“Elkstone 333” is a dialogue-driven dramedy following three freshmen at App State who are navigating identity, friendships and ambitions. Behind the scenes, the production and cast mirror the same collaboration between the on-screen characters.
Finn Barksdale, a senior electronic media and broadcasting major, serves as a producer while also helping to write and direct the series. The project began when writer and director Michael Lindley, a senior electronic media and broadcasting major, approached him with the idea. The two of them met as coworkers.
The duo decided to turn the script into a series inspired by Barksdale’s experience working with AppTV.
“We make it sound so easy, but the last narrative show we had on AppTV was five years ago,” Barksdale said.
Much of the fall 2025 semester was spent writing and working on production schedules before they did casting through App State’s theatre program.
Barksdale said when they saw Alexis Carr audition, a junior theatre arts major who plays Amelia, the choice was immediately obvious.
“It’s like when you see somebody, and you just know,” Barksdale said.
Carr has been acting since middle school, but “Elkstone 333” was her first experience acting on screen.
“I thought this would be an opportunity to see how it kind of works,” Carr said.
Andrew Grella, a sophomore advertising major who plays Demas, said one of his favorite aspects of the series was contributing to the writing process.
“We would be in the writers’ room until one in the morning just talking,” Grella said.
Working alongside the creative team gave him a new perspective on storytelling.
“It’s interesting getting to see other people’s points of views and being able to own a creative vision that wasn’t mine,” Grella said.
For Lindley, the show is a derivative of his personal experience. As writer and director, the concept of “Elkstone 333” was inspired by his freshman year living in a residence hall.
“I just started writing, and I wrote the concept for ‘Elkstone,’ and I fell in love with this kind of slice of life,” Lindley said.
Lindley said collaboration with the cast helped deepen the characters and dialogue.
“That was such a transformative experience and learning how different people think about — if it’s not dialogue — then it’s humor, and it’s how their life was prior to where they are at now,” Lindley said, referring to Grella’s contributions to the writing process.
Lindley emphasized the importance of collaboration and drawing from real experiences during writing.
“You can’t write in an echo chamber of your own thoughts,” Lindley said.
Some of his favorite moments were during their table reads with the cast, where, he said, the story began to come alive.
What started as a script by Lindley grew into a student-led production. Alongside Barksdale and Lindley, the production team included Jeff Reyes, a spring 2027 graduate with a degree in radio and television broadcasting, as director of photography, senior electronic media and broadcasting major Caden Siegel as head editor and camera operator and junior electronic media and broadcasting major Ethan Shackford as boom operator and audio engineer. The cast includes senior apparel design and merchandising major Bryce Carney, who plays Vernon, alongside Carr and Grella.
With all episodes fully released on AppTV, “Elkstone 333” stands as a coming-of-age story and a true testament to the college experience.
