BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A television pilot filmed at Railroad Records, DeSales University and other Lehigh Valley locations is slated for a 2027 release, and its 23-year-old writer and director hopes it will change how audiences see his generation.
“Da Capo,” created by Lehigh Valley filmmaker Jacob Welsko, follows a young indie rock band scrambling to find a replacement member days before a gig. A teaser is available now, and Welsko said an official trailer will be released in the coming weeks.
The title comes from the Italian musical term meaning “from the beginning” — fitting for a series about young artists starting out, made by a crew of them.
Filmmaker Jacob Welsko and his production crew pose at Railroad Records in Bethlehem during the filming of his television pilot “Da Capo” in early 2026. (Credit: Mahx Baptiste)
“I feel like a lot of shows nowadays paint people in my generation as lazy or rude,” Welsko said. “I’m trying to show that we’re hardworking and that we have our own stories to tell and that we’re good people as well.”
Welsko, who was born at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, studied at Northampton Community College before earning a film degree from Kutztown University in 2025. The pilot is his largest project to date.
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According to press materials, the pilot was shot over seven days in early 2026 on a $2,000 budget, with more than 50 Pennsylvania-based cast and crew members, drawn from a casting call that received more than 40 auditions.
Filming locations included Railroad Records, the South Side Bethlehem vinyl shop that opened last summer, along with the Bethlehem Public Library, the Bethlehem Greenway, DeSales University and other spots around the city’s South Side.
Welsko said shooting locally was a deliberate choice.
Filmmaker Jacob Welsko, left, directs on set during the production of his television pilot “Da Capo” in Bethlehem in early 2026. (Credit: Jacob Welsko )
“All these shows about young people always take place in New York or LA, and I want to show that opportunity can happen anywhere,” he said. “Things can happen wherever you are as long as you’ve got a great team of people and the drive to do it.”
Welsko describes the series as a drama with comedy in the background, citing influences including “The Bear,” “Atlanta,” “High Fidelity,” “Insecure” and the 1992 film “Singles.”
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The cast includes Tyler West, Rai Rex, Josh Huyssen, Victor Forman, Alonzo Allison, Destinee Gilbert, Dylan Miller, and Jaedan Reppert. Welsko credited assistant director and producer Liam Gorecki, executive producer Gabe Howard, and director of photography and producer Lucas Garcia, calling the team essential to the project.
“I can never give them enough gratitude for the work that they put in to make this project come to life,” he said.
The pilot, a production of JACOBWHENEVER Productions and Hard2KillProductionz, is in editing. Welsko said he plans to release it in segments on YouTube and social media while pitching the series to studios, with hopes of one day landing on a major streaming service.
A trailer for the pilot will screen July 25 at the Gap Theatre in Wind Gap ahead of a feature film premiere, according to press materials.
Updates are posted on the show’s Instagram.
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