#VIEWPOINTS BY SAM BAILEY

I’ve always been interested in the human condition. Differences tend to be muddled when we get down to core emotions: love, fear, anticipation, anger, lust-all of these very human feelings have always intrigued me as an actor and a writer. You’re So Talented came from not seeing representations of those human emotions in diverse characters. Women, especially women of color, are usually depicted as one-dimensional people. Stereotypes dictate how we are seen in mainstream media and it was beginning to eat away at me.

The characters in YST are, I hope, complicated. They’re a little messy. Their actions contradict their emotions. In short: they get to be human. The same amount of care I took into creating the characters of the series is mirrored by our creative team. Artful Enough Pictures, Samantha Lee, Alistair Slaughter and Vincent Martell are just as committed to telling complex, layered stories whether it be in their filming, music or styling. I’m lucky to call them collaborators. I’m lucky to have a team of people who are first and foremost storytellers-which is why I think we’ve tapped into something special. The entire production flowed pretty seamlessly and it’s because everyone believed in telling a story that reflected the life we live in-and telling it well. I’m excited to share what we created with an audience. I’m even more excited to keep on creating with this team of special, talented, complicated folks. 

Watch the first episode of You're So Talented below: