LIVING IN YOUR CAR chronicles the unpredictable, often hilarious and occasionally endearing riches to rags adventures of former corporate high flyer Steve Unger played by John Ralston (SOUTH OF THE MOON, LIFE WITH DEREK). Once viewed as the embodiment of success, Steve was caught cooking the books and is now legally forbidden from working in any position that involves other people’s money. Clinging desperately to the last vestige of his previous life—his luxury sedan—Steve hopes to begin anew. Shunned by family and friends and under a court order to teach an ethics class to other “fallen angels,” Steve now makes his home in his luxury sedan.
“Inspired by the Enron and Madoff scandals, LIVING IN YOUR CAR is a satirical look at financial misconduct with the help of some of the best writers and producers in Canadian television,” said John Pollak, Executive Vice President at Shine International. “This scripted series deals with universal themes of ethics, redemption and starting fresh, which should resonate with international buyers.” “This is a terrific fusion of talent with David directing the fresh, smart series created by George, Dani and Joseph. The essence of this story captures the zeitgeist of what’s going on in the financial world, at the same time as offering up a satisfying sense of ‘revenge’ catharsis,” said Debbie Nightingale, President of The Nightingale Company.
Shine International will debut the format and 13 episodes of the half-hour series at MIPTV. LIVING IN YOUR CAR is created and written by George F. Walker, Dani Romain, the duo behind the critically acclaimed series This is Wonderland, and the recent, thrilling cop drama The Line (The Movie Network/Movie Central) and Joseph Kay. Walker and Romain are also Executive Producers on this series along with David Steinberg and Debbie Nightingale. Joseph Kay and Alyson Richards will serves as Co-Producers. Courtney Jane Walker is also on the writing team. LIVING IN YOUR CAR is developed and produced with the financial participation of the Canadian Television Fund, Rogers Cable Fund, The Movie Network and Movie Central in association with BeActive.

About The Nightingale Company

The Nightingale Company is a Toronto-based television and interactive content production company launched by company president Debbie Nightingale in 2000. It is a busy boutique-style firm that focuses on scripted entertainment of all genres. Recent credits include: The Line (Television Series), The Last New Year (feature film), Do You Believe Me (Online interactive teen series), Chicks With Sticks (MOW), Mob Princess (MOW), Get Outta Town, ZIXX: Levels One, Two & Three (Tween Series), and Lipstick & Dynamite, (feature documentary).

About Shine International

Shine International is the sales and distribution arm of the Shine Group, a leading independent production and distribution company focused on exploiting worldwide intellectual property rights through scripted and alternative television formats. Shine International distributes programming from the growing library of programming of the Shine Group, including Reveille, Kudos, Dragonfly, Princess Productions and Metronome, along with a broad array of programming acquired from independent producers and U.S. networks, to more than 150 countries worldwide.

TORONTO — John Ralston, Ingrid Kavelaars and Colin Cunningham are to top-line the Canadian pay TV sitcom “Living In Your Car,” executive produced and directed by David Steinberg (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) for indie producer The Nightingale Co.

The 13-part comedy, created and written by George F. Walker, Joseph Kay and Dani Romain, is shooting in Toronto and nearby Hamilton to Nov. 24 and will bow on Canada pay TV networks Movie Central and the Movie Network in 2010.

The Canadian comedy portrays Ralston in the lead role of Steve Unger, a fallen corporate executive-turned-grifter who clings to his lost empire by making his home in a luxury sedan. Kavelaars plays Lori Unger, while Cunningham is Steve Unger’s slippery lawyer.

Steinberg, Walker and Romain share the executive producer credits with Debbie Nightingale, with Joseph Kay and Alyson Richards producing.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role
Daniel Kash
The Line
Episode 102

Ron White
The Line
Episode 102

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series
Wes Williams
The Line
Episode 106 / Episode 107

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series
Tasha Lawrence
The Line
Episode 104 / Episode 106

Best Achievement in Casting
Marsha Chesley
The Line
Episode 107

Steve Unger used to be rich and powerful. Now he lives in his car. This comedy series follows the winding karmic adventure that is Steve’s new life in a strange and precarious land of car dwellers.

A fallen corporate exec, Steve Unger was caught cooking the books and now finds himself legally forbidden from working in any position that involves “other people’s money”. Clinging desperately to the last vestige of his former self – his luxury sedan – Steve hopes to begin anew. The thing is, Steve isn’t a bad guy, he just literally doesn’t understand the meaning of the word “ethics” – a quality that used to get him ahead in life but now, he discovers, is holding him back.

Created by: George F. Walker, Dani Romain and Joseph Kay
Written by: George F. Walker, Dani Romain and Joseph Kay
Producer: Debbie Nightingale
Developed in association with: Movie Central

by Gariné Tcholakian

David Steinberg, the exec producer of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Weeds has signed on to a new 15-part, half-hour series developed and licensed by Astral Media’s The Movie Network and Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central.

An original series by Toronto-based The Nightingale Company, Living in Your Car follows a failed corporate exec who clings to the life he once had by living in his luxury sedan. The show is scheduled to air on The Movie Network and Movie Central next year, with filming set to begin this September.

Joining Steinberg in the role are the show’s writers and creators, George F. Walker and Dani Romain, whose credits as a duo include This is Wonderland (CBC) and The Line (The Movie Network and Movie Central). The new series is also created and written by Joseph Kay.

Steinberg is also attached to a second Canadian project, Single White Spenny, a comedy pilot for Canwest and Breakthrough Film & Television starring a newly divorced Spencer Rice (Kenny vs. Spenny).

With files from Playback Daily

The Nightingale Company today announced that producer and director David Steinberg, whose credits include such major hits as CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, WEEDS and MAD ABOUT YOU, has signed on as an Executive Producer and Director of its upcoming original comedy series LIVING IN YOUR CAR.

The 15-part, half-hour series is created and written by George F. Walker, Dani Romain and Joseph Kay and developed and licensed by Astral Media’s THE MOVIE NETWORK (Eastern Canada) and Corus Entertainment’s MOVIE CENTRAL (Western Canada). Walker and Romain, who are the duo behind the critically acclaimed series This is Wonderland (CBC) and the recent, thrilling cop drama The Line (THE MOVIE NETWORK/MOVIE CENTRAL) are also executive producers on this series.

Living In Your Car follows the winding karmic adventures of Steve Unger, a fallen corporate executive who clings to the last vestige of his former existence by making his home inside his luxury sedan. Propelled ahead by his needs and whims, trying to simultaneously help and exploit everyone he meets, Steve attempts to survive in the land of the have-nots and at the same time somehow resurrect the charmed life he once had.

“To have someone of David’s talent and experience with comedy is a testament to the quality of George and Dani’s writing. I’m very excited about the potential of this show and working with the terrific team we’ve assembled,” said Debbie Nightingale, President of The Nightingale Company.

Filming is set to begin in September and is scheduled to debut in 2010 on The Movie Network and Movie Central.

About David Steinberg

The New York Times has included David Steinberg among a handful of the best and most creative directors working in television. He has directed many episodes of Friends, Newhart, Seinfeld, Mad About You, Designing Women, which he also executive produced and most recently the hit series Weeds and HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. His work on Seinfeld and Mad About You and Curb Your Enthusiasm earned him several DGA and Emmy Awards and nominations.

President Debbie Nightingale is delighted with the critical acclaim that the company’s dramatic series The Line is garnering following its March 16, 2009 Canadian premiere on The Movie Network and Movie Central, with critics praising it as a “major Canadian TV event” (Globe and Mail) and noting that “there is not a single aspect of the series that is anything short of addictively compelling” (The Toronto Star). The Line is distributed internationally by Peace Arch, and in France and French Territories by Double V. Another project that the company has just finished to favourable reviews is the feature film The Last New Year which kicked off the Victoria Film festival, won the Golden Ace award at the Las Vegas International Film Festival and has been praised as an “absorbing ensemble drama” by CBC.

The Nightingale Company has secured a deal with ShineReveille International to act as sales agent on its new comedy series in development, “Living in Your Car” just in time for MIP.  George F. Walker and Dani Romain, the creative team behind The Line, are developing the series with Nightingale for The Movie Network and Movie Central.

“We’ve just wrapped up a very busy and successful 2008,” says Nightingale. “We’ve completed the first and second seasons of The Line for Movie Central and The Movie Network. We’re also very excited about Living In Your Car and we are planning to be in production this summer with it.”

Also in development at The Nightingale Company is an exciting slate of programs, including online interactive properties for brand integration. From MOWs to series and children’s to adult programming, some projects in development include:

Brian Paisley in Hell (13×30)

A black comedy about a modern day everyman as he attempts to adapt to the comically tragic afterlife situation of working in Hell; living in Hell; loving in Hell, and trying to get the hell out of Hell.

The Fixer (13×60)

The Fixer is hired to clean up the mess, erasing high-profile mistakes, any way he can.  He restores order to adulterous, Botox filled lives – for a price.

My Neighbours are Aliens (26×11)

They’re the Quirks. They’re alien invaders from distant planet called … Earth! Only Zippy Nebula can stop them from taking over his home planet. A high-energy, action-comedy cartoon. 

The Nightingale Company is a boutique film, television, and new media production firm led by Debbie Nightingale and Shain Jaffe. Since 2000, the Toronto-based company has produced all types of projects from feature films to dramatic series, documentaries to interactive adventures.  Recent credits include The Line, a television series airing on The Movie Network and Movie Central, Zixx: Level One, Two & Three, Chicks with Sticks and Mob Princess.

For more information, please contact Matt Drappel at 416-628-1355 or

mattdrappel@thenightingalecompany.com or visit  www.thenightingalecompany.com

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