Middlebury Magazine

  • Recent Stories
  • Menu
    • Features
    • Pursuits
    • Q&A
    • Review
    • Old Chapel
    • Road Taken
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • How Did You Get Here Series
    • About
    • Advertising
    • Contact
    • Support
    • Writers’ Guidelines
  • Search

Winter 2022 Features

Cult Fiction

With absurdist, yet endearing dramedies dominating popular culture, a couple of recent Midd grads have added a new title to the canon with the wonderful Youtube series The Deli People.

By Sara Thurber Marshall
Photographs courtesy of L.T. Stenello Productions
February 4, 2022
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • Email icon

“Basically, because the old council transcended to the higher plane, we, the new council, have to shed some blood to ordain ourselves in the eyes of the Lord,” says Father Chetin, the new, young leader of the cult.

“Wait!” exclaims Sister Delilah. “We have to kill ourselves?”

“No, no,” says Father Chetin, “just shed some blood, like slice a palm or something.”

This scene in Episode 2 of The Deli People, a series on YouTube created by Cole Merrell ’21 and Jacob Morton ’21, is emblematic of the sometimes solemn yet often very, very funny scenes in the show, which they have labeled “A Cult Comedy about an Actual Fictional Cult.” The series came about because the two friends, who often collaborated on writing projects during college, decided they wanted to create something larger than the sketches they’d been producing for their group, Middlebury Discount Comedy. After an unusual senior year, they both felt like spending some extra time enjoying Middlebury after graduation, and it seemed like a good opportunity to work on a series.

Jacob had an idea he took to Cole. “I really like sitcoms,” says Jacob. “And I thought wouldn’t it be funny if someone made a sitcom about something strange and counterintuitive-like. I’ve always been fascinated by cults, and I knew Cole would think the idea was at least a little funny. I presented it to him, and we couldn’t stop talking about it. And then Cole brought the dramatic heft and weight to it saying, let’s treat this more seriously and not make it a laugh-tracky sitcom.”

The result is a wonderful mix of poignancy, serious moments, and laugh-out-loud comedy. After earning a grant from MiddChallenge at the Innovation Hub for their idea, they researched cults and their practices. They were also aware of a deli in Rutland, Vermont, that is run by a cult. “Part of the egg for me was the unusual idea of the juxtaposition of cult and deli,” says Cole. They decided to make that the basis of their series and ran with it, creating the cult “The Gardeners of His Immaculate and Gaping Chest Hole.”

As Brother Pastorius tells us in Episode 1, the Garden is based on two things: “One, the establishment of God’s paradise here on earth, and two, the making and serving of delicious deli sandwiches at a reasonable price point.”

So many components of producing the series ended up being fortuitous opportunities, including the writing. Jacob and Cole had a week after graduation before being moved into summer housing, and Jacob was still in his Atwater suite. “I was the only student in the whole building. It was like The Shining or something.” The two took over a common space with a massive whiteboard, which they covered with goals and ideas. The story took off, and even though they hadn’t finished every episode by the end of the week, they knew everything that was going to happen in the series. It helped that they also knew the actors who would play the characters.

“We knew which of our friends were going to be in the area during the summer, so we kind of wrote the characters based on them,” says Jacob. It wasn’t difficult to convince these actors, both graduates and current students, to take part in the film. “We’ve worked with so many of them in the past at Middlebury that we all trusted each other in a way that we wouldn’t have asked them to commit so much time if it was something we didn’t really care about.” In fact, their friends were also crucial in revisions of the script—Cole and Jacob would do read-throughs with them, get their thoughts and ideas, and go back and rewrite the scenes.

They also realized they would need other characters. “We needed adults to make the world of these kids feel real. We wanted it to feel like there’s a reason these are young people but there are also older people in their world,” says Cole. One of the main characters is Detective Whit Dickens, who ends up investigating the cult. They hoped to convince Alex Draper ’88, professor of theatre at Middlebury, to play the part. “We didn’t ask him until late in the process and we should’ve asked him earlier,” says Jacob. Cole adds, “We’d written the part for him, so we had to beg. Luckily he liked the script.”

Another key part is the sheriff in town, and they thought of Craig Maravich, a local actor who teaches at the College and at the Bread Loaf School of English. Cole had seen him in productions in town and knew what an excellent actor he was. Cole and Jacob didn’t want to delude themselves that he would say yes, but he read the script and was very enthusiastic. And he had a suggestion for his deputy sidekick: musician Clint Bierman ’97.

We first meet Sheriff Eisenhower and Deputy Harding when they come to the cult’s deli to check things out: not about the cult, however. They are there to “scope out the competition.” Every year in August at the county fair, there is a competition to see who makes the best sandwich in Vermont. And as Brother Pastorius says, the policemen’s union “makes a mean pastrami on rye.” Craig plays the obnoxious sheriff expertly, and Clint is hilarious as the bumbling deputy.

Many factors fell into place with what Cole and Jacob felt was incredible good luck, including the ability to use various locations around Middlebury for their scenes. But one constraint that often made filming stressful was time. The adults, with their busy lives, could only offer so many hours for the show. Clint and Craig’s scenes were all shot within a three-hour time frame. And several of the young actors, like Wynn McClenahan ’22, who plays the main character of Ruby, were only in town for a few weeks, so the schedule was tight. At one point they all arrived for a nighttime scene at one venue, the Middlebury Chapel, only to find it locked. They really needed to do the filming that night, especially because they had a lot of extras showing up. “So we called Public Safety and asked if they could open it up for us. And they just came and opened the door,” says Cole. “There were so many moments where the schedule was tight enough that if something didn’t happen, we were never going to get that scene.”

Another helpful aspect was the knowledge Gibson Grimm ’22 (who plays the very funny, over-the-top Brother Pastorius) had about filming. “He was there for every shoot because he was the director of photography and it was his camera and he was the expert,” says Jacob. Jacob and Cole also did a fair amount of filming, and when it came time to edit, the three of them collaborated on every scene. By then they had all left Middlebury, so Cole and Jacob did the first pass-throughs on the various episodes, and once an episode was ready to view, they would Zoom with Gibson, watch it, take notes, and confer. “We did that for weeks and weeks and weeks,” says Jacob, “until the episodes all got to a point where we were like, they’re looking pretty polished.”

The result is an extremely entertaining series, with easy-to-watch short episodes that challenge you to watch just one. And an added bonus is the music that accompanies the show. The very talented Emily Ma ’21, who plays Sister Delilah, composed and recorded the majority of songs, but Clint Bierman also provided them with some of his work, and they attained the rights to some other songs from original artists. As Jacob says, “The music just adds a whole other level—it fleshes out the episodes.”

Cole and Jacob have been overwhelmed by the positive responses they have gotten about the series. And when asked if there are other projects in the works, they admit they do have one project, which they actually started before The Deli People, that they are excited to get back to. And, Cole adds, “I would say we could probably tease in this interview that in the immediate future, people might have not seen the last of the deli people.” We certainly hope not.

In fact, keep an eye out for a Christmas special starring the deli people (who celebrate Christmas on February 26, for some reason), which will be released in March.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent Stories

Features

More Than a Game

In a critically acclaimed work of nonfiction, Abe Streep '04 introduces readers to the Arlee Warriors, a high school basketball team on a Native American reservation in Montana, where life's challenges are abundant.

By Alexander Wolff
Photograph by Devin Yalkin
October 21, 2022

Munya Munyati Has A Few Stories to Tell

Catching up with a young filmmaker who is rapidly making a name for himself at Vice.

By Mara Dolan
Film stills by Munya Munyati
September 16, 2022

Reverberations

A transcontinental move, a career discovered, a landmark speech studied and translated—and an identity reshaped.

By Clara Clymer, MA Translation '22
Illustration by Anna Gusella
April 2, 2022

The Road(s)

A little over a year ago, a writing student headed south to Florida for no other reason than J-Term was forced to go remote. She soon found herself reporting on an environmental justice battle that was roiling the state.

By Alexandra Burns '21.5
Illustrations by Yevgenia Nayberg
March 2, 2022

Dispatches

The Repatriation

The Leopard Head Hip Ornament returns to Africa.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Courtesy Middlebury Museum of Art
February 16, 2023

Adventures in Filmmaking

Two professors and an alum have embarked on a journey to take a screenplay from its creation to the end product of a full-length feature film.

By Sara Thurber Marshall
Still Photograph from The Swim Lesson Proof of Concept
February 14, 2023

A Night Out

For one evening in December, Atwater dining hall hosted a student-dining experience unlike any other.

By Caroline Crawford
Photographs by Paul Dahm
January 20, 2023

Finding His Way

What happens when your identity is stolen—not by another person but by your own body?

By Sara Thurber Marshall
December 15, 2022

A Natural Selection

For more than a quarter century, Stephen Trombulak— now an emeritus professor of biology and environmental studies—guided students in avian research on a parcel of College land hard by Otter Creek. This preserved area now bears his name.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Photography by Paul Dahm
November 18, 2022

The Utterly Fascinating Life of Howie McCausland

He saves lives. He brought the Internet to Middlebury. He has a degree in astrophysics. And he loves to fish. Yes, this is a true story.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Illustration by John S. Dykes
September 16, 2022

It’s a New Day at the Museum of Art

Reimagining what an art museum can and should be.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Art courtesy of the Middlebury College Museum of Art
June 30, 2022

First Aid

Their projects span the globe—from Kenya to Haiti to the United States. As the 2021-22 academic year came to a close, a cohort of students gathered to discuss what having a social impact really means.

By Sara Thurber Marshall
Illustration by Brian Stauffer
June 28, 2022

The Case of the Purloined Onions

Onions have been disappearing from Middlebury's garden. Now, a team of undergraduate sleuths are honing in on a lineup of suspects.

By Andrew Cassel
Illustration by Naomi Ann Clarke
June 21, 2022
View All

Pursuits

Public Defender

On becoming one of the country's foremost cybersecurity experts.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Illustration by Neil Webb
April 14, 2022

Q&A

The Making of a Teacher

Hebrew Professor Michal Strier reflects on her life an education—in Israel and the States—a journey that led the Language School instructor to the undergraduate College for the first time this year.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Photograph by Paul Dahm
May 19, 2022

Editor’s Note

A Brilliant Fogg

Saying goodbye to a dear colleague and friend.

By Matt Jennings
Illustration by Jody Hewgill
February 25, 2020

Old Chapel

Making Democracy Real

An Update on Our Conflict Transformation Initiative

By Laurie L. Patton
Illustration by Montse Bernal
January 20, 2023

Road Taken

What to Wear Now

Through accrued life experiences, a writer discovers that a common question has become a statement of identity.

By Samantha Hubbard Shanley ’99
Illustration by Naomi Clarke
March 11, 2021

Quotation

A summer immersed in a language can do wonders, as veterans of Middlebury College’s famous language-learning program can attest. The lockdown is clearly going to amount to the equivalent of about two summers, and there are mini-Middleburys happening in millions of houses worldwide.”

—John McWhorter, writing “The Coronavirus Generation Will Use Language Differently” in the Atlantic.

Podcasts

Introducing Midd Moment: Season 3

Coming this spring, season three of Midd Moment.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
March 31, 2023

Alone Together, Ep. 9 with Jessica St. Clair ’98 and Dan O’Brien ’96

Dan O'Brien ’96, a playwright and poet, and Jessica St. Clair ’98, a comedian and writer, join President Patton for our final check in with the community during COVID-19 self-isolation. Dan and Jessica are a true power couple in the arts that met in a Middlebury improv group. They discuss Dan's magazine essay "Life Shrinks: Lessons from Chemo Quarantine," how reopening the country feels a lot like remission, and how their art is evolving to reflect the pandemic.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
June 15, 2020

Alone Together, Ep. 8 with Dick Clay, Covid-19 Survivor

In this episode, Dick Clay, a student at the Bread Loaf School of English, shares his story of recovering from COVID-19. Dick discusses when the seriousness of the virus hit him, the "wilderness path to recovery," and how he will process this experience through writing.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
June 8, 2020

Review

Heart and Soul(s)

Funny and touching, this story centers on a small town and the escapades of its inhabitants—both living and dead.

By Sara Thurber Marshall
Illustration by Miki Lowe
March 29, 2023

How Did You Get Here?

Megan Job

By Alexandra Burns '21
February 15, 2021

Leif Taranta

By Alexandra Burns '21
February 15, 2021

Mikayla Haefele

By Alexandra Burns '21
February 15, 2021

Videos

Pomp and Unusual Circumstances

As viewed from above.

By Chris Spencer
June 1, 2021

Davis the Owl Returns Home

Having recovered from life-threatening injuries, a beautiful winged creature is released to its natural habitat.

By Andrew Cassell
April 22, 2021

In the Blink of an Eye

Gone in less than a minute—the middle of June 2019 to the middle of June 2020, as viewed from the rooftop of the Mittelman Observatory.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
Video by Jonathan Kemp/Mittelman Observatory
June 10, 2020
Middlebury College
  • Alumni
  • Newsroom
  • Contact Us
  • icon-instagram

The views presented are not necessarily those of the editors or the official policies of the College.

© 2023 Middlebury College Publications.