Kit Williamson
Born (1985-11-13) November 13, 1985
Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Other namesRobert Chapman Williamson
Occupation(s)Actor, filmmaker
Spouse
John Halbach
​
(m. 2016)​

Kit Williamson (born November 13, 1985) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for creating, writing, directing, and starring in the dark comedy web series EastSiders.[1] For his work on the series, he has been nominated for several Indie Series Awards and Daytime Emmy Awards.[2][3]

Early life

He was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi and attended Interlochen Arts Academy, an arts boarding school in northern lower Michigan.[4] He later attended Fordham University[5] and received his MFA from UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television.[6]

Career

EastSiders

In 2012, Williamson created the web series EastSiders; two episodes were launched on YouTube in December 2012.[7] Williamson crowdfunded the remaining episodes on Kickstarter, raising over $25,000.[8] The subsequent second and third seasons were also successfully crowded funded through Kickstarter.[9][10] In 2014, Wolfe Video became the series official distributor.[11] The series was sold to Netflix in 2016,[7] and a third season was released in 2017.[12] The series has received critical acclaim since its release.[13][14]

Writing for IndieWire, Williamson explained his inspiration for the series:

My goals when I created the show were simple; I wanted to write, direct and star in a project and see it through to completion, because I had been involved in so many micro budget projects that never saw the light of day. I also wanted to create the kind of LGBT series that TV networks refuse to, one where the main characters were not only gay, but flawed, complex individuals trying to navigate their messy lives, just like their straight friends.[7]

For his work on EastSiders, Williamson received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Digital Daytime Drama Series,[2] as well as several Indie Series Award nominations.[3][15]

Other work

Williamson has worked as an actor on stage, television, and in film. He appeared in the Broadway premiere of Eric Bogosian's Talk Radio, starring Liev Schreiber, which ran from March 11 to June 24, 2007.[16] Other stage performances include the Off-Broadway premiere of Przemyslaw Wojcieszek's Made in Poland. For this performance in Made in Poland, Williamson earned a positive review in Variety: "Williamson's hilariously serious perf as an angst-filled wannabe revolutionary strikes exactly the right note. As he wanders around his little town in post-Communist Poland, vandalizing cars and trashing phone booths, the unfairness of everything becomes so oppressive he delivers Bogus' every line like it's a prelude to a fistfight."[17]

His television roles include a recurring role on the AMC series Mad Men, from 2013 to 2015,[18] as well as supporting roles on Numb3rs (2009), Death Valley (2011), and The Good Wife (2015).

In 2021, Williamson was announced alongside Brittany Cavallaro as a writer and producer for the television adaptation of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar novel series. The first season will adapt Lackey's Last Herald-Mage trilogy. The show is being developed by Radar Pictures with Ted Field as Executive Producer.[19]

Williamson said that his connection the trilogy's gay protagonist enamored him with the books, telling Deadline:

Vanyel in The Last Herald Mage series was one of the first gay characters I encountered, and as a recently out 16-year-old I can’t stress enough the impact that these books had on me. The Valdemar series was far ahead of its time in the portrayal of LGBTQ characters, and Lackey’s writing afforded them a level of depth and complexity that is still very rare, especially in genre storytelling.[19]

Personal life

Williamson is openly gay and has been married to his EastSiders co-star John Halbach since February 27, 2016.[20][21]

References

  1. ↑ "'Eastsiders' nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards".
  2. 1 2 "The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Announces the 43rd Annual Daytime Emmy® Award Nominations". National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. March 24, 2016. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Nominations Announced For 7th Annual ISAs". Indie Series Awards. February 3, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  4. ↑ "[Art] From Jackson to Broadway". Jackson Free Press. Archived from the original on 2007-07-05.
  5. ↑ "PAPERMAG: WORD UP!: Curtain Cuties: Kit Williamson". Archived from the original on 2008-03-28. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
  6. ↑ "Sundance, YouTube Open Submissions For 2018 New Voices Lab, Select Jon Cozart Among 2017 Class - Tubefilter". Tubefilter. 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
  7. 1 2 3 Williamson, Kit (2016-07-01). "'How I Sold My Web Series to Netflix': The Director of 'EastSiders' Explains His Secret". IndieWire. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  8. ↑ "EastSiders The Series". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  9. ↑ "EastSiders: Season 2". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  10. ↑ "EastSiders: Season 3 of the Emmy-Nominated LGBT Series". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  11. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (2017-07-10). "Kit Williamson's Web Series 'EastSiders' & Wolfe Releasing Beef Up Partnership". Deadline. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  12. ↑ "Watch Wilson Cruz and Tuc Watkins Play 'Perverts In Love' In Exclusive 'EastSiders' Season 3 Clip - Towleroad". Towleroad. 2018-01-08. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  13. ↑ Valinsky, Jordan (January 14, 2013). ""Eastsiders": Gay dark comedy finds audience on YouTube". The Daily Dot. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Critic's Picks: 2013's Six Drama Web Series You Must See, Including the Year's Best". IndieWire. December 20, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  15. ↑ "5th Annual Indie Series Awards Winners". Indie Series Awards. 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  16. ↑ Talk Radio on Broadway
  17. ↑ Thielman, Sam (10 November 2008). "Review: 'Made in Poland'".
  18. ↑ "Catching Up With Kit Williamson Of Mad Men And EastSiders". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  19. 1 2 White, Peter (2021-08-03). "'Valdemar Universe' Fantasy Book Series In The Works For TV From Kit Williamson, Brittany Cavallaro & Radar Pictures". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  20. ↑ "Mad Men star Kit Williamson's perfect gay wedding to John Halbach – in 10 adorable pics". 31 March 2016.
  21. ↑ "Gay Activist Actor Kit Williamson Speaks OUT".
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