Calling all videography, drama and media students at Virginia Tech, I have a task for you:

In the tradition of Armisen and Brownstein, it is time to create the show Blacksburgia, and make it a YouTube series.  I would pledge a sum of money (and help raise some) to finance such a project.  The show will revolve around the adventures of two characters (for now let’s call them Frankie and Bridgette) who both are on the Blacksburg City Council and taking graduate courses at VT while investing in various small businesses.  Or something.  Whatever gives them a reason to survey they town with their quirky characters.  The show would present less a satire of the community, but rather a fun house mirror reflection of Blacksburg and all other college towns like it in Virginia.  The main theme song can be written and recorded by Wild Nothing.

To help you produce this project, I have provided a series of rough sketch outlines.  Today I introduce the pitch for webisodes 1 and 2.

Websode 1:
Put a Hokie Bird on It
Fred and Carrie guest star as quirky, prickly, myopic entrepreneurs who advise several local business to “put a Hokie bird” on everything in order to help their items sell more.  It actually ends up working, until they’re issued a cease-and-desist order on behalf of Virginia Tech for failing to adhere to copyright law.  We end with a live turkey wreaking havoc in a glass shop.

Here is the original Portlandia sketch.

Webisode 2:
Roundabout
Frankie and Bridgette are trying to get to the new Indian restaurant when they come to the new roundabout and are unsure of how to drive through it.  They begin talking through it, about when and where to turn.  An hour later, they are still talking through it.  Night creeps over the city.  They are still in the roundabout, figuring out where to turn.

Coming up, more webisodes, including the Plaid Avenger, a raw milk litigation, and a trip to Gillie’s.