Filmmaking partners Zach Fox and Omri Dorani are the minds behind the new film “How to Get Girls” which chronicles the misadventures of a high school-aged nerd who attempts to attract girls by exploiting his best friend’s good looks.
The main characters are Zach and Ben, two superhero-obsessed teens whose main ambition in life is to attend Comic-Con and show off the comic they have created together.
The boys are separated when Ben moves away—and when he returns five years later, he has blossomed into a handsome underwear model who is, nonetheless, still a nerd at heart.
Zach decides to use Ben to get girls, all while still holding ambitions for their comic dreams.
“How to Get Girls” is a project supported by a Philadelphia television company called Glass Entertainment Group is a television company that is helmed by Nancy Glass who is a six-time Emmy-winning producer.
On August 14, Zach Fox granted an exclusive interview where he discussed this movie and his plans for the future.
Movies, plots, characters, and entertainment
Meagan Meehan (MM): How did you first get interested in making Movies and what was it like to break into this tough business of film?
Zach Fox (ZF): There are a lot of reasons I wanted to make movies. My mom creates comedic vocabulary programs for a living so comedy always seemed like a legitimate profession I could pursue.
I was really funny as a kid and didn’t have many other tangible skills so my mom would show me funny shows and movies, encouraging me to make them too. She really supported me and gave me the confidence to watch films from a young age.
When I saw “American Pie” at an age like 4 or 5, it became a dream to star in or make my teen comedy.
I started shooting YouTube videos in high school, got discovered by Disney Channel and moved from Philly to LA at age 17 to create my sitcom, “The Zach Fox Project.” I also got the opportunity to host a prank show with Disney, “Just Kidding.” When my stint ended, I found myself auditioning for endless teen roles, all of which ended up going to bigger names.
I decided to take fate into my own hands and write “How To Get Girls” with my best friend, Omri.
We started our company, Fat Camp Films, and from there we just kept pushing through rejection after rejection until eventually, we met people who believed we were crazy enough to pull this off. It was crazy. We were 21, and I was still a junior at the University of Pennsylvania. Disney was proof that I could write and star in my own show, but “How To Get Girls” proved our ability to produce and direct. Once we had early cuts of the film, it made it easier to sell ourselves in a crowded media landscape.
MM: What inspired “How to Get Girls” and what do you most enjoy about the plot and characters?
ZF: “How To Get Girls” actually started off as a TV show pitch to MTV.
I had a meeting with them after Disney and started to get nervous once I realized all their shows had super-hot male leads. I met with the 11-year-old daughter of my manager and her friends to strategize. They all liked “21 Jump Street” and couldn’t stop fangirling over Channing Tatum. I tried to think about how to pair myself up with a stud and quickly landed on the idea of two nerdy childhood best friends who separate and reunite after one goes through extreme puberty. The title “How To Get Girls” came to me instantly and a few months later I began adapting the concept into a movie. The thing I like most about the film is the goofiness of the world Omri, and I created. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously, and so audiences have been able to let their guard down and laugh at the total absurdity.
We tried to give every character a unique comedic voice.
MM: What was it like to shop this film around and how did you find Glass Entertainment Group?
ZF: I met Nancy Glass when I was a junior at UPenn. She came to speak at a media event and, afterward, I introduced myself and asked her to watch a web series I had just created. Security came over to make sure I wasn’t harassing her, but she was impressed with my work. She invited me to take a meeting with her company, and two months later the film was greenlit. It’s a pretty crazy story. We were editing the film throughout my senior year in college, and once I graduated, we began traveling to festivals. We won a few and used the momentum to get Kew Media on board for distribution.
A few months later Hulu bought it.
MM: How much say did you have over the casting and have you any fun behind-the-scenes stories?
ZF: Remarkably, Omri and I had a full say in casting. We were given free rein as directors and worked for hand in hand with our casting directors to find the funniest up and coming actors in America. Every celebrity we approached received a personalized letter from me making my case about why I wanted them in the film. When I called agencies, I pretended to be way older than I am so they wouldn’t get turned off. Because of that, when some actors came on set, they were shocked at how young we actually were. I’m pretty sure our celebrities thought we were interns at first.
Filming challenges, audiences, and plans
MM: What were the greatest challenges of filming “How to Get Girls” and how long did it take in all?
ZF: The biggest challenge was probably scheduling our days. Omri and I love throwing in a lot of improvs and we were on a super tight schedule. When there’s so much money on the line, it’s a real struggle between the creative writer in you and the smart producer. Producing is by far the hardest part of making anything this big come to life. In total, it was about a 30- day shoot, which isn’t much at all. I’m sure “Superbad” took much longer.
MM: What do you hope audiences get from watching this film?
ZF: I hope audiences start to believe in good comedy again.
There are very few edgy comedies made anymore. We spent years trying to make something with consistent laughs. Most comedy today is short form content online. It’s quantity versus quality and we wanted to create something audiences could tell we spent time on. I think I grew up in a golden age of comedic films, like “Superbad,” “Borat” and “Anchorman.” These films really inspired me to see comedy as a craft. I hope this film inspires a new generation to turn their high school and college mishaps into their own teen comedy one day.
MM: Are you working on any other movies now and how are you planning to market “How to Get Girls”?
ZF: We are working directly with our distributor to make sure the film gets in front of the right audience.
A lot of our efforts at Fat Camp will be over social channels and trust that it is funny enough for people to tell their friends to check it out. There hasn’t been a big teen comedy in a while, so hopefully, that helps it stand out.
The movie has already opened up so many doors. We have several new TV and film projects in the works. If there’s anything I’ve learned so far, it is that momentum builds more momentum. Hopefully, the launch of “How To Get Girls” gives us the exposure to skyrocket.
