Trying Hard
Join Emily and Tal, two roommates with very different romantic ideals who manage to remain unsuccessful despite Trying (very) Hard.
season one
promo
Tal and Emily on a typical night out.
the morning after
Tal and Emily compare dates.
the ex
Tal and Emily talk about closure.
the ghost pt. 1
Emily tells Tal a ghost story.
the ghost pt. 2
Tal discovers that ghosts enjoy matzo-ball soup.
the bet pt. 1
Tal and Emily make a bet
the bet pt. 2
Tal and Emily get it on
the whore
Emily contemplates her number
the madonna
Tal needs to figure out what she wants
Meet the Creators
get to know us
Doris and Yael met in high school at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of the Arts.
After both being away for college, they moved back to NYC and found themselves in
the all too familiar post college confusion of what to do next. After catching up and
sharing stories of life, and especially love, they decided to start writing a comedy
about the less than ideal dating scene available to 20-somethings in the city. After
adding Andrew Tivon, another LaGuardia alum, and incredible filmmaker, to the
team, Trying Hard the series was born!
Yael Rizowy
writer, actor, director
Yael is a Nueva York City based actor, singer, comedian and epicurean who is originally from Chicago. She believes that Chicago’s hotdogs and pizza are better. She is single, so if you would like to convince her otherwise take her out to some ribs, or drinks. Yael has received training from The Upright Citizens Brigade, The Boston Conservatory, and LaGuardia Arts. You may have seen Yael: Off Broadway, in the background of SNL, performing with her improv team Picture Day, or on various dating apps.
Doris McGill
writer, actor, director
Doris McGill has been acting since childhood and attended LaGuardia High School for the Arts along with Yael Rizowy and Andrew Tivon. Doris later attended Hunter College in the Muse Honors Program where she studied Foreign Language and Film and studied in Barcelona, Berlin and Paris. She has acted in multiple independent films. "Trying Hard" is her first endeavor in writing, directing and producing, and she has enjoyed every step of the way!
Andrew Tivon
DP, editor, superstar
Andrew is a figment of your imagination. He lives on the fourth floor of a three story building somewhere in New York City. Aside from being a filmmaker, he is an illustrator, painter, photographer, and musician. He is passionate about trains, cinema, Japanese culture, and tumultuous weather. Currently he works at a fundraising company.
their music made the series POP
meet the tune creators
Penny Wild
Sometimes
promo
Originally hailing from NYC, Penny is a 23 year old DJ, producer, & choreographer, working to bridge the gap between the dance music & dance performance communities. Penny has released material on Billboard Dance, EARMILK, Nest HQ, DASH Radio, Mixmag, Dim Mak Records, etc. She has showcased her work at events such as SXSW, Brownies & Lemonade, IHeartComix, Webster Hall, and Avalon Hollywood. She has choreographed for a plethora of musical artists such as Weird Al, Todrick Hall, MirandaSings, starRo, MOONZ, LostBoyCrow, etc. She has appeared on London’s West End in the Broadway musical “West Side Story” & has also toured with the production both in Europe & domestically in the United States. Penny is currently working on writing & recording her debut EP that will be released in late 2017. She can be found DJing/ performing all over Los Angeles opening for various musical artists, or headlining her own shows showcasing her original music. Penny digitally releases original dance concept videos frequently, under the series entitled #WildWednesdays. Find her at @PennyWildMusic.
Alexa Lebersfeld
Best In Me
theme song
Alexa is lovin' life in NYC. Her passions are musical theatre, songwriting, and eating. She currently works with a children's theatre on the UWS, performing musicals with a company of actors in the city. She has gotten the opportunity to perform at various venues in New York including Joe's Pub and Sid Gold's Request Room. She is so excited to be a part of this new work conceived, created, and produced by our generation. We have the power to make things happen!!
Mima Good
Bad Bad Witch
the ex
Mima Good is a musical performance artist who plays with power through rock&roll, magic, and alter-ego. She performs around NYC with The Coven of Mima Good, a 3 piece contemporary blues-rock band. Their songs tread between indulgent revenge fantasies against the patriarchy and moody meditations on desire for those who dominate.
Simone Grossman
Rapper Girlfriend
the ghost pt. 1
Star of Rapper Girlfriend which was born in London.
Sherrboy
Nom Gah
the bet pt.1
Producer from NYC based in Montreal
Kris Dowe
They don't know
the bet pt.2
Kris is a Brooklyn based producer. When he's not bartending, he's usually tinkering away in his home studio.
TinVulva
Catcall
the bet pt. 2
From the depths of the Gowanus canal, TinVulva (aka TV) is an alternative punk-inspired band blasting at high decibels of riot grrrl soul and rhythmic grunge undertones.What does TinVulva mean? Feminist? Queer? POC? Riot grrrl? We're just misfits that like to rip it, and besides, where would our voices be heard?Certainly not in the mainstream. MUSIC over matter! See you on the floor!
India Carney
You
the whore
India Carney is an American singer, songwriter, arranger and actress. Carney made her national television debut on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning series, The Voice. She wowed audiences worldwide and four highly acclaimed celebrity judges as a Top 5 Artist with her passionate vocals. India has performed for David Foster, Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, Jason Derulo, Mark Ronson and many others. News reported, “Brooklyn native India Carney has a voice of gold." NY Times Op-Ed columnist, David Brooks, gave India rave reviews for her version of Lady Gaga's dance hits at the 2016 National Arts Awards in NYC. Ms. Carney was featured on Steven Hackman’s Tchaikovsky v. Drake with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, The Joye In Aiken Festival directed by Janice Jennings and curated by pianist Elizabeth Joy Roe; appeared on NBC’s ‘A Pentatonix Christmas Special’ and New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly, ABC’s Christmas Show Production with CCC-Brooklyn, NY, NYC’s Apollo Theater, The Bitter End, L.A. Youth Network, The Navy Seals Gala and STAPLES Center. Musical theatre credits include Jay Sheib’s Carmen (Carmen), AIDA (Aida), A Chorus Line (Diana). Among Ms. Carney’s many awards she was named a 2011 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts and National YoungArts Winner in Voice & Theatre, Brooklyn Conservatory Music Impact Award, UBAA Maidie Norman Award at UCLA. As a distinguished alumna, Ms. Carney earned her B.A. in Music -Voice Performance and minor in Music Industry from UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Voice & Opera Division. When Ms. Carney is not performing, she writes and produces original music, conducts vocal masterclasses, serves as a voice instructor to more than 100 music and performing arts students for local inner-city schools and music conservatories, and teaches privately. She also volunteers her time as an adjudicator with the International Championship of Collegiate a Cappella (ICCA), and the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival (LAAF). Member: SAG-AFTRA, BMI.
Pam Reyes
There Was A Man
the madonna
Pam Reyes is Brooklyn based musician. The Queens native is a songwriter, performer, and artist and has independently released a self-titled album.
Graphics
Maryam Khosrovani
Creator & Graphic Designer of theTrying Hard logo
Born in Tehran in 1981. Maryam received her Masters degree in Art Direction and Graphic Design in 2011 from ESAG Penninghen (Julien Academie) in Paris where famous artists such as Matisse and Louise Bourgeois, Rauschenberg, Duchamp graduated from. She grew up in an art loving family who frequented many great artists including Farideh Lashai who was her first major influencer. In her artwork, Maryam focuses on her ongoing interest in the duality of female identity. She tries to overcome the barrier of her culture and communicates in a global language to a wider audience through a fusion of digital codes. As a graphic designer she uses a concept-oriented approach and illustrates her ideas in non-linear narratives.The significant absence of ornaments and unnecessary detail in her work effectively portrays her perception and expresses her vision. Maryam has gained her experiences working with graphic designers such as Reza Abedini, SARL LM Communiquer, and Michel Bouvet's graphic design studio in Tehran and Paris. Maryam's exhibition "Incubus, Succubus, Pendulus: The Secret Rules of Gravity" at Aun Gallery | Tehran in 2012, rewarded her with many praises from the press and the public. Since then her work has been shown in galleries in Tehran. Maryam currently resides in Brooklyn where she works as an artist and graphic designer.
As a Fine Arts instructor, she has collaborated with Iran Game Development Institute in Tehran, Pardis for Children in New York, École Française in Tehran, and Kherad high school in Tehran.
