VOWS
New York City, New York | Series
Comedy, Drama
VOWS is an odd-couple buddy comedy about two women from wildly different backgrounds -- one Turkish immigrant, one first generation Haitian-American -- united by a love of acting and a green card marriage. When an ICE agent shows up at their door, they have to give the performance of their lifetime.
VOWS
New York City, New York | Series
Comedy, Drama
1 Campaigns | Georgia, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $11,280 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
193 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
VOWS is an odd-couple buddy comedy about two women from wildly different backgrounds -- one Turkish immigrant, one first generation Haitian-American -- united by a love of acting and a green card marriage. When an ICE agent shows up at their door, they have to give the performance of their lifetime.
In Partnership With
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
THE STORY
THE SUMMARY: Vows pays homage to the odd-couple buddy comedy genre. We're a little New Girl; a little Grace and Frankie and a whole lot of underrepresented voices and experiences on TV.
WHO WE ARE
WHY US?
Isabelle Pierre is a first generation Haitian-American raised in New York whose mother introduced her to the arts in the hope that she would cultivate expensive tastes and stay out of trouble. In 2011 after trying a bunch of careers, she started acting again sending a final blow to her mother's immigrant dream of seeing her daughter become a lawyer. Shortly after she received an MFA in Acting from Brooklyn College.
(can you guess who's who?)
Nazli Sarpkaya came to the US from Turkey when she was 18 (alone) to study business (like the good immigrant that she thought she was). She soon discovered that she couldn’t keep the drama in Turkey. Not only did she finish school and receive a diploma in business, she went back to school for a second undergraduate degree in theatre, and like that wasn’t enough she went BACK AGAIN for an MFA in Acting from Brooklyn College.
(More details about why we're SUPER QUALIFIED on The Team Page.)
WHY THIS? YOU NEED A REASON? WE GOT A BUNCH!! HERE'S 4:
- Nazli is on an artist visa and knows how difficult, subjective and scary the process is. People are always asking her: why don't you just get married?
- Isabelle wants to help a friend and make her own content. People are always telling her to just: put a video on YouTube.
- We found a third producing partner/director Ginny Leise who's had her own crowdfunding success. See more about Ginny on the team page and her website.
- We're interested in showing the funnier/lighter side of our own cultures.
WHY NOW?
We took all of our post-election anxiety, our career lulls, the disappointments, and turned them into something beautiful and funny and personal to us. And we think that’s important. Inroads have already been made, but there are more barriers to knock down in terms of representation.
VOWS: The Series has lots of opportunities for artists of color, queer artists, women and immigrant creatives as performers and as crew. (SERIOUSLY! We’re still crewing-up, so if you want to come play with us, please submit all relevant info (links, etc) to [email protected])
WHY WE NEED YOU
THE BUDGET:
We became hyphenates (actors/writers/producers) because we wanted to take ownership of our careers and be part of the revolution of new artists creating content that reflect the richness of their experiences.
With your help we can support our cast /crew, make the Pilot look amazing, insure the team/equipment, secure a location, make the project next-level gorgeous with a kickass post-production team, and stomp it out on the festival circuit.
Ready to join us? Welcome to the Team! We're happy to have you!
FOLLOW US, LIKE US, LOVE US!
Seed & Spark campaign * Instagram * Twitter * Facebook
Wanna talk about us, but not sure how? Check out some shareables and #hashtags below:
- Marriage is hard, especially when you're FAKING it. Watch @Vows_TheSeries teaser & support their #crowdfundingcampaign #womeninfilm #immigrantartists https://goo.gl/mKedwu
- A Haitian-American woman & a Turkish woman walk into a bar--it's probably a bad joke, but with your help it could be an awesome pilot. Follow @Vows_TheSeries on @SeedandSpark #crowdfundingcampaign https://goo.gl/mKedwu
- I supported @Vows_TheSeries a show about a green card marriage & the American Dream. #womeninfilm #pilots #seednspark https://goo.gl/mKedwu
#crowdfunding * #crowdfundingcampaign * #immigrantstories* #immigrantartists * #artistVisa * #firstGeneration * #seednspark * #TVpilot * #womeninfilm
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Equipment
Costs $1,785
We're hunkerin' for an Arri Alexa Mini as well as sound & electric equipment.
Post-Production
Costs $2,000
Anything from editing to sound mixing to color correcting so this baby can look perfect!
Festival Submissions & Marketing
Costs $1,500
We would love to reach as many people as we can with our project.
Share this update!
About This Team
Isabelle Pierre
Actress/Co-Writer
Isabelle Pierre is a writer and actress living in Brooklyn. She's been featured on NBC's Shades of Blue, Blacklist: Redemption and Hulu's The Path. Isabelle has been featured in many readings and workshops. The NY Times referred to her comedic performance as "matter-of-fact state of confident deadpan that Samuel L. Jackson would envy." In addition to writing and rewriting the show bible for VOWS: The Series, Isabelle is working on her first feature film. You can see her reel and stay connected with her here.
Actress/Co-Writer
Nazli is an actress and writer from Ankara, Turkey. She has been pursuing a creative career in the States for the past 8 years. She has performed in countless plays/workshops/readings locally and regionally. Right after obtaining her O-1 Extraordinary Ability Artist Visa in 2017, she performed in her Off-Broadway debut Angry Young Man at Urban Stages in New York City. You can see her full resume, keep up with her upcoming projects, and even find a fun 'about me’ section on her website that’ll give you all the random facts about her that you didn’t ask for but sure will love!
Ginny Leise
Director/Producer
Ginny Leise is filmmaker and comedian. She has written and produced two short films and two full length comedy pilots. Her first short, Pillows, won the Indieworks Best of Fest award in November 2015. Splitsider said of her second short, Smile, “...watch and be wowed.” Smile was a 2017 Official Selection at the Lower East Side Film Festival. Her comedy pilot Urban Teach Now is an 2016 Official Selection at the New York Television Festival, iTVFest and a third round finalist for the Sundance Episodic Story Lab in 2017. In 2017, Ginny made her directorial debut with the series Quiet Tiny Asian which racked up 150,000 views on YouTube.
Callie Hanau
Production Coordinator
Callie is a creative based in New York City, where she lives with her boyfriend and their big dog, OB. Notably, she has had the pleasure to collaborate with the Avon Foundation, Aquafina, Samsung, and the Comedy Cellar. Callie loves to laugh, paint, and do the NYT crossword puzzle. This fall, she will begin her studies in documentary filmmaking at The New School.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
THE STORY
THE SUMMARY: Vows pays homage to the odd-couple buddy comedy genre. We're a little New Girl; a little Grace and Frankie and a whole lot of underrepresented voices and experiences on TV.
WHO WE ARE
WHY US?
Isabelle Pierre is a first generation Haitian-American raised in New York whose mother introduced her to the arts in the hope that she would cultivate expensive tastes and stay out of trouble. In 2011 after trying a bunch of careers, she started acting again sending a final blow to her mother's immigrant dream of seeing her daughter become a lawyer. Shortly after she received an MFA in Acting from Brooklyn College.
(can you guess who's who?)
Nazli Sarpkaya came to the US from Turkey when she was 18 (alone) to study business (like the good immigrant that she thought she was). She soon discovered that she couldn’t keep the drama in Turkey. Not only did she finish school and receive a diploma in business, she went back to school for a second undergraduate degree in theatre, and like that wasn’t enough she went BACK AGAIN for an MFA in Acting from Brooklyn College.
(More details about why we're SUPER QUALIFIED on The Team Page.)
WHY THIS? YOU NEED A REASON? WE GOT A BUNCH!! HERE'S 4:
- Nazli is on an artist visa and knows how difficult, subjective and scary the process is. People are always asking her: why don't you just get married?
- Isabelle wants to help a friend and make her own content. People are always telling her to just: put a video on YouTube.
- We found a third producing partner/director Ginny Leise who's had her own crowdfunding success. See more about Ginny on the team page and her website.
- We're interested in showing the funnier/lighter side of our own cultures.
WHY NOW?
We took all of our post-election anxiety, our career lulls, the disappointments, and turned them into something beautiful and funny and personal to us. And we think that’s important. Inroads have already been made, but there are more barriers to knock down in terms of representation.
VOWS: The Series has lots of opportunities for artists of color, queer artists, women and immigrant creatives as performers and as crew. (SERIOUSLY! We’re still crewing-up, so if you want to come play with us, please submit all relevant info (links, etc) to [email protected])
WHY WE NEED YOU
THE BUDGET:
We became hyphenates (actors/writers/producers) because we wanted to take ownership of our careers and be part of the revolution of new artists creating content that reflect the richness of their experiences.
With your help we can support our cast /crew, make the Pilot look amazing, insure the team/equipment, secure a location, make the project next-level gorgeous with a kickass post-production team, and stomp it out on the festival circuit.
Ready to join us? Welcome to the Team! We're happy to have you!
FOLLOW US, LIKE US, LOVE US!
Seed & Spark campaign * Instagram * Twitter * Facebook
Wanna talk about us, but not sure how? Check out some shareables and #hashtags below:
- Marriage is hard, especially when you're FAKING it. Watch @Vows_TheSeries teaser & support their #crowdfundingcampaign #womeninfilm #immigrantartists https://goo.gl/mKedwu
- A Haitian-American woman & a Turkish woman walk into a bar--it's probably a bad joke, but with your help it could be an awesome pilot. Follow @Vows_TheSeries on @SeedandSpark #crowdfundingcampaign https://goo.gl/mKedwu
- I supported @Vows_TheSeries a show about a green card marriage & the American Dream. #womeninfilm #pilots #seednspark https://goo.gl/mKedwu
#crowdfunding * #crowdfundingcampaign * #immigrantstories* #immigrantartists * #artistVisa * #firstGeneration * #seednspark * #TVpilot * #womeninfilm
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Equipment
Costs $1,785
We're hunkerin' for an Arri Alexa Mini as well as sound & electric equipment.
Post-Production
Costs $2,000
Anything from editing to sound mixing to color correcting so this baby can look perfect!
Festival Submissions & Marketing
Costs $1,500
We would love to reach as many people as we can with our project.
Share this update!
About This Team
Isabelle Pierre
Actress/Co-Writer
Isabelle Pierre is a writer and actress living in Brooklyn. She's been featured on NBC's Shades of Blue, Blacklist: Redemption and Hulu's The Path. Isabelle has been featured in many readings and workshops. The NY Times referred to her comedic performance as "matter-of-fact state of confident deadpan that Samuel L. Jackson would envy." In addition to writing and rewriting the show bible for VOWS: The Series, Isabelle is working on her first feature film. You can see her reel and stay connected with her here.
Actress/Co-Writer
Nazli is an actress and writer from Ankara, Turkey. She has been pursuing a creative career in the States for the past 8 years. She has performed in countless plays/workshops/readings locally and regionally. Right after obtaining her O-1 Extraordinary Ability Artist Visa in 2017, she performed in her Off-Broadway debut Angry Young Man at Urban Stages in New York City. You can see her full resume, keep up with her upcoming projects, and even find a fun 'about me’ section on her website that’ll give you all the random facts about her that you didn’t ask for but sure will love!
Ginny Leise
Director/Producer
Ginny Leise is filmmaker and comedian. She has written and produced two short films and two full length comedy pilots. Her first short, Pillows, won the Indieworks Best of Fest award in November 2015. Splitsider said of her second short, Smile, “...watch and be wowed.” Smile was a 2017 Official Selection at the Lower East Side Film Festival. Her comedy pilot Urban Teach Now is an 2016 Official Selection at the New York Television Festival, iTVFest and a third round finalist for the Sundance Episodic Story Lab in 2017. In 2017, Ginny made her directorial debut with the series Quiet Tiny Asian which racked up 150,000 views on YouTube.
Callie Hanau
Production Coordinator
Callie is a creative based in New York City, where she lives with her boyfriend and their big dog, OB. Notably, she has had the pleasure to collaborate with the Avon Foundation, Aquafina, Samsung, and the Comedy Cellar. Callie loves to laugh, paint, and do the NYT crossword puzzle. This fall, she will begin her studies in documentary filmmaking at The New School.