http://bit.ly/NEXTseason1
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.