Pack One Bag is an ambitious, 10-part narrative series, created by David Modigliani with Stanley Tucci. The series is produced by Gilded Audio and distributed by Lemonada.
It’s a true story, about how one Italian Jewish family was split apart by love, and by war. It reminds us how Italy dealt with its Jewish population, under Mousilini, during World War II. Going back two generations, it shares the story of David Modigliani’s family; how they reckoned with those who lived and those who didn’t…those who were left behind, and those who left.
But, like many great stories, it begins with a love story, between Nona and Noni, the grandparents. Modigliani hilariously brings them to life in this series as he voices both of them. Through their love letters, their cute squabbling, and their big reflections on emigrating to the US before the war, his connection to them is vivid.
Modigliani comes from the documentary film world. His 2019 film Running With Beto was picked up by HBO, after winning the Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival. Pack One Bag was his first audio series…and when we chatted one night at Tribeca, he admitted he was a bit perplexed about to how define what he was trying to do with this audio series.
It’s all true, he told me, it’s all non-fiction, it’s essentially a documentary…but to bring the project to life, he was going to need to add another layer. He needed actors; and he was fortunate to attract Stanley Tucci to this project.
So I threw out the term creative non-fiction…what about that as a way to define this series? It uses fact but also allows for another layer of creativity. What if he thought of it in those terms? He liked that…it was a new idea to chew on.
We swore we would stay in touch about how the series was shaping up. But then we didn’t. So when I stumbled across this new series, I found him on LinkedIn and reached out to book a Zoom. I wanted to know how he had managed to get it all done, and how his experience at Tribeca had affected the outcome of this project.
This one is quite special. If you’re curious about how to embrace new (which are actually old) funding models, this offers some clues about how to adapt them for the audio industry. If you’re wondering what being part of a festival like Tribeca could do for your project, listen up. Or, if you’re wondering how to work with A-List talent in your show, that’s in here too.
And if you’re just looking for pure joy, we’ve got that covered as well.
Grab a notebook and sit down for what is basically a masterclass.
Do you know someone who’s knee-deep in production, struggling to figure out new ways to get their project done in this economic climate?
Please share this episode with them...it’s chock-full of helpful, timely advice.
From Prototype to Launch: Pack One Bag, a 10-part Series Distributed by Lemonada