Life can often be a struggle. For three young women, the trials and tribulations they face in their lives are bravely confronted in the new web series drama THE STRUGGLE, produced, written, directed and created by Kimberly Gail of A Tru Lady Productions.

THE STRUGGLE stars LaKesha Felton as Leslie, a wealthy “wild child” who will do anything to get attention – even if it means the wrong kind. Addicted to drugs and alcohol, her self-destructive behavior results in her parents cutting her off and forcing her to make it on her own. Jernique Spleak plays Nakita, whose quest for the good life comes at the expense of her young son, and Nichole Shotwell portrays Tricia, a woman whose troubled childhood leads to her distrust and suspicion of anyone who enters her life. Three episodes have already aired, with seven more to come for the show’s first season. An IndieGoGo campaign to raise $30,000 for the show’s second season is already in the pipeline. In addition, fans of the series can sign up for the show’s email newsletter through the show’s official web site here. 

Inspired by pioneering web series producer Issa Rae (THE MISADVENTURES OF AWKWARD BLACK GIRL, ROOMIELOVERFRIENDS, and THE “F” WORD among others), along with the works of legendary filmmaker Spike Lee, and Dennis Dortch (creator of the popular Youtube channel Black and Sexy TV), Kimberly created THE STRUGGLE during her own period of personal crisis. “I began writing THE STRUGGLE when I was going through a struggle in life myself. The original idea was to create an online reality show with different people in everyday living. When coming up with a concept or plot for the viewing audience to follow, I began creating characters and storylines that soon formed into multiple scripts,” she says. The series openly and honestly confronts problems that many people face on a daily basis, whether it’s addiction, depression, money or family issues, and the show’s approach to confronting these issues can be very powerful. “We do little things in each episode that cause a shock factor. (In the) first episode we immediately start off with Leslie snorting a line of cocaine in the bathroom, (then in) episode 3, Tricia pulls a blunt out of the bible, and there are more of those things to come. (We’re) pushing the envelope just a tad bit,” Kimberly says.

Like many web series creators, Kimberly found that making the show was a learning experience filled with its own set of challenges. It was one that proved to be memorable not only for her, but also for her talented ensemble cast and crew. “This was everyone’s first time doing a project of this nature, so our first night of filming was overwhelming and exciting. We learned time is of the essence when filming.”

The result of their hard work is a powerful drama that confronts some of life’s biggest problems, and how three young women struggle to overcome them. While Kimberly hopes that with her production company she can achieve further success with THE STRUGGLE and several other projects in development, her overall goal with the series is to provide viewers with a sense that no matter how difficult a struggle is, there’s always hope for a happy ending. “No matter what you go through and how hard the situation can get, just know your situation will be better on the other side. A resolution is on the way.”

ON THE WEB: www.ohthestruggle.com

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/ohthestruggle

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YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/user/ATRULADY1985

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