HOLIDAY ANGELS: You smashed BOTH of our stretch goals!
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO'S BACKED THIS CAMPAIGN SO FAR! YOU'VE PROVEN OUR STORIES ARE THE REAL DEAL -- OUR VOICES MATTER!
WE'RE EXCITED TO MAKE THE HOLIDAY FILM YOU DESERVE! WHY? BECAUSE NOW IS THE TIME.
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Short Summary
Season of Love is a lighthearted rom-com featuring a large ensemble cast of diverse women and their connected love lives during the hectic holiday period just before Christmas through the New Year who discover love truly is the best gift of all. Meet IRIS, MARDOU, LOU, KENNA, JANEY, and SUE as they navigate the busy holiday season of love.
Iris, a jilted bride, is comforted by the groom’s Best (wo)Man, Mardou, as Iris realizes the perfect plan she mapped out for her life may not be what she actually needs or wants.
Iris’s Maid-of-Honor, Lou, juggles worrying about Iris while frantically trying to meet her New Year deadline to open her own brewery business, Bramble Brewhouse, which is held at risk when she realizes her brew tanks aren’t even functional without the help of local welder, Kenna...who just so happens to be her very aggravating upstairs neighbor.
Meanwhile, Iris’s cousin, Janey, returns home from college for Iris’s wedding and is also looking to reconnect with her long-time girlfriend, Sue. But Janey jeopardizes everything when she betrays Sue’s trust. The betrayal couldn’t come at a worse time: Sue’s struggling to make ends meet as her sick mother’s medical bills threaten to overcome the family in the middle of the holidays.
The Characters of Season of Love
IRIS (the Bride). Played by Emily Goss. Iris is starting a new chapter in her otherwise perfect life by getting married to the perfect husband. Affluent, industrious, and a little bit up-tight, Iris wants to exude the image of a perfectly put-together woman. But when the pressures and expectations of having such a perfect life become too stifling for her fiancé (THEO) she finds herself abandoned on her wedding day. With the help of her friends, as well as her ex’s Best Man, Iris overcomes the unexpected turn of events, and she learns it’s better to be who you want to be rather than who you think you should be.
THEO (the Groom). Theo was intended to be Iris's perfect husband. He gets cold feet on their wedding day when he realizes he barely knows who she truly is beneath the image she puts forth.
MARDOU (the Best Man). Mardou is a kind, wise soul, who’s put her successful career in the music industry on hold to attend her brother’s (THEO) wedding as his Best (wo)Man. When her brother leaves his would-be wife on the day of their wedding, Mardou takes it upon herself to stay in town long enough to ensure her brother’s abandoned fiance is looked after. What Mardou doesn’t realize is that she would fall in love with her in the process.
LOU (the Brewer). Played by Jessica Clark. Lou’s a workaholic whose life ambition is to open a brewery. She’s never had time to form romantic relationships. Her Bramble Brewhouse is now weeks from opening, and she couldn’t be happier. Lou’s New Year’s deadline is nearly derailed as her world is turned upside down when the annoying -- and annoyingly cute -- neighbor (KENNA) from the apartment upstairs ends up answering a call for help when Lou needs it most.
KENNA (the Welder). Played by Sandra Mae Frank. Kenna is a welder and artist who takes a job repairing brew tanks at a soon-to-open brewery. Kenna’s had many relationships, but the only one that ever lasted is with her best friend, roommate and personal assistant and translator, Charlie. That’s all about to change this holiday season.
CHARLIE (the Roomie). Played by Matthew Bridges. Charlie is Kenna's long-time friend, roommate, personal assistant and translator. He knows her better than anyone else in her life and is the perfect snarky wingman and sidekick.
JANEY (the Student). Janey is a student returning home from college just in time to be a bridesmaid in her cousin’s (IRIS) wedding. She’s excited to finally have the chance to spend time with her girlfriend, SUE, who she’s known her entire life. Janey jeopardizes everything when she betrays Sue’s trust.
SUE (the Busker). Played by Dominique Provost-Chalkley. Sue is a talented musician who uses her guitar skills as a means to support herself and her sick mother. Most of the money she makes, she makes as a busker, and then puts everything back into taking care of her mother. Facing overdue bills, she struggles to enjoy the holidays with her girlfriend (JANEY) now that they are back together. She’s proud and stubborn and often has a hard time taking help from anyone, especially from her girlfriend. In addition to her guitar talents, Sue has an amazing singing voice but only shares it with people she loves. She suffers from crippling anxiety, so when a private video of her singing is leaked and she becomes a viral sensation it’s almost too much for her to bear.
Meet Our Cast & Crew
Dominique Provost-Chalkley, "Sue"
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Dominique Provost-Chalkley was born in Bristol, England. She is an award-winning actress known for Wynonna Earp (2016), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and Buckout Road (2017). Dominique began dancing at the age of four, and after quickly discovering her passion for all performing arts she trained in acting, singing and all genres of dance to become as versatile a performer as possible. Dominique went on to train for three years at Laine Theatre Arts. She’s worked on West End’s hit musicals Dirty Dancing and Viva Forever and ITV’s series Britannia High.
Emily Goss, "Iris"
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Emily Goss is a queer actress whose film credits include the female-driven award-winning romance “Snapshots,” “The House on Pine Street,” “Jane and Emma,” and the upcoming LGBTQ holiday movie “Season of Love.” Television credits include “Criminal Minds,” “Castle,” and “Future Man,” and “Fameless.” Emily received her Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from the USC's School of Dramatic Art, and Masters in Classical Acting from London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. A California native, she grew up playing soccer and climbing trees. Emily is now based in Los Angeles.
Jessica Clark, "Lou"
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Jessica Clark is a queer actress who was born and raised in London where she began a successful modeling career. Jessica trained as an actress while modeling in New York and in 2011 relocated to Los Angeles. She is known for Pocket Listing (2015), True Blood (2008), A Perfect Ending (2012) and Chemistry (2011).
Sandra Mae Frank, "Kenna"
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Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Sandra Mae Frank studied at Gallaudet University, the only college offering a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater specifically for Deaf people. Her powerful Broadway performance in “Spring Awakening” produced by the Los Angeles-based company Deaf West Theatre garnered critical acclaim for breaking barriers by putting deaf actors and hearing actors on the same stage to deliver a powerful reimagining of the Tony Award-winning show. Sandra Mae Frank is also known for Soul to Keep (2018), The Sound of Fear (2016) and Entangled (2019).
Matthew Bridges, "Charlie"
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Matthew Bridges is an actor and assistant director, known for American Horror Story (2011), Game Shakers (2015) and Scorpion (2014).
Christin Baker, Director
Christin is an award-winning director and Emmy-nominated producer. She co-founded tello Films out of passion to provide modern and relevant stories for queer women. With 15 original tello-produced projects under her belt and just as many in various levels of pre- and post-production, Christin is determined to provide the queer community with the quality entertainment that they deserve and the stories that they crave. This enterprising and hands-on producer is a storyteller at heart, brimming with timely and engrossing ideas, and she’s determined to bring together the right team to bring each one to life. She also loves sharing tips for audience growth, digital entrepreneurship, and more as a speaker. Christin is a member of the Producers Guild of America and a member of the TV Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
More info: https://www.tellofilms.com/team/christin-baker
Kathryn Trammell, Writer
Kathryn is a queer writer, producer and storyteller. Season of Love is her debut work. As a military spouse, Kathryn reinvented her career as a former-high-school-English-teacher-turned-writer. She’s previously written for the online entertainment magazine, Starry Mag, as well as Bella Books and Queeks. She’s a consulting producer for the web series, Passage, and has written several manuscripts that feature queer women protagonists. Her goal is to build bigger and better spaces for LGBTQ communities. Kathryn is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University and the University of Tennessee.
Ashley Arnold, Producer
Ashley is an owner and executive director of ClexaCon, DASH Productions, DASH Photos and tello Films. Leveraging her background in public relations, Ashley expertly manages ClexaCon’s guest relations and sponsorships. Ashley also designs ClexaCon’s social media strategy, building an international base of support for the convention and drawing more than 5,000 attendees each year. Ashley was drawn to the convention because of her belief in the need to act to create change. She served seven years in the military before attending Penn State where she was heavily involved in social outreach initiatives. She continues to be active in social activism and is especially passionate about ending human trafficking.
Danielle Jablonski, Producer
Danielle is an owner and executive director of ClexaCon, DASH Productions, DASH Photos and tello Films. Danielle is responsible for coordinating the logistics of ClexaCon, the world’s largest LGBTQ multi-fandom convention. Danielle works with venues and vendors to ensure a smooth event. With experience in graphic design and web design, she is also responsible for the convention’s graphics and branding. Before joining the ClexaCon team she worked as a marketing director at an NYC-based tech company. Prior to that role, she founded and served as the executive director of CRUX Climbing, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in New York City with a mission to improve the physical and emotional well-being of members of the LGBT community through sports. She is a graduate of Yale University and studied cello in Australia. She has performed in five countries.
The Production Team
The project is produced by Tello Films and DASH Productions. We have been producing and distributing innovative, high-quality films and series for more than 10 years. We love strong women, and we don’t feel that there are enough stories about us. Our mission and passion is to produce content that includes the wonderful spectrum of strong women that is often lacking in mainstream media.
We have some awesome investors who will match what we raise in this campaign. Your support is doubled with the kindness of amazing people to bring this story to life -- your investment means we're going to have a holiday feature this holiday season!
The Back Story
In 2018 Tello Films ran a Queer Holiday Feature Pitch contest. We received fantastic pitches from across the country and settled on three different and wonderful holiday-themed features. The first one we are going into production with is "Season of Love".
The producers and director on this project are women, the writer is a woman, and the lead characters are women. We are committed to adding to the great storytelling landscape supporting women filmmakers. Your contribution will help elevate their work and passion.
Casting is actively underway -- stay tuned for updates as we fill this fantastic ensemble cast!
Other Ways You Can Help
We know some people just can't contribute, but that doesn't mean you can't help!
Please help us get the word out and make some noise about "Season of Love" so we can bring this next Christmas-binge classic to the world.
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