Estate Sale is a dark comedy about an estate sale company run by Myra Maines. Her daughter Erin has moved home to Alabama from New York City after her father's dementia diagnosis and begins working the estate sales with her mother, as well as the quirky team of characters Myra assembled. It follows all of the bizarre and interesting things the team encounters during the estate sales shown through Erin's perspective, all the while she tries to hold on to her dream of being a singer & songwriter.
I'm Evan Owens and I'm the writer and director of Estate Sale. I've been in the film industry for 15 years. I've been in the Estate Sale business for 9. My two worlds have finally combined to form this new series called Estate Sale. This show is going to be a combination of true events and things that have happened during actual estate sales & some things from my personal life, as well as a few things from my imagination. It'll be a mix of The Office & Fleabag meeting Grumpy Old Men & Steel Magnolias.
Estate Sales are so interesting. The companies that run them are just as fascinating. After all, going into someone's home and setting it up like a store for strangers to shop through is a very unusual thing to do for a living all the while being handled with respect and dignity for the person's life.
The niche group of people that shop the sales are so intriguing. A lot of the customers have become incredibly good friends. I've learned so much from them and have met some wonderful people. I've also seen a lot of weird behavior from some of them as well. I can't think of another word to describe the anomaly better than phenomena.
Myra Maines owns an estate sale company and her daughter has moved home from New York City as her father Sam has been diagnosed with dementia. Erin starts working with her mother and the group of quirky friends assembled by Myra. Every sale is absolute chaos, from toilets being clogged to fires being started in kitchens. This episode will introduce all of the players in Myra Maines Estate Sales & shed some light on what it's like to put together a sale and deal with customers, & all the while attempting to maintain some sanity in this crazy thing we call life.
I'm beyond excited to share this little part of my world with everyone, but I need everyone's help to do it. I never ask for help unless I truly need it. The magnitude of contributing to this series would be beyond impactful. Every single contribution will be a collaboration in helping bring this story to life.
There will be so many more people involved once dates are secured and casting takes place, but for now, these are the awesome humans involved!
Evan Elise Owens
Director, Writer, Producer
Oh, hey. That's me! I have been in the entertainment world for 15 years and in the estate sale world for roughly 10. It was only a matter of time before the two collided. This will be the first episodic project I've ever produced. My previous productions have all been short films. Some won a handful of awards at festivals like Big Apple, Los Angeles Short Film Festival, and South Carolina Underground Film Festival. I've never been one to toot my own horn, but I am proud of my track record! I'm so very excited about Estate Sale. It's a very personal project for me and hopefully, one that gives some insight into the estate sale world, makes you laugh, and forget about all the craziness happening in the real world for a little while.
Kyle Roberts
Director of Photography, Editor, Producer
Kyle Roberts is a Cinematographer with 17+ years of experience. His main goal is to see the Director's vision brought to life in a visually compelling way, all while keeping the look consistent with the story. He is a lifelong drummer and is currently playing with 2 bands in Birmingham. He also collects retro video games and lunch boxes in his spare time from raising his beautiful daughter. He and Evan went to UAB together an undisclosed amount of years ago. This will be the 3rd project he and Evan have collaborated on.
Ashley Shelton
Actor, Producer
Ashley Shelton's acting debut was the leading role of Margaret in the critically acclaimed SOMETHING, ANYTHING (2015 NYT Critics' Pick). It was released commercially through Sundance #ArtistServices and IFP leading her to be featured on IndieWire's 2015 Year-End Critics Poll as Best Lead Actress. Some of her most recent starring roles include A LITTLE PRAYER (Sundance 2023), Riley Keough's WAR PONY (Cannes 2022), and Ethan Hawke's THE GOOD LORD BIRD (SHOWTIME). You will also see her in the upcoming UNIVERSAL show TEACUP when it airs on PEACOCK this coming year. Her writing, directing, and producing path began with her award-winning short film MAGNOLIA & CLEMENTINE. The film was hand-picked to participate in Amazon Prime’s 2019 All Voices Film Festival which celebrated diversity behind the camera. Her directorial feature film debut BEST CLOWNS, distributed by 1091 Pictures, was released in November 2023 under her and her husband's production company, 12:12 Pictures. She is passionate about filtering stories through her own personal experience in an effort to connect more deeply to the world around her.
Chelle Ramos
Actor
Chelle is from a small town, Pensacola, FL. She is of Asian and Caucasian descent. Her mother put her in dance classes at the age of 3 and immediately the stage became home. After growing up as a dancer, she was curious about acting. While on vacation, she attended an audition for the Egyptian Mummy Princess at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL. Two weeks later she received the call for a year long contract. Moving to Orlando, she trained in Film and TV under Yvonne Suhor at Art’s Sake Studio. She then started training in Atlanta, GA under Adam Stoner, an original member of the prestigious New York Film Academy. She has been able to share the screen with Al Pacino, Ray Liotta, and Chase Stokes just to name a few as well as recurring characters on hit series like Twisted Metal, Outer Banks and The Walking Dead.
Andi Marie Tillman
Actor
Introducing Andi Marie Tillman, a multimedia artist named Appalachian Comedian of the Year in
2022 & 2023! Born and raised in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Andi’s humor and
authentic characters are a breath of fresh Smoky Mountain air. A self-proclaimed “recovering
Pentecostal”, and roots in performance began at the age of 8 when she started singing in churches all over the Southeast. It is also where she gathered much of the inspiration for what would later become a cast of original characters. From there, she began honing her skills in regional theater at the tender age of 12. Since then, Andi has written and produced 2 full-length albums, and numerous short films, starred in feature films, and acted in commercials, but it was her series of TikTok sketches that brought her to stardom. Her unique comedic voice struck a chord with folks both native and new to Appalachian culture. Showing great range, she plays everything from an Appalachian “Papaw” to a songwriting vampire named “Nashveratu”.
Andi's humor is down-to-earth, relatable, and always keeps you on your toes. Keep an eye out for this mountain mama – she's just getting started!
Aerial Nicole
Actor
Aerial Nicole is an actor & host who has been working in the industry for 13+ years. She has worked professionally in commercials, print ads, TV, film, and touring theatre. She's trained in cold reading, improvisation, scene study, script analysis, on-camera and audition techniques.
She starred in Ashley Shelton's debut feature Best Clowns opposite Thomas Lennon, which many have already called her 'breakout role'. She also has strong supporting roles in From Black (opposite Jennifer Lafleur), Consider the Lilies (opposite Layla Cushman), and Netflix's Reptile (opposite Benicio Del Toro). Holding her own in scenes with industry legends isn't the only trick she has up her sleeve. Aerial previously co-hosted 2 seasons of the 3x Emmy-winning travel leisure show, Tennessee Valley Uncharted, which aired nationally on PBS.
As many of you know, filmmaking can be expensive and I try to create and tell stories as frugally as possible, while still making sure everyone is paid a fair rate and fed well.
We have an amazing crew made up of Alabama locals and some fantastic cast members on board. They all get paid a daily rate and daily lunches. A lot of the funds will go towards their paychecks and the meals provided on set.
Proper gear is crucial for ensuring quality production, and it costs money to rent said gear. Funds will go towards lighting, cameras, and lenses.
We have to make sure our actors all look the part as well, so some funds will be allocated towards hair, makeup, and wardrobe.
With this being a narrative production, we are essentially recreating estate sales; so we will need lots of props and set dressings, as well as homes that we will rent to stage the sets.
We don't want to just take your money without giving you something in return, so there are a few things that we are offering as incentives for donating.
No donation will sit lightly and no donation is too small.
Any amount will get your name in the credits as an extremely special thanks. There will also be some cool swag up for grabs including tote bags, props from the production, an opportunity to be in the episode, lunch with cast & crew, autographed copies of the script, and more!
The plan for this episode is to release it to an online platform, shop it around, & gain enough traction to fund the rest of the series.
If you aren't able to contribute financially, there are other ways to help! Share this campaign and get the word out! Follow us on Instagram @estatesaleseries or tell a friend!