In Hollywood South, locals play a large role in the production of films shot in Louisiana. But more often than not, it’s the voices of Hollywood filmmakers that are being heard through these films, not the voices of regional filmmakers with limited funds.
But thanks to today’s all-powerful Internet, film industry locals are able to post their content online via YouTube in the form of web series. This means creatives no longer have to live in Los Angeles for their work to be seen across the country, or even the world.
Husband and wife Joseph Meissner and Helen Krieger created the New Orleans-based web series “Least Favorite Love Songs,” which they both star in and Meissner directs. The dark comedy, which premiered its second season Nov. 12, stars Krieger as a struggling writer researching New Orleans’ amorous underbelly.
Meissner and Krieger moved to New Orleans from Texas and Wisconsin, respectively, in 2001. They met when Krieger interviewed Meissner about his martial arts school for a neighborhood newspaper, Meissner said. When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Meissner said it made him re-evaluate the path he was on and realize his passion for acting.
“My wife and I, we didn’t know if our house or my martial arts school was still going to be there,” Meissner said. “We decided once we recovered from the storm we were going to get serious about pursing writing and acting, the passions of ours we put on the back burner.”
During the five years after Katrina, the couple wrote, produced, edited and released the feature film “Flood Streets,” based on their Katrina experiences. While editing the film, Meissner said Krieger wanted to explore acting and they both needed a fresh start, so they shot a short film, which eventually became the first episode of “Least Favorite Love Songs.”
From there, Krieger said she began developing characters for the series based on people she’d met in New Orleans and characters from a novel she never finished. Almost every character is based on a mixture of several people she knows, Krieger said.
“I always think the funniest stuff that I can relate to is from people that I actually know,” Krieger said. “The drug dealer on the show is actually based on two or three dealers I’ve come in contact with.”
Meissner said the people of New Orleans’ generosity and laid back attitudes make it easy to shoot in the city, with local support coming from even the most unexpected places.
When they asked a local bartender for empty liquor bottles to shoot with, Krieger said they were amazed that the bartender took it upon himself to create a water and coke mixture that resembled bourbon perfectly.
“He left directions for how to make more in case we needed it because he said he wanted to make sure we got it right,” Krieger said. “Everybody really appreciates art here and the work other people are doing   — you can’t find that somewhere else.”
The first season of the series had no budget and was piecemealed together over the course of a couple of years, Meissner said. For the second season, Meissner said they used Kickstarter for funding and shot it over the summer in just 10 days.
“We did Kickstarter as much for the reach as we did for the money,” Meissner said. “With Kickstarter, we knew we reached people all over the country, and maybe even some people outside of the country, who sent messages saying they really liked the series.”
The web series has received thousands of views on YouTube, but Meissner said although the web has democratized creators of entertainment, it still has a way to go. Meissner said the Internet hasn’t reached a point where people creating a web series independently can support themselves financially, like bloggers and viral video stars can.
“There’s a dilemma in the industry where the big platforms that you distribute through make good money, but artists that upload work through those platforms are just making pennies,” Meissner said. “We need to figure out a way where people can make a living doing stuff like this, and artists can distribute their work and participate more in the income that their work generates.”

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courtesy of Least Favorite Love Songs