Feature photo by Megan Toriglia
By Brittany Tiplady
@yellowbird888
Think Broad City meets Brooklyn 99 meets Portlandia in Vancouver.
Girls vs. The City is a Vancouver-based web series that takes a satirical and comedic look at life in one of the most expensive cities in the world. I met with the Girls vs. The City creators and actors (amongst many things), Brynn Peebles and Brianna Wiens to talk about the success of season one and what’s in-store for season two. It’s evident from their natural candor, and clever banter that these two have an epic bestie chemistry on and off the screen.
“Girl vs. The City got funded by STORYHIVE to do our pilot last year, and we released the pilot in September 2016. We crowdfunded five episodes for season one, nobody got paid, everyone volunteered. But everyone saw what we were up to, and loved our pilot, so people hopped onboard to volunteer no problem,” explains Weins. “We did a re-release of the pilot in September 2017, and the rest of season one went live at the end of September and into October.”
“It really was a village coming together,” adds Peebles.
At the helm of Wiens, Peebles, and their creative team, Girls vs. The City is an accurate depiction of the millennial female experience that made me laugh out loud. It’s smart, funny comedy that’s feminine but inclusive, relatable but not too niche. The perfect marriage of humour and honesty.
“The show is really about two girls who are not quite young anymore but are by no means adults, trying to navigate through life in Vancouver,” says Peebles.
“They are finding independence in their own way. Brynn’s character, Brynn, is kicked out of her parent’s house, and Brianna splits up with her longtime boyfriend. The arc of Girls vs. The City is us, bumbling through life, and love, and nearing 30,” chimes Wiens.
After shooting season one with the help of STORYHIVE’s web series funding, Girl vs. The City was awarded another top award grant from STORYHIVE and TELUS, that will be putting season two into motion in the New Year.
“This is a show about Vancouver, and I think that’s also what makes us different. We are very committed to representing different groups and demographics that exist in this city, and representing the diverse acting and comedic talent Vancouver has to offer.”
“In season one, our characters realized how out of place we are, and season two is going be about our [journey] to fit in,” says Wiens.
Okay, now it’s binge watching time.
Find season one of Girls vs. The City on Youtube-and be sure to peruse Wiens and Peebles’ other hilarious videos on their Girl on Girl humor Youtube channel while you’re there.
Brittany Tiplady is a part-time poet, a full-time Nasty Woman, and the co-founder of Loose Lips Magazine. She loves the indoors, fast wifi, collecting maps, and a generous glass of red wine. She is a self-proclaimed wizard of time management, and a notorious loud talker with a penchant for all things Internet.
