ABOUT THIS IS JAMIE.
This Is Jamie was created in 2012 by Jonathan Stephens and follows the journey of British 'rich boy' Jamie Middleton. Cut off, and left out to dry on his return to New York City, Jamie fumbles, stumbles and strives to get back on top, clumsily making new friends along the way.
The audience follows his journey trying to fit into an average lifestyle and watches him struggle through it, from petty household tasks to finding a job. We discover through Jamie’s eyes - and cynical asides - the odd-lot roommates who eventually turn out to be the most unexpected of friends. Tossing aside their own ambitions, visa problems and relationship troubles, Grace, the striving Geordie actress, Jen, the Canadian prudish intern, and Ted, her not-so-funny comedian boyfriend, embrace and look after Jamie.
All the while, Jamie is hiding a secret, the real reason as to why he's been ousted by his parents. Without telling his newfound buddies - he is actively avoiding his "best friends" so appriorately named, the 'Bratpack' and their advances to get in contact with him. Seen through flashbacks at the beginning of each episode, Jamie knows without money and his high-society status they wont want anything to do with him.
CREATING THIS IS JAMIE.
When Jonathan initially came up with the idea for This Is Jamie, it was called ‘Stateside’ and there were only four characters. They were all based on people he knew. His now co-writer Tamara Sevunts was one of them. She read the first draft over tea and biscuits, and immediately jumped on board. Well, actually, she was invited to write with Jonathan after she suggested a scene, writing it on a piece of paper and leaving it for him overnight.
The project grew in breadth as the two completed their final year of schooling together, though it was left shelved for a while, and close to abandoned. With Tamara’s encouragements, and insistance that this was something worth pursuing for themselves, and for their friends they’d written for, the pair continued plotting the first season, and finally filmed the first version of the pilot… Which was a HUGE disappointment. That’s when third co-writer, godsend Sophie Overwater came in. She focused them in, cracked the whip, and after much more prodding and convincing, the pilot was re-written once again, and re-shot to become what you can now see online.
This project is by no means a perfect piece of work - on the contrary, it’s very imperfect. It will never have the perfect sheen of HBO, or the glisten of NBC - But it’s the product of love and friendship and an innocent desire to share with our audience the experience of growing up, and having a laugh or two along the way. Everyone on our team, cast, crew or otherwise is getting involved in this project out of the goodness of their hearts, putting in their valuable time and effort to help produce a product that we genuinely believe in. We are growing, learning and having a blast all at the same time - and we hope you get as much joy out of watching as we did creating!