Washington, DC-based multi-hyphenate artist, Kayona Ebony Brown, is building off the success of her award-winning short film, Of Music and Men, with the release of the novella series on April 13th.
The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Washington City Paper all say that Washington, DC is the gayest place in America because it’s the city with the highest number of same-sex relationships, but the lowest (straight) marriage rate in the country.
Kayona used this fact to give DC a staring role in her project, Of Music and Men. With this, she has the perfect hook to go along with the episodic story she’s telling, which mirrors her own life as a straight, single, millennial business owner with none of the prerequisites for success.
Of Music and Men is the story of “Kenya Shaw,” a chronically single, young entrepreneur struggling to build an indie record label, while navigating the country’s worst city for bachelorettes: Washington, DC. No money, no support, no connections, not to mention, she’s in the “wrong town” for this kind of thing, right?
“DC is so unapologetically liberal and artsy and diverse, yet it’s known for making laws,” says Kayona. “I’m showing how vulnerable and endearing DC is—a side of the city that will undoubtedly shock most of the country.”
Kayona developed Of Music and Men as a multimedia franchise with plans for it to be among elite company—Sex and the City, The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones are all prime examples of successful multimedia franchises. Kayona introduced these characters in her debut novel, Tenth Letter, and first presented the story via her short film, which garnered international recognition through numerous film festivals for the burgeoning writer/director.
The 12-part novella series is the literary interpretation of the first season of the forthcoming half-hour scripted series. The novella series launches THURSDAY, APRIL 13TH via ofmusicandmen.com, and subsequently on the second Thursday of every month until its finale.
