“We are planning on shooting in the next couple of months,” Sardinha said. “It’s kind of a sample to show to networks and partners to show what the show is going to be like. It’s just a shorter version of the pilot, so it’s more cost effective.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
[A TV show set in Sitka is still in the works<\/a>]<\/ins><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Once the proof of concept is shot and edited, it will be shown to networks and streaming services in hopes of securing interest and taking another step toward making the series a reality.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Shooting the short segment will take about three days, Sardinha said, and “Sitka” is not yet cast.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “It’s an ongoing thing,” Sardinha said. “We’re still deciding if we want to bring someone from L.A. or cast over here.”<\/p>\n Helena Sardinha, a Los Angeles-based producer for Driven Equation and co-creator of “Sitka,” is in Sitka right now to teach at its fine arts camp. Sardinha said a short “proof of concept” will be filmed soon and has not yet been cast. (Courtesy Art | Helena Sardinha)<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t Sardinha said the idea of the project has attracted attention from both artists living in Alaska and Alaskans who moved to Los Angeles to pursue work in the entertainment industry.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “I feel like people are interested in it,” Sardinha said. “It’s really very needed for our little town here.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Patricia Buak, owner of the Bayview Pub, is one of the local supporters. Buak initially approached Sardinha and her partner Rafael Thomaseto about setting a show in the city of about 8,800.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Buak said she’s not alone in being excited about the project and the exposure it could bring.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “A lot of people that want to donate something or want to contribute,” Buak said in a phone interview. “Sitka is a very nice community in this sense. Very helpful.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Another change for “Sitka” is the addition of two new partners. One is The Film <\/a>Collaborative<\/a>, a nonprofit based in L.A. that works with productions to allow donors to make tax-deductible donations.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Sardinha and co-creator Rafael Thomaseto, her partner in Driven Equation, are also now working with producer Stacy Boles. Boles is an Alaskan film and TV producer and casting director who has worked with “The Frozen Ground,” “Alaskan Bush People,” and “The Amazing Race.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t That reality show background doesn’t change the plan for “Sitka,” Sardinha said. The show is still planned to be a down-to-earth depiction of life in Southeast Alaska with an emphasis on the healing nature of Sitka.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “Nothing changed, we had additions,” Sardinha said. “We don’t have any major changes with the title or the tone or anything like that.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t![\"Helena](\"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/17360659_web1_Tunnamed-17.jpg\")
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