BanterGirl
BanterGirl is a non-profit funding platform that provides financial and production support in order to help female comedians and creators get their projects off the ground, build audiences, and pitch their work for leading platforms, TV, and film.
About The Project
Inspired by the uphill battle that women have to face both in the entertainment industry as well as just walking down the street in a sexy pair of sweatpants, Producer, Trish Nelson decided to take the bull by the horns and create BanterGirl to help female creators get their work produced, marketed, and launched. Via BanterGirl, Trish is helping ladies throughout the entertainment industry, both on stage, in-front of the camera, and behind the scenes, fund their projects and find their true voice.
BanterGirl’s projects will focus on highlighting diversity giving a voice to women who find extra difficulty getting their talents recognized within the industry. BanterGirl’s mission is to create shows with a strong female presence and to help female comedians and creators hone their skills. Providing a balanced and equal environment will allow female comedy creators and performers the chance to truly shine and grow their material.
Within these projects, BanterGirl will create teams of female writers, editors, sound designers, DPs, directors, animators, gaffers, and everyone in between to help develop the skills of female behind-the- scenes-talent. When Hollywood says that they are lacking women to fill these roles, BanterGirl will show them that there are actually 1000’s of qualified ladies who are available and ready to work within these positions.
Outside of tours and live show production, BanterGirl will also help to fund and develop female created web, film, and television projects that emphasize culturally and physically diverse, multi dimensional characters in order to create a more accurate and well-rounded portrayal of the qualities that the female gender truly possesses.
BanterGirl’s website will feature video shorts created by female talent, as well as weekly articles and interviews that shine a light on powerhouse women working to make positive changes within our community, and throughout the entertainment industry.
BanterGirl is determinded to literally change the face of the entertainment industry by shining a spotlight on diversity and female creators, helping them to get their voices heard and their projects launched. AND…we’re gonna do it through comedy and laughter. Spoonful of sugar!
Current Team
About This Team
Trish Nelson, founder of BanterGirl, is a producer, performer, and writer from Los Angeles, who for the past 10 years has resided in NYC. She’s produced monthly shows at the Bell House, Joe’s Pub, The Slipper Room, Littlefield, Union Hall, Ace Hotel, Wythe Hotel, and BRIC, and has regularly worked with talent such as Women of Letters, Carolyn Castiglia, Dave Hill, Jena Friedman, Jessica Delfino, and John Hodgman. She has also helped to put together live shows and tours across the country for Broad City, Impractical Jokers, Jim Jefferies, Bill Burr, Chris Hardwick, and Amy Schumer, among many others. She holds a BFA in Theater from Middlesex University in London, England, and an MFA in acting from the University of Washington’s PATP.
Who We are Supporting This Year:
WHO: Women of Letters
WHAT: Once a month at the iconic Joe’s Pub, the most interesting and acclaimed writers, musicians, actors, comedians and politicians appear together on stage, in an intimate setting, with the purpose of celebrating female talent and the lost art of letter-writing. In the last five years, Women of Letters events have raised over $750,000 for womens-related charities. Women of Letters veterans include: Molly Ringwald, Martha Wainwright, Kathleen Turner, Edie Falco, Mara Wilson, Amanda Palmer, Tavi Gevinson, Ophira Eisenberg, Yael Stone, Jena Malone and many more.
TOGETHER: BanterGirl co-produces the monthly Women Of Letters show in NYC.
WHO: Carolyn Castiglia
WHAT: A stand-up comedian known for her hilarious riffing and crowd work, wild storytelling and her incredible ability to freestyle rap, Carolyn has appeared all over television, on Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, HLN, NickMom, We, Food and more.
TOGETHER: We’re producing Right NOW! with Carolyn Castiglia a feminist late-night style talk
show that will be filming at BRIC and airing on Brooklyn Public Access starting January 2016. “A heady mix of stand-up comedy, music and conversation, Right NOW! is refreshingly self-aware and just the right amount of raw. Blending talk show style conversations about slut-shaming and reality TV with notes on how to survive in “Kale Brooklyn,” the show is funny and completely engaging. I’ve rarely seen anyone as quick on their feet as Castiglia, and it works beautifully with the tone and pace of the show.” – review, A Women’s Thing
WHO: Lane Moore
WHAT: A stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and musician living in New York City. Paste Magazine named her #19 of the 75 Funniest People On Twitter, and BUST Magazine named her band It Was Romance the Best Band of 2015. A prolific writer for The Onion, McSweeney’s, Someecards, GQ, WitStream, MTV Video Music Awards, Elle, Esquire, Ms. Magazine, Marie Claire, XOJane, and Feministing, Sex & Relationships Editor at Cosmopolitan.com, a regular commentator on VH1 and MTV talking head shows, and a former editor for Jezebel and Autostraddle.
TOGETHER: We’re working on a Tinder LIVE! national tour, and TV pilot. Tinder Live has been named as one of the 5 Best Comedy Shows in NYC, by CBS Village Voice, Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, New York Magazine, The Guardian, VICE, Time Out New York, Hello Giggles, Gothamist, Brooklyn Paper, Bustle, Flavorpill, Brokelyn, Brooklyn Magazine, and Brooklyn Vegan critic’s pick.
WHO: Desiree Burch
WHAT: Comedian, actor, writer and storyteller. TEDx fellow, a recipient of the Franklin Furnace Fund Individual Artist Grant and a graduate of Yale University. Winner of the 2015 Funny Women Stage Award for stand-up her solo piece “Tar Baby” won a 2015 Fringe First for new writing at the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe.
TOGETHER: We’ll develop a yet-to-be-titled theater project.
WHO: Mindy Raf
WHAT: A writer, comedian, and musician based in Brooklyn. Mindy has contributed to MTV’s GIRL CODE, COLLEGEHUMOR, TNT, VH1, The Daily Comedy Network, and the MY PARENTS WERE AWESOME anthology. Her debut young adult novel The Symptoms of My Insanity (DIAL/Penguin) is out now.
TOGETHER: We’ll develop a yet-to-be-titled theater project.
WHO: Janelle James & Hadiyah Robinson
WHAT: Janelle James is a Caribbean born comic who started doing standup in the midwest. She has featured all over the country in such places as Laugh Factory Chicago and the Gotham, Helium, Broadway and Carolines Comedy Clubs and traveled as the feature act with Hannibal Buress, Todd Barry and Rob Delaney, and has performed at the Bridgetown, Limestone and The Eugene Mirman comedy festivals.
(SEPARATE CREDITS)
Hadiyah Robinson has appeared on The Nightly Show, Centric’s According to Him & Her, AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy Live, BET’s Comic View and BET’s One Mic Stand and The Mo’Nique Show. She’s been featured in O Magazine, Time Out NY, the Huffington Post, HelloBeautiful.com, Stagetime Magazine and more.
TOGETHER: We’re developing WEBSERIES, a show that follows two man-hungry comedian roommates in NYC as they plot, conspire and scramble to gain any semblance of notoriety.
WHO: Jean Grae
WHAT: Critically acclaimed lyricist, producer, writer, director, cinematographer. Audiences were treated to her special blend of music and comedy recently on the John Hodgman show and Low Times podcast with Daniel Ralston.
TOGETHER: We’ll work on an untitled TV pilot.
WHO: Becky Yamamoto
WHAT: A stand up comedian, comedic actor, and writer. Her webseries pilot 2 Chans (co-created and co-starring Meghan O’Neill), which won Best Actress (Comedy) at NYTVF. Her work has received acclaim from The Onion AV Club, Indiewire, Mic, Bust and Glamour.
TOGETHER: We’ll create a yet-to-be-titled web project.
FESTIVAL WE’LL SUPPORT:
The NY Funny Songs Fest created and produced by Jessica Delfino
VENUE WE’LL SUPPORT:
QED: A Place to Show and Tell established by Kambri Crews
BanterGirl is a non-profit funding platform that provides financial and production support in order to help female comedians and creators get their projects off the ground, build audiences, and pitch their work for leading platforms, TV, and film.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSrPoi2mEjE
See Campaign: http://www.seedandspark.com/studio/bantergirl-1#wishlist
Contact Information:
Trish Nelson
Tags:
Seed and Spark, Philanthropy, United States, Donation, English, Movies/Music Videos, Non Profits, Media & Entertainment, Industry verticals, Regions, Types of Crowdfunding deal, Language, New York
Source: ICNW