May 13, 2024
Over 50 enthusiastic attendees gathered for the premiere of the new comedy web series, “VEGAN PLEASE,” on April 20th. The event was held at the culmination of Compassionate Action for Animals’ Veg Week 2024. Guests were treated to the debut screening of episodes 1 and 2, followed by an engaging panel discussion with the series’ creators.
The event was held at Hark! Cafe and attendees enjoyed delectable vegan appetizers and desserts, adding to the event’s festive atmosphere. The menu featured mouthwatering mini pizzas, arancini, and brownies, all provided by Hark! Cafe. Known for their commitment to vegan, gluten-free, and scratch-made cuisine, these offerings delighted attendees, with food and a non-alcoholic drink included in the ticket price.
For an extra dose of premiere extravaganza, guests also had the opportunity to have their pictures taken on the mini red carpet!
What is VEGAN PLEASE about?
Lillie Gardner is the creator of VEGAN PLEASE, a web series about a people-pleasing vegan in Minnesota. She describes the series as follows:
“VEGAN PLEASE is a comedy web series about being vegan in Minnesota. Think Sex and the City, but focused on veganism instead of sex, with less cosmopolitans and more tater tot hotdish. (It is) a vegan-POV comedy that pokes fun at those awkward spaces where one person’s belief system rams into another’s. Each episode is like a mini culture clash that asks the age-old question: “Why do y’all get so weird about this?”
Lillie tells us that “VEGAN PLEASE aims to:
- poke fun at the awkward interactions that vegans know all too well (and typically navigate with varying degrees of success)
- normalize vegan characters as relatable people instead of stereotypical one-note weirdos (because really we are multi-note weirdos)
- serve as a playful love letter to the Twin Cities by featuring local food, art, music and more (with just a sprinkling of “you betchas”)
Some quick facts:
- Format: comedy web series
- Episode length: 2-5 minutes
- Logline: With the help of her friends, a people-pleasing advice blogger works to build her vegan business in the polite land of “Minnesota Nice” — but confrontation becomes unavoidable after she falls in love with a butcher.
- Comps: Sex and the City, Broad City, Please Like Me
- For whom: vegans and non-vegans alike
- Why: I mean, can you think of any funny shows about vegans?
What is the storyline of Vegan Please?
The following is the description from the creator of Vegan Please:
“The series centers around Elizabeth, played by Nicole Weber (Crowdsource Murder, Stalked by My Stepsister). Elizabeth is a painfully polite people-pleaser who writes a vegan advice blog called “Vegan, Please!” She wants to establish her brand as a vegan lifestyle and food connoisseur. While she presents this way to her online followers, she in fact has no idea how to “do vegan right” and is constantly making people uncomfortable without meaning to. As a result, she says “Ope!” and “Sorry!” even more than the average Minnesotan (which is a lot).
Elizabeth’s three friends help her with her “Vegan, Please!” brand, and each of them represents a different way of being vegan. Teagan (Laila Sahir) is “the lovable vegan” who loves manifesting and creating rooster art; Sandy (Ninchai Nok-Chiclana) is “the business vegan” who’s a prodigy vegan baker and a perfectionist; and Guy (Josh Rees Hopkins) is “the activist vegan” who runs a rooster rescue and respects the political power of a good protest — even when it’s just him on the side of a road with a sign that reads “HONK IF U LIKE SOY BOYS!”
While her friends in the Twin Cities get what she’s about, Elizabeth’s family in the suburbs does not. Her parents are holding out hope that she’ll give up on being a “weird vay-gan” and settle down with a normal-guy meat-eater any day now. Elizabeth’s family means well, but it’s just hard to see your impressionable little girl being indoctrinated by weird ideas and suffering from a 2% milk deficiency.
Elizabeth is pulled in two directions. She struggles to be a “good” vegan to her bolder and fails to be “normal” enough to satisfy her family. She wants a partner who will love and accept her for who she is, which is somewhere in the imperfect space between.
But when it turns out the person she finds this connection with is a literal butcher, Elizabeth has to navigate how to move forward. She loves animals; but does also loving someone who eats them make her a bad vegan?”
Watch episodes 1 and 2 now!
Episodes 1 and 2 are the only episodes produced so far. They are now available to watch on YouTube!
To find out about future releases follow VEGAN PLEASE on TikTok | Instagram | Online.
Support production and distribution of future episodes
All proceeds of the event, beyond costs, went to support producing further episodes of VEGAN PLEASE and the local work of Compassionate Action for Animals. There was also a raffle with prizes which included original props, artwork from local artists, and more. Thank you to those who attended and bought raffle tickets to support this work.
The creator’s goal is to make a 10-12 episode season that will be released directly to YouTube and other media platforms (including snippets for TikTok and Instagram) so that it’s as easy to access as possible. You can contribute and help make more great episodes available for all!
Connect with Compassionate Action for Animals
Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA) hosts many events throughout the year, including Twin Cities Veg Fest, Vegan Recipe Club, cooking classes, potlucks, outreach events, and so much more! For more information on CAA and their upcoming events, follow them on social media or visit their website. Follow Compassionate Action for Animals on TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Online
Thanks to those who joined us to celebrate veganism, comedy, and community with “VEGAN PLEASE”!