
I love like a cozy murder mystery moment.
But yeah, And then I I feel likeI kind of forgot that I had even
(39:38):
submitted that audition, 'cause as an actor, that's kind of,
it's kind of the goal, honestly.You know, you, you do however
many auditions you have in the week, and you're just kind of
constantly going on to the next one and just trying to do your
best to be prepared for each one.
And like eventually everything kind of slips your mind.
And then I think you emailed me or I can't even remember how I.
How I think I reached out through the whatever the
(40:01):
messaging system on breakdowns is.
But yeah, I do remember because we had, you were the only one
that Sadie was the only character that we had singing
auditions for. And so I got to hear your lovely
voice. And then thus we have the song
that ends the series, which was also really fun.
Yes. Yeah, yeah, the the pipe dream
(40:24):
of being able to like get the rights to on my mind we did not
do funny. I didn't really know that song
before. It's a great song, A.
Long culture, but I had to look it up and learn it and I was
like. Well, you sang it very well.
All right. So did you go to summer camp at
all as a kid? And do you have like a favorite
(40:44):
summer camp memory? I did go to summer camp.
It's all a little blurry becauseI was, I was pretty young and
I'm, I can't remember. Sometimes it was related to Girl
Scouts, but I ended up quitting Girl Scouts 'cause I was like,
this is too much of A commitment.
I need to be a kid. But I did go to a couple of
(41:06):
sleep away camps, and I rememberone of them, I think it was
called Jockey Hollow in New Jersey.
And I just remember going in thelake and using canoes and hiking
in the woods. I just, I loved being outdoors.
I hated that the bunks, it was like so hot in there.
(41:26):
Like it just like did not cool down, 'cause it is humid and hot
in New Jersey in the summer. And I remember I I could never
pass the swim test. That was so stressful.
I remember that too. But that was like a big deal it.
Wasn't allowed in the deep. Yeah, we had like different
colored bands and you had to wear that all camp.
(41:49):
So you were like branded? Yeah, no, I think I I think I
was always red. I don't think I ever made it to
green or blue. So in some ways I guess you
could consider that traumatic, but it's actually just kind of
funny. Like I I was also very small.
Like, I think I just. I just couldn't do it.
And that's just weren't a. Swimmer, it's fine.
(42:12):
I like to think I'm better now. I'm sure you are, But the jury's
probably still out on that one. OK.
So do you have any other projects coming up that you want
to tell people about? Yeah, I just wrapped up ADR for
a feature film that I was in called The Bitcoin Executor.
We shot in Miami, which was really fun.
(42:33):
And yeah, we'll see. There's a potential that it
might premiere publicly this summer, and if so, I will
definitely be shouting from the rooftops, 'cause that would be
really exciting. But that's definitely in the,
like, finishing stages of being edited.
And then I'm also a writer and producer, director.
(42:56):
I've kind of got so many hats. You know, we all we're wearing a
lot of hats around here. But I I made my own short film
called Fiori Fosa. It's about two women in
Renaissance Italy who used to befriends, and now the odds have
turned against them. And it's basically a dreamy,
romantic thriller to see, you know, how much, how badly can
(43:21):
they hurt each other and still come back from it?
Interesting. Yes.
So we've screened at a couple offilm festivals and I think we
might be getting ready to share that publicly soon, so.
Fun. Oh, I can't wait to see that.
That sounds really, really cool.Got some other ideas
percolating, but I'll share those more as they become a
(43:43):
little more concrete. But yeah, definitely excited
about what's going on right now.Very, very cool.
OK, so where can people find youonline?
They can find me on Instagram atHalley Rose Smith
HALLYROSESMITH. They can find me on Facebook
Halley Smith and at my website halleysmith.com.
(44:06):
I also have a couple of songs onSoundCloud if.
You're. Really invested.
I didn't write them. They're from musical theater
demos that I've done in college,but I'm sure if you Google that
you can find it too if you're really interested.
Super cool, yeah. Oh, I also have a YouTube
channel, which I think is at Halle Rose Smith.
I want to say is my handle thereas well?
(44:28):
Very cool. All right.
Well, awesome. Thanks for coming and saying hi.
Thanks for missing me. Thanks for being cool and.
You're welcome. Thanks for being in it.
It's such a it's like an awesomeperformance tonight.
I'm so glad we had you. And I will say, yeah, listening
back to it, I was like, oh. A lot.
(44:51):
Yeah, it's a lot. It's a lot at the end.
I'm sure people are also surprised to hear your voice
without the accent too. That's always.
Oh yeah, don't have a southern accent, but I hope it was
convincing enough that it's veryconvincing accent.
If not, if I've offended anybody, I'm so sorry, no.
No, they need to calm down. Another bill part of the time.
(45:16):
OK, so thanks so much for tuningin for this little bonus
episode. I hope you've enjoyed it.
It's so nice to meet you all over video.
Please leave comments and you know, if you have additional
questions about the series or things that you would like to
see. If you want to see more, let us
(45:36):
know. And if you haven't already, one
request. Please give us a rating and a
review when you get a chance andshare the show with your
friends. We would love for more people to
know about it. I think it's a great thing to
watch over the summer. Watch, I say watch all the time
about this. It's listen, I know that.
(45:57):
But anyway, please share, let everybody know about the show.
We so appreciate your listening.It's awesome to have people
passionate about the things thatyou're passionate about and
excited about the things that you're making.
So it just completely warms my heart and brings immeasurable
(46:18):
joy to me that people have enjoyed this and I just couldn't
possibly thank you enough. Until the next time, we'll let
you know what we have coming up next, but if you want to find
out more about other projects wehave coming up, we're planning
on doing a short film and a feature film in the next couple
of years, and we also have a feature film out called To the
(46:40):
New Girl it's on to Be, as well as a couple of other platforms.
You can find out more about thatat to thenewgirl.com.
There's also both of our production companies,
newgirlpictures.com and Dragon Hunter productions.com, so check
us out there if you go to the crime at campashwood.com.
I know this is a lot of dot coms, but if you go to the crime
at campashwood.com, there's somefun March like the T-shirt I'm
(47:02):
wearing, if you're into that sort of thing.
But there's also a place to signup for a mailing list so that
you can be notified about futurethings that we do.
And we'll also be doing a fun giveaway on that for a piece of
March in the next month. So if you want to sign up to
possibly win something fun, go to the crime at campashwood.com
and do that right now and we will see you when we see you.
(47:25):
Thanks so much guys. High in the Blue Ridge
Mountains, you'll find my memories among the birds and
trees, a place where I am free. I dash will live my home away
from home and love the praise I've made.
(47:50):
The best of all was you. A sister over s'mores, a piece
of living roof. Let all you are waiting.
Most sweet summer nights. You're.
Far away, but always on my side,riding my enemies among the
(48:11):
birds and the trees. A place where I am free had
Ashwood in my home away from home.
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