Sidekick Productions is Producing Their First Feature Film, the World’s First

Queer, Fat-Positive Horror Film – And You Can Help

From the mind of Joshua R. Pangborn, creator of the queer hits Skeleton Crew and Demon Doctor,
comes A Taste of Youth, co-directed by Pangborn and NBC’s The Voice’s Nakia.

New York, NY June 05, 2022 --(PR.com)-- SideKick Productions - the internationally-acclaimed queer,
fat- and sex-positive production company- is set to start production on their first feature film: A Taste of
Youth. Inspired by their award-winning short film, Wasted on the Young, A Taste of Youth will be the
world’s first queer, fat-positive horror feature. Production is slated to begin in June, and to help fund their
efforts, SideKick Productions is currently running a fund-raiser through IndieGogo at
www.atasteofyouth.com. Donors who help fund the film can find several different tiers to offer their
support in return for a variety of perks, including limited-edition enamel pins, T-Shirts, and even a
Producer credit.

A Taste of Youth is the story of Mateo on the eve of his 46th birthday. Facing an uncertain future at
work, and anxiety towards aging and the changes he’s going through because of it, Mateo finds himself
growing despondent and realizing he’ll do whatever he must to change his lot in life. Confronting issues
of toxic masculinity, aging, and body image through a queer, horror lens, A Taste of Youth touches on
visceral fears to which we can all relate. Follow @atasteofyouth on Instagram and Twitter.

A few words from Joshua R. Pangborn: “With five seasons of Skeleton Crew, and the first seasons of
Demon Doctor and Ashley Monique Menard’s The Art of Blowing It, we’ve produced almost 40 hours of
television. And while we have many more seasons of shows (old and new) to come, it felt only natural
that we delve into making our first feature film. I’ve always been drawn to horror films and the way they
can be so relatable regardless of how fantastical they may be. A good horror film has the potential for the
ultimate catharsis of pity and fear—the Greeks knew this and emulated it in their greatest tragedies. For
myself, the genre also offers a great deal of opportunities to try new things. Explicitly queer horror is still
a relatively untapped sub-genre, and fat-positive queer horror is practically nonexistent in film and
television. With A Taste of Youth, I knew I wanted to celebrate all the things which people have come to
expect from SideKick Productions, and push them further. Someone mentioned to me after reading the
script they were concerned I might not have enough 'straight people' in the film. I told them I didn’t care
about meeting a quota of straight characters, and that’s true—the more I create, the more I want to focus
on queer, fat stories.

"Nakia and I have assembled an incredible, mostly queer cast and crew and we are going to tell a story
which I think will really speak to the audience about very familiar fears. I’m also extremely excited that
we will be featuring an openly asexual character in a leading role, which is representation that is sorely
lacking in most media. The chance to collaborate with Catalin Stelian on a feature film has been a hope of
mine for a few years now, and I’m thrilled he is going to be behind the camera on this project. And
filming this movie is going to be like being at a family reunion since so many of the cast and crew are
frequent Crewniverse collaborators (though we are also joined by some amazing new faces in front of and
behind the camera). And we will be featuring special effects from the award-winning Paul Antzoulis, and

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Nakia will be scoring the film. Nakia is also joining me as co-director on this project—I knew if I were
going to reprise my role alongside Mark-Eugene’s Mateo, I needed someone I could trust to help
direct—Nakia, with all of his passion and drive, was the perfect choice.

"A Taste Of Youth will be one of the most intense projects I’ve ever worked on, but I’m so excited to be
making it happen, and I’m so grateful I have the chance to do so with my family from the Crewniverse. I
hope people will see value in the work we are doing and support us through our IndieGoGo campaign (
www.atasateofyouth.com), or by becoming a patron at our Patreon (
www.patreon.com/sidekickproductions), but whatever the outcome, I know the work we are doing is
important because we need queer, fat-positive films, and if other people are not going to make them, then
it’s up to us!"

A few words from Nakia: “Growing up I was the kid at the magazine counter reading Fangoria every
week while my mom shopped for groceries. The instant I had my own money I started buying them,
unlocking a fascination with a world of terrifying horror and fantasy that still lives inside me today. So,
when Joshua asked me to co-direct his first feature film I was not only incredibly honored (and scared to
death), but I was thrilled the genre would be horror.

"Getting to work with Joshua on this project has been a learning experience, and I am really looking
forward to writing and recording the score for this film. I’ve been watching to a lot of old school horror
films prior to production and feeling really inspired by the music of Charles Bernstein, Tobe Hooper,
Howard Shore, and Krzysztof Komeda.

"I’m very proud of the wonderfully diverse cast and crew we are working with on this film and looking
forward to sharing this dark and mysterious story with the world.”

About Joshua R. Pangborn:

Writer/Actor/Filmmaker Joshua R. Pangborn is known for his work on Skeleton Crew, Demon Doctor,
and The Art of Blowing It. He's been awarded for his work on all three shows, behind the camera and in
front, in festivals around the world, most recently being named Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy at the
2021 NJ Web Fest for his work on The Art of Blowing It. A resident of New York City, Joshua is a
passionate storyteller focused on telling queer stories with a fat-positive and sex-positive emphasis.
Pangborn knew if the world was not going to tell the stories he wanted, he was going to have to tell them
himself, and so he founded SideKick Productions in 2010.

About Nakia:

For over 25 years Nakia has been a professional singer, songwriter, composer, actor, and artist advocate.
During that time he’s been a touring Blues/Soul band leader, a Cabaret style singer accompanying himself
on piano, an actor in several musicals, plays, and workshops, and in 2011 he became a "fan favorite" on
NBC's 'The Voice' where he was a semifinalist making it all the way to the penultimate episode of season
one.

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Nakia has had the privilege of working with some incredible artists such as Sharon Jones, B.B. King,
Rebecca Luker, CeeLo Green, The Muppets and the honor of being a student of master storyteller Betty
Buckley. In 2018 Nakia began composing for film (Wasted On The Young) and TV (Skeleton Crew,
Demon Doctor). He’s also acted in several of these productions. During the pandemic he recorded and
released a 15-song musical called Dueling Pianos co-written with Skeleton Crew creator, Joshua R.
Pangborn. Nakia serves on the Board of Governors for the Texas Chapter of the Recording Academy. He
is the founding President of the musician advocacy nonprofit, Austin Texas Musicians, and is a two-time
Black Fret grant recipient. Nakia lives in Austin, Texas with his husband Robert and their Bouvier, Baker.

About SideKick Productions:

SideKick Productions was founded by Joshua R. Pangborn in 2010 as a theatre company focused on
size-blind casting and telling queer stories. In 2015, the company moved towards New Media with the
release of their flagship series, Skeleton Crew, which has accumulated hundreds of thousands of views
and a number of awards and nominations, including most recently being awarded Best LGBT Series at
the 2021 British Web Awards and Best Ensemble at the 2020 NZ Web Fest. Skeleton Crew tells the story
of Pangborn's Anthonyand his husband, Hunter (played by J. Cerio), a polyamorous gay couple
navigating their lives alongside family and friends in a celebration of all things queer.

In 2019, SideKick Productions released two new series, Demon Doctor and The Art of Blowing It.
Pangborn's Demon Doctor has captured the international circuit as well with its unique take on horror
comedy through a queer, fat-positive lens and led by Mark-Eugene Garcia, Ashley Monique Menard, and
Pangborn as the titular Demon Doctor, winning a slew of awards. A cross between Buffy, The Vampire
Slayer and The X-Files, Demon Doctor follows the adventures of Detective Mark Besim and Doctor
Derek Jedial as they try to protect the city from a world few are even aware of. The Art of Blowing It,
from the mind of Ashley Monique Menard, features Menard as a former child star trying to reclaim her
fame by living her life as a reality series helmed by newcomer Felix Ziegfeld (Pangborn). Named Best
Mockumentary by both the NJ Web Fest (2021) and Minnesota Web Fest (2021), The Art of Blowing It
is a hilarious romp.

Other works by SideKick Productions include the award-winning short horror film, Wasted On The
Young, the horror short, Yaas, Queen, Slay, and their latest short horror release, Scratched. Find out more
about SideKickProductions and follow their journey at https://patreon.com/sidekickproductions. To help
fund their first feature visit www.atasteofyouth.com.

Media Note: For general press inquiries on “A Taste Of Youth,” Joshua R. Pangborn, Nakia, and
SideKick Productions, please contact Graham Mason:

Graham Mason
bookings@nakia.net

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Contact Information:
SideKick Productions
Graham Maston
512-987-8965
Contact via Email
sidekickproductionsny.com

Online Version of Press Release:

https://www.pr.com/press-release/862877

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