Link to trailer here

Link to key art here

PREMIERE DATE: The BET+ Original film, Dying to Be Famous will premiere on Thursday, October 3, 2024, exclusively on BET+. 

Logline: A desperate social media influencer goes to extreme measures to achieve mainstream fame.

Synopsis:

It’s lights, camera, action in Miami, when 24-year-old social media influencer, LONDON SAMUELS (Reyna Love) tries to take her beauty and hunger for fame from the small screen of social media to the lucrative world of television. Convinced that she can reach stardom if she just eliminates the competition, London is thrown into a one-sided rivalry with the ever more popular social media influencer, ERICA MARKS (Nadia Adelay), while being egged on by her overbearing and even more competitive mother, DARLENE SAMUELS (Tami Roman). While Darlene devises a dangerous scheme to help her daughter, London secretly enters an arrangement with manager GAVIN WALKER (Blue Kimble), Erica’s boyfriend, behind her mother’s back. London’s extreme antics have her believing her own lies and she is soon infatuated with Gavin who rejects her at every turn. Between her own push for fame and her mother’s encouragement, London starts to crack and begins having flashbacks to a tragic night in her past that she had locked away, which has caused her to have split personalities. Now pushed to the edge there is nothing London won’t do to secure her fame and popularity, even if it means killing those in her way.

EXECUTIVE CREDITS:            

• Creators/ Story by: Tressa Azarel Smallwood & Karen Hardin 
• Director: Damian Romay
• Writer: Nakia Stevens
• Music Supervisor- Jerry Vines
• Executive Producers: Tressa Azarel Smallwood, Tami Roman, Donte Lee, Tamara Lee
• Producers: Jacobo Rispa and Damian Romay
• Co-Producer: Blue Kimble
• Consulting Producer: Kristin Iris Johnson 
• Production Company: MegaMind Media in association with Sunshine Films

CAST:

Reyna Love as LONDON SAMUELS – A starry-eyed, social media influencer who came into fortune after her father’s tragic death when she was just a child. Unbeknownst to herself, she suffers from a mental health condition known as Dissociative Identity Disorder. This disorder formed during London’s childhood after enduring the trauma of watching her twisted father torture and physically abuse her mother.

Tami Roman as DARLENE SAMUELS –The overbearing, money-hungry, momager of London Samuels. Darlene is a widow who lives vicariously through her daughter, London’s social media fame, and centers her life around trying to manage and lead London’s influencer career, even if it means cunningly pushing her to do some unsavory things for the sake of building her following.

Blue Kimble as GAVIN WALKER – A handsome Business Mogul and CEO of the Walker Agency, which manages the branding services for famed social media influencers, including his girlfriend Erica Marks, one of the top social media influencers in the world. Gavin finds himself in a compromising position when he adds a highly ambitious London Samuels to his roster and allows himself to be seduced by her. Realizing his mistake, Gavin tries to make things right but realizes that he may not be able to just walk away from an obsessed London who has a dual personality.

Nadia Adelay as ERICA MARKS – A charming fashion and lifestyle influencer, whose philanthropic persona, extravagant travel, and glamorous lifestyle have earned her millions of followers across social media channels. Her current boyfriend, business mogul, and talent manager Gavin Walker has helped to skyrocket her and her fashion line “GLAM SUGAR” even further into the limelight - Erica never anticipated that London Samuels would be right on her heels, gunning for her position, and taking away one of the things that she found most endearing, Gavin. With London winning the battle, Erica steps away from the limelight but eventually finds herself immersed in an entanglement that could result in her and Gavin’s demise.

Lonnie B as JAY THE ICON – London’s Gay best friend and self-proclaimed hype man who makes sure his bestie is laid and slayed. A shameless opportunist and cheeky visionary with a sharp eye for good aesthetics - he serves as London’s wardrobe stylist, makeup artist, hairdresser, photographer, and confidant. Though he seems loyal, Jay has a hidden agenda to build his own fame and plans on riding London’s coattails to achieve it.

Jazz Anderson as KASH MONET – Extremely popular influencer, known for her outspoken antics, unique rockstar chic style, and exclusive sneaker collection. She does not like London but is friends with Jay and Erica. She competes with London and is not happy when she has been defeated and takes to social media to air out her dirty laundry.

Zonnique as TORI COX – An extremely beautiful and popular social media influencer and beauty blogger who used her success to launch her own Beauty Empire “Tori Co XO.” Her life is unfortunately cut short by a brutal stabbing. Tori is found dead in her home at the bottom of her staircase.

Preacher (50s)  AL B. SURE – African-American, a seasoned male, preacher. Preaches a Eulogy at a funeral.

ABOUT BET+:

BET+ is the preeminent streaming service for the Black audience, with exclusive originals and thousands of TV episodes and movies from the best Black creators. A joint venture between BET and Tyler Perry Studios, BET+ allows users to stream Black culture including hit movies, TV shows, stand-up comedy, award shows, and specials, all in one place, commercial-free. The new service from BET Networks, a subsidiary of Paramount Global, is the official home of Tyler Perry’s film, TV and stage works. The ad-free subscription video-on-demand service also provides users with access to original content including Emmy-nominated The Ms. Pat Show from Lee Daniels, Martin: The Reunion, hit unscripted series The Impact Atlanta and College Hill: Celebrity Edition, and exclusive originals from Carl Weber including The Family Business and The Black Hamptons to name a few. Visit BET.Plus to learn more and follow @BETPlus on social to join the conversation and get the latest.