Former Hatter Tyler Van Riper and Kaia Richardson are two of three co-executive producers of a proposed sitcom being pitched to CBC and Crave.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
ktaniguchi@medicinehatnews.com@@kellentaniguchi
A former Hatter is one of three executive producers for a potential new Canadian sitcom series called The Bounce – a satirical retro comedy with stylistic nods from the Trailer Park Boys and a nuanced character development like Netflix’s Glow, says Tylor Van Riper.
“It follows a group of three women, diverse female televised aerobic performers, as they try and make it in the dog-eat-dog industry,” said Van Riper. “They’re trying to get out of the 2 a.m. time slot on a crappy television channel into an earlier time slot.
Van Riper is co-executive director with Kaia Richardson and Curtis Larade. Richardson says the show also deals with a lot of issues facing young women trying to find their place in the world in the 1980s at a time where there is few opportunities for them.
The team launched a kickstarter fundraiser to help them shoot the pilot episode and pitch the series this summer. The goal is set at $15,000 but Van Riper says the true benchmark is $25,000 – they set it lower because they only get the money if they surpass the set goal.
They plan to pitch their series to Crave and CBC because they feel it best suits those networks.
The money will go toward paying their creative team, which they say has signed on for lower than its members are worth because they believe in the show. Funds will also be used for on-set supplies such as food, costumes, a location and COVID-19 safety.
“It would just be invaluable for my career as a mad Hatter, coming from a small town, Medicine Hat, I always want to go back and give back to the community but for now, a higher stage and a higher profile will definitely help,” said Van Riper.
Van Riper lived in the Hat until he was 20 and got his master’s degree in musical theatre from the Guildford School of Acting in England. He also went to school at Randolph College for the Performing Arts in Toronto, which is where he met Richardson.
The hopeful sitcom already has support from other successful Canadian comedy series, including writers from Schitt’s Creek and Kim’s Convenience. They also have a meeting with a choreographer from Schitt’s Creek next week.
“These writers from Kim’s Convenience and Schitt’s Creek, they’re all people that have taken a lot of interest in helping us develop the rest of the series and writing the rest of the series, said Richardson. ” … it really is kind of surreal.”
If you want to help kick start the pilot episode of The Bounce, you can donate at http://kck.st/3udkvLL.
