Read-TV: "Candyland"

DISCLAIMER

DISCLAIMER: As a writer, my characters are always a composite of people I know mixed with quirks, habits, and/or traits from my hopefully-fertile imagination. So PLEASE NOTE: the actors and artists depicted on this page have no connection with "Candyland" - and in no way are any characters within this written series meant to depict any person or performer in real life; any artists depicted here only a "dream cast" of talent I could visually see playing them, once the series hits TV. All characters appearing in "Candyland" are fictitious; any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Friday, May 1, 2015

this week's episode ...

Candyland (TVMA)
"The Son Also Rises" (#1.04)
Blood tames a shrew. Zoe sees something new. A room with quite a view.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

more Bitstrips love!

Episode 3 already garnering some nice praise ... in particular from a lovely woman in the UK named Mandy who has taken quite a fancy to Dominic already!

Thanks to all who've sent in more praise and kind thoughts; will be posting some of your words soon!

Thursday, April 23, 2015

this week's episode ...

Candyland (TVMA)
"Malice in Wonderland" (#1.03)
Hunter gets a job. Dominic is no one's FOB. Noah fights The Blob.

Friday, April 17, 2015

Awww, getting some love via Bitstrips! SO heartwarming!!

Episode 2 dropped TODAY, and the heat is rising; when are YOU subscribing?

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

this week's episode ...

Candyland (TVMA)
"The Grape Escape" (#1.02)
Hunter pays his rent. Eden gets to vent. Teak's time is well-spent.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Pilot Episode: YOUR thoughts!

No one is more important to us, who've worked so hard on putting "Candyland" together, than those who read it: our subscribers. Here are just a few comments on the pilot, which seems to have gone over well with our readers already (and God Bless our UK readers, especially!):

"I was in howls of laughter and thought it witty and built up very good characters. I could visualise each one; they each had their own 'voice' and it cracked along at a good pace. It's a great story so far and I can't wait to see what happens next!" - Mandy, UK

"Like the teaser, I like the story. I can feel the characters and I can see them in my mind. You did a great job with keeping things moving forward. You had good cliffhangers, [and] I look forward to reading more." - Becky, USA

"I have read it twice. Think it's a really good start, and makes me keen to read the next installment." - Mary, UK

"Started reading it this morning. You had me from the first line!!!!!!!! Oh Heavens I think I'm in love!!!!!!!!!" - Jo-Anne, UK

I just finished the pilot .....OMG! I am so hooked! I can hardly wait to see the next chapter! I am going to buy a binder and sheet protectors so I can print out the whole series and re-read it again and again! This is fabulous! No kidding! Just enough tongue-in-cheek mystery to keep you guessing and hold your attention! So, if the right people get this into their hands, no telling how far you could go with this wonderfully delightfully funny story! Kudos! - Deby, USA

Thanks to all, and looking forward to more of your thoughts!
Meanwhile, come join us for the ride of your life; subscribe TODAY!

Friday, March 20, 2015

Welcome ... to "Candyland"

Read-TV is for readers who love the idea of following their favorite television series, only in print! Much like the serializations that began the careers of literary greats like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or Charles Dickens, Read-TV provides you - the reader - with weekly "episodes" of an ongoing series, to be read at your leisure, so that you'll always be able to catch up on the characters you love (and love to hate) ... before another enticing, cliffhanger-of-an-ending will (hopefully) hold you over until next week!

We premiere with "Candyland" from Donbert Productions. Set in Los Angeles, it's a behind-the-scenes look at the entertainment industry that follows an ensemble cast of characters led by Candace Gray, a beautiful, intelligent and very private woman who runs one of the most successful talent agencies in Beverly Hills. You'll meet Candace, along with her devoted assistant Oscar - the only person privy to her darkest secrets (though there is plenty he doesn't know, himself) - and various other people from her world ... like ingenue Zoe Cooper, already growing up fast in this business thanks to her mother Lynn, both ladies newly-signed to The Gray Group by up-and-coming agent Teak Dixon, a former pro football player with his own agenda for working there. And though he doesn't know it yet, actor Hunter West - Hollywood's hottest new "It" Boy, thanks to a breakout TV series and a first film that has critics talking Oscar - has landed in the sights of Candace Gray. And what Candace wants, Candace gets.

All of which is observed by Noah Sanderson of Sanderson Talent, Candace's biggest rival, who's determined to get to the truth of her murky past with the help of his ex-girlfriend, fading journalist Eden James - once prominent in her field, until her own run-in with Ms. Gray left her reputation in tatters, leaving her no recourse but to team up with sleazy paparazzo Leon Aguilar to find the truth. Although by the time Claire Harris hits town, Candace will have a lot more to worry about than Eden with regards to her well-buried past.

They'll all come together at Candyland, a private nightclub for the rich and famous that Candace opened the doors to just one year ago. A club known for its members-only policy and decadent, "anything goes" behind-closed-doors myths - few of which are leaked to the press thanks to tight-lipped patrons. But another world thrives deep within the heart of Candyland; one that few know of, let alone are privileged to. Where membership comes with a higher price. And where no one who enters ever comes out quite the same.

A Word from the Creator

Welcome to the world of Candace Gray.

My name is Don, and this project has been over a year in the making. Originally designed as a television series, I decided instead to dedicate a narrative of "Candyland" to the millions of readers who might like their imaginations teased week to week, eagerly awaiting each Friday for a new episode while - because life sometimes just gets in the way - still able to catch up on Candace and company at their leisure.

Below you'll find the teaser trailer; your introduction to the series before the pilot drops April 10th. If you like it, I hope you will come along for the rest of the ride on this strange little merry-go-round. It's only a hint of the decadence, mystery, seduction, love, betrayal, and murder - all just another day in Candyland - yet to come. Maybe also with a few (hopefully) jaw-dropping twists along the way.

May you love and enjoy these characters even half as much as I do. And thanks for letting me share them with you.

Best,
Don
readtvcandyland@gmail.com

SUPPORT LGBT ARTISTS!

"Candyland" is free for anyone to enjoy, but it doesn't happen by itself; turning out an episode of the saga of Candace & Company every week for nine months is beyond rewarding, though also serious work as more characters come aboard, the plot thickens, and I strive to share this private, behind-the-scenes world with you every week.

So if you like what you read and want to help ensure "Candyland" gets to its Christmas Day finale, please show your support for this LGBT writer and the characters you're growing to love by clicking "DONATE" above, so you can continue to enjoy what I hope will be the best television series you may ever read. Our goal, to cover operating costs through December, is just $3,500 - so if you like the series and support gay artists and want to help get this on Showtime, make your voice heard today and know that YOU were a part of our success!

What is "Candyland"?

WHAT IS "CANDYLAND"? "Candyland is a unique writing experiment - a "TV series for readers" that delivers a new episode every week for 36 weeks, much like your favorite television show,(only with a much longer season) - but in narrative format, like a novel, for those more used to reading that style.

The central character, hovering over all the proceedings, is Hollywood talent agent Candace Gray, owner of The Gray Group, a woman who in just three years has become one of the most powerful players in the entertainment industry, even if not always by the most ethical means. She also owns Candyland, an exclusive, members-only nightclub-playground for the rich and famous, where if you're not "in" you don't have a prayer of getting in ... but even inside the walls of Candyland itself a much grittier, even sinister club resides, whom few know about. A club with an even more exclusive membership roster consisting of those who have it all ... yet desire to go even beyond that.

But the real story of "Candyland" involves those who orbit Candace and her world; the talented, attractive, young, sometimes desperate people who flock by the thousands to Los Angeles every year, full of big dreams and bigger hopes. THEYare the kind of actors I grew to respect and admire while I lived in Los Angeles - those who struggle and starve and go without food or warm clothes in the hopes that one day they'll be noticed. It's their stories I hope to tell, via the characters who lie within these episodes, and I only hope you enjoy the ride. Or, if nothing else, will afterward understand a little better all the wild, incredible, sometimes even horrific things that can happen, long before your now-favorite actor found his or her way to the red carpet.

Don - Creator/Writer - "Candyland"