New York-based comedy/writing duo SJ & Ginny, aka SJ Son and Ginny Leise, make films and webseries about destroying dicks, babysitting and sad-fucking. They've been described as "Feminist Comedians Who Use Rage and Tears As Their Weapons."
Their latest project is a TV comedy pilot called Urban Teach Now, about an an achievement-obsessed recent grad who joins a non-profit teaching program in New Orleans after being rejected from her dream job on Wall Street. They're currently raising production funds for it through Kickstarter.
Here's a video with some more information about the project:
WHAT IS URBAN TEACH NOW ABOUT?
Based on SJ's own experiences, UTN follows Eunice Son, an achievement-obsessed recent grad, who joins a non-profit teaching program after being rejected from her dream job on Wall Street. Eunice finds herself teaching at a public high school in New Orleans, ill-equipped with only her B.A. in Business Management and unflagging entitlement. She struggles to find validation in her new unfamiliar world, and fails to relate both to her students and her fellow teachers.
UTN encapsulates everything SJ&GINNY's comedy is about. We tell raw, personal stories with an absurd brightness from the point of view of women and people of color. We relish in writing and playing unlikeable anti heroes. Ya know, the type of characters that get men awards and women death threats. :-)
SJ says that as an Asian American actor, the number of racist and stereotyped auditions she goes on "would blow your buns off." Rather than getting discouraged by the constant marginalization and the dismal opportunities for actors of color, she's taken it upon herself to create her own story
"We wrote a story about an Asian American woman who has agency, is the driver of the story, not an accessory, and the anti-hero of a hilarious and surprisingly sad story of a struggling teacher," their Kickstarter proclaims. "And sometimes, it's fucking funny."
With your help, they plan to start shooting in New Orleans in May. The goal is raise $27,000 by April 14.
For further information about Urban Teach Now, and to make a pledge to the project, visit Kickstarter.
