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5 Questions For David-John Bailey, Creator of #QuincyVS

· Quincy VS,Coloured,TV Series

A few months ago, a guy from Cape Town (where we’re from) reached out to us on Twitter to tell us more about an interesting and important story he’s trying to tell to the world. This guy is David-John Bailey, and he is the creator of Quincy VS, a story best described in his own words:

“To escape a cycle of abuse, a talented young writer must overcome several daunting challenges in order to save his family from a terrible end.”

A few weeks ago Wayde van Niekerk, a young Coloured man won gold on the international stage that is the Olympic games, which was swiftly followed by a national debate on Coloured identity. This weekend, a truly Coloured story in the form of the film Noem My Skollie gets a national release in South Africa and will feature the largest cast of Coloured actors in a single film with national, mainstream distribution.

As someone who identifies as Coloured, I feel like this is the perfect time to add to this conversation by helping David-John tell his story too. I chatted to him to get an idea of what Quincy VS is all about, why the story is important, and what inspires him to write. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the first installment in what we hope will be an ongoing series of interviews with creators and storytellers from all over the world. I hope you enjoy, and don’t forget to share to get the word out about this amazing project.

So David-John, what inspired you to tell this particular story?

Well in late 2015, I was busy with my Scriptwriting course and my lecturer asked me to come up with a pilot episode script of a story only I could tell. That hit me hard, as I’ve ALWAYS been a keen storyteller, often drawing and writing or even plotting out storylines as I watch my favourite Anime, TV shows, documentaries and movies.

Quincy VS was born out of a very real need for me to share a very real and as yet; untold, “Coloured” story, reflecting my own personal life and upbringing, that at the time, I thought, was unique to the Bailey family, but as I’ve come to discover over the last few months, is actually the story of Capetonians, “Coloured Culture”, the story of us beyond the overused stereotypes.

What led to this particular theme for the pilot episode? 

Any series that hopes to stand out above the overwhelming amount of content we have available on a day to day basis, must have a potent and even poignant start.

Abuse in our formative years usually lingers long after the actual abuse has occurred and with the pilot episode; Quincy VS childhood I chose to dive right in there, in order to build a solid foundation for the future episodes still to come.

Not just to tug at the heartstrings, but to make the viewer see the crisis and realise that an opportunity still exists for a positive outcome to be reached.

What challenges have you encountered writing & producing Quincy VS so far?

The writing part was easy; words have always been a constant confidant in my life and I often joke about how; once we get Quincy VS commissioned, I’ll be able to write the other 12 scripts at the rate of 1 a week.

The producing on the other hand, this is still very new to me, but if my 4 years of being an Entrepreneur has taught me anything, it’s that; if you want something badly enough, consistent effort and belief in that ONE thing will eventually yield the results you desire.

What’s the process been like getting the word out about the project?

Well, I’ve been building my Social Media presence over the last 3 years or so (Twitter and LinkedIn mostly), so using those platforms have yielded some interesting and positive results.

For example; not only has #QuincyVS trended on Twitter quite a few times, I’ve already sourced actors keen to be a part of the series, met some interesting individuals (present company included) that will add and are adding value going forward and it’s given me enough momentum to carry over into the real world, when I eventually decide to follow the traditional routes of newspaper, radio and TV.

What inspires the stories and poetry you write on Twitter?

I wouldn’t call it “Poetry”; there are supremely skilled individuals out there when it comes to writing rhyming verses that resonate with the Soul. My stories and tweets will always relate to the power of community (see #QuincyVS), how we need to return to that to improve the state of our personal lives and country. Of Love, for someone or something greater than ourselves that inspires us to be better, to do better (See #LoveTheDoers).

Life is as long or as short as we wish it to be, and if my words, videos, stories, tweets or any other forms of content I create, can inspire someone to realise that they don’t have to be stuck in a miserable situation and it spurs them to act on and passionately pursue a life of Freedom they wish for themselves, then with all my being, that gives me the satisfaction of a life and time well spent.

(Originally published on BTG Lifestyle 3 September 2016)