Giants (web series)

Giants is an American web series created by James Bland and starring Bland, Sean Samuels, and Vanessa Baiden as the lead characters. The series premiered on Issa Rae's YouTube channel on January 25, 2017.[1] A second season premiered on the same channel in 2018.[2] Both seasons were financed by crowdfunding campaigns on Indiegogo. It has since been acquired and released for streaming on BET+.[3]

Giants
GenreDrama
Created byJames Bland
Written byJames Bland, Vanessa Baden, Christina Martin, J. August Richards
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersIssa Rae, Jussie Smollett
Running time16-68 minutes
Release
Original networkYouTube, BET+
Picture format1080p
Original releaseJanuary 25, 2017 (2017-01-25)
External links
Official website

The series has won numerous accolades, including two Daytime Emmy Awards, a Streamy Award, and multiple Indie Series Awards. The series was profiled by Forbes and has received praise for its depiction of mental illness in the African American community.[4][5][6][7][8]

Plot

Giants chronicles the journey of three African American friends as they approach their thirties, each battling their own inner "giants" as they navigate adulthood.[9]

Background

Bland worked on several other series before writing Giants, and following the success of Issa Rae's Awkward Black Girl, he felt inspired to make his own series:

At the same time, Issa Rae was producing Awkward Black Girl. That show confirmed to me that it was time to take control and tell the stories I wanted to tell, but I wasn't ready yet. It took me a number of years to reach the place where I found the courage to tell the fullness of my story.[4]

After writing the first season, Bland created an Indiegogo campaign to crowdfund the series. Rae and actor Jussie Smollett subsequently came on board as executive producers.[1] After the release of the second season, also on Issa Rae's YouTube channel, Giants was acquired and released for streaming on BET+ in 2020.[3]

Accolades

Giants has won numerous accolades.[9] In 2018, the series won the award for Best Drama Series at the 8th annual Streamy Awards.[10] In 2019, the series received 11 Daytime Emmy Award nominations, winning two.[11] At the 10th annual Indie Series Awards, Giants won a record-breaking seven awards,[12] in addition to receiving the most nominations that year (19).[13]

References
  1. "Issa Rae And Jussie Smollett Team Up For New YouTube Series 'GIANTS'". Vibe. 2017-01-16. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  2. "Unapologeticly Black digital web series, 'GIANTS' goes beyond entertainment - TheGrio". TheGrio. 2018-04-25. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  3. "BET + Exclusive: Coming to BET+ in November". BET.com. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  4. Mitchell, Julian. "Emmy-Nominated Producer James Bland Shares The Blueprint For Building A Digital Giant". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  5. Obie, Brooke. "Up Next: How S&A's 2019 RISING Award Winners Are Finding Their Place And Building Community In Black Hollywood". Shadow and Act. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  6. "Unapologeticly Black digital web series, 'GIANTS' goes beyond entertainment - TheGrio". TheGrio. 2018-04-25. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  7. "Giants: A YouTube Series That Tackles Mental Health and Masculinity in the Black Community". The Grapevine. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  8. Parker, Najja. "Web series encourages black millennials to face their 'giants'". ajc. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  9. "Giants". giantstheseries.com. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  10. "8th Annual Nominees". The Streamy Awards. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  11. "Giants Cleans Up at Daytime Emmys, Takes Home Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Supporting Actor". The Grapevine. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  12. "10th Annual Indie Series Awards Winners". INDIE SERIES AWARDS. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  13. "10th Annual Indie Series Awards Nominations". INDIE SERIES AWARDS. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
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