Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with the Creators of Short Term Sentence

Kevin Claydon, Evan Landry, and Phil Moniz are childhood friends and the creative masterminds behind Short Term Sentence, a hilarious web series that’s pushing the limits. Inspired by their own personal relationships, Short Term Sentence follows an uptight school teacher whose life is thrown into complete chaos when his friend from high school, who also happens to be a world-famous DJ, chooses to live with him while on house arrest. Pop Culturalist caught up with Kevin, Evan, and Phil to learn more about Short Term Sentence and creating comedic gold, in front of and behind the camera.

PC: How did you all discover your passion for the arts?
Phil: I think we all discovered it early in our passion for storytelling. As young filmmakers, we dabbled in a great deal of comedic nonsense, but making clear stories that we were passionate about was the thing, I think, that drew us together. I’ve always been drawn to levity, even when dealing with more dramatic subject matter. This mix is what brought me to film as my preferred art form. Film has the ability to both pull on the heartstrings and tickle the funny bone in a way that is conducive to being a shared experience. Watching movies and going to the cinema is something that is meant to be done with friends and loved ones, which I think is pretty awesome. And for me, getting to make them with friends and loved ones is a huge bonus.

Evan: My dad’s an actor, and my mum is an artist, so I didn’t really stand a chance of avoiding the arts. I lied to myself for a while and studied history and political science at McGill but soon realized I was more interested in making dumb short films with Kevin and Phil than studying for the LSATs. I’ve always loved film and been passionate about storytelling, so this was a natural progression. I’m also a big history nerd and felt that making movies/TV was the only way I’d really be able to experience the past.

Kevin: I just always remembered being in love with movies and television. I think it was more of a fascination with escapism—an obsession with going to another place and spending time with these characters. I wish I had a more specific answer, but it’s the truth.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your careers?
Phil: I have always been a fan of dialogue in the projects I take on. It seems cliché to say, but Aaron Sorkin has been an influence in terms of telling stories using language. The rhythm of the script is a key part of engaging the audience in the story, and combining that with top-of-the-mountain cinematography like that of Roger Deakins—now you’ve got a film going. I think for me, you can also add Peter Jackson as a heavy influence. Not only was I a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings movies as a kid, in terms of scope and utilizing all facets of filmmaking to tell an epic story, but the extended DVDs I bought as a kid had this amazing nine-odd-hour documentary about how the films were put together. I watched those discs more times than I care to count, and seeing how that particular sausage was made really made me think that was something I’d love to be a part of someday.

Evan: My dad has had a pretty massive influence on my career. He’s always encouraged me to pursue my passions and not settle for mediocrity.

Kevin: I have always looked up to Matt Damon for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the Good Will Hunting thing. It has been talked about endlessly, but that path is very motivating. The other thing that really inspired me was the Bourne franchise. It reaffirmed to me that you can make a commercial blockbuster that is both smart and challenging for its audience. The viewer will accept the challenge. They are smarter than you think. And you can still make a billion dollars.

PC: What’s one fun fact that fans would be surprised to learn about your partners?
Phil: We actually do live together, and the whole show—minus a couple of singular locations—was shot in our house. All three of us hunkered down on the third floor during the shoot while the rest of the house was turned into a full-blown set and production office.

Evan: Phil is actually short in real life too, and you can find Kevin on Pornhub if you search hard enough. Hint: The Girlfriend Experience.

Kevin: Evan is actually quite afraid of scary movies. Like, legitimately. And Phil’s sister and his girlfriend share the same first name, which I find hilarious.

PC: Tell us about your new web series, Short Term Sentence. What inspired it?
Phil: The original concept was created by Evan and Kevin. They wanted to make a show about mine and Kevin’s weirdly unique relationship, which people have always seemed to find entertaining. I took some convincing to step out from behind the camera, but once Kevin and Evan showed me an early version of the pilot script, I was reluctantly convinced. We really wanted to tell a story that showed the world some of my unique perspective and experience as well as all three of our unique brand of comedy. We like to say that while the characters of Phil and Kevin in the show are not really them, the way they interact with one another is hundred percent us. We just wanted to capture as much of that dynamic as we could.

Evan: People always used to tell Kevin and Phil they should make a show about their dynamic as friends. To be honest, it was usually drunk people. It was probably just one of those things people say. We certainly called their bluff! Also, Phil and Kev made a hilarious Lord of the Rings spoof in university that is one of my favorite things ever made. Phil was hilarious in it, and I wanted to get him in front of the camera again. This felt like the perfect way to do it.

PC: What is each of your favorite scenes in the series?
Phil: My favorite scene is the one in Episode 7 where Kevin eats drugs out of my hand. It was a long take that we did and it was a chance for us to really mess around with one another. In general, all of my favorite stuff is when Kevin and I could sit in longer, more comedic scenes and just mess around with dialogue. I also particularly enjoy any time Kevin needed to fall down.

Evan: That’s a tough one. I love the scene between Kevin and Phil in the season finale. It’s heartfelt, and real, but also incredibly stupid with a few ridiculous jokes. I really love it when we were able to find that perfect balance of stupidity and heart. Honorable mention would be the opening scene of Episode 4. It’s always fun to do a little slapstick. I also loved the opening scene of Episode 8 with Phil and Randy, who was played hilariously by our friend Adam Goldhammer, who is also a phenomenally talented director, which makes it extra funny for me to see him play a vagrant.

Kevin: My favorite scene is when Phil swears at me and I put his plate on a high shelf as retribution. It is both true to Phil’s potty mouth and lack of verticality.

PC: You’ve been friends since childhood. Did you learn anything new about each other while working on Short Term Sentence?
Phil: I learned that no matter how many times it has happened in our lives, I could do without seeing Kevin naked so much. On a more serious note, I didn’t learn but I did have reaffirmed just how talented my friends are.

Evan: I learned what it looks like to see Phil have sex with a giant fake ass.

Kevin: I learned what Evan learned.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Phil: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Evan: I watched Too Hot to Handle recently. I couldn’t stop. I blame the pandemic.

Kevin: Gilmore Girls. They are just so quick and witty.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Phil: Love Actually

Evan: Love Actually

Kevin: Love Actually

PC: Favorite book?
Phil: Non-fiction: Moneyball by Michael Lewis. Fiction: That insanely long Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

Evan: Goodnight Moon

Kevin: Fifty Shades Darker

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Phil: Spamalot

Evan: Book of Mormon

Kevin: A Few Good Men

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Phil: I was and am a big fan of ’90s hip-hop: Tupac, Biggie, Big L, etc. However, as a singular answer it would most definitely be Rush.

Evan: DJ Keverlast.

Kevin: Miley Cyrus. But I don’t think anyone should be surprised. She’s just the best.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Phil: Danny DeVito. At any age, it would be Danny DeVito.

Evan: A young John Travolta.

Kevin: Either Brad Pitt or Chris Hemsworth. They are the only two who might be good-looking enough to pull it off. Maybe, maybe Bradley Cooper if he cleaned himself up a bit. But probably not.

Make sure to follow Kevin (Twitter/Instagram), Evan (Instagram), and Phil (Twitter/Instagram). Binge-watch Short Term Sentence today.