TV Series From Yard Announces Celebrity Hosts For Jamaica and New York Premieres

NEW YORK – Producers of the new TV series From Yard have announced a prominent lineup of celebrity hosts for the much anticipated Jamaican and New York World Premiere screenings of the show’s pilot episode.

Actor Nick Creegan, songstress Nadine Sutherland, actor and playwright David Heron and broadcaster and media personality Paula-Anne Porter-Jones will  share hosting responsibilities for the two star studded events which take place one week apart in September.

Jamaica Premiere

Porter-Jones and Heron will co host the Jamaica Premiere Screening on Monday September 18 at 8:30 pm at Palace Cineplex, Sovereign Centre in Kingston.

New York Premiere

Creegan and Sutherland will step into the spotlight to host the Gala World Premiere at the Langston Hughes Auditorium, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York, one week later on Monday September 25 at 8pm.

The Jamaica Premiere Screening will be a charity fundraiser for The BAM MOMS Club while New York’s Gala World Premiere will benefit The Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations (USA) Inc. (UJAA) UJAAbotics programme.

TV Series From Yard

From Yard is an immigrant urban drama directed by Leland Benford that traces the true life story of Jamaican born Dave G Heron (not to be confused with the aforementioned David Heron), from his humble childhood beginnings in Maverley, Kingston through his subsequent emigration to the USA and his turbulent adolescence and young adulthood on the streets of New York City. The series is  the first ever television production to portray the pursuit of the American dream through the eyes of a Jamaican family.

Cast Members

The largely Jamaican cast includes Shevrado Oliver as series lead Dave G Heron, Glen ‘Titus’ Campbell, Joe Herrera, Darron Donaldson, Claire Dennison, Ashanti Harris and Adam Christian, making his professional acting debut as young Dave G, seen in flashback scenes of the character’s childhood in Jamaica and the USA. Co host of the Jamaican Premiere, David Heron, also appears in the production as Samuel Heron, father of series protagonist Dave G.

Host Nick Creegan

Nick Creegan is a New York raised actor, producer and former sports journalist of Jamaican descent through his mother’s family. His breakthrough role came in the Oprah Winfrey produced, critically acclaimed drama series David Makes Man, written by Academy Award winning Moonlight screenwriter Tarell Alvin McCraney. He has since appeared in major television productions  such as Law and Order-Organized Crime and the CW network’s Batwoman,  creating history by becoming the first ever actor of color to portray the character of The Joker. He currently appears in a recurring role on CBS television’s NCIS Hawaii and will be seen in the feature film Good Egg, due for release in 2024.

Songstress Nadine Sutherland

One of the most popular and respected Jamaican musical artists of her generation, Nadine Sutherland was the first ever winner of the Tastee Talent Contest at age eleven. She went on to be signed by Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong label and was nurtured by Marley himself in the formative stage of her music career.  Youthful hits including Starvation and Until preceded major adult successes over many years such as Babyface, Wicked, Big Tings and her signature smash, Action with Terror Fabulous- voted one of the Top 20 duets of all time by VIBE magazine. An original host of the popular tv series Rising Stars, she has collaborated with some of reggae-dancehall’s biggest names including Maxi Priest, Dennis Brown, Buju Banton and Spragga Benz. She has received critical acclaim for her latest projects Queen and Triumphant, released in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Playwright David Heron

David Heron is a playwright, producer and actor, who began his career in Jamaica as the writer of  such critically and commercially successful plays as Ecstasy, Intermission, Against His Will and Love and Marriage and New York City. His work has subsequently been performed Off Broadway and on several continents to thousands of theatergoers throughout the diaspora. Emigrating to the USA, as an actor he has appeared Off Broadway, regionally and internationally in a diverse range of roles. One of a select few Caribbean born actors performing Shakespeare at the highest level across the USA, he recently earned  stellar reviews for his work in the Colonial Theater of Rhode Island’s Shakespeare in The Park production of The Tempest. In addition to his latest role in From Yard, he is collaborating with actor -producer Malik Yoba (Cool Runnings, New York Undercover) to bring his courtroom drama Against His Will to the New York stage.

Paula-Anne Porter-Jones

An experienced and sought after Broadcast Presenter and Instructor, Paula-Anne Porter-Jones possesses over thirty years experience in the fields of Broadcasting, Communication and Education. Through her company CNIS Ltd /Paula-Anne Porter & Associates, she has partnered with experts in various fields to provide her clients and students with guidance in Voice and Speech, Public Speaking, Television Presentation and other related areas. A hugely popular morning show announcer on Radio Jamaica 94 FM, she describes her job as “Telling all sorts of stories of different lengths and types to different people – each morning is different and you never know what half of the stories will be or how they will end.”  Hers is the voice behind hundreds of short projects and commercials across the Caribbean and North America, making her a household name throughout Jamaica and the diaspora.

The BAM MOMS CLUB is a Jamaica based charitable organization geared towards providing prenatal education for pregnant women in their fourth to seventh month of pregnancy. All proceeds raised from the Jamaican Premiere of From Yard will contribute to the club’s Prenatal Education Scholarship Programme, which will consist of a six week prenatal programme for 15 to 20 underprivileged expectant mothers in the club’s next cohort starting in October 2023.

The Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations (USA) Inc. (UJAA), was formed to bring together the various Jamaican alumni organizations operating in the New York Tri State area. UJAA has been an active supporter of robotics in Jamaican schools for the past twelve years. All proceeds from New York’s Gala World Premiere of From Yard will go towards sending this year’s Jamaican delegation of high school scientists to the 2023 FIRST Global Robotics Competition, to be held in Singapore from October 7 to 10.

For tickets and further information on both premieres, please see also www.bammomsclub.com and www.ujaausa.org.

New TV Series ‘From Yard’ Announces Dates for Jamaica and New York World Premieres