We hope the following series will help take some of the ‘nerd’ stigma out of an industry lacking in female participation. The Department of Commerce recently reported women fill about 50 percent of all jobs in the U.S. economy, but actually hold less than 25 percent of STEM positions (science, technology, engineering and math).  Findings by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, has found a dearth of women behind the camera, especially in power positions: (only 7% of writers and 20% of producers are female). At the same time, Sheryl Sandberg’s TED Talk, where she asserts that “Women systematically underestimate their own abilities,” struck a chord with all the producers. The producers of NEXT, the web series want to be a beacon for the film world and the tech world. The world is ever more dependent on technology and needs the contributions of all great minds.

The new workplace dramedy “NEXT, the web series” turns the Silicon Valley upside down when a female-led startup gives-up their gadgets and challenges traditional techie culture.

Currently airing on YouTube, “NEXT, the web series” http://http//bit.ly/NEXTseason1 chronicles what happens as the male-dominated tech world gets an injection of female leadership. When the complex environment proves ultra-competitive for CONNEXT, a new tech startup led by a team of women, they embark on a corporate retreat to regroup and refocus without their ‘tech’. After giving up all of their smart phones, tablets, and laptops, the apprehensive group must learn how to survive when left to their own devices. They quickly discover the absence of their gadgets is only the beginning of their problems.

The original 5-episode scripted series was developed by Monday Afternoon Productions and stars Taylor Brock, Anne Hallinan and Lisa-Marie Newton, who also created and produced the project. Writer/Director Serena Shulman, with LipShtick Pictures, developed the initial concept for the series based on her own experiences in the tech world, and led the creative execution.