SMUGGLER’S Benji Weinstein Directs WFH Comedy Series With A Zoom Twist

SMUGGLER director Benji Weinstein gives us a window into some Zoom meetings gone awry in this comedy series, Join Meeting.

The premise entails Zoom sessions being held so that ad agency creatives and strategists working from home can somehow develop a campaign for a client during the course of the pandemic. Each of the episodes is a video conference at times marked by awkwardness, a clash of office personalities, and humorous takes on human behavior. Titled “Breast Pump,” this episode centers on the host/moderator, an account guy named Jeff, and his muted response to a female staffer, Alexis, who is trying to collect breast milk for her baby. She and other video conference participants react strongly to Jeff’s clear aversion to what’s going on.

The idea for a work-from-home (WFH) comedy was born out of an exchange with a group of actors and comedians whom Weinstein has worked with countless times throughout his career. It started as the kernel of an idea but as they got deeper into exploring the characters, they found more jokes and a longer story to tell.

“The starting point for good comedy is human truths,” said Weinstein. “When the pandemic hit, we all woke up to an avalanche of new realities, with old truths. I thought it was worth exploring them.”  Moreover, “I was really bored.”

Editing the episodes were Frank Effron and Sean Stender of Cut+Run.