108. Open To It: Comedy and Commitment of Polyamory

In this episode of the Open Late Podcast, Jess connects with Frank Smith, a queer writer and actor known for his work on the show “Open To It.” Throughout their conversation, they delve into the origins of the show, discussing how it all began and the challenges they had to face along the way. As the discussion progresses, Jess and Frank touch upon personal aspects of his life, specifically when Frank and his partner made the decision to open up about his relationship. They explore the process of creating a show “Open To It” and how they handle filming intimate scenes, shedding light on the behind-the-scenes aspects of production. They talk about how the world reacted to the show’s content and the impact it had on those who were a part of Frank’s life. Frank opens up about how the show may have influenced or altered his relationship in some shape or form, sharing positive outcomes that arose from it. For those interested in watching “Open To It” and keeping up with upcoming events.

In this Episode of Open Late:

• Coming up with an idea for a show
• Challenges of creating a queer comedy series
• Behind the scenes of filming intimate scenes 
• Frank’s “secret” proposal story
• “Where to watch” and upcoming events

Mentioned in the Episode:

Please Like me – Television Comedy Drama: Please Like Me

Pleasure Podcast: Sex Talk With My Mom

On-Screen Intimacy Coordinator Shelby Terrell: Open Late Episode 85

Connect with Frank Smith:

• Instagram: @frank.arthur.smith

• Watch Open To It: https://www.opentoitseries.com/

Connect with Jessica:

• Instagram: @journey.with.jessica | @openlatethepodcast

• Website: openlatepodcast.com 

• YouTube: Open Late Podcast

• What’s my relationship style? Take the Open Late Quiz

• Join our free chat community, “Open Talks” on WhatsApp

• Open Late Dictionary

2:31  I did write the first episode as a short film originally and submitted to a couple of competitions, where one literally said to me, this is too gay and too gross. I was like, okay, well, you know what? My show is too gay, and is too gross. And this is exactly what I’m going to do right now. – Frank Smith

4:52  a lot of times the way that we would communicate it or, you know, whether you’re writing it or sharing your vision, you know, or even like putting together a whole storyboard, sometimes it’s just not going to come to life for someone else, or it does in a way that’s through their filter, through their lens. – Jessica Esfandiary

34:12 But I’m really proud of what we’re doing. We’ve gotten the chance to showcase a lot of different types of people. We just had like in episode eight, we have a love interest and had a deaf director and an ASL interpreting crew, so I’m just really pleased with how we keep getting to showcase more and more people that are part of it. – Frank Smith

39:16 I just love hearing about these things when people who live sort of outside the box, being poly or whatever, being non-monogamous, coloring outside the lines all the time when you do something that’s traditional. – Jessica Esfandiary

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