Longhope Media Inc. and CBC are happy to announce the new CBC Gem original comedy series You’re My Hero, launching on Friday, March 24 with all episodes streaming for free on CBC Gem. Created by and starring Sean Towgood, the seven-part, 15-minute per episode series is about a 20-something with cerebral palsy who navigates the pressures of adult life in a world not designed for wheels.
Honest, insightful and daring, You’re My Hero shakes up the prevailing views on what it means to be living with a disability. It can be frustrating as hell when an “out of service” sign is slapped on the elevator, but it’s funny with Ian (Sean Towgood) at the helm.
A wheelchair user since birth, Ian refuses to be anyone’s inspiration. Whether it’s dealing with a rude customer at work, or coming face-to-face with barriers in his daily life, Ian is unafraid to tell it like it is… sometimes to a fault. You’re My Hero is a comedic gem with in-your-face plot lines, and jokes that actually make you think.
“The show was inspired by actual experiences I’ve had, from the frustrating to the weird to the downright absurd,” says Sean Towgood, Creator, Writer, co-Executive Producer and Star of You’re My Hero. “It’s an important step forward for authentic representation on screen of people with disabilities. While disability plays a role in the show, it’s more about a young man trying to navigate his life in a world not built for him. My hope is that it will continue to open doors for people with disabilities to be more visible on the entertainment landscape and a bigger part of the cultural conversation.”
Sean Towgood is the Creator, Writer, co-Executive Producer and Star of You’re My Hero with Executive Producers Lucy Stewart and Kevin Wallis, who also serves as showrunner and writer, Producers Meghan Hood and PJ Wilson, Associate Producer Colette Jeffs, Associate Producer and writer Cassidy Civiero, and Directors Kara Harun and Greg Jeffs. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports; Trish Williams is Executive Director, Scripted Content; and Zach Feldberg is Director of Current Production, Comedy and Head of Scripted Gem Originals.
You’re My Hero will feature a dynamite principal cast including Vas Saranga, Tina Jung, Tara Spencer-Nairn, Ali Hassan, Cassidy Civiero, George Alevizos, Joanne Latimer, Kelsey Flower, and Christian Smith, with appearances by Julie Nolke, Sharjil Rasool, Lenoxica Sutherland, Masini McDermott, Amanda Richer, Maieko Sagara, Jason Huska, and Jillian Rees-Brown.
Sean Towgood is a Radio Broadcasting graduate from Humber College. Sean won an Emerge Media Award for the short radio documentary Stigma. He created and co-produced the audio documentaries Independence Day and Welcome To The Party for CBC’s The Doc Project; Epilogue for BBC’s Short Cuts series; and was associate producer on Equal Too (Stripped Media/Harder Than You Think). Select theatre credits include Wounded Soldiers (4th Line Theatre, Ontario tour) and My Life on the Short Bus, a self- created solo piece (Soulo Theatre Festival). He has also contributed as a writer for the Streams and Variations podcast.
