Welcome To Asbury Park! Web Series Highlights The City

Asbury Park web series is a 3-part digital series which was filmed in Asbury Park, NJ. It showcases the story of Colin who recently returns home from prison and is attempting to get his life back on track.

Incarcerated for vehicular manslaughter, Colin returns home to a mother who still loves him, a brother who could care less for him, and the vehicle that serves as the biggest reminder of a tragic accident.  With the permanent black cloud of being irresponsible by drinking and driving and causing someone’s death, Colin struggles to gain back his relationship with his brother.

Directed and written by Robert Andersen, Asbury Park, is being promoted on Al Thompson’s YouTube channel.  Al Thompson is not only an actor but a director and producer as well.  You may know him from his roles in the following (to name a few): Walter Sherman in The Royal Tenenbaums, Ted in My Love Don’t Cost a Thing,  Eric in A Walk to Remember, or for his voice-over work on The Cleveland Show as Walt.  Through his production and distribution company, ValDean Entertainment, Thompson provides an outlet for African American directors, writers, and producers.

My thought of the series, Asbury Park, is this: while it was nice to see a known area depicted in a film, it left me asking questions and wanting more.  Why was Colin’s brother so mad? What was the relation of the person who was killed? Why was the vehicle kept after all this time? (although it created a great reference to the past traumatic accident).

While good points of transition are created to give you time to recollect your thoughts, Asbury Park seemed to be missing a few key elements. I think it was just missing the suspense that I’m usually used to, you know the build up to the bang. By the end of episode 3, I was given three words that made a world of a difference: “for Colin Baubles”. These words caused me to head straight to, Google, to do some research. Asbury Park was loosely based and dedicated to an actual death of (residents of Manalapan): Colin Baubles ( his father Peter W. Baubles Jr. also died; his brother Peter survived) after crashing into a tractor-trailer on I-95. None of them were wearing seatbelts; not much else is known.

Next up, Al Thompson provides the “juice” with, Lenox Avenue. I have only viewed commercials of, Lenox Avenue, while watching, Asbury Park, but I already know this one is made for TV!

Source: http://www.lenoxaveseries.com/episodes/

To watch, Asbury Park, go to Al Thompson’s YouTube channel: AlThompsonInc

Follow Al Thompson on Twitter and Instagram @AlThompsonInc

Check out the pilot episode of Asbury Park web series.