Do you like podcasts? Do you like moody-snarky science fiction? Do you like The Nerds of Color (you’re here, after all)? Then please read further:
We’re pleased to announce our first fictional narrative podcast, co-produced by Hard NOC Media and Melancholyball Media. We’re casting voice talent and crewing up now and throughout August. Details are in the official casting announcement below. The series is slated to premiere in Fall/Winter of this year.
For context: the premise of the show involves alien invasions, bodysnatching, and the state of the resistance in a pivotal time for the planet. The flavor of the series is somewhere in the neighborhood of Welcome To Nightvale, Limetown, Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. As per the NOC’s mission statement, we endeavor to cast with special attention to diversity and traditionally-underrepresented ethnicities; that said, any and all interested parties are welcome to try out for any character, ’cause some of them are from another planet, so y’know, who knows?
Please send audition materials and inquires to dommah@thenerdsofcolor.org by Wednesday, August 14 to be considered. Links in the body of email are preferred. Details below, feel free to inquire further via email. In your initial email, please include your full name and general location/city, and (optionally) a picture, resume, or brief statement introducing yourself. Please follow @dommah and @TheNerdsOfColor for updated announcements.
OCCUPY ME — Science-fiction narrative podcast — CASTING ANNOUNCEMENT
Now casting for a new fictional narrative podcast co-produced by Hard NOC Media and Melancholyball Media. Occupy Me is a science-fiction episodic about Earth’s first contact with two alien entities: Dot, a curious veterinary student, and Tod, a malevolent prince of the patriarchy (they are also each other’s exes). Set in the Los Angeles area, the story follows a trio of “average” Earthlings who cross paths with the extraterrestrial visitors and learn of their parallel missions: one seeking discovery, the other scheming towards galactic domination.
The first season is slated for 9-10 episodes, to premiere in Fall/Winter 2019. Production to begin as early as August 26.
Actors/Performers/People of Color and all traditionally-underrepresented folks are especially encouraged to audition. Note that production will be based in the San Francisco Bay Area, but we will consider voice actors who are willing and able to record remotely, i.e. anywhere around the United States. If interested, please send us a good representation of your voice performance work: voice/acting reels, videos, podcasts, any media by which we can get an idea of your sound and style. If you’d like to submit a self-recorded audition with character sides from the pilot script (definitely a bonus if you’re able to do this), please contact dommah@thenerdsofcolor.org to request sides.
Note, as the series progresses, opportunities for contributing writers, musicians, sound designers, etc. may become available. Please include relevant materials if you have special expertise in these areas.
Modest pay will be available, details TBA depending on logistics/commitment towards creating the full season. Feel free to inquire.
Main Characters:
(some roles are written race/gender specific, some have flexibility; preferences are noted below, but all are encouraged to try out for any part; all good ideas will be considered)
Roxanne — lead, female, also acts as narrator. A psych grad student who guides us through the various narratives; former bartender/party caterer in Los Angeles, she is interested in “interesting people,” and her natural charm and attractiveness make interesting people flow towards her; as she learns of an alien presence’s arrival on Earth, she reports from the human angle, as her friends and associates encounter this worldview-shaking new paradigm. (Actors of all ethnicities encouraged to audition.)
Cyrus — lead, male. Cubicle-bound, former casino hustler, unfulfilled musician; Cy is the first to encounter the alien Dot, who occupies his body so as to move freely in Earth’s environment; from this bizarre consensual arrangement, he gains new perspectives on human emotion and his tiny place in the universe. (Asian-American actors especially encouraged to audition.)
Christina — lead, female. Cocktail server and unfulfilled singer/performer, recovering wild child; Christina encounters the alien Tod, who (similar to above but more sinister) needs a human host to carry out his plans on Earth; naturally impulsive and a little self-destructive, Christina enters into an arrangement with Tod which will have serious consequences; privately, Christina’s fictional hero is Calafia, the mythical island queen after whom California is named. (Latina actors especially encouraged to audition.)
Dot — lead, female, extraterrestrial. A veterinary student who comes to Earth to study the local lifeforms while also interceding in her ex-boyfriend Tod’s terrible schemes; childlike curiosity and open-mindedness, advanced alien awareness, an enthusiastic tourist. (Actors of all ethnicities encouraged to audition.)
Tod — lead, male, extraterrestrial. The principal antagonist of the story, Tod represents the toxic-masculine ruling class of a planet not dissimilar from our own, but with far advanced technology and weapons. Tod is a satirical alien reflection of Earth’s bros, captains of industry, powerful elites. (Actors of all ethnicities encouraged to audition.)
Annika — supporting, female. Loosely based on Ivanka Trump, a wealthy con artist-socialite-princess; convinced (correctly) that aliens are infiltrating Earth and (delusionally) that she must act to protect the stature of her family empire. (Actors of all ethnicities encouraged to audition.)
Kevin 7 — supporting, male. A cyborg superhero who lives in Palms with his roommate; brash, confident, daredevil, full of good intentions. (African-American actors especially encouraged to audition.)
UltraMatt –– supporting, male. A cyborg superhero, lives with Kevin 7 in a crap little apartment, a tech-oriented mad scientist/inventor type, struggles with chronic depressive states and existential angst. (Asian-American actors especially encouraged to audition.)
Hard NOC Media was formed to produce and create content that celebrates, critiques, and analyzes popular culture “with a different perspective.” This includes maintaining The Nerds of Color website and its social media platforms, as well as supporting a network of like-minded podcasts and video channels. Melancholyball Media is a production company headed by Dominic Mah, award-winning screenwriter, filmmaker, playwright, and pop-culture critic.