CHARLEVOIX — On Dec. 14, the first three episodes of a sports comedy series filmed in Charlevoix this past summer were made available to stream on YouTube.
The next episodes 4-6 premiered at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 28.
Filmed with a volunteer cast consisting of local Charlevoixians, actor and summer resident Phillip Wampler — who had roles in Last Vegas (2013), Ghost Squad (2015) and Nocturne (2020) — is the main character and the driving force behind the project.
As a member of the Screen Actors Guild, Wampler, 24, was inspired to create the “Parks and Recreation” style comedy series while out of work during the SAG-AFTRA strike. He was serving as a waiter in Charlevoix’s Weathervane restaurant.
“I started going to the pickleball courts and for the next month or two I got to know this great group of people — who are also in the show — and they really became my family,” Wampler said.
“This whole thing was done while the strikes were going on in California. I was trying to find a new way to get new content out there,” he added. “After I got to know the Charlevoix pickleball community, I presented the idea to them and they were all really interested in doing it.”
The show centers around a young man who is a Los Angeles-based actor, Phillip Wampson (Phillip Wampler), who is coerced by his parents to spend the summer back home in Northern Michigan. Phillip, known as “PWamps,” is not only a television and movie buff, but also a big-time sports enthusiast and pickleball player. He soon joins his uncle — played by Charlevoix seasonal resident John Hess — on the community pickleball courts.
“What transpires is a light-hearted tale of family and friendship, both new and old, as well as the ever present issues of competition and rivalry,” states the description on the series’ YouTube page.
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It’s called “Pick City, a Pickleball Comedy,” and it is filmed throughout various locations in Charlevoix, including the Charlevoix Chamber of Commerce building which serves as city hall, the Charlevoix Township pickleball courts, the Charlevoix Municipal Airport and various streets in the Charlevoix area.
“In the show, we refer to Charlevoix as Bridge City because we didn’t want to have more tourist attraction than we already do,” said Wampler, who wrote and filmed the six-episode show in August and estimated the production budget was $13,000-$15,000, of which he and his family funded.
Besides Wampler, some local talent in the series are Kris Way, Murray Lindhout, Karen Peters, Sawyer Forton, Leilani Durbin, Jon Hess, Traver Wood, Joe Whitehead, Elizabeth Allen, Cyndie Lieberman, Laurie Fata, Rick Cohen, Steve and Kathie Libert and Kim Sawyer.
A private premiere of the series was held at the Charlevoix Cinema on Oct. 11 and another in November, but the series wasn’t officially released to the public until this month.
— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231) 675-0099 oradoyle@charlevoixcourier