Maya, a black millennial woman fresh out of college and aspiring writer/director, tries to adult through the everyday mess of life while also managing her natural hair.

Interview with Creator Regina Hoyles

Watch Naps here:

Congratulations! Why did you make your webseries?

Really just wanted to begin taking control of my own career, not waiting on anybody else to give me permission. Plus, I see so much talent around me REGULARLY so wanted to find a way to bring as many people together as possible and give us all the opportunity to show the world what we are made of.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this webseries?

If you are a supporter of independent art and also an advocate for diversity (which is truly just normalcy) in front of and behind the scenes, then you should definitely watch.

How do personal and universal themes work in your webseries?

Personally, as a black woman, the story resonates so much with myself and others who face similar situations, especially when it comes to dealing with natural hair and micro-aggressions we face in our respective fields and in every day life. Universally, people can ultimately relate to Maya, our main character, being that she is someone who is simply attempting to overcome feelings of inadequacy and navigating that "how do I push myself to be my best self" space. Regardless of if someone is a creative or not, most of us want to be our best selves (personally or professionally) and so I think people can relate on the idea of someone figuring that out.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

Well during filming, I can say that people on our team really helped elevate the series whether that mean they had suggestions that may not have been originally written in the script but at the time of filming just felt right.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

So far so good! People have been supportive and it's especially been a grand time running the film festival circuit so far and meeting other creatives who are just truly about putting the work out there themselves.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

It has changed my point of view in the sense that it really makes me take a step back and think "wow, we really did that." Especially when wearing so many hats, when you're in the process you don't really think much about it other than what task do I have to do next? But coming out of that it's like wow. I was actually doing a lot haha (shout out to my co-executive producer (Pia Lyander), First AD (Summer Payton), and our composer (Iniko Dixon) who all made sure I was eating and breathing during the hideout period that was me editing).

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?Truly just continuing to gain an audience! The title alone may seem niche but I really do think that everyone can take something away from the series. Even if the something is literally just a little laughter.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this webseries’s message?

I'd say that thus far we have been blessed with the support we've gotten especially from festivals but for now, a major online distributor would be awesome.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this webseries to have?

I'm not really one to dictate what I want the work to do when it comes to its reception but if anything, I would really love people to take a look at the credits. Recognize that it takes a VILLAGE and the people sitting right NEXT to you are the ones who can help bring your vision to life.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this webseries?

I only say this because a couple of people have brought this question to my attention before: "What does it mean to be NAPPY and is the title itself "NAPS" offensive?

Would you like to add anything else?

If you haven't watched already, definitely make that move and check out all 6 episodes now available online!

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

98% of the team at the time was NYC based and being that a lot of our team all graduated from NYU this past spring, people have really spread out and just begun collaborating on dope projects in their respective fields. Music videos, short films, dropping EP's and singles, you name it!

Interview: October 2018

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

NAPS

Maya, a Black millennial woman fresh out of college and aspiring writer/director tries to adult through the everyday mess of life while also managing her natural hair.

Length: 36 min 51 sec

Director: Regina Hoyles

Executive Producer: Regina Hoyles

Co-Executive Producer: Pia Maria Lyander

Writer: Regina Hoyles

About the writer, director and producer:

REGINA HOYLES is an writer, actor, producer from the South Suburbs of Chicago who recently graduated from NYU Tisch. Regina is currently working out of both Los Angeles, California and Chicago, IL.

Key cast: Regina Hoyles, Pia Maria Lyander, Alicia Stith, Jordan-Amanda Hall, Chinara Hill

Looking for: distributors (online), journalists

Social media handles:

Facebook: napstheseries

Twitter: @napstheseries

Instagram: @napstheseries

Funders: Independently funded

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?: Available at napstheseries.com or just watch on YouTube where our channel is napstheseries.