Member Profile:
Anita Weiner

Written by Diane Machado

Anita Weiner is the current producer and writer of Davis Sq. - a soon-to-be-aired sitcom series on SCAT (you can catch it here first!). Already, while still in the middle of shooting the first few episodes and after many efforts of "shameless self-promotion", she has been featured in The Boston Globe's “Night And Day” article and has Fox TV tuned in as well. Anita may not be thinking of ratings, but recognizes that there is an audience "clicking away on the remote control at home and they're bound to watch a program regardless of the channel.”

As for Davis Sq., a situation comedy about four housemates living in...well, you know, the project is shot on Somerville ground and supported by a grant from the Somerville Arts Council. Perhaps, this local flavor will entice viewing interest from Somerville residents. However, Anita also sees the series as a reflection of the economic and diverse community of Somerville and vows it to be a sitcom without the glitz of other cable network programs, where television comedies predominantly feature beautiful sexy people living the "good life," and not to mention, involves corporate sponsoring in the form of commercials.

But not here, not at SCAT where public access is commercial free! This is exactly one of the reasons this former 16 mm filmmaker from San Francisco thinks of "SCAT as a huge resource because the cost of film is so expensive and as a member of SCAT, the cost for a production, like Davis Sq., mounts to zero spending ...in no way could we be shooting and producing these three episodes without the privileges of reserving equipment at SCAT -not even with funding from a grant."

In addition to free access of equipment and use of facilities from SCAT, the cast and crew of Davis Sq. are volunteers. “No one is getting paid and we're having fun...this cast and crew is largely due to simple ways of getting the word out through posting flyers around town and submitting press releases to newspapers and various organizations.” Anita will be the first to acknowledge that producing Davis Sq. involves long shoots and intricate planning alongside with reasonable expectations, and she advises other SCAT members to think small when writing and producing their scripts. Yet she does not seem all bothered by the amount of time involved in creating Davis Sq. probably because she embraces SCAT as a place where “freedom of creativity” occurs reinforcing her preference to write instead of producing scripts.

The opportunity to write an original script for television and then have it seen by people is not one to be under mined. Her experience in 16mm film making and in writing “spec scripts” for episodes of existing network sitcoms have proven to be very competitive fields without a possibility of air time on major networks. However, Anita sees “SCAT as its own network ... and as a place to see one's script in action without having to move to LA or New York City and not have to succumb to film screenings, entry fees, the prejudices of juries at film festivals... just to get an audience.”

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