48 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • AUGUST 8, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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Queens Village native writes comedy series
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Growing up in the 1990s and early
2000s, Gabryelle McKetney recalled an
abundance of media representation for
young black girls.
Th e Queens Village native and screenwriter
watched shows like “Sister, Sister”
and “Moesha” and said that those programs
made her “the way that I am.” So when
she started writing her new comedy series
“Saint,” she set out to create something in
which her children and other young people
of color could see themselves.
“Saint” follows 14-year-old student
as she navigates puberty and being a
black girl at a predominantly white allgirls
school in Queens. McKetney wrote
the series in the style of “Malcolm in
the Middle” wherein the main character
shares her inner monologue with the
audience.
“I wanted to capture what it’s like to be
a teen in New York. Th ere were shows like
‘Gossip Girl,’ but I wanted to create a show
about people in the middle — not poor
and not rich. Th ose kids are most of us,”
McKetney said.
Series co-producer and director Jourdan
Guyton agreed that there is not a lot
of “quality content” for teenagers today,
especially not shows that represent black
teens. She said that she and McKetney
wanted to bring about a “teen TV renaissance”
that would restore innocence to
youth programming.
“‘Saint’ tells a great story and there’s
a void for this kind of content,” Guyton
said. “We want people to see their mom,
teachers and bodega man and make it as
authentic as possible.”
Episode themes cover “regular teen
things” according to McKetney, including
sibling dynamics, choosing family over
friends, love and the line between being a
child and being an adult. Th e creator said
that the title “Saint” is a play on words.
“Are teenage girls really well behaved?
Th at’s the fun in the title. Th e audience
will meet characters with layers of personality,”
McKetney said.
During fi lming, McKetney highlighted
the importance of scouting locations that
Queens residents would immediately recognize.
Guyton said that the borough acts
like a character in the series and includes
well-known businesses, streets and landmarks.
McKetney shared that “Saint” features
places she frequented when growing up
President-elect Bar Association Speaks
Th is week’s Power Woman podcast features
Natoya McGhie, President-elect of
the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association
(BWBA).
Join us as McGhie speaks to our host
Victoria Schneps about her life growing
up in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, coming to
the United States at 14 years of age, and
now becoming the second- youngest person
to hold the position of president at
the BWBA.
She talks about her strong pull towards
law enforcement and the wonderful mentors
in her life, including her great-grandmother
who helped raise her, and the
strong ethics she learned as a child.
“I always had a sense of responsibility
to go to school, to do the right thing, to
be good.” she said.
McGhie’s journey has taken her from
Canarsie High School to John Jay College
of Criminal Justice to NY Law School,
where she studied at night aft er working
all day. She started her career at the Legal
Aid Society where she litigated and tried
cases, and is now a principal court attorney
in Brooklyn.
Mentorship is a huge part of McGhie’s
life and she is currently the co-chair of
the BWBA’s Young Lawyers Committee
and its Mentorship Committee.
In speaking of her internship with
one of her mentors, the Hon. Nancy
Bannon, McGhie says that “she really
mentored me to be the person that I am
right now.”
When Victoria Schneps asked her what
would be good advice to give to young
people starting out today, McGhie said
“get off the iPhone and get out there and
just meet people, network, have face to
face interactions.”
She continued, “It’s not who you know,
it’s who knows you.”
“Power Women” podcasts share successful
women’s secrets to success. Tune
in to the podcast at SchnepsBroadcasting.
com and wherever podcasts are heard.
Photo courtesy of Gabryelle McKetney
in Queens including Gaby’s Pizza, Francis
Lewis Boulevard, Archer Avenue and several
Catholic schools in the borough. She
added that she wanted the scenes to be a
“time capsule of Queens.”
“I wanted to show that this is what our
neighborhoods look like,” McKetney said.
Th e pair are currently in the process of
pitching the series to several networks but
there is no set date release date.
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