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Comedian/writer Cassie Workman collaborated with ETCH and Anarchists United Studios to create the new adult comedy series Cassie Workman Is Witchy AF. The show premieres exclusively on YouTube starting September 16 at 8 pm et. Workman (Giantess, Aberdeen) talked to Deepest Dream about the origins of her show.
Read more: Cassie Workman Crafts “Pretty Eclectic” Comedic Documentary Series With ‘Cassie Workman Is Witchy AF’
Cassie Workman is Witchy AF is an eight-part, comedic documentary series that delives into the philosophy and history of magic and occultism. With the use of Direct Message puppetry and practical SFX from Monster in My Closet, the show is set in a fictional occult bookstore owned by Cassie Workman. Guest stars on the show include Shirley Manson (Garbage), comedian Ben Russell, and an interesting figure named King Grimsquawk!
Full video interview with Cassie Workman is below and most of the conversation is also available in Q&A form:
Question: I’m here with Cassie Workman star of Cassie Workman Is Witchy AF. What got this whole thing started?
Cassie Workman: Oh, geez. I guess I was just looking for something to do. I started tossing around this idea, like years ago, and it sort of evolved a bit and then went on the back burner.
And then my agent in New York was like, “You know, do you have any ideas for a show? Let’s make a show.” And I said, “Well, I had this kicking around, and I think it’s really fun and stupid, and let’s make it.” And here we are. We found some really wonderful people in Etch Productions.
We got together in Asbury Park, New Jersey and we put together this crazy little show.
Question: Yeah. It, it was pretty interesting. The ones I saw was the Aleister Crowley one and the Anton LaVey (installment). How many episodes are on this whole season?
Cassie Workman: There’s eight episodes, and so we cover John Dee, the Elizabethan occultist, and we cover Santa Muerte. And the mechanics of magic, you know, how magic works.
It’s pretty eclectic.
Question: All right. It’s definitely a comedy show obviously, but it’s also a biopic of sorts, or a biography of these people. And is there any sort of like journalistic sort of responsibility you have?
Cassie Workman: I am not a journalist. I’m trying to represent the tentpole elements of people’s lives in a half-hour show. So obviously there’s gonna be people who love or know a lot about these historical figures who are gonna say, “Well, there also was this that happened.” I just didn’t have time to talk about it.
But I try to stay as true to the facts as possible. I hope it’s obvious when I’m making jokes because that’s the only time that I’ll stray from the actual real narrative. It’s like a, a good mix of funny and real and people will be able to tell when I go off on a tangent.
Question: What, what’s the writing process like on this? Just from the blank page to what comes on screen, how’s that get there?
Cassie Workman: Well, I was very lucky we had this researcher Morgan who was also a magician and. She was able to give us incredible information about the history of a lot of these characters, stuff that I didn’t know. And then it’s my knowledge on top of that to sort of, you know, color it a bit.
So the basis for each episode was just the research, and then cracking jokes off the research and little one-liners and asides and stuff. And then I was looking for ways to sort of frame the stories in interesting ways to just give it just an extra dimension. It’s a bit more watchable. The episodes were constructed like that.
Of course we have the reenactments which are all marionettes from Direct Message in California who make these beautiful marionettes. And so with that all swirling around in my mind, that’s how I started to build episodes. And it, it didn’t take a very long time to write the episodes.
They came pretty quickly.
Question: So with the marionettes and the puppets, do you have an idea of what they look like and you send it to them? Or do you say, “This is a script. Just go nuts.”
Cassie Workman: Well, yeah. I mean, because there’s so many historical figures, it’s just a matter of saying, “Well, it’s this person,” and find as many photos of them as possible and recreate them. They did an excellent job.
And then we have sort of a cast of players of the other marionettes who change costume here and there and become different people. That was pretty much the system. And then of course there’s King Grimsquawk who I was sitting at the Comedy Cellar.
I was gonna go on at the Comedy Cellar, and they have these little tables there that are like black chalkboard tables, and they give you chalk and you can just doodle while you’re waiting to go and do your set. And I, I drew a little picture of this crow with baby arms. And that was the first ever design for (King) Grimsquawk.
And that’s how we got him.
Question: This show is premiering on Etch. So we’re recording this tomorrow on the, on the 16th. Yeah do you have a season two planned, or is it too early, for that?
Cassie Workman: I have ideas. I’d be ready to go if you know, that were a prospect. Sure. We’ll see how this goes first, and then, you know, if it’s a big success, then sure.
Question: All right. Well, congratulations on the series. I’ve really enjoyed it. Thanks for joining me today.
Cassie Workman: Oh, not at all. Thanks so much!
