The New Orleans television production, Shepherd, won big at Vermont’s ITV Fest, a festival dedicated to showcasing the world's best independently produced TV Pilots, Web Series, Short Films and Documentaries. Shepherd nabbed two highly coveted awards: one for New Orleans native, Lance E. Nichols (Treme, House of Cards, Into the Badlands) for Best Actor and the second for Best Drama Series. These big wins got the makers of Shepherd a development meeting with the cable and satellite television network, HBO (The Wire, True Detective, Game of Thrones).
Shepherd follows the story of Father Joseph (Nichols), a conflicted Catholic Priest with a violent past, as he wages war on a dangerous drug lord after a little girl is gunned down on his Church's steps.
The production boasts a cast and crew of New Orleans locals. UNO alum and New Orleans Film Fest veteran Andrew Bryan directed and co-created the show alongside fellow filmmaker, Owen Hornstein III. Alicia Davis Johnson, Todd Campbell and Kenny Reynolds produced the pilot episode.
“New Orleans is steeped in talent both in front of and behind the camera. The goal is to get a new production going here that will provide local filmmaking artists the opportunity to showcase their talents and compete with the best of TV programming,” Johnson says.
Watch the trailer: https://vimeo.com/214340218
