Sitcom based in OB makes its way around the indie film circuit

Ocean Beach got its own show this fall, and now it’s starting to garner some serious attention on the independent film circuit.

In October, Daniel Dyer premiered the first episode of “End of the 8,” named for the Ocean Beach location where Interstate 8 hits the Pacific Ocean. But OB isn’t just the show’s setting; the bohemian beach town also functions like a character in the show.

Dyer’s premier event sold out local bar The Harp. Clips disseminated on social media have led total strangers to yell “end of the f—–g 8” at Dyer when they see him around the neighborhood.

Now the show will travel across the country, premiering at the New York City TV Festival, taking place Jan. 28 – 30. 

Beyond that, Dyer said they have been selected for the next round of judging for the Cannes Film Festival, nominated as quarter-finalists in the Los Angeles Film Awards and semi-finalists in the Indie Shorts Awards.

Once the show came to life, Dyer and co-producer John Cristini started to look for production companies to help finance the endeavor going forward in order to pay the people involved.

Dyer said that doesn’t just mean everyone working on the show gets some money — it also benefits the production schedule. People getting paid find time to schedule the work, that way the next episode isn’t a“thing that takes another year to make.” 

He’s now aiming to finish up an eight-episode season.

Dyer is a commercial videographer. That means he spends most of his time writing or creating videos, but he said his work didn’t typically allow him to inject his own creativity into it. Looking for an outlet, he asked Cristini about filming skits.

For their initial shoots, Dyer said they were trying to find out if they could make something they might watch themselves. Liking how the videos came out, they decided the skits would make more sense in context, like an entire scene in a sitcom.

From there, his group of OB friends crafted a show about the lives of aspiring musicians — and about their neighborhood.

“Well, the concrete message is that OB is such a freaking beautiful little hodgepodge, like a melting pot, of just the funniest, weirdest, most eccentric people in California, in my opinion,” he said.

The pilot episode toes the line between authenticity and satire, before tipping toward the latter. The show clearly reflects Dyer’s love for his town, but that earnestness can’t stop OB’s oddities from coming across in a comedic way.

Even the docu-style way he directed the show points back toward its main character, OB.

“It’s almost like the cameraman could be stoned, and you wouldn’t be surprised, like, he’s a little shaky with the camera at times,” Dyer said.

The show isn’t about a real band, but it incorporates real Ocean Beach musicians who have been baked into community folklore for quite some time. 

For instance, Band of Gringos. Anyone who has spent time in Ocean Beach has come across the band, at least in the form of a flier posted on Newport Avenue or maybe even playing a night at Winstons, like the band did in the show.

Dyer said some elements of the real musicians make their way into their fictional versions, but not fully. When they incorporate traits of their own in the show, it’s often inflated to draw out a reaction.

The local celebrities incorporating their local fame adds a knowing insider element to the show. 

One example, Dyer said, is when Band of Gringos’ Spencer is referred to as Spence. This inside joke generated a laugh at the premier, Dyer said, only because of how well the community knows the band. It’s something that would not be funny nor unusual to anyone outside of the lore of the town. 

There’s a whole world created within the show that Dyer is looking to branch out and utilize in other ways. 

In the coming months he plans on releasing the music created within the show on music streaming platforms, promoting it like a supergroup of sorts. The recordings feature him, Cristini, Spence Noble and Kasey Dring from Band of Gringos, and local musician Kat Hall. 

The creative team hasn’t announced when the next episode will be released, but Dyer said it’s in the works. That episode will highlight the female characters in the show, after the pilot predominantly featured men.