Dawn Trautman and Joe Lehman (co-creators) met in 2017 while doing a musical called “Church Basement Ladies.” When they were hired the following year to perform in the sequel, “Church Basement Ladies 2: A Second Helping,” Dawn contacted Joe and another actor, Eva Marie Nehring, about the idea of filming a web series during the day while they performed the musical at night. And with that, “A Dairy Tale” was born.
Dawn, Joe, and Eva are all members of Actors Equity Association, the union of professional theatre actors, and had built extensive theatre resumes in New York, Chicago, and across the United States. Each of them had only limited experience in film and television. What they did have was creativity, tenacity, a willingness to learn, and the ability to make each other and various situations funny.
Together, they decided to set “A Dairy Tale” where they were already performing the musical that brought them together: a small town in Wisconsin. They’d noticed that the media landscape was missing a celebration of farm culture, the dairy industry, and the quirky but lovable people and places that you only find in the Midwest.
They also wanted to do their part to add women’s voices to the media landscape. As of 2017, only 23% of films had female protagonists, and only 12% of off screen positions were occupied by women, making men the primary storytellers of our culture, truly shaping how we see ourselves and the people around us. With women taking lead roles both on and off camera, “A Dairy Tale” intends to help tip the scale toward equality.
Moving forward, Dawn takes on the roles of producer and editor. Joe takes the lead on creating shot lists and directing scenes out of the storylines that the duo create together. While Eva served as location scout and 1stAD, she is no longer with the project. All three appear in the series. They are supported by the social media and marketing team, Mallory Topel and Ahlana Hirshfield.
The entire series is shot on an iPhone, with only two LED lights and an Apogee 96K microphone, supported by an Osmo Mobile 2 gimbal, giving it a homegrown feel that matches its small town setting. Many of the exterior shots were filmed in Jefferson and Dane Counties of Wisconsin through the generous cooperation of many local business owners and farmers.
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