‘Dying is Easy; College is Hard’

"Dying is Easy; College is Hard” debuts on Monday, Oct. 30.

The series is written, edited and filmed by Aaron “AJ” Nelson, a junior mass communications major from Kingstree.

Jewaun Smith and Tarryn Delyons join Nelson as his film crew. The cast is comprised of four main characters and six other recurring actors.

The series is about four people who have been friends since their freshman year and the struggles they deal with individually, Nelson said. The show is based on personal experience and friends’ experiences.

“The show plays more on mental/psychological aspects,” Nelson said.

Nelson has been working on the script since June 2017 after an earlier attempt at a miniseries fell through, he said. This time, he had better connections and the support from friends, other students and other actors.

Casting was easy because he knew his competition, his co-workers are – and which people are reliable, he said. He respects that his cast and crew love to work on episodes despite “wild” scripts.

“Another reason casting was easy is because I know my cast and what they’re comfortable with,” Nelson said. “Some things just fall into place.”

“Episodes will release one at a time, being that every episode is different,” Nelson said.

Main characters are:

Demarcus is portrayed by Jarrett Polite, a senior sports management major. His character is from California and grew up in a Crip-infested neighborhood. He doesn’t want to go back to his old ways.

Sean is portrayed by AJ and has bipolar issues that stem from drug abuse in high school. He is into poetry and is an English major.

Joshua is portrayed by Douglas Fairnot, an S.C. State student. He is a big brother of sorts, plays basketball, and although he has a girlfriend, there is a girl interested in him.

Nile is played by Amari Ball. He grew up with a nice childhood but lives in his father’s shadow. He wants to teach piano to children.