Meet TONI
Checkmark has partnered with Talking Back Pictures to develop our first pilot, TONI.
Inspired by the life of Marie Antoinette, TONI tells the story of Toni Gonzalez, the Afrolatinx daughter of a U.S. senator, struggling to balance the private, public, and political spheres of her life. While her partner, Louis, runs for Congress, Toni has to decide what parts of herself, her friendships, and her career are worth fighting for amidst an ever changing political climate.
Checkmark and TBP produced TONI’s “Proof of Concept,” in November of 2019, and will be continuing its development during the 2023-24 Season!
Meet the Team
Cristina Angeles & Ayana Parker Morrison
While running Checkmark, Cristina and Ayana have been developing TONI as the Writer/Director and Creative Producer since the fall of 2018.
In 2018, Checkmark transitioned from a solely theater-based company into a production company supporting underrepresented artists in the telling of their stories on both stage and screen, and we couldn’t be more excited to develop TONI as our first on-screen project.
Nicole Palermo & Emma Kreienberg
Nicole and Emma are Co-Producers of TONI and Co-Founders of Talking Back Pictures.
Talking Back Pictures dedicated to authentically telling meaningful stories from women’s experiences; with women at the helm of telling those stories. Talking Back Pictures represents true inclusivity by mandating that at least 50% of key crew are women in every production.
Photo 1 from left to right: Gabriel Fernandez (Actor: Fersen), Nicole Palermo (Actor: Heather/TBP Co-Producer), Cristina Angeles (Writer/Director/Producer), Ayana Parker Morrison (Checkmark Co-Producer), Jacob Mouradian (Sound Mixer),, Erik Kochenberger (Actor: Louis), Jessica Darrow (Actor: Pippa), Ana Verde (Actor: Toni), Daniella De Jesús (Actor: Lena), and Amanda Lettieri (Director of Photography)