We’re only a couple of months into the new decade and Mikey Murphy has been absolutely killing it!
The 21-year-old digital creator-turned writer, director and producer has been busy working on his new scripted thriller Save Me, which dropped on February 1 on Snapchat’s Discover Page, and to no surprise, its been a hit.
For those of you who don’t know, Save Me stars Matt Sato (singer and actor), Daniela Nieves (Five Points), Madeleine Byrne (Turnt, Lena Waithe’s upcoming BET series Twenties), Darius Marcell (Andi Mack), Madeline Zima (Netflix’s You, Californication) and follows isolated homeschooler Jason (Sato), who takes is upon himself to find his online classmate and crush after she goes missing.
But when his search leads him to an off-the-grid “conscious community” that promotes human connection over digital devices, Jason’s character is tested in real life.
Inspired by the theme of balance between social media and real life with a growing interest in cults, Murphy says that working with Snapchat was definitely a very different experience for him that was roughly a year-long process.
Keep scrolling to read our full Q&A with Mikey, and make sure to catch Save Me on the Snapchat Discover page here. Let us know what you think of the show by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
Celeb Secrets: ‘Save Me’ is about a “conscious community” that promotes human connection over digital devices. Can you talk about the inspiration behind this concept and how the idea came to be?
Mikey Murphy: “I think the genesis of this idea truly goes back to the fairly interesting connection I have with social media. It’s brought so much good into my life while it’s also taken it’s toll on my life. Balance is key and that is a theme I wanted to explore with this show. All that and my growing interest in cults as of the last couple of years – really a fun mixture of inspiration.”
CS: What was it like production wise filming with Snapchat? Did this have an effect on the way you created the show?
MM: “It definitely did. It’s very different – down to even the format used in writing the episodes. Since I didn’t direct this season, the majority of my focus was in the writer’s room and that’s where I learned the most. Myself and my co-writers had to track a lot of formats that most of us weren’t used to. For example: the on screen animations showing text message threads and Instagram accounts needed to be clearly stated for the director and editors, while also not causing us to go over the recommended page count. It was a collective learning experience for all of us but I think that’s what made it so much fun.”
CS: How long does it take to create and produce a show like ‘Save Me?’ Can you kind of walk us through the process and experience?
MM: “Well, we started really developing the show in January of 2019, but the concept was conceived the previous fall. After Snap picked up the show and pilot I had written it was full speed ahead. By mid summer we had put together an amazing writer’s room that was pumping out 2-3 episodes a week. We would go through multiple drafts on each episode after receiving notes from executives at Snap – but sooner or later the entire series was locked. We knew we didn’t have a massive budget for this first season so we expected the fast paced shooting schedule that we were given at the beginning of September. We had a total of 8 days on set. Followed by a fairly quick post production process that led to the release this last month.”
CS: Being so young and already so successful in your field, what advice would you give to people who dream of creating and producing shows and films?
MM: “I’d say: always be learning. Try to always take something away from the project you are working on or the people you get to work with. It’s the most important part of this job: you never know enough. I’d also say don’t give up. It’s a very hard industry that is extremely hard to get consistent work in. You need to always be moving, coming up with new ideas and testing yourself. Even if you don’t have a million dollars for the first movie you want to make right now, you can practice the simple things using the resources that are already at your disposal. Practice makes perfect and there’s no such thing as perfect when it comes to this line of work.”
CS: What’s next creating and production wise for you? Will there be another season for ‘Save Me’ or will you move on to something different?
MM: “I really hope there is another season! I’d love to continue creating with Snap and the cast we have on this show. Everyone was a dream to work with and I have so many ideas for where the series could go. As for myself, I have many different things in the works, nothing I can mention yet, but I’d say just keep an eye out!”
CS: Since we’re Celeb Secrets, can you tell us a behind the scenes secret or interesting fact that fans wouldn’t know just by watching the show?
MM: “Hmm… interesting. Well, before the show was a thriller about a cult it was simply just a love story and I’d have to say that’s what development does to you. It makes you go crazy. And then your show becomes crazy. But crazy is so much more fun to watch.”
