Unheard Voices Talk Show

Sign with Me is a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for equal communication access for individuals who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing through educational and interpreting services. In partnership with Inside Out Communications, LLC, a media distributor of accessible media services and products, we are in production of a new inclusive talk show dedicated to highlighting the stories of the DHH community from a Deaf perspective. Unheard Voices Talk show discusses issues of equality versus equity. 

With 90% of deaf children born to hearing parents, many of whom do not learn sign language to communicate with their deaf child, families can now enjoy a mutually enriching bi-lingual experience that is usually a vast divider among family members and communities. As you know, people tend to separate themselves because they fear what is not understood. Delivering our television show and, eventually, the docu-series, aim to morph that ignorance into palatable tidbits of knowledge. We foresee hearing and DHH people transforming their tolerance for each other into acceptance. Inclusion is only a small part of equity and a show like Unheard Voices is perfect for taking that first step to demonstrating what inclusion and diversity looks like on  television platforms. UV Talk Show will be delivered in English and ASL with captioning for ALL to equally access and enjoy, closing the communication gap that exists between the hearing and deaf cultures.  

In January 2020, with a team of five motivated novices began pre-production of Unheard Voices in my living room. In just seven months (in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic), we were able to successfully shoot 12 reference episodes of the first Season. In September 2020, industry professionals provided us the feedback needed to improve the work for television. Since then, we recruited and garnered the support and commitment of five industry professionals with over 55 plus years of combined experience to take on our cause. With the added leadership we have repositioned our approach and strategy to deliver the best in quality content and delivery of content worthy of television and streaming outlets.

During this very short period of time, we are also pleased to report that we have gained the interest of a network for the talk show content.  On February 20-21, 2021 with the grant support of LISC-LA we are scheduled to shoot the Pilot and two episodes. With additional fundraising efforts, we are seeking additional funding fo $15000 to help us continue production of the next four episodes in March 2021 ($7,500) and additional support funds to shoot the remaining five episodes in April 2021($7,500) to conclude the pre-production phase. With the charitable support of donors and grant funding, we will be the first to delivery bi-lingual, bi-cultural, accessible-media talk show to television.

We are excited at the prospect of your support and welcome you to join us in bringing this much needed content to your favorite streaming channels. Together, let's positively impact the d/Deaf community in a way that paves the way for true diversity and inclusion in our post-COVID-world.

MEET OUR TEAM:

CONCEPT BY: D’yann E. Crosby  

DIRECTOR NAME: A Brytney Reaves  

CO-DIRECTOR: Sydney Colston

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: D’yann E. Crosby  

PRODUCER: Sydney Colston

ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Debbie “Risha” Green 

WRITERS: A. Brytney Reaves

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Sydney Colston and  James Alonzo Quinn, IV

Sr. EDITOR: Ben Pellin 

SOUND /ADR ENGINEER: Niais Taylor