A multi-protagonist fictional podcast set in a post-revolutionary Haiti that asks the central question: how far will people go for prestige? Throughout the series, we will watch our characters compromise their morals and safety to gain control in the kingdom. Although the show has multiple protagonists, the driving arc is that of LÉONIE BIJOUX. A newcomer to this world of influence, Léo is unsure how she feels about it. But as Léo's wealth and status grows, she begins to sacrifice her principles in order to obtain a position as the royal clothier—a prestigious title where one faux pas can lead to execution.

Local seamstress Léonie Bijoux (19), is forced to work as a servant in order to settle a family debt. After moving into a local estate ran by the haughty Countess Perdue, she's quickly swept into a high-stakes world of illicit dealings, scheming social climbers, and romance. Our noble (if a bit self-righteous) heroine is more familiar with running experiments in her fabric dye lab than social etiquette and has trouble adjusting to her new life, adjacent to Haitian royalty. Throughout the series, we watch as Léonie tries to gain a coveted spot in the royal court without compromising her strong moral compass.

Our story starts in 1811 during the Regency era in the kingdom of Haiti. A tropical paradise with European architecture, imagine the Palace of Versailles with a crystal clear blue water oceanfront. Royal carriages strolling underneath palm trees, all built for and by Black royalty. 

Our podcast creators, Al and Rae, are extremely passionate about telling this project. Al grew up in Haiti, learning about thr rich cultural history of the revolution and the kingdom of Henri Christophe. Rae unfortunately didn't know much about Haiti until she was an adult, but became fascinated by the Haitian revolution and it's aftermath.

Haiti was the first Black republic to overthrow colonizers. It was a stunning victory not only because of what it brought about, but also because of how it had happened. Slaves had transformed themselves first into skilled military leaders, then full-fledged citizens, and at last, royalty. King Henri Christophe built palaces, established a national currency and school system, and redistributed land. But he also used forced labor and created wealth inequality so vast that he incited civil war. Our show explores the cyclical nature of power and revolution. Many former revolutionaries adopt similar tactics as their oppressors to maintain power and become displaced themselves. In a post-revolutionary society how do the formally oppressed rule? Does power always corrupt? The show is a tug-of-war between opposing ideologies; those who want to adopt and expand the existing power structures and those who want to burn it all to the ground.

Although our podcast is set in 1813, our themes still resonate with audiences today. We're currently living in a time of widespread uncertainty, protests, massive social upheaval calls for wealth redistribution, police reform, and severe backlash to these progressive ideals. As such, we must think how we want to reshape the future, using models of the past to help us. Each character on our show has a specific point of view on the nature of power that we can learn from. It's also important for us to show historically accurate models of Black royalty.

Your generous support will help us create eight episodes for the first season of our podcast. Our budget will go toward recording, editing, mixing, sound design, music scoring, marketing and distribution. Telling the story with only audio will allow us to create a high-quality, fully immersive listening experience. We want to our audience to truly feel like they've been transported to the past as they listen to our show; the patois of hurried women as the barter in the local market, the clatter of horse hooves against fresh pavement as they pull a golden carriage. The world of fiction podcasts is still relatively new, with opportunity for creative flexibility in narrative storytelling. We've already written scripts for eight episodes. If we're able to get the project funded, our goal is to go into production immediately and be able to release the podcast in November 2022.

As the project is fully audio, most of the work can be done remotely, protecting our cast and crew from COVID-19. We only plan to record in person for two days, and those sessions can easily become remote if necessary. For in person recording days, we will adhere to social distancing standards and require all cast and crew to present a negative test within 48 hours of recording, regardless of vaccination status. Cast and crew will be required to wear masks when not actively recording.

If you'd like to support us but can't do it financially, that's okay… for real! You can follow the campaign on Seed&Spark! Once we hit 250 "followers," regardless of how many people pledge to donate us money, we'll be able to unlock creator discounts like free festival submissions and more. You can also follow @prestigepodcast on Instagram to support and share.