EXCLUSIVE: Landmark Studio Group (Willy’s Wonderland, Safehaven, Trigger Point), a Chicken Soup For The Soul Entertainment company, is developing Heartbeat (working title), a 10-episode one-hour original drama series, from husband-and-wife DJ couple Kiss (Jakissa Taylor-Semple) and M.O.S. (Masud Semple), loosely based on the couple’s own rise to celebrity DJ status. Production is expected to begin in Q4 2021.
In Heartbeat (wt), the money is flowing, the bottles are popping and music is cranking. The coming-of-age drama tells the story of two up-and-coming DJs falling in love while hustling their way to the top of NYC nightlife. A DJ, (M.O.S.), and a former corporate exec, (Kiss), share an instant connection and bond over music at the popular NYC nightclub where they both work. The two start a romance as M.O.S. takes Kiss under his wing and teaches her the art of deejaying. As their DJ careers begin to take off, ego, ambition and shady acquaintances from the past leave the couple’s future in jeopardy.
Kiss and M.O.S. serve as executive producers and oversee the soundtrack. Landmark’s David Ozer and Tim Rouhana to also serve as executive producers.
“Heartbeat will deliver a similar vibe to Love & Basketball but with the look and feel of an episode of Power, and we plan to push the envelope to share with audiences a realistic perspective on the over-the-top New York club scene in the 2000s, incorporating some of what we experienced as we navigated through the trials and tribulations of making a name for ourselves,” said Kiss and M.O.S.
“Landmark is thrilled to work with Kiss and M.O.S. to bring to their story to life in Heartbeat with the music in each episode to play an integral role in telling the story,” said Landmark’s CEO David Ozer. “Heartbeat will bring a new prospective to the drama series, seeing this world through the eyes of the DJ. As we continue to build our catalog, this new series serves as the perfect complement to our existing roster of original film and series content.”
JaKissa Taylor-Semple, known to fans as DJ Kiss, regularly performs at high-profile celebrity events across the country, often with her husband, fellow celebrity deejay, DJ M.O.S. Together, they are the DJs for The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and deejay the Oscars’ red carpet arrivals as well the Oscars’ official after party, The Governors Awards.
DJ Kiss previously toured with Oprah Winfrey as the official DJ on her 8-city stadium tour, “The Life You Want Weekend,” and was one of Prince’s go-to DJs before his passing. Kiss also previously served as Pharrell Williams’ tour DJ, frequently spins parties for Sean “Diddy” Combs, and has spun celebrity events for Angela Bassett, Matt Damon, George Lucas, and others. She also deejayed movie premieres for blockbuster films such as Black Panther, The Avengers, and Pitch Perfect 3.
DJ Kiss was the longtime resident DJ on Good Morning America‘s DJ Friday segment and on MTV’s pop culture countdown, The Seven, where she had a weekly segment discussing the latest new music. She has been profiled by The New York Times, and Elle and Essence magazines.
New York DJ M.O.S. has been featured in publications such as Vogue Magazine, The New York Times, Interview Magazine, Page Six. He has performed at events for Naomi Campbell, Beyonce, Robert De Niro, Barack Obama and P. Diddy.
At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, M.O.S. started a virtual club called Club Insomnia which launched with over 20K people. Since then he has built a strong virtual community bringing people together playing 9-12 hour DJ sets to get people through the night during lockdown.