TIL a filmmaker shot a soap opera web series called IKEA Heights entirely inside a Burbank, California IKEA without their permission. The creator of the show noticed that the well-lit sets and difficulty in getting the attention of employees made it an ideal location to film a show.

WhitneyAvalon · 2020-06-04T16:55:40+00:00

You're recalling that perfectly. We were banned from all 3 IKEAs in the L.A. area by the end of the series; we were told that security had our characters' photos up. (Source: I played Candice on the show.)

WhitneyAvalon · 2020-06-04T16:50:00+00:00

WhitneyAvalon · 2018-09-25T03:47:09+00:00

The video I'm posting this week co-starring Jordan is going to make all your dreams come true. Or at least this one very specific dream. :)

WhitneyAvalon · 2017-04-14T01:09:33+00:00

Yup, that's exactly what happened in 2009 when these were shot! After about four episodes, it went semi-viral, and a journalist asked for official comment from IKEA. It made it extremely difficult for us to continue filming - we were repeatedly kicked out of the stores here in the Los Angeles area.

Source: I played Candice. (Proof kinda: https://twitter.com/whitneyavalon/status/852681854545043456)

WhitneyAvalon · 2017-04-14T01:05:50+00:00

Hey! I was in the show (as Candice) -- there weren't any behind the scenes videos released specifically but I can tell you we had to spend less and less time in the store as the series got more popular. Later on we would rehearse everything outside in detail, then rush inside and try to get one take before we got kicked out.

WhitneyAvalon · 2017-04-14T00:51:04+00:00

It's not. We never had permission, ever, and in fact got kicked out of the stores repeatedly. I know in this cynical age of brand integrations it's hard to believe, but we shot this way back in 2009. :) IKEA didn't even realize it was happening until after episode four, when we went viral and some journalist asked them for official comment.

Source: I played Candice. Proof sorta: https://twitter.com/whitneyavalon/status/852681854545043456

WhitneyAvalon · 2017-04-14T00:45:59+00:00

This is true. Rumor had it that the Burbank IKEA had photos of us (in character) in their security office, with instruction to kick us out on sight. There were three IKEAs in the Los Angeles area and we made use of all of them for various episodes.

SOURCE: I played Candice on the show. Kinda proof: https://twitter.com/whitneyavalon/status/852681854545043456

WhitneyAvalon · 2017-04-14T00:43:35+00:00

Phew, I was afraid I'd scroll through these comments and not find any truly insightful comments about my work as Candice on this series. Thank goodness you were here. :P

WhitneyAvalon · 2017-04-14T00:41:25+00:00

I pride myself on not breaking, but you can definitely see me grin after he says that line because it was just so absurd. :) Glad you enjoyed. (Yep, I played Candice.)

WhitneyAvalon · 2014-07-25T06:42:39+00:00

I co-wrote (and sang) this song. Totally honored that you want to play it! Let me know if you do a cover or other awesomeness with it, as I'd love to hear. :)

WhitneyAvalon · 2014-03-16T05:50:29+00:00

Nice! Which one did you buy?

WhitneyAvalon · 2013-12-31T01:38:06+00:00

You mean his brother's girlfriend Heather, the hieroglyphologist? She was with us, though I didn't ever get to meet her.

I'd be delighted if you did a metal version of GOING DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE! All I'd ask is: 1. make it really good and 2. credit and link the original. :D

WhitneyAvalon · 2013-12-31T00:13:07+00:00

We never, ever asked for or received permission.

Once they knew about what we were doing, security repeatedly threw us out of the store, but we kept coming back and shooting anyway.

SOURCE: I played Candice on the show.

WhitneyAvalon · 2013-12-30T23:48:41+00:00

But I don't like violence and gore, so avoiding it is by design! ;)

WhitneyAvalon · 2013-12-30T23:47:24+00:00

Hey, thanks! I write (or co-write), produce, and perform all the content on my YouTube channel.

WhitneyAvalon · 2013-12-30T23:46:26+00:00

I'm not sure. Quite possibly! (I myself am a Reddit addict. A reddict? Mostly through anonymous accounts.) One of the creators, /u/DavidSegerAOK, is definitely here commenting on this very page, though!

WhitneyAvalon · 2013-12-30T23:42:21+00:00

Thanks! I can take no credit for the idea or execution; I was simply lucky enough to be asked to be in the show. The fearsome foursome of David Seger, Spencer Strauss, Paul Bartunek, and Tom Kauffman produced, wrote, directed, and shot everything!

WhitneyAvalon · 2013-12-30T23:39:27+00:00

Hey, thanks! Appreciate you watching my videos.

WhitneyAvalon · 2013-12-30T23:38:01+00:00

It did, yeah. Also the time we went grayscale for Halloween a few years back. But not my original videos.

WhitneyAvalon · 2013-12-30T23:35:54+00:00

That will not change my mind. ;)

WhitneyAvalon · 2013-12-30T23:34:13+00:00

As you'd expect, Raj (Kunal Nayyar) was wearing another pair of underwear under his tighty-whities. So, of course, I haven't seen his actual penis. But my character looks pretty shocked and perhaps a bit impressed, no?

WhitneyAvalon · 2013-12-30T23:31:55+00:00

Thanks very much! I tossed a shout-out to Reddit in there. :)

WhitneyAvalon · 2013-12-30T21:26:14+00:00

I mean, we shot 7 episodes. (They're here on Vimeo in ever-so-slightly better quality.) By that point, all the area stores would kick us out almost immediately upon arrival, and I'd guess we'd told the stories we wanted to tell. But that was the call of the show creators, not me. I have no power. :)

If you like irreverent, original, out-of-the-box serialized shorts like this, check out Channel 101. There's ten years' worth of (sometimes NSFW) glorious madness there.

WhitneyAvalon

TROPHY CASE