MIDS

Creator, Writer, Director

This project was born out of my interest in new media storytelling, piqued by the wave of high-quality literary adaptation web series, such as those produced by Pemberley Digital, that was being streamed on video content platforms such as YouTube. I developed the story specifically to amplify my voice as a first-generation South-Asian storyteller. I saw the parallels between the original conflict of the play and the issues many first-generation adults in the US face as they straddle the line between the culture of their heritage and the culture they grew up in.

Following the development of the story, I collaborated with screenwriter Anna Rich, with whom I wrote all 10 episodes of the story. Based on research we kept all episodes below 10 pages, ending in cliffhangers to combat viewer fatigue and encourage binge-watching. I decided to move forward with producing the first two written episodes as a joint pilot for proof of concept.

We successfully crowdfunded $5000 for production and began production during August 2016. Post-Production continued through February 2017, and the pilot was published on YouTube on February 28th, 2017. As of October 2018, we have 1.2K views on Facebook and over 500 views on YouTube.

This project was executed independently, and I co-produced, directed, and managed the social media for the project. The project required collaboration, problem-solving, dedication (especially as we shot in non-air-conditioned spaces during a heatwave). This was the first project of this scale I executed independently of NYU from development to distribution. While I am excited by our final product, the project’s strongest result was an affirmation of the kind of stories that I want to tell moving forward in my career.