Hype Release Party
Motorco Music Hall 723 Rigsbee Ave, Durham, North Carolina 27701

Photo courtesy of Holland R. Gallagher
Will Raysor as Smiles in Hype
You’ll recognize familiar sights while watching Hype, Holland Randolph Gallagher’s new Durham-based web series, which follows Smiles, a hopeless romantic saving up money in order to buy back the house of his adolescent sweetheart. In the process, he is persuaded by Ava, a young entrepreneur, to set his sights on a VR startup, a venture that takes him through the ambitious, twisting worlds of both rap and startup culture. Featuring recognizable spots like Trinity Market, Bulldega, and The Durham Hotel, and a cast starring local music fixtures such as Willie Raysor, Andie Morgenlander, and Well$, the ten-episode web series seems primed to make good its promise to offer “one visual perspective in a conversation about the area’s future.” The release party will be hosted by Phonte Coleman (Little Brother, The Foreign Exchange) and celebrated with performances by Well$ and Zensofly, among others, plus a VR experience presented by Runaway and Lucid Dream VR. —Sarah Edwards