Web series by Temple alumnae tackles adulting

Sammi Begelman directed “Adulting” in 2017 which has since been selected for 15 festivals worldwide.

Sammi Begelman (far left), 2016 film and media arts alumna, is the assistant director of “Adulting,” a web series about millennials transitioning into the adult world, featuring a production team of other Temple alumni. | LORENZO HODGES / COURTESY

Sammi Begelman and Cassidy Davis use their experiences while living together to make a web series about growing up and behaving responsibly as adults.

“Adulting”, a comedic web series about millennials transitioning into the adult world, was created by Davis in 2017. Episodes are released biweekly and are available on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video. The series primarily features a production team of Temple alumni, Davis said.

Adulting tells the story of Katie and Charlie, two friends trying to find their footing in the real world as adults. The show takes place in Los Angeles and the pilot highlights the realities of apartment hunting as the duo struggles to find a place to stay.

“A lot of the storylines are things that have actually happened to us,” Begelman, a 2016 film and media arts alumna, said. “We had an episode where [Cassidy] couldn’t tell the difference between a clove of garlic and a head of garlic when making pasta. I was the one who ate that pasta.”

The videos, posted by their channel “Adulting Web Series,” have averaged more than a thousand views on YouTube.

“The number one thing we’ve heard from viewers is that it’s very relatable. I created the show to make people feel less alone about the struggles they go through day-to-day,” Davis said. 

Besides apartment hunting, the show also highlights more trivial aspects of life as an adult, like buying a mattress.    

Begelman is the show’s assistant director and producer. She arranges production schedules and helps organize live shoots.

“I’m usually the main one who knows everything that’s going to happen on any given day. It’s really great because we all try and work together and do the best we can to tell our story,” Begelman said.

A unique aspect of the show is being able to work with a team of mostly women as ninety-five percent of the show’s crew is comprised of women, she said.

“We’re constantly boosting each other up and I don’t know if that happens on sets that aren’t run by women. It was a very fun, safe environment to be ourselves and enjoy what we were doing,” Begelman said.

Lian McFalls, a 2016 film and media arts graduate, worked as an editor for the first and second season. She recounted how the show helped her improve her editing skills and allowed her to learn more about film production.

“I used adulting to learn Adobe Premiere and it’s been really beneficial for me,” McFalls said. “Although it’s been more a side job for me, working with this team has really taught me how to work with other people and how to handle creative difference.” 

Since debuting in October 2017, the show has had 15 official selections from film festivals around the world for the first season. It also received an audience choice award at Miami Web Fest last year.

“Winning that award was very exciting for us because that’s what I really want, which is to find an audience that really loves the show,” said Davis.

Davis funded the pilot of the show with her own money and managed to crowdfund the rest of the season through Indiegogo. The show has since landed sponsorships from Neutrogena, a skincare brand and Territory Foods, a nutrition company.

Davis sees the show expanding in the future as they are currently working on developing their third season. The team plans to give the show a permanent home by pitching it to television networks.

“Adulting never gets easier, it just changes,” Davis said. “Now all my friends are getting engaged which is another season, then kids and buying your first house. We’ve got a long way to go.”

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