UP SOUTH SOUND
IN POST-WAR PHILADELPHIA, TEENAGERS DEPENDED ON CREATIVE SPACES LEADING TO THE RISE OF POPULAR DANCE SHOWS THAT THRUST THEM INTO THE SPOTLIGHT. AS THE ERA OF TEEN CULTURE MOVED FORWARD, MANY TEENS WERE LEFT TO BALANCE FINDING SELF-IDENTITY & FIGHTING TO BE SEEN & HEARD IN THE MIDST OF PHILADELPHIA'S GROWING CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
In the 1950's, teenage dance shows like American Bandstand created a space for many Philadelphia teenagers to express themselves. Over 20 million viewers from across the country tuned into the West Philadelphia based show. dancers gave the newly coined term teenager, a face, a look - an ideal image. That ideal image however, often excluded the Black American teen.
FUNDRAISING
Up South Sound is currently raising funds in order to move past the development, and through the pre-production phase of the project. Initial funds will pay for the project to further hire production crew AND to begin filming interviews/scenes with confirmed participants. We are prioritizing filming with Philadelphia-area elders.
The producer/ director Karlynn Wells has already conducted much research and conducted pre-interviews and have confirmed several participants including former American Bandstand dancers, Activists, WDAS-FM TALENT, writers for The Philadelphia Tribune and, most importantly, Philadelphia residents and elders who can and are willing to share their stories and personal archive collections.
OUR TEAM
Karlynn Wells is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and multimedia producer with a passion for impact driven storytelling that focuses on amplifying diverse voices and perspectives. Karlynn most enjoys telling stories about history, race, culture and societal issues.
Director,Producer
Karlynn Wells
Kyra Knox is an award-winning impact producer and director. Kyra's directorial debut, the award-winning documentary "Bad Things Happen in Philadelphia," explores gun violence in her city and the community's efforts to combat it. Kyra's filmmaking approach stems from her belief in respecting and caring for each person's story.
Story Producer
Kyra Knox
Kevin Spence, is a Philadelphia native and has served as an industry DP for over 10 years. Collaborations include Viacom/Paramount +, Peacock, Vogue, Google, and Warner Bros Sports. Kevin’s work has earned him a NAACP Image Award, Webby Awards, Shorty Awards, and Film Festival Accolades.
Director of Photography
Kevin Spence
Caitlin Rigsbee has worked on exciting and critically acclaimed projects for distributors such as AppleTV+, HBO and PBS amongst others. Some of those projects include Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr., Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and The Vow. Her interests lie in telling stories that highlight interesting people, uplift overlooked perspectives, and bridge the gap between past and present.
Archival Producer
Caitlin Rigsbee
Kate Lindsay is a filmmaker with over 16 years of experience across pre- through post-production on feature films, commercial work, and docuseries. She is passionate about unscripted storytelling and interested in pushing the bounds of archival footage in post-production. Recent editing work includes the 2024 James Beard Award-winning docuseries La Frontera (Season 2) and the upcoming narrative feature Come Into My Arms, directed by Zara Kahan.
Editor
Kate Lindsay
Francis is the Emmy-award winning showrunner with almost 20 years of experience as producer, director, and writer working in every phase of production for non-fiction TV, film, and digital media. Francis has a passion for working on projects about natural history, science, conservation, history, travel, BIPOC communities, and social justice issues.
Executive Producer
Francis Ramirez O’Shea & Alta Gracia Media Productions
FISCAL SPONSOR*
Scribe Video Center - Scribe Video Center, a non-profit organization founded in December of 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, seeks to explore, develop, and advance the use of electronic media, including video and audio, as artistic media and as tools for progressive social change.
*Fiscal sponsorship allows us to apply for funding from organizations that require 501(c) (3) non-profit status and to receive charitable deductible contributions from individuals.