Champions by Joshua Pierre
Champions follows two young men training for a boxing tournament by their coach while each of them deals with two very different circumstances that requires them to win the prize money as they face each other in the championship round.
Intended to be a short film shot in black and white whenever the fight occurs in real time and the flashbacks of their situations (what got them there) are shot in color giving us more depth in the realities of their lives. Both young still trying to do what’s best for themselves realize that life has gotten more complicated as dire circumstances collide against them as the fight approaches.
The first character must win in order to pay for the treatment for his sister who has leukemia and their parents have passed away; the prize money is his way of stepping into the real world of boxing to make real money and keep her treatment going.
The second character is an enforcer for his crew on the streets, but also happens to be a straight A student-athlete, looking to find a college that will allow him to get a scholarship. His girlfriend finds out she is pregnant and puts pressure on him to leave the crew (this character is a foster child) and now must when his fight to pay his crew to let him free from their clutches. Losing is not an option because it may cost him his life because his resolve has brought him to the point where he will not return to them no matter the cost.
A novella is also attached to this story. Fleshing out the characters through prose is the best option to understand them for myself. Once the novella is written a screenplay can be developed in order to start shooting; the short film is to show the concept with a feature film option available. However, this project specifically is held to my direction and not open for sale.
Rivals (Volumes) by Joshua Pierre
Rivals is inspired by the original concept of “Champions” to become a dual-anthology series following multiple rivals in sports and competitions.
A dual-anthology series is a tad more extended than just your normal anthology series. Anthology means that it’s different stories in every season. This is different shows with different seasons and different concepts. Not all characters need to return once they are there. For example: focusing on a pitcher and batter rivalry; follows them for one season and may never need to be experienced again unless those working on the concept choose to do so. All sports and competitions have potential to emerge here: football, baseball, boxing, MMA, hockey, golf, olympic sports, chess, ping pong, poker, etc. allowing for a multitude of shows, creators, artists, actors, and producers to develop and create their own style, stakes, and drama to incapsulate the audience.
This dual-anthology show is open to be optioned for sale and development as long as I am allowed to help produce and perform in the writer’s room on projects I find interest in and direct episodes that I want to direct. More importantly, I am able to develop my own seasons of spinoffs and anthologies with autonomy.