Ran & Jaden: the fabulous shallow world of gay millenials
23Mar 2019. - Drew Rowsome

Life imitates art.

Utilizing the classic comedy trope of a duo of blissful self-centred and oblivious idiots convinced of their own importance, Ran & Jaden have updated to mix in gay and millenial. As my colleague Raymond Helko described the pair: "over-the-top funny because the stereotypes they play off of are very often true." Ran & Jaden have amassed a hilarious collection of short sketches on YouTube mocking sex bragging, server baiting, poetry writing and photographer egos. Naturally, they now want to take it to the next step.

What they have planned, according to Jaden, is "a 12-episode narrative, with each episode running between 10-15 minutes in length. Two of the main storylines are about self-esteem/body image in the gay community and racial preferences/fetishizing in dating, along with the more general pressures faced by young gay Canadians. But I think it does a good job of addressing these things meaningfully without it being sentimental and while still being fun and ridiculous and sarcastic."

Of course that will cost more than the previous sketches so Ran & Jaden have applied to the Independent Production Fund (IPF) for a grant, "technically a loan," clarifies Jaden, "that is designed for new web series." In a twist that echoes the social media saturated and competitive world of gay millenials, "Part of the evaluation process includes how much engagement our trailer gets over the month of March including views, likes, comments and shares. They want to see that people actually care about what you're proposing to make."

The trailer is two minutes long and will whet your appetite for the rest of Ran & Jaden's oeuvre which is readily available on YouTube. We need more satirical takes on the fabulously shallow world of gay millenials so taking a minute, okay two minutes, out of your busy schedule to view, like, comment and/or share Ran & Jaden's trailer (conveniently right below) can be your good and rewarding deed of the day. And please do it asap before March ends.

It will give Ran & Jaden a slight advantage in an already satirical situation, the chance to grow, blossom and mature into as enduring a duo as the Vicious Old Queens but without the annoying accents. And if you get a chance, remind them that nudity and semi-nudity is always a good way to get views, if not laughs. and then check out their "Emotional Casting Couch."