Larisa Oleynik, Patty Carey, and Alison Stewart
Catch Local TV Show Half Life on NYC Life
(released
5/10/2019)
By Kimberly Burke
Half Life is a new series developed by the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment as part of a new initiative called GreenlightHER. The show Half Life will broadcast on NYC Life on Fridays at 10 p.m. beginning May 10, 2019.
To those who work in production of Film and Television here in NYC or outside of the region, you will relate to the work life balance explored in the show. Follow along with the mom and location scout by profession who dreams of writing her own script and being in a different place at this time in her mid-life.
The Mayor's Office noticed the void in work created by women and created the #GreenLigthHer! script writing contest to incentivize and accelerate the presence of women's works. The first open call received over 300 submissions and industry experts narrowed that list of 300 down to two projects that would go to development. Once pilots were produced, the show Half Life was greenlighted for series production.
The show was written by Patty Carey who mined her own life experiences as a professional location scout to create this script. Carey was working on The Last Showman, starring Hugh Jackman, at the time she got the call that her script had been selected for #GreenLightHer!. The production of the series Carey created was executed by the graduate students at Brooklyn College's Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema.
During the Tribeca Film Festival, the Mayor's Office held a private screening for the filmmakers and guests to Half Life. The assembled screening audience was able to get a first look at the completed project by watching two of the four episodes at the Tribeca Film Center. Laughter and whispers of relatable moments throughout the two episodes is how the audience reacted to the first look.
Following the two episode screening, the cast and panel moderator, journalist Alison Stewart of WNYC, took the stage in the screening room. Writer / series creator Patty Carey also joined the cast and Stewart on stage. Patty Carey described taking a personal story and making it universal for audiences and also reflecting on the inner dialogue we have in common of "Is it too late." Too late to make your dream or goals a reality and what age that feeling comes over us became part of the conversation in the panel.
To connect with the show and see the trailer before the first episode airs at 10 p.m. or to stream after it premieres, go here: www1.nyc.gov
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