Mount Olive Man Creates Sitcom About Overnight Newspaper Carriers – What’s Your Overnight Gig? [POLL]

Many members of the overnight “Rossi Posse” that I talk to are either going to a job, or just coming from one.

It’s not unusual to hear from truck drivers, waiters, waitresses, bouncers, bartenders, EMTs and the like.

One night a listener told me he was coming from his job as someone who analyses body tissue samples.

I also know of a couple who’s businesses require them to work “the graveyard shift” (although I hate that expression.)

One of whom is a newspaper carrier.

But who’d ever thought there would be a sitcom about newspaper carriers – especially given the fact that it’s an endangered occupation.

One Mt. Olive man who’s dad was involved in this line of work decided to portray it in a sitcom that will make its debut on the internet this coming Friday.

According to this story on nj.com:

The life of a wee-hours newspaper carrier isn’t something that most people think about, but Will Sandoval is determined to shed light on a subject that mostly stays in the dark.

Sandoval, 28, a frequent community-theater actor from the Budd Lake section of Mount Olive, is the writer-director and an actor in a new Internet situation-comedy series, “Carriers,” inspired by his father, William Sr., a Star-Ledger delivery guy for more than 30 years.

“Since it happens so early in the morning, most people are sleeping and unaware of it,” Sandoval said. But in his case, he grew up hearing stories about “everything from hitting deer to running over skunks to getting bit by bats.”

Not only that, but a look at the series pilot reveals there’s plenty of banter and some flirting among the carriers as they wait at the depot for the delivery of newspapers so they can make their runs.
“People are going to disagree and make inappropriate remarks,” Sandoval said.

With an ensemble cast of eight, the plot, pace and atmosphere are reminiscent of the hit 1970s TV show “Taxi,” featuring Danny DeVito as the boss at a New York City taxi company and Judd Hirsch, Andy Kaufman, Marilu Henner and others as drivers.

“There are a lot of similarities,” Sandoval acknowledged. “People can relate to workplace characters, but I’ve never seen a TV show about newspaper carriers.”

Sandoval, who works with developmentally disabled children as his day job, recruited friends from other productions to act and operate the cameras.

“When we get together, it’s just filming with friends and it’s something we love to do,” he said, noting he is also celebrating “the legacy of my dad,” also from Budd Lake, who plays himself in the show.

Sandoval has filmed just the pilot thus far, along with directing and writing the stage version. He expects to have two more episodes ready in the fall and is looking for bigger things: He is entering a competition sponsored by NBC, which is looking for a new sit-com series.

“Carriers,” Bartlett said, “is very understandable, very in-your-face. Anyone can relate to it,” he said, comparing its comedic style to the television show “The Office.”

“Carriers,” Sandoval said, has a lesson to teach: “Appreciate your newspaper carrier. He helps you a lot more than you know.”

Anyone who works these hours knows the toll it can take on you.

You work when everyone else is asleep. You never seem to get enough of it.

But it also has its upside. Generally you don’t have to deal with much of noise and rat race that occurs during the day.

And if it’s any consolation, you feel like a special breed of person – someone who belongs to a special fraternity.

Such as the “overnight Rossi Posse!”

Crazy as it sounds – it’s true!

If you work overnight, do you find it fascinating or a drag?