Not Skinny But Not Fat - Ginny & Georgia's Creator, Sarah Lampert, Shares How the Netflix Show Got Made

Episode Date: February 14, 2023

Who else is obsessed with G&G? The mother/daughter duo/murder mystery/high school drama binge worthy show on Netflix is a fan favorite! Co-creator and executive producer Sarah Lampert is on the pod answering all my burning questions about how her script was picked up, casting, production, upcoming seasons, the line her grandmother begged her not to include, Taylor Swift's reaction to her writing, and more!   Produced by Dear Media This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The following podcast is a dear media production. Do you want to start a company but have no idea where to begin, or do you have dreams of becoming an influencer? Well, The Life with Mariana podcast is here to help. I'm Mariana Hewitt, a Los Angeles-based influencer and co-founder of the Clean Skincare Line Summer Fridays. Each Tuesday, I'm talking to my friends from business owners, wellness experts, and more to share all of their best advice for you to live your best life.

Make sure to tune in and subscribe to my podcast and follow me on Instagram at Mariana, score Hewitt to see what's coming up each week so you don't miss an episode. This is Amanda Hirsch from the Not Skinny but Not Fat podcast. You might know me from Not Skinny Bonifut on Instagram where I spend my time talking about reality TV, celebrities, everything happening and pop culture. I also talk to some of our favorite celebs and reality TV stars. We talk about what's going on. Tune in every Tuesday and just feel like you're talking about your best friends in your

living room. You guys, Sarah Lampert, who's the creator of one of our favorite shows right now, Ginny and Georgia, is on the podcast today. Hi, Sarah. Hi. I'm a creator and I'm an executive producer. I heard your podcast with Bill Lawrence, who I'm obsessed with. And I was like, oh,

he spoke to it so eloquently, which surprises no one. But that was a great episode. Thank you. Was he like an inspo to you? Yeah. I mean, I think anyone who's, who's done this job successfully and who's created shows that are such hits and have such strong voices are, are inspiring to me. Yeah.

That's your first show. That's your first show. Okay. So let's go back. Let's go back. Let's go back to Sarah. You grew up in Massachusetts, not, not unlike little Wellsbury. Oh, it's a direct ripoff from Newton where I grew up. It's a combo of Newton and Lexington, which are I, I lived in Newton. My best friend, McKenzie, lived in Lexington. So that's what well-dory.

Did you always know you wanted to be like a TV writer? Yeah, I did. I went to school for theater. I was a big theater kid in high school, which I think you can kind of tell from the show. I was a big theater kid. So I actually, I majored in acting and creative writing, but I always knew I wanted to write TV. Isn't it different in college that, because I minored in acting just for fun? And like, you'd go to your regular classes with regular people and everyone's like half asleep and we like here. And then you go to your like class with the theater people and they're like, hey. And like every sneeze is like with their whole body and they're just like screaming. you know what I mean? Oh, yeah. It's a whole body, whole spirit, whole mind major where you show up and like, yeah, normal classes, you slide into, you know, whatever. My critical thinking class, like you slide into the back. You're 20 minutes late. You got your coffee and you just put your hood up and there you go versus your movement class or you're like Shakespeare. Whatever it may be, you show up and you're, you leave the class. Maybe you've skinned your knee. Maybe you're crying. Like anything could happen.

So you're a theater kid And then you're 35 You have a freaking hit show on Netflix How did this happen? It's so funny It's like you're 35 and I had to really think about it Like I am right? Like I just feel like time has no meaning

I know you know what it is I feel like we don't say our age enough Like no one's asking me how old I am anymore So I don't get to say it out loud No one's like how old are you And I'm like 34 like it just doesn't happen And so then when you're asked, you're like, wait, how old am I? I'm, like, still confused on the year or two.

I've had to, like, write the year a few times at, like, doctor's appointments. And I'm like, I think it's this. Right. Anyway, what was the, I have ADD. Sorry. What was the question? So we said at 35, which, by the way, I do like that at least there's so many young people entering so many different industries today, which, like, good for them.

I'm not being ages. But I love that 35 is, like, considered still to me. like young to make it. You know what I mean? To me, that's like you made it young. I mean, people, it takes years and years in various industries, but especially in this, you could be writing and writing and nothing kind of gets to where you wanted to be.

And you have a hit show on Netflix, lady. I know, you know, I sold it too. I sold it when I had just turned 31. I sold the show in September and I will, my birthday is in August. So I had just turned 31 when I sold it, which was really felt young to do that it takes a while to make. So now I'm now I'm 35. But yes. So wait, tell me about that process. How do you have a script, get it bought, like all of that? Yeah. Well, so I worked in various places in the entertainment industry for like eight years and different levels of assistance,

primarily in reality TV. And I actually still primarily watch reality TV. I know you do too. Wait, so what? Any, any, any shows that we love that you worked on? No, not like that. So I worked mostly in development. So I was the assistant to executive producers in different production companies mostly in development. So my job would be to try to sell shows. So I would like create all these decks and these power points. And you have to kind of create it. It's really good training for being a writer because you have to take real people, real worlds, real situations and really kind of craft a narrative to try to pitch it and sell it and create these stories around them and build these different worlds and conflict and. connections between them in a way that's going to sell the story in the room. I also did a lot for a producer who was big on game shows. So that was really intricate because we would have to like build out all of these decks that were like game show. So it's all gamified. But when I did that, it was really like the wild west of reality TV.

It was really when it was kind of starting. It was right when the boom was happening like in 2010. So my bosses would always take me to the pitches with them, which was like. Like, I was really, I've been really lucky. I've had great bosses. So I went to pitches at MTV, VH1, E, all of these places and just saw how that happened before I ever got a chance to pitch my scripted show. So that was actually a really great way to learn how to do that. But so anyways, so I'm an assistant and I'm working in reality TV. And my boss, Jeff Toller, he had a company, Maddica Productions. It did both scripted and non-scripted. And I was like kind of trepidacious to tell him I was a writer. I worked there like a year or two before I finally kind of was like, okay, also, I'm a writer. So it doesn't look like, so it doesn't look like you had a master plan all along. Yeah, exactly. Cool, because they are not hiring you to be a writer. Right. Hearing you to assist it. That's like the last thing they want to hear. But he was super supportive.

And he was like, yeah, let me read your script. So I gave him, I gave him a script. It wasn't Ginny and George. It was a different script. And he read it. And he was like, oh, thank God, it's good. Because that could have been so awkward for us. Yeah. But he was wonderful. He bought me a laptop for like, I'm Jewish, but Christmas. He bought me a laptop for Hanukkah. And he really believed in me.

He bought me final draft. Like, he supported me going to writing classes. Like, he was a real champion of mine. And he's the one who ultimately got Ginny and Georgia to Netflix. And he's an executive producer on the project. Wait, that's so cool. And you assisted him in his production company. Like, that was your role?

Yeah, I was hired to be his assistant. I worked there for five years. I was hired to be his assistant. And my job didn't change per se, but I was promoted up. So by the time I sold the show, I think my title was manager of development. Wow. So you wrote your first script. You read it was like, this is good, but nothing really happened with that one.

Kind of. Yeah. There's like a whole story there. But yeah. Okay. And then Ginny and Georgia. How do you even start writing a show like Ginny and George? Georgia. How much is it based off of your life or your friends? Like, obviously, we know

Massachusetts, Wellesbury, but, but all the other relationships and stuff like that. Yeah. I get asked that a lot. And I, I always, I'm going to give you an answer, but I always don't know how to answer because, I mean, when you're creating the show, I created it because I wanted a show I would want to watch and just like something fun and character driven, but that didn't necessarily fit into one genre. And to do that, I definitely pulled from inspiration. I come from a long line of really strong, funny, smart women. So I pulled from those relationships and growing up in Newton and stories from me, from my friends. And that was the creation. But a lot of its imagination, a lot of it is just based on shows that taking inspiration from shows I love watching. And then a lot of

the actual series itself really is crafted in the writer's room with a whole team of writers. So, Yeah. So you have, so going into it, you have like your kind of premise, like the people, the place, like the storyline and then you sit down. And how long does it take to write like a season of a show? The writer's room is active for about five to six months to create the 10 episodes. But the writing really, I mean, it starts before that because you need a plan. I mean, we've needed a plan for the four seasons of the show. In my head, it's four seasons. You can't kind of go in blind. You need to kind of know. know what you're working towards. But then everything can change in the writer's room. And then the writing also happens all through production for a myriad of reasons. It could be that someone gets COVID and you need to rewrite a scene without that character. It could be that you get your board every day for the next block that you're shooting. We block shoots. So we shoot two episodes at once. So when you get your board, inevitably, scenes aren't going to fit. So it's like, okay,

we only have three days to shoot at Blue Farm. And you have two extra scenes. scenes that are hanging off, you need to make those scenes either fits. You need to trim scenes, cut those two scenes and put the information for the story that was going to be in those two scenes in the Miller living room because that day we're filming in that location. We have space, right? So it's always a puzzle piece and there's kind of always constantly rewriting. The actors are also always really encouraged to come to us with any changes. They want made. So we, there's just always a level of rewriting happening. We, we work closely with mental health America. We have a psychiatrist on staff who weighs in on all the scripts and the cuts. We have Netflix notes. We have

notes from the writers after they read the production draft. So there's always just, there's always writing happening. The writing never stops. You guys always ask me when I travel and you see my little chic suitcase that's like cream colored. You're like, Amanda, what is that luggage? Is that base, I want one. Is it worth it? You ask me all these questions. So base, B-E-I-S, like base, is Shea Mitchell's luggage brand. And it is all that it seems to be. All that it seems to be, it is. Sleak, affordable, and helping you travel effortlessly while looking fashionable. My favorite part about base is the fact that it has cushioned handle. Like, that is, like, that is, life-changing. Also, just the fact that it is so organized inside that even when I pack,

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Go to base travel.com slash not skinny for 15% off your first purchase. That's base travel, B-E-I-S-Travel.com not skinny. Wait, so let's go back to your boss who, wow, like, that's amazing. I wish all bosses were like that, that he supported you. And he obviously saw something in you to, like, champion for you this way. So you showed him the script for Virginia and Georgia. And then you get a meeting at Netflix. Like, how does that work? Yeah. So how it worked the kind of brass tax of it was, so I wrote this script at a UCLA writing extension course that my grandparents bought me for my birthday. So I wrote the script. So I wrote the script. there, and I was really proud of it. I liked it. I gave it to him. He was like, this is really good. I could see this working. And he gave it to Jenny Daly, who he had a first look deal with. And she was like, this is great, but we need to bring in more scripted producers who focus on scripted. So they brought in Holly Hines and Elena Blackder. Elena had just had lunch with a Netflix executive. This was like 2018. So in 2017, a year in the life had just come out on Netflix, the Gilmore Girls revival. And they were like, oh,

this really works for us. So we're looking for mother-daughter content we can make on a budget. And Elena was like, well, I just read that script. So I have it. And she sent it to them. And a week later, I was in there for my first ever pitch, pitching out four seasons of what the show could look like. And they called me the next day. And I'm answering Jeff's phone. So I'm in Jeff's Holler's office. And they were like, okay, this calls for you and Jeff. want to pick up the show to 10 episodes pending finding a showrunner. So then I got to interview and meet with, like, I would say five or six different showrunners. I really, really jelled well with Deb. I thought she was fabulous. So her and I then worked on really elongating my pitch,

going even deeper into the four-season story. And we went back in and pitched Netflix. And they were like, yeah, this is totally working. They greenlit it to go an hour later. What were you feeling? Do you remember that moment? This was in 2018. Yeah. What were you feeling? Like, how was that moment for you? I remember I was in my car and I got the call and I was driving on Santa Monica Boulevard. And the first thing I did was call my mom. And she was in a, she was in the seventh circle of hell, i.e. a Fort Lauderdale sprint store with my grandmother trying to help my grandmother with her phone. So they were, I can't even. She had the phone, she was passing it around, everyone who worked at the sprint store, all the other people there trying to get their phones to work. Like everyone was, like, it was a party in this Fort Lauderdale Sprint store. And I, yeah, so it was, you know, you knew, I knew my life was about to change. I knew that everything I had been working for, really my whole life was, was about to really get kicked into gear. And that was a wild feeling. It was an eight year overnight

Cinderella success story, I would say. Right. I know. It always like looks like, oh, you know, things just happened, but obviously you had worked so hard for so many years. That's amazing. So four seasons you pitch, that means that you have the story for four seasons. I do. You do. And so did Netflix greenlight one season and then after they do another? Did they green light two?

So they greenlit one. And then after the success of season one is when they picked it up to two. And now we're waiting and we will see. I have a feeling. I have a feeling. But I have the final scene written of the series written in my little folder, just waiting, waiting for us to get there. But so my sister and I were wondering, because we were talking about the final episode of season two, we were wondering, do you have to write the final season, the final episode of, the final episode of, let's say, first season or second season, for it to be able to work in case it doesn't get renewed? No, I mean, you could. I think for us, that's a, that helps us try to get renewed.

You always asking me, like, we need season three. And I'm like, I'm just hired to do a job. Like, I also want to continue to get hired to do said job. So yeah, I'm absolutely going to leave it on a cliphanger. Right, right, right, right. Mm-hmm. Okay, see, it takes a blonde moment. Okay, okay, okay.

Oh, no. A cliffhanger. I mean, it is, it is one, it is one cliffhanger. So let's talk about a little bit about the actors on this show. First of all, you filmed in Canada, right? Yeah, we filmed in Canada. We filmed in Toronto. Most shows that are filmed in Canada.

If they're set on the West Coast, they're filmed in Vancouver. And if they're set on the East Coast, they're filmed in Toronto. How do you decide, like, where you're going to film? Well, Netflix decided on Canada. And then it was, I mean, again, I remember driving around Newton and Lexington with my mom, like taking videos on my iPhone and then sending them. in a Dropbox folder to our location who's amazing, by the way, the locations he found were phenomenal. So then, yeah, we go up to Canada and they have all these locations that they've

scouted for us. And we go and we kind of pick our favorites, pick what's going to work. And also some towns are more affordable than others to shoot at and are going to be more forgiving with permits. So it's all part of the decision making. So how long did you have to live in Canada for? So this season, season two, we were up there a little. little longer because it was over the holidays. So it was six months in Canada. It was during winter and it was during Omicron. So it was very cold winter. It was very cold. So that was 20, 2021. Yeah. It was just this past or I honestly have lost all track of time. Yeah. I feel like my 35. How old? What is it? Great. I think, yeah. I think it was 2021 because like COVID was

2020. Okay. So everyone has to live in Canada. What do people do in situations? like that. If they have like family, do they bring them? And like there's this huge new community living in Canada? Yeah. I think there's a lot of visits that happen. But, you know, it's hard for for our five actors who aren't Canadian, the rest are. So I think they have it a little bit easier in terms of that. But yeah, the rest of us move there for a little five to six months stint. Did you like it? Did you like living there? I love Canada and I loved Canada in season one. Season two, it was more challenging just because of the lockdown and the winter of it all. So that was harder. I also got COVID while we were filming. But I got a concussion while we were filming season one. So really on break. Why did you get a concussion? Oh, because we were out celebrating. So the first day of filming season one was also on my 32nd birthday. And then we went out to celebrate. And I was wearing really long pants. And I tripped on that. I was trying to like be cool like with. our like cast. I was like, oh yeah, like I too can dance with you guys, which like, no,

I sure can't. And I tripped on my pants and I fell and I hit the back of my head. And then I was severely concussed for season one. Oh, which is why Marcus has a concussion. I was like, well, this is fun. Let's throw this into the show. Oh, my God. Wait, so who's Canadian? Are any of the main characters Canadian? So everyone, everyone is Canadian except for Brie, who plays Georgia. Tony who plays Ginny. Felix who's Australian who plays Marcus. Diesel who's also Australian who plays Austin and Scott who plays the mayor, Mayor Paul Rambo. Oh, gotcha. Okay. Okay. That's wild. I know when we found out they were Australian because I like to like give myself credit. I'm like, I can always tell, you know, when an actor is. And then with Marcus, I couldn't.

I would, or with Diesel. Or with Diesel. And by the way, Diesel, what a rad little name for that little guy. He's so great. I mean, he's so talented. They're all so talented. But Diesel, it's a special. I just have this, like, clear image from when we were filming that scene where he

chases after Georgia in the cop car, spoiler alert. And he's just like, I mean, I cry when I see him on camera. And he's just like, his cheeks are wet with these tears. And he's looking after his mom driving away. And it's right after I didn't tell anyone. And I remember he yelled cut on that scene and he turned and he started tap dancing his way back to the starting point. And like he can turn it on. Yeah, truly amazing. Oh my God. And also for a kid that age to be able to switch in and out of accent. You, you actually told me that Felix, which also hot name,

all these people in their hot names, who plays Marcus, he's like doesn't leave his character of American accent, like even when you're not on camera. Yeah, when he has to, so, and the reason I'll specify this, I'll explain in a second, but when he has to say lines that day, he will speak all day on camera, off camera, when he wakes up until we yell cut, he will speak in an American accent. But what's funny is in season one, there were some days where we filmed with him where all he had to do was like, sadly, look at Ginny from a distance where he didn't have to say any lines. So that day he'd show up on set in his

normal voice, in his Australian accent, and we'd all be so thrown because we're so used, whenever we're with him, it's because we're filming and we're used to hearing him in the American accent. So, yeah, he did such a good job. And they have really good chemistry, which I don't feel, I don't know if I, if I posted about this, but I was thinking about it like, you know, I like to talk about chemistry a lot. They really have good chemistry and they're young. So it is weird to think about it and be like,

more tongue. But they have that. They have that. They have that like they have the chemistry, which, which I love to see. We're really, our actors are, we're really blessed with our actors because our, our show, too, is so tonally ambitious and we purposely kind of jump around. If we didn't have these, these real artists kind of grounding everything in this emotional honesty, we would really be lost. What was the casting process like? Did you know exactly what you were looking for?

How many, how did you have to go through crazy amounts of auditions? What's funny. So the first person cast was Katie Douglas, who plays Abby. And Jen Robertson was also, I think she was either first or second cast. Those were our two people cast. And they came in. Katie read for Maxine and her tape came in. And Abby is based on my friend Abby, or loosely inspired, I should say, but my friend Abby. And Katie's tape came in. And I was like, oh, she makes me feel not cool. Perfect. That's Abby. Like, great. And then Katie's choices are just so interesting. Oh, my goodness. And then, and same with Jen Robertson. Her tape came in and it was like, oh, we don't need to see anyone else read for this role. Like that's it. That's Ellen. Perfect. Done. And then the last person cast was three is Georgia. We read so many Georgians. And, you know, they're all incredible actresses. But Georgia really, I mentioned the tone earlier. I mean, Georgia as a character needs to carry the tone. And if we do not believe Georgia, the show just doesn't work. It's going to be a hot mess. And so we were really searching for this actress who could pull off this fiercely loving mother and then this kind of frightening criminal. And then she's doing camp comedy. She's doing a murder mystery. She's doing all of these things.

And if you don't have an actress who can carry through all of the tones of that, your show's not going to work. And so Brie was the last person cast. And oh, my God, thank God. Yeah, thank God for her is all I'll say on that. She's amazing. She really is amazing. And I saw that, and Tony. Oh, yeah.

Tony. I mean, I could call it Tony, I guess. That's cool. She was telling a story when she went on a late night talk show about how she found out about the audition when she was like in finals doing like. And she thought maybe not to go. And then she went. So it was kind of like a lucky situation there too. I mean, for Tony, you're just really seeing like a star.

Like, I, you know, it. I'm so grateful we got her, but I do believe she would have been a star regardless. Like, her talent is so undeniable. We got her right out of college. Yeah, she was doing finals. She almost didn't audition. And then she sent in a tape. And it was like, oh, that was easy.

We thought it would be to ask Ginny. Like, she's just so good. And we did. We flew her out a bunch of times to test with different Georgia's. And it wasn't until Brie and Tony were reading together where it was like, oh, there it is. there's the whole show. That's so, I'm getting goosebumps. I feel like those moments are probably so cool to be a part of when your story and your specifically like comes to life. I feel like an Instagram model when I wear my Jenny Kane sheerling lined clogs because you've all

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N-U-T-R-A-F-O-L.com. The promo code is not skinny. Okay, so it wouldn't be Ginny in Georgia without cringe-al-L-L-Moments, which I want to know, which I want to know how and why and how your brain works to have these moments, and just, you know, like they impacted a lot of people. So people love the show, but I won't lie to you, you know, I'm an honest-be. Some people DM'd me. I saw a few DMs that said they stopped watching after.

the can you handle two-finger scene. Oh, like that made them so uncomfortable, which like, to me, that was like, oh, I was not expecting that. Obviously, I'm not, wouldn't turn it off. But that moment. Tell me about writing that in. Oh, I, I, I, you have no idea what you've just done to me. You have no, you have no idea the ripple effects that that, bringing that line specifically up is going to cause me in my personal life because my grandmother begged me. not to include that line. I can't even tell you. Wait, how is your grandma related? We need to know. How is your grandma related to this line?

Oh, she just hated it. She just didn't like that line. She was like, Sarah, what is wrong with you? Something clearly. And you cannot include this line in a TV show. You fool. She's a very warm, doting grandmother, as you can clearly tell. So, no, this is so, she's just going to freak out that that you brought that line up. That's all I'm saying. No, what was important to me to showing how cringe is, is because that experience is cringe. Having your first experience and doing that, like, I feel like I only ever see media, especially geared towards young, young people, young women, where that is not only romanticized, but really viewed through the male gaze and really viewed in a main character's virginity is seen as a character trait and seen as something

to protect. And once she loses it, something in her changes, her personality, her value, her worth. And the reason that that scene is in the very pilot of the episode is because I really wanted to subvert expectations on what this show was going to be. It's not going to be the show you think it is. And this character, her virginity does not make up her personality. It's not what this is either. And it's going to be cringe and it's going to be awkward because my first time was the most, it was to the movie Dodge Ball. It couldn't have been more cringe. Like, you know, no balls were dodged.

It was terrible. And so I feel like that's what I wanted to do with the show is I wanted it to get, I wanted it to go places for an audience that I think, yes, they hate the cringe, absolutely. But they have to respect the raw honesty of that. I love that. Now you're making me think back to me as. a influenced consumer, thinking, oh, my God, she lost her virginity.

This is going to be a huge deal. Like, how is she going to tell her mom, like, what's going to happen? And really, it was just kind of a blip. And also a blip in her and Marcus's story. Like, you would think after that, maybe she wouldn't go back for, for seconds. But even the more important thing about that story was the lame little wave he did to run her way out with pained me. Because we've all been there, too, which, like,

You give someone your flower or your whatever, and then you get literally like nothing back, like no emotion. A no payment for half the plan B. Like it's we're all, it's an age where you're really figuring it out and you're figuring yourself out, but you're also figuring out even just how to advocate for yourself and how to own your own voice and own how you're feeling. And Ginny really learned a lot of that in season two, but first we had to set up in season one that she needed to learn it.

And then there was another scene with the toothbrush. I mean, there were, that toothbrush comes back, comes back with its bristles in a few scenes, which I was thinking like, with the bristles. I was like trying to. I was like that way with the bristles. But, but, okay, so that scene where she's in the bathroom with the, with the toothbrush, and she's sending Marcus photos. And you told me that that was based on a true story.

Yeah, it is. I guess I'll just own up to that. I mean, but what happened? I mean, did they just send pictures? No? Remind me what happened? So what happens in that scene is he, she admits that she's never, so he overheard her talking to her friends, talking to the other girls in Maine watching porn being like, see, this is,

porn is what's wrong and why men don't know what the hell they're doing. And he heard that and was like, oh, okay. And then he kind of messages her. He's like, did you not finish? when we were when we were what and she was like no I didn't I never have and then I think it's that girl thing that we're so conditioned to do which is immediately alleviate responsibility to be oh it's not your fault I never have and so then which all my ADD brain I'm like firing on all cylinders I'm like and then that's why in that scene at the end of episode two in season two she learns how to tell him what she wants it's in direct correlation and conversation oh I love that but going back to this scene so then what happened happens is they start sending each other photos. He's like, well, we'll do it now. You should try it. And she does. And she's like, well, this is weird. And so then we see her just the hard cut, which is a comedy cut, obviously. To her just brushing her teeth, rolling her eyes. Like, yeah, I finished. Amazing. Great. Really. Really. Woohoo. Mind blown. She didn't. She didn't. She didn't. She didn't. Not. She didn't even try. And then he's like, oh, yeah. That's hot and goes to bed. And then she notices the toothbrush. And at the top of that episode. we had seen her mom replace the batteries on in the toothbrush with her vibrator. So that's kind of the the link in Ginny's head of like, oh,

this also kind of z-z-mm, like this also kind of vibrates. And, and that's what what gives her that idea to give it a go. Give it a go. And then she does finish for the first time. Oh, I mean, that's such an important thing. It's so awkward to even talk about. But that's why it's important to, to show it. Because we've all like been on these weird awkward sexual journeys.

it's all awkward and terrible. I know. I was just, I actually went on some podcast recently. And I don't know how we got to talking about sex. It wasn't even supposed to be about that. But I'll go there. Yeah. But, but I told the host that like, she'd be surprised at how many women

don't know what they want, don't say what they want, and hence don't, you know, enjoy themselves. So, the fact that Ginny is on that from a young age is very smart. And it was really purposeful. Look, in the writer's room, we always have We always have three main characters.

It's Ginny, it's Georgia, and then it's Ginny and Georgia. So they're always in direct conversation with each other. So it was really important to show Georgia as knowing what she wants, as being kind of more sexually empowered to the point where she even knows how to use it as a tool as well as getting pleasure from it. And that's where her character is versus Ginny, who's like, like, ugh, ick, cringe, gross about like the whole thing at the beginning and then kind of matures into it and grows into. Yeah, and then asks her mom for, like, advice. Exactly. And that's a journey. That's growth.

And that's what we're trying to do with it. Did you have that kind of relationship with your mom where you could, like, ask her and stuff like that? God, no. And not that I could. Look, my mom is the best mom in the world, like, truly, truly the greatest mother in the world. And I'm very, very close with her and I love her. I think I tried once to talk to her about, say, I was like, mom, like, how old were you when you lost your virginity? And she, like, answered.

And I was like, oh, me too. and she's like never again like that didn't work out like we tried it was kind of weird like yeah no same i think i came home drunk once and i was like i made out with someone and then it was just not it wasn't the vibe and again that doesn't mean you're not a good mom either way if you want to show your kid how to give a proper blow job or not but but it is but it is a it is a cool relationship to watch especially not having that yeah i can't imagine a conversation I asked my mom how to give a, I really, she's going to die just even hearing us bring this up as a hypothetical. Wait, I wanted to ask you, because I know you said you were pretty low budget, like, first season.

Does that budget grow? Like, is season three going to be like, they get a bigger house? Like, how does that work with sets and stuff like that? Yeah. I mean, I'm, feel free to call Netflix and weigh in on that. No, I'm just kidding. Bigger budget. Yeah, no, I look, I mean, I think what's incredible is, is everyone so clearly brought their talent and their passion to the show.

And I think that's what made it so good because we didn't, we didn't have these major VFX or these huge wild budgets. And it really, it really, the success of the show is, is a direct relation to to everyone really bringing their most to all of the different roles that are involved in making a TV show. And I think that's apparent in the, in the success and in what people are responding to. Yeah. I mean, I wouldn't even be able to tell like low, low budget or not. Yeah. Obviously, it's great. We'll want you to have more money to, to play around with.

First of all, you're getting a third season. I'm not going to do this like jinks, no jinks. Like the kid was like, I'm so superstitious. Like at that office podium, I'm not even a little stitious. I'm Uber superstitious. Like literally, I believe in all that. knocking on what I'm holding crystals as we speak like literally girl like like Kenny hurrah that like Yiddish Jewish word where it's like you jinx yourself. I believe in all of it. Oh my God. I know my mom won't

even let me say anything that's going to happen in the future without knocking on wood a gazillion times. Okay. So I'll say it. I'll say it. I'll say it in my brain. So I started watching Ginny and Georgia. I'm late to the game. What can I do? But you know what? I'm late to the game, but I come in strong. So I come and swing it. When you started, not to interrupt you, but when you started watching Ginny and Georgia, that's when my cousin, because I've been following you for a while, that's my cousin DM me. And she goes, this is the highest I've ever thought of you because you were watching the show. Oh my God. I love her.

Love cousin. So I'm sorry for being late, but at least like I come in mighty. I come in with as much just stamina as someone who caught it from the beginning. But so I remember the Taylor Swift tweet and I probably reported on it, but I'd watch the show. So I was like, oh, okay. Then I remembered it all of a sudden. And I even DM'd you. And I was like, wait, what?

Like all of a sudden, the things connected. You have a lot of, which is so fun for you and like jealous to write a show and current time vibes where you can use like pop culture references and Instagram and like all this. So there was a little Taylor Swift line. You go faster than through men than Taylor Swift. And Taita did not like it. No. How did that? How did you feel where you're like, oh, my God, I pissed off the queen?

Yeah. Yeah. It was sad. I mean, look, we write characters that are really flawed and kind of purposefully don't say the right thing and act out of emotion, right? For that scene, Ginny has just come from the hallway. She's just been slut shamed by all of her friends. And in really kind of, I think, relatable, realistic teen girl moment kind of turns and,

and deflects that onto her mother. That was a little bit the purpose, but obviously was never meant in any kind of real, real way. I'm a big Taylor fan. Oh, you are? Yeah, I am. And I relate to her a lot because I also throw a lot of kind of very personal relationships of mine

into the show and into my writing and a lot of heartbreak into my show and into the writing in season one, but definitely especially in season two. Did you reach out to her? Did you try to, like, DM or? or anything like that? I don't know how to reach out to her. Come on.

First of all, you can reach out to anybody, everyone. You can try. I mean, DMs are open and you can try. I don't know, like tweet her back or something. I think that like. I think she's allowed to feel however she's going to feel to be honest. Yeah. Yeah.

Okay. Well, I personally think that it's like a show and it's a, line that a character is saying it's not like a reality TV show where you can get mad at Teresa for fucking saying something shitty to Melissa you know what I mean but you power through that and glad that's over and done with but it's kind of like getting blocked by a celebrity for me if I had to equate it to me it's like oh well that happens too yeah yeah so there was an episode title the Kylie and Jordan the about the Kylie and Jordan breakup I again Again, that was for me, those moments of television, writing television and weaving in pop culture is probably so fun for you. Are you like into pop culture and stuff like that?

I am. I'm really into pop culture. I feel like probably I was more so when we were writing season one. And then since then I've just been in a work whole. I mean, it is a lot of work. Like creating a TV show, it is a real 24-7 job. So now I'm probably less into pop culture. Just right. don't have the time, but I love, I love pop culture. And honestly, like, the show was just mentioned on SNL. And that was a huge moment for me because, you know, why I do this, like, why I've wanted to do this is because I want to make a show that really speaks to people in a way that it becomes a pop culture moment. And it becomes a part of the zeitgeist. And it is that, that heavily relatable. So were you big on like watching? Because you said now you love reality TV, but obviously like you have such a purpose in writing your scripted show. Like did you watch a lot of movies growing up? I'm not big on movies. No. I did watch a lot of scripted TV, but I watched an equal amount of reality TV. Like I'm obsessed with Survivor, Vanderpump Rules, Love Island, below deck, like all of it. Like I love reality. I love scripted to you. Don't get me. wrong. Like I know how I know the artistry behind it, which is why it's fun to kind of also

just watch reality and really. I would also argue the best, you can't write things as bizarre as they always end up being in reality. Like you can't write that shit. It's always, it's always wilder in real life. Well, you know what? Chloe Kardashian actually said that exact line on season two of the Cardage. I swear. She literally goes to Kim, you can't make this shit up. Right. Like, you can't make this shit up. People were shocked to find out that the actors that played Joe and Padma, played by Raymond and Rebecca Ablach, are siblings. How does that happen? There are two of my faves. I love them. So, yeah, no, that whole family is so talented. Everyone in that family is crazy talented. But no, they both came in and auditioned and were, I mean, as talented as

they are on the show like they're undeniable and and it was so fun to be able to they were cast because they were they were so talented but they were put in blue farm together we had podma work there because ray and i were chatting and he mentioned that it was his dream to be in a scene with becky and in my evil little head i'm like oh let's have him hire her like perfect like so that led to all of those great like sibling moments where it's like is joe hot like he's like a dorky older brother and like she catches him dancing like that doesn't further plot that has no business being anywhere but it's just fun to see them be siblings oh my god and yes joe is hot speaking about hot people so georgia has three men after her heart zion amazingly hot gorgeous

paul the mayor very cute and hot and joe which like has kind of our hearts you not not asking what the end is or who she chooses, but do you have like a fave for Georgia? Well, my favorite thing about the fact that all of these men are such viable love interest for her is I think it really speaks to how dynamic the character is of Georgia, where we have this female character where we really believe her with these three very different men because of how dynamic and multifaceted she is, that they each slide into a different aspect of her personality and what she needs in a partner. It's so true.

Way to not answer the question, Sarah Lamper. Look, I will say it's in that folder. It's in that written folder. I know the ending. Oh, my God. But that is so true. They are so different. You're like, would she go for Joe who's like not as boozy, isn't living that life?

But she has feelings there a little bit. And you're right. They are so different. Ugh, I'm obsessed. I can't wait for season three. Thank you, Sarah, for coming on today and giving us some BTS. Isn't there a BTS account, G&G, BTS?

Yeah, I run that. That kind of was an accident, but that sure does exist. It's got like a million followers. Wait, what do you mean it was an accident? No. So, okay, so I asked Netflix, like, oh, hey, okay. So I have a friend who works at Netflix

and I asked her, her name's Coral. And I was like, Coral, like, what should I do? What can I do besides, like, like make the best show I can to guarantee us this season two. And she said the thing that I could do would take a lot of BTS stuff, just photos, videos, whatever, because fans really like engaging and that that will help viewership. So I was like, okay, noted. So I did that.

And then we were meeting with Netflix before season one dropped. And I was like, hey, I have this huge drop box folder of all this stuff with the cast. Like, do you want me to share it with you so you can put it on your socials? And they were like, oh, you know what? we stopped making Instagram accounts for for the shows. I was like, oh, well, that's awkward because I have all this stuff. And I was like, can I do it? And they were like, yeah, go for it.

And I was like, okay, great. So I think their only stipulation was to not include the word Netflix in the name of the account or like, Ginny and Joy. I forget what it was. But Tony came up with, we were like, what should it be called? So it's something weird. It's like G and G. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

that. Yeah. So we started, I started just posting all this stuff. And yeah, it took on and it did help. Like they have the stats to back up that like our social engagement is so, so high on the show. And like Instagram, particularly and now more recently TikTok, it absolutely did help us get a season two and help the show. So it's crazy. Well, I'm very proud. I'm very proud. Thank you so much, Sarah, for coming on today and giving us some GNG. B.T.S. Sarah Lampert. You're amazing. And I can't wait to celebrate when you get season three. I can't wait for my mother. Crystal's knock on wood. Crystal's knock on wood and all this stuff. Thank you guys so much for listening to this episode of Not Skinny but Not Fat. Follow me on Instagram at Not Skinny but Not Fat. Subscribe to the podcast. We don't miss any episodes. Rate the podcast that you

love so much on Apple Podcast and write a little review. If you tell me you did, I'll give you a big virtual smoocheroo. Thank you guys so much for listening, and I'll see you next Tuesday. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.