3 VPA students launch ‘Alt’ web series to increase diversity in entertainment – The Daily Orange

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Frustrated with the lack of authentic representation of Black gay men in the entertainment industry, Chidube Egbo grew determined to write his own web series that reflected his identity.

“I didn’t want to make something that was educating white people,” said Egbo, a Syracuse University junior. “I want this to be a lot more experiential and a lot more about telling stories about life.”

Egbo penned and stars in the new web series “Alt.” The series centers around Uche, a Black gay creative writing major, and explores his life as a college student. The first episode of the web series debuts on YouTube on Friday.

Egbo approached one of his professors, Katherine McGerr, during office hours in spring 2020, and McGerr asked the junior what his career goals were. Egbo said that he always wanted to be in a TV show where the main character shared his identity, and McGerr encouraged him to go through with that goal.

Egbo began writing the pilot episode in August and reached out to Justine Leslie-Smith and Kai Philavanh, two film majors in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. He admired their creativity and artistry and asked them to be directors on “Alt.”

When Leslie-Smith received the script, she loved how the plot normalized topics related to race and sexuality that are not often portrayed in the media. Nobody should watch a TV show or movie and not see themselves on screen, she said, and this story is one small step in the right direction for the lacking diversity in entertainment.

Egbo’s new YouTube series, “Alt,” focuses on a Black gay creative writing major. Courtesy of Chidube Egbo

“Chidube is a lovely writer,” Philavanh said. “He writes from his perspective, and he knows what he wants to say. We can make some really powerful stuff with this.”

While working on the web series, Egbo prioritized a collaborative environment where everyone in the room could share and express their ideas.

To make the project happen, the team launched a GoFundMe page in February to purchase the resources needed to begin filming.

The filming for “Alt” began in March and mostly took place in Egbo’s Syracuse apartment. Some filming days would start at 1 p.m. and end at 3 a.m., with more filming scheduled to start six hours later.
When Philavanh directed the third episode, her biggest challenge was overcoming the pressure and high expectations for herself, as she also grew up not seeing people of color in the media.

“I was grasping for crumbs like Asian representation,” she recalled.

Egbo invited Malaika Wanjiku, a freshman musical theater major, to join “Alt” as a production assistant. Feeling scared when first stepping onto set, she learned to take initiative and offer help. One of her favorite responsibilities was indicating which scene was being filmed using the clapperboard.

Working on the project was a “blessing” for Spencer Lombardo, a junior musical theater major who plays the character of Noah.

“Being able to amplify stories of people who are not listened to, the way that straight white men are, is so important because it helps us start to dismantle systems and the ways of thinking in place,” Lombardo said.

Since the majority of characters in “Alt” are either Black, queer or people of color, Philavanh said it might be unsettling for a white viewer who is used to seeing themselves represented in media. As someone who rarely saw individuals in the media who shared her identity, she hopes those viewers sit with that feeling of discomfort and ask themselves why they might feel that way.

Egbo hopes audiences can relate to the story and characters of “Alt” — and that the show generates conversations about their own identity and humanity. And if the reception is positive, he will consider submitting “Alt” to film festivals.

“We exist, but we somehow don’t exist on TV,” Egbo said. “It hurts, and it’s damaging not to see yourself represented as who you are and to not see yourself represented as a complex human.”