Work From Home

With the economy in shambles and office spaces closing left and right, more American businesses are making the decision to go remote. Literary Luxe is no different. They sell magazines to unsuspecting seniors at ridiculous prices publish highly regarded literary masterpieces to people all around the States using cold calling methods tried and true sales pitches that captivate their audiences left and right.

Jamie Wyland, 25, is two years out of college, and she's ready to take on the world. Lucky for her, she's finally hit the jackpot. After years of grinding in hot kitchens and waiting tables at local restaurants to get by, she's finally landed the editorial position she always dreamed of... Allegedly.

Work From Home explores the trials and tribulations of the remote labor market. Follow Jamie through corporate brainwashing landscapes as she navigates what it's like to be overworked and underpaid appreciated for her craft. The relationships built between coworkers turn into unlikely friendships, even though everyone happens to live hundreds of miles away.

Have a mouse jiggler and endless amounts of coffee on deck because you're in for a bumpy ride.

Cast of Characters

Jamie Wyland - This 25-year-old super nerd is a stereotypical English major with a bookshelf full of books she's never read and notebooks full of pages she's never written in. She lives in a 500-square-foot apartment with her nasty little white dog in the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee.

Matthew Daily - Is the late 30's cool manager (or so he thinks). He lives in a farmhouse with his spouse and their two-and-a-half kids in Upstate New York. He loves therapy speak and tiptoeing around difficult questions.

Veronica Withers and Tabitha Harrington - These project leads might as well be a mother-and-daughter duo. Veronica's passive aggressiveness compliments Tabitha's aggressive aggressiveness quite well. They're always coming up with fun games to make sure the team is coerced into believing knows that everyone at Literary Luxe is a part of one, big, happy family. Both characters live in Colorado, but nowhere near each other, apparently.

The Insiders - Luckily, Jamie gets on this group's good side early on. The Insiders is a rag-tag team of coworkers who make work worth clocking into. From their snarky comments to their off-beat humor, The Insiders know that Literary Luxe is nothing more than a paycheck and padding on their resume.

The Outsiders - The Outsiders are fine, but they like Literary Luxe a little too much. Proudly, they change their Zoom backgrounds weekly to exemplify whatever bogus exciting team-building event Literary Luxe is putting on.

Other minor characters include:

The HR Department - They only show up when they want to tell bad news in a nice way.

The CEO Council - They're always watching and judging. They like to hold daily meetings to inflate their egos keep the company well-informed of corporate happenings.

Pilot Episode - The 5 Values

The opening consists of a narrative background and a video montage of Jamie's life to this point. Viewers can gaze at her mediocrity and ability to make the best of it. Watch as she fails interview after interview, until one fateful day, she's hired by Literary Luxe, where our story begins.

Act 1 consists of Jamie's first day where she and her new cohort of recently hired editors sit through 8 hours of Literary Luxe PowerPoints. They learn that Literary Luxe is "not like the other big magazines" because of their 5 Values:

1. Do your best every day.

2. Embrace your humanity.

3. Live honestly.

4. Build meaningful relationships.

5. Be a compassionate leader.

The training team and HR department carry the meetings with menacing, fake heartwarming smiles and deceit integrity. The new editors are so excited to be there and can't wait to start editing.

Act 2 starts after Jamie gets home from work closes her laptop. She calls her family to let them how excited she is about this new position and tells them all about her first day. Jamie's grandmother is incredibly thrilled and proud of her granddaughter, but her father rattles on about the benefits package (or lack thereof).

"You deserve better," he insists.

"Can't you just be happy for me?" Jamie retorts.

We get a glimpse of Jamie's daily life as she navigates her messy apartment, tripping over dog toys and pizza boxes, while pacing compulsively during her phone calls.

Act 3 consists of a montage of the rest of the training before Jamie is ready to go off on her own as a graduated editor. There are plenty of games, slideshows, and videos that imply everyone who was recently hired on knows nothing about the English language, despite their degrees. Jamie and the new hires take everything in stride, and they're so excited to join the team's group chat, where all the editors live and communicate.

When the newbies finally join the famous group chat, one of the long-standing associate editors posts a link to a Zoom call called Body Doubling.

"Hey, new people! Body Doubling is totally optional. It can be super helpful for staying productive and on task. No sweat if it's not your cup of tea, but if it is, come join us this afternoon. :)"

Jamie contemplates but ultimately decides to join the session toward the end of the work day. Upon joining the call, Jamie is greeted by the sound of giggles that come to an abrupt stop when they notice someone new.

"Are you a narc?" A voice asks.

No one answers.

"Talking to you, Jamie," the voice follows up.

"Uh, no, of course not. What do you mean?" Jamie hesitates, flustered, a finger hovering over the "end call" button.

"Come on, don't ruin the illusion for the poor girl so soon," A different voice responds.

ROLL CREDITS

Later episodes include: accidental racism from elderly older coworkers, inappropriate arguments about creation and science, plots to start a cult, office-sponsored holiday competitions to win useless junk exciting prizes, cheeky jokes about unionizing, unexpected promotions, and very expected layoffs.