What do you get when you take a small-town female ex-con down on her luck and introduce her to a construction company owner with a soft-spot for giving people second chances? A blueprint for big laughs.
And, that’s exactly what you get with the new IGTV short form series “Double Jack,” created by and starring Stephanie Stern.
The original scripted show also stars comedian Willie Macc and was developed with the assistance of Emmy Award winning writer Sandy Krinski. The first episode premiered on March 3, 2020 with 5 more Season One episodes rolling out in weekly installments every Tuesday.
Stephanie Stern recently answered a some questions:
Tell us about your new comedy series “Double Jack.”
STEPHANIE: It’s an IGTV short form comedy about a Construction Company that hires a countrified recent female parolee who’s not the sharpest tool in the box!
(Just to clarify: IGTV is Instagram’s newest streaming platform and our Episodes are a 9:16 aspect ratio for vertical viewing on a phone screen and short form means every episode is under 10mins)
Funny comedian Willie Macc stars as Jack Carter, a self made man and Owner of Double Jack Construction Company and someone else stars as Nickel Jacks the country girl with no luck! LOL
Not only did you create the series but you also star in it; what was that like?
STEPHANIE: Gah! I thought I could dodge that one. LOL Yes, I do and it was some serious schooling! I realize why there’s not a lot of people doing it…It’s hard! Conceptually it sounds like, no sweat. But the details are the things that can be over looked and we missed a lot of pivotal acting moments that we had to re film because of it. Which not only eats into the budget but messes up everyone’s calendar.
What do you consider Nickel Jacks ‘best’ quality?
STEPHANIE: Her sincerity. Like a lot of good ol’ country folk, there’s an honest simplicity to their perspective and way of life. Nickel definitely has that as her most endearing quality.
And her ‘worst’?
STEPHANIE: Poor thing has no luck! No, seriously, she subconsciously has the mentality that she’s already defeated even when she does try…a lot like self sabotage.
How was it to work alongside Willie Macc?
STEPHANIE: Wonderful! He’s an absolute dream to work with: non pretentious, team player, fun and professional…so far he’s the biggest blessing. Your article is high up there too though!
Any interesting stories from the set you can share with us?
STEPHANIE: Everyday was a fun and interesting time. Never a dull moment. The guys were always ‘cutting’ up’ and making jokes even when I came around. I guess an interesting moment was when I realized what a collaborative environment we had/I created for everyone. One time a cast member had the hardest time delivering a line and everyone jumped in to help. It was very special.
What’s the biggest lesson you learned from working on this project?
STEPHANIE: 1) That even when it sounds simple there’s a hell of a lot of work that goes into it! 2) The culture/environment comes from the top down. And I made sure we all felt and knew how important each person is and was to this project. 3) Talk to air flight control before filming outside!
And, now just for fun:
Who’s your favorite actor/actress?
STEPHANIE: Gah! So tough. Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Helen Miram, Tina Fey…really must I choose one?!
What role from the past do you wish you could have played?
STEPHANIE: Well, I can’t say the project, but I can say that I auditioned for the lead and did such an amazing job that when they gave the lead role to the money man’s daughter the director had the writer write me in apart and made sure it didn’t get cut. Super flattering but it did make me want the role even more. And for a fleeting moment wish my Dad was the big spender!
Favorite movie or TV show from your childhood.
STEPHANIE: "Seinfeld," "Friends," re-runs of "A-Team" and "Wonder Woman"
Tell us one thing that would surprise our readers to learn about you.
STEPHANIE: I grew up in a town of about 100 people and attended a two room school house in the Hill Country of Texas until I was about 8-years old. (Which is why I must have a calculator nearby because I learned math on an abacus!)
How can fans keep up with you?
STEPHANIE: Would love that!
Instagram: @stephaniebstern link
Twitter: @stephaniebgreat link
Website: Stephaniestern.com link
Watch “Double Jack” now on IGTV: @DoubleJackSeries link
Or visit the website: DoubleJackSeries.com link
Instagram: @DoubleJackSeries link
Twitter: @DblJkSeries link
And, that’s exactly what you get with the new IGTV short form series “Double Jack,” created by and starring Stephanie Stern.
The original scripted show also stars comedian Willie Macc and was developed with the assistance of Emmy Award winning writer Sandy Krinski. The first episode premiered on March 3, 2020 with 5 more Season One episodes rolling out in weekly installments every Tuesday.
Stephanie Stern recently answered a some questions:
Tell us about your new comedy series “Double Jack.”
STEPHANIE: It’s an IGTV short form comedy about a Construction Company that hires a countrified recent female parolee who’s not the sharpest tool in the box!
(Just to clarify: IGTV is Instagram’s newest streaming platform and our Episodes are a 9:16 aspect ratio for vertical viewing on a phone screen and short form means every episode is under 10mins)
Funny comedian Willie Macc stars as Jack Carter, a self made man and Owner of Double Jack Construction Company and someone else stars as Nickel Jacks the country girl with no luck! LOL
Not only did you create the series but you also star in it; what was that like?
STEPHANIE: Gah! I thought I could dodge that one. LOL Yes, I do and it was some serious schooling! I realize why there’s not a lot of people doing it…It’s hard! Conceptually it sounds like, no sweat. But the details are the things that can be over looked and we missed a lot of pivotal acting moments that we had to re film because of it. Which not only eats into the budget but messes up everyone’s calendar.
What do you consider Nickel Jacks ‘best’ quality?
STEPHANIE: Her sincerity. Like a lot of good ol’ country folk, there’s an honest simplicity to their perspective and way of life. Nickel definitely has that as her most endearing quality.
And her ‘worst’?
STEPHANIE: Poor thing has no luck! No, seriously, she subconsciously has the mentality that she’s already defeated even when she does try…a lot like self sabotage.
How was it to work alongside Willie Macc?
STEPHANIE: Wonderful! He’s an absolute dream to work with: non pretentious, team player, fun and professional…so far he’s the biggest blessing. Your article is high up there too though!
Any interesting stories from the set you can share with us?
STEPHANIE: Everyday was a fun and interesting time. Never a dull moment. The guys were always ‘cutting’ up’ and making jokes even when I came around. I guess an interesting moment was when I realized what a collaborative environment we had/I created for everyone. One time a cast member had the hardest time delivering a line and everyone jumped in to help. It was very special.
What’s the biggest lesson you learned from working on this project?
STEPHANIE: 1) That even when it sounds simple there’s a hell of a lot of work that goes into it! 2) The culture/environment comes from the top down. And I made sure we all felt and knew how important each person is and was to this project. 3) Talk to air flight control before filming outside!
And, now just for fun:
Who’s your favorite actor/actress?
STEPHANIE: Gah! So tough. Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Helen Miram, Tina Fey…really must I choose one?!
What role from the past do you wish you could have played?
STEPHANIE: Well, I can’t say the project, but I can say that I auditioned for the lead and did such an amazing job that when they gave the lead role to the money man’s daughter the director had the writer write me in apart and made sure it didn’t get cut. Super flattering but it did make me want the role even more. And for a fleeting moment wish my Dad was the big spender!
Favorite movie or TV show from your childhood.
STEPHANIE: "Seinfeld," "Friends," re-runs of "A-Team" and "Wonder Woman"
Tell us one thing that would surprise our readers to learn about you.
STEPHANIE: I grew up in a town of about 100 people and attended a two room school house in the Hill Country of Texas until I was about 8-years old. (Which is why I must have a calculator nearby because I learned math on an abacus!)
How can fans keep up with you?
STEPHANIE: Would love that!
Instagram: @stephaniebstern link
Twitter: @stephaniebgreat link
Website: Stephaniestern.com link
Watch “Double Jack” now on IGTV: @DoubleJackSeries link
Or visit the website: DoubleJackSeries.com link
Instagram: @DoubleJackSeries link
Twitter: @DblJkSeries link