Web Series ‘Keloid’ Builds Sci-Fi Narratives Around Black Teen Protagonist

By Sameer Rao Aug 25, 2017

Science fiction fans who crave live-action content from creators of color will find a lot to like about "Keloid." The YouTube series’ first seven-episode season follows the show’s titular protagonist, a Black teen whose life goes topsy-turvy when he discovers supernatural abilities to control electricity and teleport. They are powers his mother apparently kept secret from him, and now they threaten to put both of their lives in danger as police try to connect Keloid to a classmate’s disappearance.

Now, after an acclaimed first season that generated a cult following and landed positive profiles from publications like Black Girl Nerds and Ebony, "Keloid’s" creators and crew look to support the second season via Indiegogo

"I wanted to give people who look like us, and who also love a good story, the chance to immerse themselves in this supernatural drama we’d created," writes "Keloid" creator Huriyyah Muhammad in the campaign page’s description.

Muhammad carries this passion into her position as executive director for the Black TV & Film Collective (BTFC). The New York City-based community for creative professionals of color builds development and production support networks around a shared goal of empowering pros to tell their own stories on-screen. "Keloid" is BTFC’s first streaming content project, and Muhammad explains on the Indiegogo page that she hopes the show’s next season will build on the BTFC’s momentum.

"Everybody knows the stats, when it comes to artists of color working in TV and film, are abysmal," she writes. "On this production, we’re going to hire artists of color who can use ‘Keloid’ as a stepping stone in their careers. We’re going to host the series on the Black TV & Film Collective website and the BTFC YouTube the same way we did season one, and hopefully people who like the show will find the BTFC and want to know more and want to get involved. We’re stronger when we work together, and this is what the BTFC is all about, and it’s the spirit in which ‘Keloid’ was created."

Much of the $10,000 this campaign seeks—almost half of which was already pledged as of press time—will go toward paying the series crew and covering pre-production, editing and marketing costs. Check out the Indiegogo campaign here, watch the season two promo above and catch up on "Keloid’s" first season below.