Indie Spotlight: ‘Educated Fleas’ Puts Its Spin On The Birds And The Bees

We receive a ton of tips every day from independent creators, unaffiliated with any major motion picture studios, television networks, new media studios, or other well-funded online video entities. The Indie Spotlight is where we’ll write about and shout out to a select few of them and bring you up to speed on the great (and sometimes not-so-great) attention-grabbing series you probably haven’t heard about until now. Read previous installments here.

The web series featured in this week’s Indie Spotlight seeks to enlighten its viewers as it entertains them. Its called Educated Fleas, and its focus is sex positivity — which leaves room for both lewd jokes and teachable moments.

The protagonist of Educated Fleas is Ruth, portrayed by Crosby Fitzgerald. As we learn in the show, one of Ruth’s strongest talents is her ability to say the word “testicles” without cracking up, which leads her to a unique job opportunity. In each episode she delivers a version of the “birds and the bees” talk to a youngster while also sorting out her own personal life. “Ruth has a complicated relationship with sex and love while also being an advocate for sexual empowerment,” said Fitzgerald in a press release. “I think a lot of people can relate to having that complex dichotomy of thought.”

EDUCATED FLEAS // Episode 1 “Pilot” from Educated Fleas on Vimeo.

While Educated Fleas is, on the surface, a comedy, it also has an important secondary goal of promoting frank discussions about sex. For creators Mae Smith and Emily Hornsby, destigmatizing our shared attitude toward private parts is valuable, and their show contributes to the conversation. Six episodes are currently available.

OTHER UNDER-THE-RADAR SERIES TO CHECK OUT

• Herrings. A man who has experience hunting fugitives decides to abet one.
• Shiny Baby Goats. A music composer and a visual artist attempt to climb their respective ladders.
• Stoney Brook Revisted. Fans of The Babysitters Club made a film based around their favorite series.

Got a series you’d like to see featured in the Indie Spotlight? Be sure to contact us here. For best coverage, please include a full episode in your e-mail.