Fortheboys. - your new favorite web series!

Mekhai Lee is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

This is for the boys who want love,

the boys who won’t love,

for the boys scared to open up to another because of what it will reveal within themselves.

-Unknown

IG: @fortheboys.series
Twitter: @FortheboysTv

2020 is a year of trauma. A year of discomfort. A year that is ripe for change. In this cultural climate, we are seeing major changes to the perception of our world as we know it. Power structures are shifting and stories that have been omitted and unheard are coming to the forefront for the first time in history. "fortheboys." aims to highlight those stories. Our series represents Black Queerness in a way that has not been seen before: with authenticity and fullness.

Jamal, a photographer and self proclaimed hopeless romantic, finds an intriguing partner in Devin, a boy he met online. This partnership is new for both of them though; it’s their first interracial relationship and with it comes lots of frustrations and questions as well as many laughs and triumphs. Anthony is learning each day what it is to live freely. Free to be Black, free to be Queer, free to be authentic. He’s caught off guard when he starts falling for his coworker, Raymond, who he assumed to be straight. Their relationship rocks Anthony’s world, and Anthony must figure out how to let someone else into his life all while staying true to who he is. Syed is the life of the party. A mixture between Living Single’s Maxine Shaw and Sex and the City’s Samantha Jones, Syed lives his life to the fullest. He’s known for having multiple sex partners in a week, and is very open about his escapades. But while other people may perceive him as irresistible, Syed wonders about his own significance. Throughout the season, Syed watches his friends succeed in their professions and find suitable partners as he struggles with finding a job, paying his rent and keeping up with his many “acquaintances”, resulting in a growing conflict within the group. Through the eyes of our three heroes, audiences will experience an addicting and tasteful story through a tender, soft and funny portrayal of Black queer life.

We are confident that this series will resonate with the masses, whether they identify with our characters or learn of the Black gay experience through them. Our world is changing before our very eyes, we are on the brink of social revolution and history is happening with each and every passing moment. This show is one of the many forms of content that will be borne from this movement; content that is for us and by us. Content that pushes the narrative when it comes to the image of Black people in America. "fortheboys." is the series to inspire even more change with a representation of Blackness that is yet to be seen.

THE CAST:
Drew Coleman hails from Raleigh, NC. He received his BFA in Acting from North Carolina A&T State University and is an alum of the British American Drama Academy’s Midsummer in Oxford Program. Favorite credits include Pipeline (OMARI), A Raisin in the Sun (ASAGAI), In The Heights (Benny), and Sister Act (EDDIE). Film credits include “One Leg” (HOWARD). Follow him @drewboigenius and on TheAndrewColeman.com ! #ALLBLACKLIVESMATTER

Chandler Bryant is an actor, model, and proud Aries. He’s currently based out of Winston-Salem, where he attends the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in pursuit of his BFA in Acting. Chandler’s artistry knows no bounds, as his art oftentimes mirrors his real life experience— Queer, Black, and Hungry. Upcoming: Sweat by Lynn Nottage, directed by Quin Gordon.

Lamont Walker II, originally from Virginia Beach, Va, is proud to call Brooklyn his home. He received his BFA in Musical Theatre from Point Park University and is a currently member of the original cast of the new Broadway show MJ: The Musical. As an actor he has been fortunate to tell many stories that has contributed to and shaped his identity as a young black male in this country. Theatre credits include The Scottsboro Boys, Choir Boy, In The Heights, Violet and many others. We are our ancestor's wildest imagination. Ase' and to God. @lamontwalkerii

THE CREATIVES:
Mekhai Lee is a proud graduate of the Drama program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. While a student there, he participated in many school productions such as The Brother’s Size, The Piano Lesson, and Doubt, as well as student films produced by the world-renowned Film School on the UNCSA campus. Upon graduating in 2018, he was cast in the National Tour of the Tony Award Winning Revival of the Color Purple, as well as the Off-Broadway Revival Production of Rock of Ages. He has been writing creatively since young and found time to exercise that skill while at University and during his time on tour. Mekhai uses his unique voice and Black experience to bring to light the stories that are often cast aside.

Ellis Dawson who helms from Virginia Beach, Virginia is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University with a Bachelors of Music in Music Theatre. Upon graduation he was cast in the Broadway National Tour of Aladdin as the Genie standby. While on the road he fell in love with various mediums of storytelling and has become a published photographer, an award winning spoken word artist, and now screenwriter. Ellis uses his southern black experience to challenge the status quo and change the perspective depicted of the black male identity.

THE PLAN:
"fortheboys." has a first season of ten episodes, all already drafted and green-lit. In light of current circumstances, our plan is to shoot the first FOUR episodes before the end of 2020 for a release in March of 2021. Following the first official launch of the series, we plan to move forward to shoot the next six episodes in June of 2021 with a release scheduled for Fall of that same year.

We thank you for taking the time to consider our project and would greatly appreciate your donation!
Any and everything helps!