1. 1. RODUCTIONS PRESENTS:LOST TICKET PRODUCTST TICKET PRODUCTIONS PRESENTSOST TICKET PRODUCTIONS PRLOST TICKET PRODUCTIONS PRESENTSLOST TICKET PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS:LOST TICKET PRODUCTIONS PRESENTSLOST TICKET PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS personalpropertyofdougmasonMike UUC NSCRO
2. 2. Recruitment Consultants Wanted! Love people? Love the flexibility to be in charge of your own Destiny? Thrive in fast-paced, pressure-driven environments? We want to hear from you. Why Become a Recruitment Consultant? Uncapped Monthly Earning Potential Set Your Own Working Hours Luxurious Performance Prizes Benefits That Show We Care Winning Corporate Culture Make A Living by Changing Peoples Lives With over 40 years of award winning success and offices in over 50 countries, Reconnaissance Personnel Global is setting the new gold standard for the staffing industry. With a 110% commitment to understanding our clients needs, there is no one more suited to finding any company the talent that it wants and it deserves. Think you have what it takes? Send us an email with the Subject Recruitment Consultant and tell us why. At Recon The Skys The Limit 2015 RPRR G SETEE
3. 3. A PURPLE SQUIRREL is a recruitment industry term used to describe a mythical skill set believed not to exist. When a client calls and says they need a janitor to work the night shift for twelve bucks an hour and they also need to have a PHD in physics, that is a purple squirrel. It is the one thing all recruiters are searching for. SHORT SYNOPSIS Purple Squirrels is an independent Canadian series that tracks the trials and tribulations of Alex, Simon and Natalie, three grads who have gotten their first big break as Recruiters at a Downtown Toronto staffing agency. Mixing the coming-of-age-in-the-city dramedy of HBOs Girls with the corporate satire of Office Space, Purple Squirrels is a half hour program that aims to set a new bar in Canadian comedy. LONG SYNOPSIS Purple Squirrels is a half-hour comedy-drama that tracks the trials and tribulations of Alex, Natalie and Simon, three recent grads trying to survive in the city as Recruiters at a Downtown Toronto staffing agency, and make a name for themselves hustling the most unpredictable commodity on the market: People. Mixing the coming-of-age-in-the-city dramedy of HBOs Girls and the corporate satire of Office Space, Purple Squirrels aims to set a new bar in Canadian comedy. Purple Squirrels aims to act as a voice for Toronto by telling a distinctly Toronto story in the same manner Girls tells a distinctly New York story. Toronto is one of the most culturally and visually diverse cities in the world. By taking Purple Squirrels onto the streets, audiences will not only get to experience the hustle and bustle of Torontos Downtown corporate culture but also explore the back alleys of its bustling nightlife like never before seen on screen. 2015
4. 4. THE APPLICANTS: ALEX PETERSON Educated and broke, Alex is a recent Film graduate who has set himself up at global staffing company RPG in hopes of avoiding eviction. Although his quick wit and smart-ass charm make him ideal for Recruiting, his too-smart-for-his-own good attitude and rebellious spirit could either be the ticket to his success or his undoing. NATALIE WALKER The cute girl-next-door that your grandmother would want you to marry. Fresh off a plane from Calgary, Natalie is getting her new start at RPG. Instantly likable if a bit naive, shes poised for success in Toronto, but with lose ends still untied back home, success may come at an embarrassing price. SIMON SMYTH Always eager to please, Simon is a born conversationalist, even when his gabbing has alienated everyone in the room. Simon is a simple man with simple values, but the taste of success in the city could be the thing that takes the small town out of the small town boy once and for all. LESTER NIELSEN Alexs former university roommate and present housemate, Lester throws the best parties, knows the finest honnies and puffs the best chronic Toronto has to offer. He is Alexs best friend and biggest headache. MELISSA MANCINI Melissa enters every room in slow motion. A tough talker with no social filter, shes the girl that could have any guy but doesnt want any of them. Bored at work and always looking for ways to amuse herself, Melissa is the devil on Alexs shoulder. But all the mascara in the world cant hide the party-girl lifestyle catching up with her. DOUG MASON RPGs IT Division Manager, Doug is the last to arrive and first to leave. A thorn in upper managements side, hes the perfect guy to grab a brew and watch the game with, but when it comes to setting the example, hes nowhere to be found. PETRA WINSTON RPGs Iron Lady. A stern, Scottish immigrant who climbed the corporate ladder before being shipped to whip the Toronto operation into shape, Petra suffers no fools and doesnt take no for an answer, even if thats all she ever gets from the people around her. MARK ANDREWS Top Double-AF biller for the past four months in a row, Mark is the ideal success story. What does Double-AF stand for? Accounting & Finance, but by the way he does things, youd think it meant Awesome as Fuck. With hair perfectly slicked, suit always pristine and a scuffless BMW, Mark is the model every Recruiter should strive to follow. OLIVER STEFANOV Petras right-hand man, RPGs flamboyant Human Resources Manager, and Dougs office nemesis, Oliver revels in seeing drama unfold and isnt shy about stepping in to help it along whenever he can. OAK Big scary black dude. Also Lesters right-hand-man. 2015
5. 5. EPISODE BREAKDOWNS: FIRST DAY/LAST DAY Its Alex, Natalie and Simons first day at Reconnaissance Personnel Global. While waiting for their half-an-hour-late boss Doug, they meet their fourth colleague Sid, whose corporate asshole attitude immediately rubs Alex the wrong way. Barely on the scene, Doug is informed that there has been an error with back office claiming he only had approval to hire three new recruits. To determine who goes home, Petra sets the team on a race to see who can book the most in-office interviews by the end of day. Not wanting to leave the outcome to fate, Alex hatches a plan that will save his friends and teach Sid a lesson once and for all. INTERVIEW TO A KILL An irate client threatening to kick RPG off the vendor list leaves Dougs hands tied. Needing to be taught the interview tricks of the trade, Melissa takes Alex for a drink over lunch, Natalie is taught the ways of the Wild West by Mark and Petra offers Simon a lunch date if he can secure five job leads from his candidate. But unless someone can secure an elusive Cobal Developer by end of day, it could be lights out for the entire team. NO SLEEP TIL GUELPH All breathe a sigh of relief for the weekend. Except Alex. Lester is throwing a raging party and Alex needs to be in Guelph at exactly 7:00 am to go horseback riding with his uptight girlfriend Danielle. Knowing he wont get any sleep at home, Alex makes plans to crash on Simons couch. But the plans go awry when Lester spikes Simons drink in hopes of helping him overcome his fear of the dance floor. Mark and Natalie share a casual dinner together before joining the raging, while Melissas presence indicates that maybe her ties with Mark run deeper than they appear. THE RASH Monday morning. Simon is still feeling the effects of Friday night, which clouds his lunch meeting with Petra. Alex suffers an unbearable rash due to his allergic reaction to horses. Already scolded for showing up a minute late for work, Alex doesnt want to excuse himself to pick up the cream that would ease his itchy burden. Lester, on the run, is of no help. Simon redeems himself by building an unlikely relationship with a prospective RPG client. With Doug out of the office on a family emergency and Mark unwilling to help, Alex is left on his own to prep Johnny. But he's more than willing to help Natalie book her first client interview. THEY TRAIN RECRUITERS DONT THEY? Petra is instantly unimpressed when she discovers Doug has booked their overnight training session at a Hare Krishna resort. Olivers keynote speaker doesnt go over much better. Alex is distraught to find Lester has hitched a ride and intends to unload a pound of marijuana for Oak before going home. Natalie expresses her feelings for Alex to some Krishna girls, who encourage her to tell him. Her plans are thwarted however, when she discovers Alex has snuck into the night to get cigarettes with Melissa. Simon gains ground with Petra after saving her from the unwanted advances of a young Krishna boy. NATAA ATT LILL E & SIMON 2015
6. 6. EPISODE BREAKDOWNS: OUTSIDE OFFICE HOURS On the hunt for a killer strain of weed that gave him the high of his life, Lester enlists Alex and Simon to accompany him in finding the only man in the city who can get him another hit. But they soon find themselves on a run for their lives when a drug dealer that Lester owes money to gives them until the morning to pay up or all suffer the consequences. STALKER Alex and Simon land their first placements on the same day. Doug invites the team to celebrate over lunch. Natalie worries she wont pass probation because she hasnt booked a client interview. After being reassured by Doug, she uses an ethically questionable trick Mark taught her. Alex must evade a stalker who is bothering him for an interview after posting a job online. Simon is sent on a mission by Petra to find a new candidate after one of hers gets let go. Lester pretends to be Alex to make use of his corporate gym membership after the run in with Jackie leaves him feeling like he needs to get in shape. HOT DOG Alex is awoken to find the new furry friend Lester has acquired to aid in his pursuit to pick up chicks. Things get worse when Lester, on the run from a couple of kids he ripped off, drops the canine at RPGs front door for Alex to take care of. Natalie offers to keep the dog out of Petras sight, not realizing she has an afternoon interview prep. Its Mark to the rescue when he offers to take the puppy to the park, an offer he quickly regrets. Simon is the latest victim in a rash of office thefts when the stuffed animal he bought Ashley goes missing. THE RECRUITING ANGEL 4:30 pm and the IT team is about to leave when an order comes in from an important client. Doug puts down the mandate that they need a candidate to submit before end of day and instructs them all to stay until they find someone. When a delivery boy shows up with pizza and cant get into the building, the team discovers that something is mysteriously holding them against their will. Stir craziness sets in as the team tries to decide if they should be searching for a candidate or an escape route. Elsewhere, Melissa has her world turned upside down when her mother announces her future plans over dinner. DOUBLE DIPPING Danielle is in town to visit and Alex has planned a double date with Simon and Ashley. A confrontation with Lester gets the night off to a rough start. When a mistake in their reservations delays the group from seeing their movie, Danielle blames Ashley, leading to tension between the two and leaving Simon to decide whether or not to say anything. Stood up by her online date, Natalie runs into Melissa whos out on a personal bender. A couple drinks back at Melissas condo leads Natalie to reveal the skeletons in the closet that brought her to Toronto. 2015
7. 7. ALELL X EPISODE BREAKDOWNS: IN TRANSIT Alex is counting on a placement so that he can afford the expensive necklace Danielle wants for their anniversary. But after his candidate leaves her good luck charm at the office, Alex finds himself on the run through busy Downtown transit in an attempt to reach her before arriving at her client interview. Lester gives Alex a bag of drug-laced candy to hold for him, which accidentally gets taken on a client visit by Melissa. Simon agrees to a lunchtime yoga session he promised Ashley, which ends in jealously after he spends most of the time flirting with the instructor. Ecstatic over her first placement, Natalie agrees to a date with Mark, who admits his feelings for her. Doug must deal with the passing of his mother. FINALE Alex announces that Danielle has made the decision to move to Toronto to live with him. Lester struggles to find a new place to live, while Simons mixed feelings about Danielle weigh heavily on his conscience. Shaken by Dougs loss, Natalie calls home in hopes of putting the past behind her, but not before a candidate from her past shows up in the interview room. Melissa, done with her psychiatrist, invites Alex to join her for a psychic reading. Petra announces her plan to grow the IT Division and introduces a new business model, which is not well received by Doug. BEHEE INDNN THTT E SCENES 2015
8. 8. PURPRR LELL MAN MICHHCC AAEELL DIRECTORS NOTE Purple Squirrels started over a conversation about HBOs Girls. We drank a little. We smoked a little. And Girls. We talked about how great it was to see a comedy about what its like to be lost and struggling to find yourself in the big city, about humour and pathos and about the struggles of coming of age in the modern era. Then I said it, Why doesnt Toronto have this? Id worked at several Recruiting Agencies through the years and knew both the industry and its people like the back of my hand. Whether it was the manager telling the new kid to call the CEOs personal assistant and pretend to be his doctor or the new temp getting caught banging the secretary in the copy room on his second day of assignment, Id seen and heard it all. It would be like Office Space set in the industry Id grown up in. Girls meets Office Space, set in Toronto. Purple Squirrels was born. The 25-minute pilot episode First Day/Last Day was filmed over two days in June of 2014, which followed an extensive marketing campaign and theatrical premiere. The production was financed independently with the entire local cast, crew and post production staff working on a volunteer basis. This has been an incredible journey which I hope to continue. It's time Toronto got the show that it deserves. Best, Michael Lippert Writer/Director/Co-Creator 20015
9. 9. LOST TICKET PRODUCTIONS MICHAEL LIPPERT WRITER/DIRECTOR/CREATOR Michael Lippert is a Toronto-based Writer/Director/Producer. He was born and raised in Walkerton Ontario, where he was not infected with ecoli. He has worked as a professional Script Reader for The Nakamura Group Advantage for the past six years and when hes not busy trying to redefine the face of Canadian television he works full-time as a Corporate Recruiter. He also manages a blog on the Recruitment industry entitled Notes From the Recruitment Desk. JULIA GAGLIANO PRODUCER Julia Gagliano is based in Toronto and works full time as an analyst for the enterprise risk division of the largest Canadian bank. She has an enthusiastic nature and commitment to quality. Julia was born into a family of successful entrepreneurs and has launched several businesses selling a variety of goods and services. She is also a successful real estate investor. Mixing a strong understanding of the business cycle with intuitive financial savvy, Julia knows how to stretch a budget to its maximum, and balance short-term decisions with long-term objectives. MMIICCHCC AEELL JUUULLILL A 2015
10. 10. 2015 Purple Squirrels Graphic Design by: Ciel Strong www.cielstrong.wix.com/portfolio 102 - 44 Walmer Rd. Toronto ON M5R 2X2 T: 416-409-3349 info@purplesquirrels.ca www.purplesquirrels.ca facebook.com/purplesquirrels