MYRNA Pilot Launches Kickstarter Campaign

Just 72 hours after the launch of a Kickstarter.com crowdfunding campaign for the pilot of Myrna, a new dramedy series, the project has already acquired 22 percent of its eventual funding goal as well as 51 thousand followers on Twitter, 35 thousand YouTube views and over 3 thousands like on their Myrna Facebook fan page. Today, with the release of their first Kickstarter Cast Interview update video featuring series regular Jennifer Fontaine, they will ramp up their campaign. The building conversation across social networking outlets such as Facebook and Twitter reinforces the filmmakers' proposition that transgender-inclusive content is both in demand and supported far beyond the LGBT community.

Inspired by the real life experiences of this much anticipated project's star and writer, Marlo Bernier, formally Mark Bernier (Angels in America, Cecil B DeMented), this half hour dramedy speaks with a voice yet to be shown on television and shows the universal nature of the human experience. Bernier sees the image of transgender people in popular media as being relegated to the peripheries of society such as drug addicts and prostitutes. Myrna shows life day to day for one transsexual woman in a way few other works have dared to do. Producer Matt Olson explains, “You don't have to be a mobster to enjoy The Sopranos (the same way) you don't need to be transgender to enjoy Myrna.”

The show follows Myna (Marlo Bernier) who after a successful career in front of the camera and stage, sacrificed everything when she finally confronted her true gender identity and transitioned from male-to-female. Myrna struggles to find work as an actress and deals with the drama of her friends' reactions coming to terms with her life-altering decision.

A collection of filmmakers, actors and industry professionals have donated their time and expertise to launch and support this new venture. With the ultimate goal of this dramedy serial being picked up and exhibited on premium cable television, a crowdfunding initiative is necessary to raise enough money to deliver a professional aesthetic, even with the generosity of the creative team.