Lory Mpiana – Creative Consultant
We are thrilled to have Lory Mpiana join the team as a creative consultant and actress on the Sloppy Jones series.
She has been working with creators Sophie Nation and Jamie Hart for the last 2 years on Jamie’s digital series Spell Bent, where she plays the lead role of Halley Highcroft. She also attended Armstrong Acting Studio and did comedy courses at Second City.
Lory’s writing ambitions are to become a film and television writer and to direct her own work and produce content. She studied at Pathway 2 Industry and graduated from their program in June 2020. Pathway 2 Industry is founded by OYA Media group Director Alison Duke and Director Ngardy Conteh George both recipients of 2 Canadian Screen Awards. There Lory attended classes on producing, directing, writing, editing, and pitching.
“Pathway has given me the tools I need in order to succeed in this business hence making it a Pathway to this Industry. I am also a WIFT member.”
Black Youth! Pathway 2 Industry (BYP2I) is a three-year, industry-led initiative supported by the Ontario Ministry of Children and Social Services. The program’s goal is to support Black youth in the digital media, film and television industry by providing mentoring and networking opportunities as well as on-site training with film department heads.
She is currently in Post-production for a feature-length project called, In Her City. On this project, she worked closely with director Carl Bessai as a Story Co-Creator and Actor earning her first writer’s credit.
“Working with Carl was an honour he’s definitely an actor’s director. He trusted me enough to have as much creative control as I needed in order to bring truth to the work.”
Representation and diversity are core values for Hop To It Productions and for our series Sloppy Jones. We are always looking to get more women and more perspectives in front of and behind the camera. We felt it was important to get creative input from Lory to make sure that her character Cassie is authentic and that we share the stories that are important for her as a smart talented young Black woman.
Lory is also developing her skills on social media and making a strong impact. We will support building her personal brand.
You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
See her Acting Bio HERE.