Sleep outside — director (nyc music pilot) - a job post by Lisa Isaacson

About the job

I’ve co-written and am currently packaging a one-hour pilot and looking for a director with a strong visual voice and a real feel for music on screen.

Sleep Outside is set in 1994 New York. It follows a gifted, self-destructive musician on the edge of eviction, trying to hold together his band, his family, and one shot at something bigger. It’s a character-driven dramedy rooted in a true story, built around the music of Vic Ruggiero and The Slackers.

The tone sits somewhere between Inside Llewyn Davis and Almost Famous. It’s gritty, pre-gentrification NYC. Music isn’t the background of this series – it drives the story. Performances will be shot to feel live and immersive, rather than cutaways. Other comps are Shameless meets Daisy Jones & The Six.

We’re planning a contained 18–20-day NYC shoot with two primary venues, minimal moves, and a design that gives the director control over the space, look, and tone. Think less logistical noise, more room to shape a distinct visual language.

This pilot is meant to launch a series, and the director will help project the tone made clear in the script – how the music feels, how the city moves, how intimate or chaotic the world becomes. We have full control of the music catalog. Budget is in the $1.1M–$1.4M range, built around efficiency and New York tax incentives.

If you know how to shoot music so it actually feels alive, have a point of view about New York grounded in lived experience, and like ska music (helpful, but not required!) - email: sleepoutsideseries@gmail.com – please include your reel, IMDb, and any relevant work.