Tokens (web series)
| Tokens | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Tokens On Call |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by |
|
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Winnifred Jong |
| Starring |
|
| Composer | Chris Reineck |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography | Lainie Knox |
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 5-8 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Release | May 6, 2019 |
Tokens is a Canadian comedy web series created by Winnifred Jong and produced along with Trinni Franke. The series premiered on Facebook and YouTube on May 6, 2019. It also stayed on Binge Networks for the first season and was later sold to Urbanflix TV.[1]
Tokens follows the lives of the actors of an "on call" casting agency who are dispatched to productions in order to fulfill diversity quotas. The series stars Connie Wang, Ryan Allen and Shelley Thompson. As of October 2019, Tokens has amassed more than 500,000 combined views across Facebook and YouTube.[2][3]
Season 2 of Tokens was financed in 2020 but due to the outbreak of Covid, it was not able to go to camera until the fall of 2021. After filming and post were completed, it launched on The Roku Channel in January 2023. [4]
Plot
[edit]The series follows the actors of On Call Casting, a fictional agency designed to help busy production companies meet their mandated diversity quotas. Dispatcher Betty sends out whoever is on call, with the actors often finding themselves cast in the roles they least expect.
Cast and characters
[edit]Main
[edit]- Connie Wang as Sammie Pang, an aspiring actress who joins On Call Casting in the hopes that she will find acting work beyond stereotypical token roles, despite the growing disapproval of her traditional parents.
- Ryan Allen as DeMar Lowry, a stunt coordinator-turned-actor who befriends Sammie after joining On Call Casting.
- Shelley Thompson as Betty, the eccentric, entrepreneurial dispatcher of On Call Casting.
Recurring
[edit]- Jessica Greco as Jessica AD
- Daniel Maslany as Dennis AD
- Chelsea Clark as Roxy
- Krystal Kiran as Priya
- Christina Song as Vivian, Sammie's Mom
- Russell Yuen as Bob, Sammie's Dad
- Jonathan Cherry as Director #1
- Sharron Matthews as Director #2
- Amy Matysio as the Producer
- Ted Stokes as the Cinematographer
- Samora Smallwood as Jenn the Costumer
- Sedina Fiati as Ese the Makeup Artist
- Tyssen Smith as the College Brat
Guest
[edit]- Fuad Ahmed (credited as Gabe Grey) as Vasant
- Andrew James McMichael as the Production Assistant
- Abigail Nadeau as the Bored Ballet Dancer
- Ehren Kassam as Kruger the Driver
- Ella Jonas Farlinger as Teen Betty
- Stephanie Morgenstern as the Casting Assistant
- Leigh Cameron as Captain Anjelika
- Sergey Volkov as Traktor
- Tom Melissis as Director #3
- Julia Huang as Sammie's Niece
- Daniela Saioni as Director #4
- Jeananne Goossen as Casting Director Voice
Episodes
[edit]Season 1 (2019)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Courage" | May 6, 2019 | 5:13 |
| 2 | 2 | "Your Inner Bruce Lee" | May 6, 2019 | 5:44 |
| 3 | 3 | "Finding Cinderella" | May 6, 2019 | 5:46 |
| 4 | 4 | "Include the Kitchen Sink" | May 6, 2019 | 5:11 |
| 5 | 5 | "Put Your Best Head Forward" | May 6, 2019 | 7:19 |
| 6 | 6 | "Whitewashing" | May 6, 2019 | 7:51 |
| 7 | 7 | "Dreams Start Somewhere" | May 6, 2019 | 6:46 |
| 8 | 8 | "This. Is. Real" | May 6, 2019 | 6:53 |
Season 2 (2023)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "The Phoenix" | January 10, 2023 | 6:39 |
| 12 | 2 | "The Sensitivity" | January 10, 2023 | 7:31 |
| 13 | 3 | "The Mixer" | January 10, 2023 | 8:00 |
| 14 | 4 | "The Fight Club" | January 10, 2023 | 7:52 |
| 15 | 5 | "The Balls" | January 10, 2023 | 9:27 |
| 16 | 6 | "The Fallout" | January 10, 2023 | 7:25 |
| 17 | 7 | "The Show Must Go On" | January 10, 2023 | 7:04 |
| 18 | 8 | "The Goal" | January 10, 2023 | 10:09 |
Production
[edit]The first season of Tokens was funded through the Telefilm Talent-To-Watch program and the Bell Fund.[5] The series received additional funding through sponsorships from William F. White International and Grandé Camera (formerly Dazmo Camera).
Principal photography took place in November 2018 in Toronto.[6]
In February 2019, Tokens creator Winnifred Jong and producer Trinni Franke participated in the Prime Time Throwdown pitch competition at the 2019 Prime Time in Ottawa conference, where they were awarded in-kind marketing services to support the release of the first season.[7] The series premiered to a sold-out audience at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on May 6, 2019, the same day the first season was released worldwide on Facebook and YouTube.[6]
Reception
[edit]Tokens has received praise for its satirical depiction of the issues of tokenism and representation in the entertainment industry.[7] Critics have noted the cultural relevance of the show's themes, with Greg David of TV, Eh? writing "Tokens couldn’t be more timely. Or scathingly on point."[8] In a Calgary Herald review, Melissa Hank remarked that the series "tackles Hollywood diversity with grace and humour."[9] Spring Marie Cullen of Starry Constellation Magazine wrote "it's smart, it's funny and it takes a unique look at the entertainment industry," concluding that "anyone who considers themselves a dreamer, no matter what career avenue they're headed down, will find enjoyment in this series."[10] Writing for The TV Junkies, Bridget Liszewski described Tokens as "a funny, bold, tongue-in-cheek look at issues of diversity, inclusion, and representation."[11]
As of July 2020, the first season of Tokens has been selected to screen at T.O. WebFest, Minnesota WebFest, NYC Web Fest, Bilbao Seriesland, NZ Web Fest, the Asia Web Awards, Santa Monica Webfest, Bogotá Web Fest, Apulia Web Fest, Miami Web Fest, Copenhagen Web Fest, New Jersey Web Fest, Santa Monica Webfest, DC Web Fest, Seoul Webfest, and Oakville Film Festival.[12]
It boldly became the first short form series to be nominated as Best Ensemble at the 2020 ACTRA Awards, competing with Kim's Convenience, Baroness von Sketch, Anne with an E and the eventual winner, Schitt's Creek. It was nominated for four Canadian Screen Awards in 2020, where Winnifred Jong won for Best Direction, Web Program or Series.[13]
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Season 1 | |||||||
| Year | Festival | Award Category | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | T.O. WebFest[14] | Diversity Story Spotlight | Nominated | ||||
| Minnesota WebFest[15] | Best Comedy Series | Won | |||||
| Best Representation of Communities of Color | Won | ||||||
| NYC Web Fest[16] | Best Comedy | Nominated | |||||
| Best Supporting Actress (for Shelley Thompson) | Nominated | ||||||
| Bilbao Seriesland[17] | Starlet Amets (for Connie Wang) | Nominated | |||||
| NZ Web Fest[18] | Best Ensemble (International Narrative) | Nominated | |||||
| Best Director (International Narrative) | Nominated | ||||||
| Asia Web Awards[19] | Best Actress in a Comedy (for Connie Wang) | Nominated | |||||
| Best Creator in a Comedy | Nominated | ||||||
| Best Director in a Comedy | Won | ||||||
| Best Editing (for Ben Lawrence & Gloria Tong) | Nominated | ||||||
| Best Ensemble Cast in a Comedy | Nominated | ||||||
| Best Screenplay in a Comedy | Nominated | ||||||
| Best Web Series | Nominated | ||||||
| 2020 | ACTRA Toronto Awards | Outstanding Performance – Female (for Jessica Greco) | Nominated | ||||
| Members' Choice Series Ensemble | Nominated | ||||||
| Women's Comedy Film Festival in Atlanta | Best Web Series | Won | |||||
| Canadian Screen Awards | Best Writing, Web Program or Series (for Winnifred Jong) | Nominated | |||||
| Best Direction, Web Program or Series (for Winnifred Jong) | Won | ||||||
| Best Lead Performance, Web Program or Series (for Connie Wang) | Nominated | ||||||
| Best Supporting Performance, Web Program or Series (for Jessica Greco) | Nominated | ||||||
| Apulia Web Fest | Best Actress (for Connie Wang) | Won | |||||
| DC Web Fest | Bronze Award | Won | |||||
| Seoul Webfest | Best Web Series | Nominated | |||||
| Canadian Cinema Editors Awards | Best Editing in Webseries (for Ben Lawrence for Episode 3) | Nominated | |||||
References
[edit]- ↑ Articles, KHTS (2022-09-09). "It's Time To Binge On Binge Networks!". Hometown Station | KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
- ↑ "Tokens On Call". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ "Tokens On Call". YouTube. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ Townsend, Kelly. "The Roku Channel takes short-form series Tokens worldwide". Retrieved 2026-04-10.
- ↑ "2018 5 to Watch: Winnifred Jong". Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- 1 2 Pinto, Jordan (27 May 2019). "How a simple misunderstanding gave rise to Winnie Jong's Tokens". Playback. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- 1 2 "WATCH: Winnifred Jong's TOKENS -- The Hilarious Send-up Of Diversity Quotas". Shedoesthecity. 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ "Tokens". TV, eh?. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
- ↑ Hank, Melissa (2019-06-17). "Web series Tokens tackles Hollywood diversity with grace and humour". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
- ↑ "Web Series Wednesday – Tokens". Starry Constellation Magazine. 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ "TOKENS Makes Issues of Diversity and Inclusion Accessible to All". The TV Junkies. 2019-05-08. Archived from the original on 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ "Tokens On Call | web series". Tokens | web series. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ Franco, Luca De (2020-01-14). "The 18th Annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto Nominees". ACTRA Toronto. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
- ↑ "2019 Series". T.O. WebFest | Toronto, Canada. Archived from the original on 2019-06-14. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ "The 2019 Minnesota Web Fest - 3rd Edition". www.mnwebfest.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-22. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ Currinn, Jonathan (2019-09-16). "The Sixth Annual NYC Web Fest Nominations Have Been Revealed". CelebMix. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ "Bilbao Seriesland Festival Selection Amets 2019 | Bilbao Series Land". Archived from the original on 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ "#NZWF19 Finalists". NZ Web Fest. 2019-10-04. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ "Asia Web Awards 2019 Nominations | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
