Sean Kanan on His Issue Packed Amazon Prime Series "Studio City"

Originally devised as a 30minute dramedy Studio City delves into the innerworkings of the fictional showwithinashow Hearts on Fire and its stars Beyond the drama of the show the shortform digital series also tackles topical issues surrounding Hollywood like MeToo LGBTQ Transgender ageism suicide and family dynamics quotHearing you say that out loud it39s like 39Oh my God this is such a downer39quot laughed Kanan when he spoke to MediaVillage exclusively about the project quotIt39s not but those are all important things and things important to me and the other creatives on the show I think ultimately when you can weave that stuff into an entertaining story with characters that the audience feels for it becomes a very potent recipe for building an audiencequotStudio City was a project I39ve been trying to get off the ground for quite a whilequot he continued quotIt evolved into this short form digital show as that39s what we were able to make based on the budget and what we had to work with It worked well in this form So many people want to watch things at their discretion now and on whatever device Gone are the days of meeting as a family to watch a show so this format lent itself to that and getting an audience across different demographics It was uncharted territory for me I had acted on some digital dramas but had never produced one So we jumped in with both feet and so far we39re still swimmingquotIn assembling his diverse cast one that includes daytime stalwarts Carolyn Hennesy Sarah Joy Brown Patrika Darbo Tristan Rogers Scott Turner Schofield and newcomer Juliet Vega Kanan trusted his wife Michele Kanan cowriter producer and casting director quotIt was collaborative in that we had worked with most of the actors we hiredquot he explained quotI first worked with Patrika on Step by Step and we39ve done several films together Carolyn and I worked together on General Hospital Tristan and I did a play together so we looked to people we knew especially when you39re asking for people to basically work as a favor Michele did a terrific job as some of those characters were specifically written with those actors in mindquotThis may seem tangentialquot he added quotBut Juliet Vega is my reallife stepdaughter so it really was a family affair in that respect Juliet had been wanting to start her acting career and I told her I wasn39t handing her the role 39This is my baby and if you can39t pull it offamp823039 To her credit she auditioned and brought it giving us exactly what we needed I did tell her she was getting thrown in with seasoned professionals so she had to bring her Agame She did and for that I39m so proud of herquotOne of Studio City39s most important characters and storylines belongs to Max a transgender actor starring as Dr Brantley on Hearts on Fire who through his group meetings explores his own transition journey When writing the part Kanan had one actor in mind Scott Turner Schofield a reallife trailblazer and the first trans actor to be nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Digital Drama Series Scott is an amazing human being and a pioneerquot said Kanan of his friend quotI met him when working on The Bold and the Beautiful where he made history as the first trans man in daytime Years later I encountered him and asked him to participate in my book Success Factor X and I got to know himquotWhen Studio City became a reality I wanted to find something for himquot he added quotHe has such an amazing story to tell so we had some discussions and explained we wanted to do this storyline with integrity realism and he was the guy to do it But more importantly he 39had39 to be a member of the cast Not solely because he39s a trans man but because he39s a terrific actor and I wanted to continue working with him Scott has a great presence on Studio City but it39s not always about him being trans It39s about him being an actorquotKanan tells me following the accolades quot12 indie series awards eight daytime Emmy nominations we won one for Tristan Rogers after 50 years in the business and his firstquot he39s using his quarantine time devising season two quotCoronavirus has played a very specific and frustrating role in what happens with the showquot he explained quotHaving family involved has been good creatively but at the end of the day you have to get in there get everybody together and film it We39re doing it one way or anotherquotHe also had words of wisdom for anyone looking for an acting career quotI was fortunate in my career that at such an early age I became involved with a worldfamous franchise Karate Kid III which changed the trajectory of my career and in many ways my life Just be very sure you want to go into acting It39s a career fraught with psychological frustration as highlighted in Studio City But if that39s what you want treat it seriously Take classes study and do everything to learn as many aspects as possible I found studying foreign languages helps as you never know what role you might play There39s always something you can be doing to further your journeyquotStudio City is currently streaming on Amazon PrimePhoto courtesy of Amazon PrimeClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Sean Kanan on His Issue Packed Amazon Prime Series "Studio City"

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Steve Gidlow

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Sean Kanan on His Issue Packed Amazon Prime Series "Studio City"

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