Story
Road work is everywhere. Except on TV. We’ve seen the numerous shows about the police force, lawyers, doctors, and firefighters. But there has never been a show about highway laborers, the men and women who risk their lives to build our roads. Tomah Mackie’s “The Lightning Patch” introduces audiences to a ferocious new battlefield: the highway work zone, where reckless driving and substance abuse threaten to kill these workers every day.
After a car crash strikes our crew, foul play is suspected and secrets of our characters are unearthed, exposing a complex ecosystem where building things comes at the expense of the working-class family. Inspired by true stories and featuring a diverse cast, “The Lightning Patch” frames the issues of our time into a compelling, clever narrative that can exist for multiple seasons.
Behind the Scenes
Social Impact
TV Shows are behavioral role models, and can have a lasting impact on the communities that identify with its characters. The entire DNA of Prodigium Pictures runs on this model of social impact.
The show is not only entertaining but it has a serious potential to make a difference in the world. Series creator Tomah Mackie considers “The Lightning Patch” a TV series disguised as a campaign to curb traffic fatalities. He has branded a campaign called “HeyHwyGuy” which exists to compliment and promote the characters and issues contained in the scripted drama.
Tomah has spent the last year interviewing real road laborers, speaking at their meetings, and capturing their stories through moving short-form video. The show’s strategy is to expose audiences – who for a large portion, are also motorists – to the people who operate and get struck inside Hwy work zones.
At a time when car crashes remain a Top 10 Killer, this is a show that penetrates people’s driving habits. As these characters become embraced, audiences will be thinking about how they interact with the road at a time when they aren’t in their cars.
We believe that a show of this nature which features characters dealing with traffic danger up close and personal can ultimately lead to a dent in traffic fatalities, lower work zone collisions, and get audiences to slow down and respect these brave construction laborers.
Work Zone Fatalities
From 2013 – 2017, work zone fatalities increased 35% in the US.
Source: National Wok Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse (2017)
Overdoses on the Workplace
On-the-job fatalities linked to overdoses have increased by at least 25% every year since 2012.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (2017)
Crashes Into Work Zones
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minutes
Every 5.4 minutes, a vehicle crashes into a work zone in the U.S.
Source: MN Dept. of Transportation (2017)
Team
Series creator Tomah Mackie is the former VP of Media for GPS IMPACT and has an extensive portfolio crafting content that makes a social impact in the political landscape. He has had the pleasure of creating hundreds of videos for elected officials, including President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.
These days, Tomah is a labor advocate and entertainment writer/producer based in Los Angeles.
With over 20 years in entertainment, series producer Robert Deege is passionate about and intimately familiar with both the creative and business sides. Recent credits include Sony’s comedy CRASH PAD (starring Domhnall Gleeson, Christina Applegate), the Emily Dickinson story A QUIET PASSION (starring Cynthia Nixon), and Sony’s inspirational family film SOUL SURFER (starring Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Carrie Underwood). As a Producer at Discovery Communications, Robert helmed numerous shows on Travel Channel, Discovery, TLC, Science Channel, Discovery HD Theater, Discovery Health, and Animal Planet.
Distribution Partners
“The Lightning Patch” is currently looking for packaging and distribution partners to take the show to series.
“The Lightning Patch” is a Co-Production in partnership with Rock Window LLC.
