A brand new TV show is in the works called VISIBLE with an original soundtrack and unique twist to traditional teen dramas.
The Project
VISIBLE is a thirty-minute standalone pilot for a teen drama series. It follows Sharon, Mo and Lee - three second-generation Toronto teens attempting to navigate cultural identity and self-purpose in their senior year of high school.
Our production group, Second Wave Studios, was brought together for one reason: we were tired of seeing teen dramas that completely failed to do their marginalized/PoC characters justice.
While in many teen shows, PoC characters often become tokenized or relegated to the side, VISIBLE was created to show a true representation of growing up in an immigrant community in cities like Toronto. We want to portray complex and realistic characters on screen that reflect these diverse backgrounds, just like the ones we all grew up in. We want to ensure that our characters were nuanced and real, undergoing issues and struggles that are common for teenagers in today’s world.
The Synopsis
Set in a working class neighbourhood in Toronto, Sharon, Mo and Lee are students in their final year at Aginview Secondary School. Growing up in immigrant households, they try to navigate their identities and aspirations, all while feeling the pressure of high school closing in on them. When someone close to them is targeted and attacked, they decide to seek justice and take on the administration themselves. They soon come to realize that changing the system isn’t as easy as it seems.
The Team
Levi Linton is an African-Scottish Canadian multifaceted artist born and raised in the upper beaches area of Toronto. Levi experienced so many cultural backgrounds from his childhood community and has always felt one with his ethnic roots. As Audio and Technical Lead, Levi hopes to bring the picture to life with a powerful set of diverse artists in Toronto’s music scene.
Carol Liu is a Chinese-Canadian visual artist, designer and writer. Born in Shanghai and raised in Toronto, Carol feels a strong connection to the diverse immigrant neighbourhoods of this city. When co-creating the concept for VISIBLE with Maryan, she wanted to accurately portray the experiences of under-represented communities from which they are from.
Maryan Haye is a Somali-Canadian actor and screenwriter from Toronto, Ontario. Growing up in the Jane and Finch community, being in the media industry was never something that she considered an option until she entered university. Co-creating VISIBLE has allowed her to help bring characters similar to the kids she grew up with to life, and she is excited to produce a pilot that brings fresh voices and representation to youth programming.
Amreen Kullar is a second gen Indian-Canadian filmmaker and graphic designer. Through her numerous short film productions, surrounding social justice, while featuring commentary on the current digital age, she strives to create tolerance and understanding. She has always been drawn to the visuals of the content she watches and produces, hence, cinematography and art direction is where she is happiest. VISIBLE will allow her to continue creating necessary content to address overlooked stories that struggle to reach mainstream audiences.
The premiere is set for April 2020. Stay Tuned!
Credits:
Artwork by Carol Liu