Developed with the assistance of

SCREEN TASMANIA

Writer: Adam Ransley

Script Consultant: Tristram Baumber

Producer: Rogan Brown

Director: Daniel James

Producer’s Note: This project began life as “American Burger”, until we discovered a feature film (a rather corny one) of the same name had been made, so we updated the name to “American Grill”.  

We were fortunate in getting some funding through Screen Tasmania which allowed us to employ a script consultant, Tristram Baumber, who assisted in the development of the original episodes and a script for a trailer. We made the trailer (which is what we are doing in the photos on this page).  

The trailer met with mixed reactions and, as we didn’t have any funds for making the web series ourselves, it was put on the back-burner.

Jump forward a year or so and Adam Ransley had written a set of eight half-hour scripts for a TV series based on the “American Grill” characters which he called “Flip”.  Again we were able to get some funding through Screen Tasmania for a script consultant, Alix Lee, who greatly assisted us in structuring the series.  Sadly, again due to lack of funding, we weren’t able to proceed with “Flip”…   

Meet Will (Bodane Hatten), a shift supervisor in his early twenties.  He’s been around long enough to know who’s who in the zoo and just how much mud he can fling before it hits the fan.  He's a thinker and a "stirrer".

There's Greta (Danni Gilsenan) who works the front counter.  She’s the feminist/activist who is always prepared to stand up for her rights, or anybody else's for that matter (even if she's not sure why).

Gilroy (Jared Goldsmith) has anger issues - not surprisingly as he is the "head chef" and burger-turner.  He has a brotherly connection with Will and they hang out together outside of work.

Lou, (Ella Watkins) the newbie in the team, works under Gilroy.  She is keen to do the right thing, particularly if her hero, Will, is around. She is a bit of a timid mouse who finds it hard to speak up for herself.

Then there's Bobby (Edward Williams) who works the registers and drive-thru.  He’s young and innocent (and probably dropped on his head as a baby!) He acts and speaks unfiltered - an emotional stone.

Ivan (Matthew Stolp) is the stick-up-the-arse store manager, often lurking nearby (eavesdropping) and enforcing “the rules”. He is often the butt of Will and Gilroy’s pranks and tricks.

Synopsis:

American Grill is a comedy web series aimed at the 16 to 25 age group, which explores the world inside the heads of today’s youth. In this 'Skins meets Clerks' portrayal of generation Y, young burger restaurant employees distract themselves from their humdrum day-to-day tasks by passionately exploring wide-ranging ideas that have nothing to do with flipping burgers...

Outline:

• If you've ever eaten a burger and fries...
• If you've ever worked in a humdrum workplace with a set of weird rules enforced by an overbearing boss…
• If you've ever wondered about the meaning of life...

then you would have loved American Grill!

Set in an American-owned burger restaurant in suburban Australia, there's that edgy mix of the two cultures - the American “Would you like fries with that?” marketing and the “Have a nice day!” attitude enforced by Ivan, the manager, and the “She’ll be right” attitude and "Take it or leave it" marketing of the workers.  

Mix them together and you've got American Grill. How very un McDonald’s!