Tokens (web series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Winnifred Jong.
- Co-created by Trinni Franke
- Winnifred Jong
- Trinni Franke
- Vincent Lui
- Carolyn Saunders
- Lakna Edilima
- Catherine Legge
| Tokens | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Tokens On Call |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by |
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| Written by |
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| Directed by | Winnifred Jong |
| Starring |
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| Composer | Chris Reineck |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Lainie Knox |
| Editors |
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| 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 of 2023. [4]
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
Main
- 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
- 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
- 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
Season 1 (2019)
| 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)
| 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
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]