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2022

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#honesty: It Takes A Village

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A Look Back At The Making Of #honesty

– A table read of a draft script in August 2019

– The first block of filming at the end of 2020

– Pandemic setbacks

– Finally wrapping in summer 2021

– Launching #honesty on February 2022

(and a whole lotta steps in between)

 

We’ve been living with this project for a while.

We came, we saw, and we conquered….eventually…!

And we’re so proud of everyone who was involved in making it happen, because it took a village!

Take a look at the journey with the #honesty team >

Ep 1

#honesty Joins Leading Comedy Channel

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This week was a considerable milestone in the #honesty journey as the series was added to leading YouTube comedy channel Dead Parrot.

The channel, run by Little Dot Studios, already features some leading British comedy talent such as Jimmy Carr, Peter Serafinowicz, Dylan Moran, Stephen Fry as well as cult favourite Peep Show. 

Speaking about the announcement, Niall Bishop, who co-wrote the show alongside Ruggero Dalla Santa, said “we’re thrilled #honesty will be in such esteemed comedy company on Dead Parrot. And very excited that a whole new audience will get a chance to discover this story and spend time with such an eclectic cast of characters.”

An episode of #honesty will be dropping every Tuesday on Dead Parrot from July 26th. 

Subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss out.

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#honesty Submitted to Film Festivals in 2022

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We’ve submitted #honesty to film festivals this year and we’re eagerly waiting to see how it’s received.

We’ve done a lot of research into where to apply, because though there are a multitude of festivals, categories appropriate for web series are more of a niche offering.

We wanted to pick events which recognised it as an important developing format, not just as TV’s poorer cousin or as a short film in segments.

We’ve read lots of blogs for advice and then, ultimately, gone with our guts. (What more can you do?!)

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#honesty was made with its audience in mind, we knew that they would be watching online, on a mix of devices.

We knew that some people would watch an episode at a time, and others would wait until they were all available and binge them in one go.

Usually it’s part of the criteria at film festivals that, even if your film has had a premier already, it isn’t widely available to view.

Of course, that makes sense, the festivals want to be the go-to place for discovery of new talent. There has to be a sense of exclusivity.

Web series, on the other hand, are mostly expected to have been released publicly before submission to festivals.

It’s going to be really interesting to see how different the energy is within the web series categories.

And thus far we’ve never had a big group of people all together in one room watching the #honesty episodes back to back (though we’ve done so ourselves a hundred times at this point!)

So fingers crossed!

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#honesty star back in the West End

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Omar Khan, who brilliantly played fan favourite Mayur in #honesty, has been racking up the performances in West End play Life of Pi.

Omar has been understudying a number of parts, going on to play four different characters over the month of June alone.

Based on the best-selling novel by Yann Martel, the critically acclaimed 5-time Olivier Award-winning production continues to draw in full houses at the Wyndham’s Theatre.

You can see the trailer here >

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#honesty Star Wins Best Actor Award

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Kit Esuruoso, who stars as the über-cool Yinka in #honesty, has been awarded the Best Actor award at Australia’s CinefestOz.

Kit was recognised for his performance in Akoni. The film follows the journey of a homeless Nigerian refugee who must integrate into Western life, after being forced to flee a devastating conflict in his homeland. Genna Chanelle Hayes’ debut feature film was shot across Australia, New Zealand and West Africa, highlighting the all too familiar plight of war refugees.

Speaking via his Instagram, Kit was unable to accept the award in person but was quick to thank the support for the film:

“This was a crazy journey and I want to thank all the continued support and love people have shown for me, this film and powerful stories that need to be told.”

Akoni hits cinemas this month and you can see the trailer here >

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#honesty: What About the Grownups?

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A lot of research has been conducted in recent years around the effects of social media on the minds of today’s youths. Influencer culture in particular has been determining trends and habits in a much deeper way than celebrity culture ever could alone. In a Centre for Mental Health blog post, Rhys Edmonds summarises that:

“[t]he evidence suggests that social media use is strongly associated with anxiety, loneliness and depression.”

https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/blogs/anxiety-loneliness-and-fear-missing-out-impact-social-media-young-peoples-mental-health

And he suggests measures to mitigate this for young people, such as “integrating social media ‘lessons’ into subjects in school.”

 

But what about the impact this new fast-paced culture is having on the adult population. Are we too quick to assume that Gen X have avoided the worst of it? Sure, they might have been spared their teenage years being scrutinized online but there are still those who rely on a constant stream of personal updates to maintain their lifestyle.

“The hyper-competitive business of influencing takes a toll. Whether it’s hustling for deals or grappling with a constant itch to check your likes—the pressure is real.”

https://talkinginfluence.com/2021/08/20/influencer-marketing-trends-impacting-mental-health/

All the real-life Jack Brights and Jemima Princes out there might seem to be thriving thanks to this new economy, but at what cost?

It could be easy to brush all concerns aside. After all, aren’t they doing it to themselves? And don’t they seem perfectly confident and sure of themselves in their posts? Why should we care? But it’s important to remember that behind the glossy facade are real people who may be suffering from the same burnout, self-esteem issues and unhealthy cycles of behaviour that we worry about for younger users.

“[W]e’re all knowingly walking into a hall of mirrors and still believing the distortions beaming back at us … it’s absolutely playing tricks on our minds, and the effects might be irreversible.”

https://www.shondaland.com/live/body/a38964196/is-social-media-important/

So isn’t it time we asked: what about the grownups?

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#honesty Star Performs at Queen’s Jubilee

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Niall Bishop, who plays guru Jack Bright in #honesty, was part of an all-star cast who performed for Her Majesty the Queen at the Platinum Jubilee celebration. The event was held in her honour at Windsor Castle on Sunday, the 15th of May.

Niall took his place alongside Dame Helen Mirren, Damien Lewis, comedian Omid Djalili as well as Tom Cruise and played the part of Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson, recreating his famous Battle of Trafalgar speech.

The event was broadcast live on ITV to an estimated television audience of over 10 million people, with HM the Queen making her first public appearance in several months.

Check him out as Jack Bright >