Hot New Teen TV Drama “Palmetto Pointe” Starts Filming Sky Entertainment Group Says “Let TV Battles Begin”

Hollywood, CA — Teen pregnancy, the horrible experience of date rape, how to download the best songs on your Ipod, how to cure a beach party hangover, how to get into a hip hop concert and make it through exams. These are a handful hot button social issues that come alive on screen in the new teen drama “Palmetto Pointe.” which begins filming this Friday, July 15th in Charleston, South Carolina.

Filmed on the Lowland's of South Carolina, the TV show follows six high schoolers heading off to college telling the story based on true life experiences.

“Palmetto Pointe” has been picked up for 17 episodes, and the new teen drama, which is already been compared to hit TV dramas, such as "90210" and "Dawson’s Creek" is taking prime time TV programmers by surprise. The TV show is slated to debut in August, airing Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on i.

It’s the first TV series filmed in the Palmetto State. "This dynamite new cast that has been called "excellent" by the Reel Carolina Film and Television Journal the show, is sure to attract a large youth audience," said Executive Producer John Cleveland Kearns. Timothy Woodward, Jr and Brent Lovell are just two of the hot upcoming young actors that Palmetto Pointe has to offer.” Casting Director, David Schifter has referred to them as the “Ben Affleck and Matt Damon” of the Carolina's.

The show is tackling trendy and traditional issues that are near and dear to the kids’ hearts and the targeted audience will identify with its characters and episodes. “Unlike other TV shows, our shows are based on real life situations, the true cultural shock experiences of diving into college right out of high school,” explained Kearns who’s filming in Summerville, South Carolina. “We’re targeting all of the demographics and social issues that hit home.”

The first show deals with child abuse and the series will tackle everything from teen pregnancy, alcoholism to date rape. Sky Entertainment Group filmed the pilot in Myrtle Beach, SC and Wilmington, N.C. “Palmetto Pointe” was originally filmed in North Carolina, but Governor Mark Sanford recently signed into law, tax breaks and rebates to production companies that film TV shows, movies and commercials in the state.

“Palmetto Pointe” takes you on a journey with six recent high school graduates heading off to college. The cast features several hot new and upcoming stars along with some well known stars from other hit teen shows, including Nina Repeta, who played Bessie Potter actress Katie Holmes' sister in “Dawson’s Creek.”

Some of the scenes will be filmed at the Summerville-based ITS International Talent Studios, while other scenes will be shot on location in various low country spots, including downtown Charleston, The College of Charleston, Folly Beach and Joe Riley Stadium home of the Charleston Riverdogs baseball team. One of the episodes main characters Tristan Sutton (Woodward) is a minor-league baseball player who’s comes back to his hometown of Palmetto Pointe to face his demons and to play the game of his life.

Under the new state incentives, major studio productions will be exempt from local and state sales and use taxes. They also get a 15 percent rebate on spending and taxable wages in South Carolina. Like Canada, South Carolina has become a hotbed for “runaway movie production” since the state opened its film office in 1980. The state has been the backdrop for scores of other films, including “The Big Chill,” “Radio,” and “Cold Mountain.” South Carolina’s number one industry is tourism, and productions are expected to give the state an economic boost.

Behind the scenes is where another TV drama and battle is brewing over big filming dollars. North Carolina and South Carolina are trying to keep two competing productions in their territory. Warner Brothers’ “One Tree Hill” series in North Carolina has been renewed for only one more year. However, “Palmetto Pointe,” the South Carolina rivalry heats up over TV teen dramas and the show producers know the tide is in their favor. "If our show can affect just one person’s life in a positive way, then we’ve done our job,” said Tim Woodward, Jr. "Let the TV battles begin.”

[Editors: For national media interviews, images, trailers, contact George McQuade, MAYO Communications PR@MayoCommunications.com or 818-340-5300 or 818-618-9229]