When their show Getting Ahead was dropped from the EIV lineup this fall, Jess and Kristina didn’t let that stop them from finishing the project. Instead, they worked all summer long to turn it into a web series. Created, written and produced by Kristina and Jess, Getting Ahead is a show about an eclectic group of college students and the shenanigans they get into.
Names: Jessica Cerundolo and Kristina DiBiaso
Hometowns: Beverly, MA and Everett, MA
Year: Seniors, Class of 2015
Majors: Documentary Production & Writing for Film and TV
Pictured above, cast of Getting Ahead. Kristina, playing Angie, is laying down in the front!
What is Getting Ahead?
Jess: Getting Ahead is about a group of friends who end up in a strange set of circumstances, after one of the characters’ (Angie) high school sex tape gets released.
Kristina: Basically it’s a show about shenanigans! It’s definitely an ensemble cast full of dynamic characters.
Jess: It’s about friends, romance, hooking-up and even a little bit of classism.
Kristina: We tried to break down a lot of gender stereotypes surrounding hooking up. In Getting Ahead, you see one of the characters, Michael gets hurt in the situation rather than it being the girl, like it usually is in shows.
Jess: We like to have a lot of unlikely pairings in the show, with characters you wouldn’t always expect to be together.
Kristina: I think the most relatable part of the show is the nuances of the friend group. I think everyone can find themselves or their friends in the characters. We tried to keep a lot of realism in the show, with some quirky elements.
Inspiration for the show?
Jess: It’s largely based off of people we know in real life. The character of Angie is somewhat based off a younger version of Kristina, but more extreme. We tried to understand why people do the things they do when creating the characters. It was a lot of analyzing!
Kristina: The character of Viv is loosely inspired by Jess. A lot of the other characters in the show are a combination of other friends. The character of Aaron is a compilation of all our funny bad experiences with guys.
Jess: However, actors also put their own spin on things. That can alter the original vision for the character, which adds layers to the characters.
Both: We like creating characters that are complex. Angie’s character, for example, appears very quirky and eccentric at first, but as it progresses we get to see a deeper side to her. We like having characters that are a “stereotype” then deconstructing that, and really getting to know the characters on a deeper level.
What shows have influenced your work?
Jess: The show Girls has really influenced the tone of Getting Ahead. Even though we actually had a draft of the show before we saw the show, watching Girls helped develop a stronger tone for Getting Ahead.
Kristina: The UK show Skins was also a big influence on Getting Ahead, especially with their use of an ensemble cast. We try to use all of our characters in Getting Ahead, and if we had more than 3 episodes I would love to make each character the focus of an episode, like Skins does. The show Shameless also influenced it because it has a similar mixture of humor and drama.
Where do you see yourselves in the future?
Jess: Right now I’m still waiting to hear back from internships for Spring semester. I hope to end up in a documentary or film production house, but I’m not sure in what facet yet.
Kristina: I’ll figure it out when I get to LA and graduate! I hope to continue writing comedy, and maybe even try stand-up. I also would love to work with kids!
Best classes At Emerson?
Jess: I really enjoyed Video Field Production, and Documentary Production, because both allow a lot of creative freedom to focus on the topics you’re passionate about.
Kristina: All my screenwriting classes have been great! I like professors who push me to do my best work. I would recommend taking a class with Martie Cook, Diane Lake or Claire Andrade Watkins if you have the chance.
Both: We were involved in Captured Emotion as underclassmen, which is a really great organization if you’re interested in documentaries at all. Use your time here to find out what you are really passionate about, and pursue that.
Any advice to fellow Emerson students?
Jess: It’s good to have connections outside of Emerson, so don’t be afraid to network with students at other schools.
Kristina: Also there are film students/media students at other schools in Boston who are looking to collaborate, so take advantage of that. Especially Berklee students are a great resource because they can compose music for your work.
Both: Also advice for Emerson girls, Berklee parties have more men than Emerson ones, so definitely check those out!
Getting Ahead will finish filming the final two episodes in early December. The first episode is already in the musical scoring process, and all three episodes will be hitting the web soon! Both are seniors and headed for the Emerson LA Program for their final semester. They will be interning, and will continue promoting Getting Ahead online. I’m sure they will find plenty of shenanigans to inspire their future projects! Check out Getting Ahead’s Instagram (GettingAhead) and their Facebook page.