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Two University of South Florida students, critical about the shortage of African-Americans on TV, are doing their part to change this imbalance with a more diversified soap opera.
By PAMELA DAVIS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 19, 2000
TAMPA -- Tiffany Lester and Kalup Donte Linzy have always been disappointed by the way African-Americans are portrayed on TV and in the movies. For every accurate portrayal, the University of South Florida students say, there are many that get it all wrong.
Not all black guys walk around yelling "Wasssup!" Not all black women yell out "You go girl!"
Black actors have appeared on such dramatic series as Beverly Hills 90210, but only "for a second," says Lester, 24.
"There aren't a lot of black people on TV shows," says Linzy, 22. "Especially in the lead roles of dramatic series. They're all in a bunch of comedies."
Lester and Linzy, who are black, decided to do something about that. They created their own soap opera, filled with the kinds of people and stories they see every day. The first two videotaped episodes of The Winding Road will make their debut Thursday night at the USF fine arts building.
The two friends, who call their partnership KaTif Productions, had the skills to take on the project. Lester, who already has a communications degree, is pursuing a major in theater performance. Linzy, who gets his degree in film and video next month, will study electronic media in graduate school this fall.
And both have been watching soap operas, especially the Guiding Light, since they were children.
All they needed was a script, a cast and a camera.
Linzy provided the script. The cast and the camera came a little later.
"As a writer they say never waste your time trying to write a soap opera or a certain type of series because they have enough on TV," Linzy says. "So I thought what the heck, we can do it for fun. But I had no idea what the characters were going to do or what story they would be put in."
Early on, Lester and Linzy decided to focus on topics they are familiar with but rarely see in mainstream television and movies. Story lines in The Winding Road incorporate themes of interracial dating, bisexuality, homosexuality, substance abuse, abortion and domestic violence.
When there's sex on The Winding Road, it's safe. During one episode a character goes to an Eckerd Drug store to buy a condom even before the kissing starts.
As for interracial dating, Lester says, "In college this happens all the time, but I don't think America is hooked onto it. We know that there is probably going to be talk about it but we stand clear and know that it happens and don't disagree with it."
For viewers who balk at the idea of seeing a bisexual character on TV, Linzy says, "Look at your own life. Don't we all deal with people of all sexual orientations on a regular basis? TV doesn't reflect that."
The nine actors in the cast of The Winding Road taped the episodes (so far there are six) over three weekends in January and February. Linzy borrowed a camera from AmeriCorps, where he volunteers, and purchased lights at Scotty's.
Most of the scenes were shot inside the homes of the cast members. The makeup comes from their dresser drawers and the clothes from their closets.
The actors are USF students ranging in age from 22 to 38. No one got paid but all went into the project with the hope of seeing themselves on Tampa's public access cable channel. Lester and Linzy plan to air the soap opera there.
Later, they will send videos to NBC, ABC, BET and the like. They're realistic about their chances of securing a deal.
"Someone may want to rework it or give us money to reshoot it," Linzy said. "We know this actual thing won't be on NBC, but somebody may want to buy the script or idea."
Lester and Linzy have also created a soundtrack to accompany their series. They plan to shoot six more episodes.
"There isn't really a lot of representation of minorities," Lester said. "A lot of what you do see in TV and film is negative. We just wanted to put people out there that are good."
There will be a sneak preview of The Winding Road at 8 p.m. Thursday in the University of South Florida fine arts building (FHA 101). Admission is free.
Here is an excerpt from the script of The Winding Road, produced by Tiffany Lester and Kalup Donte Linzy. In this scene, 19-year-old Adrian confronts his 23-year-old brother, Nathan, about his drinking.