Although she had no previous acting or script writing experience, Jennifer M. Kay of Plymouth Meeting wrote the scripts for the webseries, “Sisterly Disorder,” and she won an “Outstanding Lead Actress Award” in 2014 at the L.A. Film Festival. (Photos by Arrison Photography)[/caption]

by Len Lear

As a child Jennifer M. Kay dreamed of eventually being an actress on “General Hospital,” but for years she did not pursue acting, thinking it was an “unrealistic dream.” So the Perkiomen Valley High School alumna went to Penn State and pursued a “real” major (advertising, with a minor in psychology), graduated and got a job with an engineering firm in Plymouth Meeting as a project coordinator. Sometime after that, however, Jennifer won a tour of the set of “General Hospital.”

“As I was sitting there watching them film the show,” said Jennifer, “I thought to myself, ‘Why aren’t I doing this?’ So when I got home, I booked an acting class at the Philadelphia Actors Center.” (When asked her age, Jennifer replied, “An actress never tells her age.”) A few months into her first acting class, Jennifer had an assignment to write a skit, and she wrote the pilot episode for a show she called “Sisterly Disorder.”

“It received such a great response,” said Jennifer, “that we performed it on 'Scene Night,' which is open to the public. Again there was such a great response that I decided to make a webseries of it. I wrote season one and with the support of (fellow acting student) Jodie Riccelli, we started filming. I had no idea what I was doing, but we learned as we went! The first episode aired March 12, 2013.”

The basic plot of "Sisterly Disorder," Jennifer’s first screenplay? Vicki (Jennifer) has just returned to Philadelphia unexpectedly after living in California. Although happy to see her sister, Vicki's return was not part of sister Téa's life plan. From the office to her nightlife, Vicki's carefree attitude becomes a major distraction for Téa (Jodie) as she struggles to keep her life on track. Disorder unfolds as Téa and Vicki learn to laugh, love and fight for what they want, just like sisters in real life.

"It's amazing to me that this script containing one episode blossomed into a three-season web series,” said Jodie. “It's completely due to Jennifer's impeccable work ethic and belief in the project." In addition to Jodie, other notable actors and crew members have included Patrick Hickman and Tamara Eldridge.

Inspired by the reaction to her first screenplay, Jennifer proceeded to write 14 episodes in all, which run anywhere from five to 12 minutes each. All 14 have been filmed and are currently available on YouTube (www.youtube.com/sisterlydisorder). Under the direction of their acting teacher, Larry Jansen, the whole class was cast in the webseries, which was shot in Philly and the suburbs using whatever resources that were available.

By season two a few production assistants were brought on board, which helped increase the overall efficiency of production. In addition to Jennifer’s Actors Center classmates, she also held auditions and “found some amazing talent.” They now have a 23-episode, 2½-season webseries that has received great reviews and won a couple of awards, and it continues to air on YouTube. In 2014, the series received the L.A. Film Festival's “Outstanding Lead Actress Award” for both Jodie Riccelli and Jennifer Kay.

Jennifer shot some episodes in people’s homes, and her office manager even allowed her to shoot in their office. Friends who owned restaurants and a store lent her their space to film a few episodes. As of this interview, which took place a few weeks ago, “Sisterly Disorder” had 8,286 YouTube views. They also have 98 subscribers to their page.

Buoyed by the thrill and the success of “Sisterly Disorder,” Jennifer proceeded to write a feature length script (one hour and 20 minutes) entitled "The Stall." The premise is as follows: Jezebel has been living a normal life with Rachel, her best friend, roommate and cousin. A horrible tragedy strikes, however, and changes Jezebel's life profoundly. Surrounded by a string of murders, the main character struggles with the death of her cousin and haunting memories in her daily life. The film shows Jezebel working through therapy sessions, learning how to cope with her loss while avoiding her own demise.

“I have submitted the film to five festivals and am awaiting responses,” Jennifer said. “Unfortunately, I won’t hear back until the spring of 2016. After that I would like to acquire distribution.”

To support their films, Jennifer has created Luna K. Productions, a small production company that is named after Jennifer's two rescue dogs, Luna and Kaylie. (She actually has three now, but the company was created before she adopted her third dog.) If the production company ever gets a big budget, Jennifer would love to “make an action film with a female lead.” Next year they hope to make two short films, "Flaws" and "Breakdown," a TV series pilot, "Pennsyltucky," and a feature film.

“I really enjoy writing and watching the story come to life,” said Jennifer. “I enjoy every phase of filmmaking. It is incredibly demanding and stressful, but it is my passion, and I love it. My ultimate goal would be to make money doing this so that I could create films full-time.”

What writer/actor does Jennifer admire the most? “Tina Fey is my role model!” she said. “I read her book, and she absolutely inspired me that I could pursue this writing and producing thing. I know I could learn a lot from her.”

For more information, visit www.lunakproductions.com/home.html