The guys behind two movies shot in Orillia are back with a new project.
When Jake Horowitz and Andy Lewis shot Who You Know and Cup of Cheer, Orillia served as the setting for fictional towns. Now, they are co-directing a TV series called Sunshine City, and it’s actually about Orillia. Kind of. It’s complicated.
“It’s about a crew trying to film a travel show about Orillia, and we see a mix of the travel show that they are filming and the behind-the-scenes of that, which is a comedy/mystery,” Lewis explained. “It’s centred around a host and her seemingly not being who she says she is at first.”
The host of the travel show is Roberta, played by Storm Steenson. Roberta claims to be from Orillia, but that might not be the case. That’s where some of the elements of the mystery genre come into play.
“It’s not as silly as Cup of Cheer," Horowitz said of his 2020 Christmas comedy. “This has more dramatic and mysterious beats.”
Audiences should expect to be surprised, he added.
“There’s a lot of twists and turns that you would not see coming in a traditional show. It’s unlike anything else on Canadian TV or a lot of TV in general,” he said. “There are two shows going on at once. It’s a show within a show, and another show.”
The characters are fictional — though some local musicians are featured as themselves in scripted interviews — but the places and the history of Orillia are real.
There will be four episodes in the first season, each with a different focus (Orillia’s waterfront, food scene, history, and arts and culture) while maintaining the fictional story line.
This is Steenson’s second time filming in town. She was the lead actress in Cup of Cheer.
“Just like last time, the community is really accommodating to us filming around town,” she said.
She described her character as “a very bubbly, passionate person.”
“She loves talking to people and she dreams of being part of something more than what she has at that moment,” Steenson said.
Mark Pettit stars alongside her as Axel, the director of the travel show of which Roberta is host.
“He’s overly supportive of Roberta. He’s kind of the happy-go-lucky in the crowd. If Roberta’s the heart, Axel supplies more of the grounding and sort of the zero-sum,” Pettit said. “He’s always there for her.”
This role, in particular, has been an interesting one for Pettit, who started as a filmmaker before making the jump into acting.
“I’m a filmmaker who’s become an actor, and I’m acting as a filmmaker in this. It’s kind of a cool blending of worlds,” he said.
It’s been a fun experience both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, he added.
“These guys are brilliant and funny,” he said of Horowitz and Lewis. “I’ve always enjoyed their writing, so it’s nice to be a part of something where you can really dive into the characters and the role.”
“The dialogue is really snappy, witty and fun,” Pettit continued. “When you have a good time delivering lines and jiving with your fellow co-stars, it doesn’t feel like work in those moments.”
The directors thanked everyone in the community who has supported their latest project in some way, including Creative Nomad Studios, The Cheesy Pickup, Hill’s Restaurant, Bakes by the Lake, Northern Joinery Makers Market, Eclectic Café, Tre Sorelle, DWN Chocolate and the Rotary Club of Orillia.
“It’s a show about the community, and without the community, we wouldn’t have been able to do the show,” Horowitz said.
Sunshine City will make its debut sometime in 2022. It will first be available on Bell Fibe TV. There are also plans to hold local screenings.
