Airing on outTV is a six episode series which sprung out of a popular, 2014 Iris Prize nominated short film called I am Syd Stone. The first two episodes dropped on April 22 with a new one coming out each week after. Writer/director has made the series based on his own experiences in regards to his sexuality as he worked in the film industry as an actor.
Hollywood heartthrob actor Syd Stone’s (Travis Nelson – appeared in episodes of Clarice and Supernatural) career has seen better days. As such, he is now filming in a small town for a low budget film. While there he meets Matt (Benjamin Charles Watson – appeared in episodes of The Killing and The Good Doctor) in the bar in the hotel he is staying at. Syd finds it interesting that Matt doesn’t know who he is, so he does not tell him he is an actor. What soon happens will potentially put his personal and professional life in jeopardy.
Though we seem to think we have come a long way in regards to LGBTQ+ issues we really haven’t. There is still a long way to go. Just recently Oscar winning actress Kate Winslet said in an interview that she personally knows of a few actors (mostly men), at different stages of their careers, who are fearful of coming out and and have been told by their agents not to as it could adversely affect the jobs they get offered. 2021! And this is still happening.
Here is an engaging drama which tackles that issue head on. Syd was a big star but is no longer. He has lived his life, or at least his career, as a heterosexual man. He even has a girlfriend. But that is not who he is. Not even wanting to address the issue because of how he feels it would affect his career, Syd has remained deep in the closet. Would he no longer be cast as a straight guy. No longer offered action films? Be typecast as only playing gay characters? All this fear has led to Syd not living an authentic life. The series will explore all these issues and others.