Hype Release Party

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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