Santa Rosa High School grad Cullen finding TV success on the web

Matt Cullen is living his dream in Los Angeles.

Since graduating from Santa Rosa High School in 2008, Cullen has gone on to create and co-star in a celebrated Web comedy series called “Raymond & Lane” that’s now in its second season, with guest stars that include actors who have appeared in “Portlandia” and “The Princess Diaries.”

Cullen and his friend Troy LaPersonerie are honored guests this weekend at the 2015 Los Angeles Webfest, an awards ceremony devoted to online series. Both were nominated in the outstanding lead male actor in a comedy series category, and cast member Samantha Purnell earned a nomination for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series.

“It’s happened so fast,” said Cullen, who now lives in Los Angeles. “I spend every second of every day on this project. I feel like every day our show just gets bigger and bigger.”

Once they have finished filming season two, he said, “we plan on compiling the best footage and pitching it to television networks.”

Cullen, 25, has always wanted to be an actor and has fond memories of performing in “Into the Woods” at Santa Rosa High, dancing classes at Santa Rosa Junior College and seasons at SRJC’s Summer Repertory Theatre.

“I think one of the best experiences for me was spending my summer casting, producing and directing all my best friends in ‘Godspell,’ ” he said. “This is the musical that helped us raise over $5,000 for Kid Street,” the West End school for which he developed and funded an arts and theater program.

For that accomplishment, Cullen won a Press Democrat Community Service Youth Award in 2008.

He went on to earn a bachelor of fine arts in musical theater in 2012 from Pace University in New York, then moved to Los Angeles and partnered with LaPersonerie, also a Pace graduate.

“Troy and I got out here and didn’t know anybody in L.A.,” Cullen said. “We just took an iPhone and made little funny videos, one-minute videos. We called ourselves ‘The Webchat Boys.’ ”

By August 2014, they had shifted from creating short videos to developing the first season of “Raymond & Lane,” writing and producing nine scripted episodes.

The characters are based on their creators - “Raymond and Lane are our middle names,” Cullen said - but wasn’t inspired by any other shows.

“It is an inside look at the life of two very eccentric, offbeat best friends and our day-to-day life in Los Angeles.”

The main characters get wrongfully arrested and break out of jail, then travel “all over the place,” he said. “An episode ago, we did a ‘Sound of Music’ parody that took place in a convent.

“We see it as a throwback (to ‘90s comedies) like ‘Fraiser,’ ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Will & Grace.’ We want to create a clean comedy that’s entertaining for all ages.”

They recruit new talent by sending copies of the scripts to actors they think would be right for the parts, and have Danny Belrose of “Portlandia” and Heather Matarazzo of “The Princess Diaries.”

“We don’t pay them,” Cullen said. “It’s just an honor to have them.”

“Raymond & Lane” now has more than 800 subscribers on Youtube, including a fan base in Europe that triggered a full-page spread in an Irish magazine and an Irish radio show appearance.

Cullen said many of the tools he uses to prosper in Los Angeles were learned in Sonoma County. He participated in Tomorrow’s Leaders Today, for example, a program of Social Advocates for Youth.

“In TLT, you meet all the leaders in Sonoma County, in wine, in business. I learned that if you have a dream, you have to follow your dream.

“Ever since I was 5 years old, I’ve wanted to be an actor. I’ve known that I was put on this Earth to act and create. Now it is coming true,” Cullen said.

To watch episodes of “Raymond & Lane,” visit raymondandlane.com.