'Veep' Producer Stephanie Laing's PYPO Network Provides Online Platform For Female Creatives [INTERVIEW]

Stephanie Laing has worked in television for 20 years, but it wasn’t until her recent stint as an executive producer on HBO’s upcoming new comedy Vice Principals that she worked with a cast that had more women than men. Laing loves to help women in her industry, and looks to set an example. She wants to reverse the trend of top female executives choosing “self-preservation” instead of assistance. She acknowledges the issue is not born out of jealously, but rather a “fear of losing out” to men in the cutthroat world of Hollywood.

Before working on HBO’s Vice Principals, Laing honed her skills alongside two of the network’s biggest female stars. She worked on Tracey Ullman’s Tracey Takes On, and the Julia Louis-Dreyfus political dramedy Veep. She started in the industry as a production assistant and now is a two-time Emmy winner on a critically-acclaimed series. She wants to share that experience, so she decided to provide a platform for younger women to showcase their unique narratives through a comedic lens. It’s called PYPO (Put Your Pretty On), a new female-driven online comedy network.

PYPO is an ambitious idea inspired by a surprising source - Laing’s daughter. “Magic happened six years ago when she was four,” Laing wrote in a Medium post. “One day, she told me she couldn’t leave the house until she ‘put her pretty on.’ Slightly freaked out, and not sure where she got that from, I watched as she put her chapstick on. I realized in that moment that it would be my job to help define ‘pretty’ to my daughter.”

PYPO quietly launched on Jan. 4, a plan that Laing insists was intentional. “We snuck out of the gate and didn’t tell anybody,” Laing told iDigitalTimes. “I knew there was a hole in the market, but I didn’t realize that it was gaping. There’s so many talented people reaching out to us and it’s really, really exciting.”

Early collaborators have ranged from political strategist and CNN contributor Donna Brazile to Marie Claire executive editor Lea Goldman. Laing and her team at PYPO are aware of these influencers ability to attract attention, but maintain that the website seeks to discover and cultivate new voices in entertainment. “Part of our model is to help women in front and behind the lens be their own producers, directors and more,” Laing said to Forbes in February. “We want to launch careers and content and do our part to level the playing field.”

PYPO is open to range of artistic mediums, from comedy shorts to editorial content to graphics and illustrations. The site functions with a mix of original content and submissions. Subscribers will receive a newsletter every Monday called “PYPEline", which stipulates the theme of the week. Each Thursday, a follow-up will present user-generated material from contributors who “PYPEdin.”

“Anyone can PYPEin,” says Laing. “There’s a video player embedded, you can press record and PYPEin. Text to PYPEin. You can submit a personal essay. There are experts brought in for the topics that people PYPEin on. It’s really just about hearing different voices and having an open conversation.”

The PYPO team also produces in-house web series. The first one, titled “The Crying Room,” debuted on Mashable and consists of seven one-minute episodes. The webisodes star Smallville and Longmire actress Cassidy Freeman as a “new employee at a company who stumbles upon a room full of sobbing adults.” Laing wrote the series with Veep writer Georgia Pritchett and comedian Emilia Barrosse.

Laing says that PYPO’s digital series are not restricted by any particular format. Some will center on a particular premise or idea - like the stigma of crying - while others will follow developed characters in a more traditional narrative. “It’s a playground for female comedians and writers to jump into the sandbox and see what works,” says Laing. PYPO is also in the midst of developing a number of web series with actress Rose Byrne’s (X-Men: First Class, Bridesmaids) female-run production company, The Dollhouse.

Laing is confident. “I’ve been doing this a long time. It’s 20 years of experience, and 20 years of relationships,” she said. She acknowledges that PYPO is still a start-up, but remains up to the task despite the uncertain future. “I’ve kind of seen everything… but I’m not naive enough to believe that I’ve seen everything.”

As for her next TV venture, Laing is eagerly awaiting the arrival of Vice Principals, which premieres on HBO later this year. “All I can tell you is that it’s just … brilliant. If you liked Eastbound & Bound, you will love Vice Principals. It is truly a special 18 episodes. Danny [McBride] is a genius.”

Start streaming Episode 1 of PYPO’s new original series below, and head over to PYPO.com to PYPEin yourself.