Kenton Duty, Katherine McNamara and Dan Flaherty head the cast of The Contest, a new feature that tackles the subject of bullying, which Percolate Productions has begun filming in New York.
Ajay Giunta, who wrote the screenplay, is making his directorial debut with the project, which Howard T. Alteris producing, with Martin Katz serving as co-producer.
The ensemble cast also includes Kyle Dean Massey (Hart of Dixie), Mary Beth Peil (The Good Wife), Chris Riggi (Gossip Girl), Owen Teague (Malibu Country), Raviv Ullman (Phil of the Future), Robert Wuhl (Arli$$) and Kelley Missal (One Life to Live) as well as Jan “Johnny” Uczkowksi, known for his YouTube parody of Justin Bieber.
Contest is set in a small-town high school, where two students — a bully and one who has been bullied — are forced to work together in a cooking contest that tests their relationship.
Percolate Productions is an indie production company based in Princeton, N.J., that focuses on family entertainment that highlights social themes.
Duty, repped by the Osbrink Agency and 3 Arts, appears on the Disney Channel’s Shake It Up!, while McNamara, repped by CESD/LA, has appeared in New Year’s Eve and will be seen as Becky Thatcher in the upcoming Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn. Flaherty, who appeared in the TV series Skins, is repped by Shirley Grant Management.
