OUTtv and No Equal Entertainment Announce Mezcalero
June 4, 2018
OUTtv and No Equal Entertainment Announce Mezcalero
New Drama Series Based on the Transgender Detective Sanchez Novel Series
VANCOUVER, BC and TORONTO, ON – June 4, 2018 – OUTtv, the world’s first LGBTQ television network and No Equal Entertainment today announced that the Detective Sanchez novel series written by T.E. Wilson and published by Boularderie Island Press will be developed into a drama series. The television series is created by James Motluk and J.B. Sugar, with both serving as Executive Producers and Motluk penning the pilot episode.
Set in and around the sunburnt landscape of Mazatlan, Mexico, Mezcalero is a serialized one-hour drama series that follows Ernesto Sanchez, a transgender Mexican-Canadian private detective with a penchant for mezcal. The first season sees Sanchez drawn into a missing persons case where he must navigate family dynamics, corrupt law enforcement, and a greedy multinational mining firm.
Casting Director Russell Boast, President of the Casting Society of America (CSA) and head of the organization’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee, recently led a world-wide open casting call for transgender actors and is on board as casting consultant for the series.
Mezcalero has been awarded development funding from the CMF Pilot Export Program and the Bell Fund Slate Development Fund.
“I am thrilled to be developing this property with James Motluk along with OUTtv, CMF and the Bell Fund,” said J.B. Sugar. “The series will aim to portray its dynamic lead character with authenticity and I am particularly excited to build upon a compelling narrative underscored by themes of identity.”
“We are really excited to be working with producer J.B. Sugar on this amazing series that really goes to the core of the OUTtv brand,” remarked Brad Danks, CEO OUTtv Network. “It is a ground-breaking role for a transgender performer and we are confident that such a fascinating character will resonate with our ever-expanding global audience.”
“Audiences are finally responding to inclusive and accurate portrayals of people in the world. A series about a Mexican-Canadian private detective who just happens to be transgender presents an opportunity for a ground-breaking role and sends a powerful message on behalf of trans people,” said Russell Boast. “We are determined to find an actor who not only embraces the role but also gives an identity to trans men who for decades have been poorly, or worse, unrepresented in film and television.”
In addition, No Equal Entertainment is actively pursuing Mexican co-production partners and will participate in Canada’s Mexico trade mission as official guests of the 2018 edition of Mercado, Industria, Cine y Audiovisual (MICA), taking place in Mexico City.
About No Equal Entertainment
No Equal Entertainment was founded in 1998 is owned and operated by J.B. Sugar. Based in Canada, No Equal develops, produces, and distributes feature films, television movies, television series, and mini-series for the domestic and international marketplace. To date, No Equal has produced over 300 episodes of television for US and International broadcast. No Equal most recently produced the feature-length documentary The Guardians for CBC’s documentary Channel and 33 episodes of Bitten, a one-hour drama for Bell Media’s SPACE, SYFY, and NETFLIX. Past productions include: Peter Greenaway’s Nightwatching, jPod, based on the novel by Douglas Coupland (CBC), The Collector (Space and Chiller), Kill Kill Faster Faster, Dead Man’s Gun, (Showtime and MGM), A Separate Peace (Paramount and Showtime”), First Wave (SPACE and SYFY), So Weird (Disney Channel), Romeo (Nickelodeon), Just Deal (NBC), Secret Central (Hasbro), and The Troop (Nickelodeon).
About OUTtv
OUTtv is the world’s first LGBTQ+ television network and the leading LGBTQ+ streaming service with over 2,000 hours of content. OUTtv offers a compelling mix of drama, comedy, reality, talk and award-winning movies. Their original programming includes Sex & Violence, Knock Knock Ghost, Don’t Quit Your Gay Job, Fabulocity, the award-winning Outspoken documentary series along with competition shows such as The Whole Package. OUTtv is also the broadcaster of international hit series’ that include RuPaul’s Drag Race, Untucked and Neighbours along with classics like Absolutely Fabulous and Queer as Folk. OUTtvGo, OUTtv’s streaming service, offers the most complete on-demand library of LGBTQ+ content in the world. Subscribers can stream their favorite series, movies and documentaries via iOS and Android devices, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and via all browsers for $3.99 a month. To learn more about OUTtv visit OUTtv.ca or OUTtvGo.com.