Teen Filmmaker's Indie Dramedy, Tackles Social Dilemmas of Today's Youth

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- It's the middle of the pandemic. Nobody is going anywhere, and the boredom among school-aged youth is unprecedented. The pandemic's effect on entertainment was everywhere including in Charlotte, NC, where prior to the shutdowns, actor/musician Praise K. McNealy kept a full performance schedule. Seeing what the isolation was doing to the emotional and mental health of so many of his peers he wanted to keep the momentum up around him. "I figured the lack of something coming in was no excuse to not put something creative out," says McNealy, who then, age 16, began his writer/directorial debut and signed with HKM Enterprises, Inc.

His independent film, Loverboy, releases on May 27, 2022. It captures a coming-of-age chapter in the life of an awkward teenage boy named David (McNealy) raised by his sometimes corky single father (Jermaine A. Gamble). The dramedy follows David trying to figure out young love, heartbreak, and friendship as he finds himself having to choose between his best friend Brandon (Tyler King Jace Jackson) and the love of his life Angelina (Cierra Reynolds). While the comedic undertones add levity to the storyline; underneath is the grief over his absent mother, his losses, and dealing with resulting heartbreak, depression, and grief. Although David tackles these social dilemmas head-on, often with hilarious interjections by his single father and the other antics of young adult life.

McNealy teamed with actors from the Mallard Creek High School Theater Program to bring Hollywood to them. With the participation of Cierra Reynolds, Tyler Coleman, and Kate Killen; Loverboy was filmed on location in Charlotte. Out of the effort, a fledgling production company, Cloud 7, was born as the team now fine tunes the film for larger audiences and for catching the eye of wider distribution platforms. The project got its first media support when picked up by Radio Silence, Inc. (Radiosilenceinc.com) a new content creation firm specializing in advertising for the African American community, and that is developing platforms exclusively for emerging talent in media.

Brooklyn born McNealy plans to continue building on his journey from actor to filmmaker—which started at age 16 with writing Loverboy, producing it at 17, and now in 2022 releasing it to the public. Having started with dreams of being a performer from the age of 5 when he started a YouTube channel—The Praise Show; by age 10, he launched a series of Instagram comedy skits as King PK Money. This caught the eye of the executives at United Nations Radio Networks and it lead McNealy to his own nationally syndicated radio segment, Kid Thoughts with PK Money. After his family moved to Charlotte, he joined his high school theater program which opened new doors and introduced him to the circle that makes up the talented crew behind Loverboy. The trailer is now running, enticing audiences for the premier airing May 27^th on Loverboythemovie.com

Contact: HKM ENTERPRISES
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SOURCE HKM Enterprises