Why we are Crowdfunding

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KERRY'S STORY

As  a film major in college, I planned to create good media content and  enjoy what I did upon graduation. I knew even back then that in the  entertainment industry, it was hard for women to make it to the top.  This was partly evident in that there were only(3!) females in the entire  film program, in a school that had and continues to have a very large  cinema department.

It's very important to me that people look beyond my gender and see my  work for what its potential is. Since I wasn’t being given the  opportunities to do the type of work for which I studied at school, I  knew I would have to find a way to fund my own projects if I wanted to  do the jobs to which I'd long aspired. 

Prior to the COVID-19 shutdown, I was finally breaking free of being a  wheel in a cog that helped turn out show after show about which I felt  less than nothing. I was tired of all the long hours I spent working on  things that didn't interest me (and some things that, quite frankly,  revolted me). With years of education, hard work in several departments  across the entertainment industry, and dedication, it was finally time  for me to create my own brand with my original content, where as a woman  I could stand tall and make it in this male-dominated industry. 

So  in February 2020, the final preparations for my own full length show  were finished.  After months of planning and conducting focus groups to  find our audience, we were finally ready to start filming the pilot for Whiskey: A Chef’s Journey.  Unfortunately, one  act into filming the COVID-19 lock-down descended, and we were forced to  halt production.  Not only did we need to shut down but we had to  rewrite the episode's finale since we could no longer have large crowd  scenes. With the slow re-opening of our industry we have been able to  safely finish principal photography, but with all the changes that  COVID-19 has brought, funding for post-production of our pilot has been  lost.  What seemed to be the start of a milestone year for me and my  team, has turned into one of the most challenging times  of my career. 

YOUR SUPPORT

We are currently in post-production of the pilot episode and we need to  pay for editing, sound mixing, graphics, color correction, music, and  the other, unforeseen, issues that typically arise during this final  phase, including possible pick-up shoots. Your support will help us  complete the pilot episode and help get it on the air. In addition, it  will help deliver more diversity for women and people of color in front  of and behind the camera in the television industry. This is something  very important to me, and being able to produce female-driven content  and provide high level jobs for women and people of color is something I  think our nation needs right now. 

THE SERIES

Whiskey: A Chef's Journey  is a woman-created, woman-produced, and woman-hosted, high-energy, pop-culture, half-hour, docu-reality show that follows Chef Louise Leonard, winner of ABC's Emmy Award-winning The Taste, on her globe-trotting adventures in whiskey and food. With each episode, she's off to a new location, immersing herself in the food and whiskey culture of a given city or particular region, where she'll find culinary inspiration and cook up something special, serving a celebratory dinner at show's end. Across the series, we'll be entertained by Chef Louise's singular personality, as well as the many colorful personalities—think distillers, chefs, culinary and cocktail bons vivants, and more—she meets along the way.

THE PILOT

We  visit a bar in Hollywood, a distillery in Pasadena, a pop-up BBQ in  East LA and a unique spirits event space in Down Town LA. Through all of these  places, Chef Louise learns more about her local whiskey and culinary  culture as well as some of the connections it has to people in far off  lands.

JOIN OUR TEAM
When you contribute to our campaign, you are supporting people that:

•  Increase REPRESENTATION on screen by having a woman host who visits all  types of people and immerses herself in their cultures.

•  Value DIVERSITY behind the camera with a female Executive Producer and  female Native American (Apache) Line Producer, as well as a diverse  production office staff.

• Encourages ACTION to visit new places (even of only virtually for the time being), try new things, and meet new people.

TIMELINE
With  the rewrite of the show we will be able to continue to series while  following all COVID protocols and create jobs.  Therefore, we hope to  air Whiskey: A Chef's Journey on  television or a streaming service by the end of the year. We are in  talks with several networks and streaming platforms, so it's critical  that we deliver the best possible pilot, particularly while there's a  clear need for entertaining and educational, spirit-focused content. 

 As a thank you for your support we have some digital incentives for the below donation amounts (see next section).