Mount Prospect Sisters Selected to Top Ten in Worldwide Sony Talent League
Elizabeth and Gracie Dix, who grew up in Mount Prospect and are now residents of Los Angeles, have been selected as one of the Top Ten teams in the Sony Talent League. Sony Talent League with THU is a worldwide challenge open to creators between the ages of 18 and 35 who have an innovative idea that mixes more than one creative field.
The Dix sisters, the oldest and youngest daughters of Capannari Ice Cream's Katie and Ken Dix, submitted their 2D animation show concept and pilot script for kids ages 6-11. The show, "Knowhere, USA," follows 11-year-old Mosi Morgan as he moves from NYC to Knowhere - a secret, privately-owned town populated with global experts. With nothing done like it was back home, Mosi has to figure out how an ordinary kid like himself can ever fit in among so many extraordinary citizens. The show concept is then paired with a video game that uses real life experts to help share the innovations, ideas, and advancements currently happening in real world areas of the arts, sciences, and technology to help inspire and empower kids to pursue their dreams and develop their own creative thinking.
"I cannot believe we're here and very seriously cannot think of a better place for the world of Knowhere to grow," says Gracie, who is producing the concept. "The whole foundation of the show is a town where people are recruited from all over the world to share their creative thinking, risk failing epically, and have the space to try something new - and Sony Talent League is a real life version of that. I cannot wrap my head around it."
"Last week was a bit intense - in the best way possible,"says Elizabeth. "On Tuesday I signed the papers officially making me a foster parent here in Los Angeles, Wednesday we received an email informing us we were selected as top ten projects in the world, and then the rest of the week was a slightly breakneck hodgepodge of trying to juggle work, prepping the house for whenever the call comes in for a kiddo, and gathering all the materials we can to help rally the community to vote us into the next round of STL. It's all a bit unreal, but I'll take every bit of it!"
The Top Ten projects were selected by THU's panel of industry experts out of an estimated 2,000+ submissions from over a hundred countries. Now the team of sisters enters the next phase of the challenge: from December 20th through January 3rd, the challenge opens the voting power to the worldwide public.
To lend your vote and help these Mount Prospect natives advance to the finals, head over to Sony Talent League and vote for project "Knowhere, USA."
If voted into the top three, Elizabeth and Gracie would receive 10-weeks of mentorship from a real panel of global experts, a stipend to help cover living expenses as they develop their concept, and access to the THU community. Elizabeth, St. Raymond alum and Prospect High School graduate of 2006, is a children's book author and illustrator and was a 2020 Women in Animation mentee and 2021 WarnerMedia Access Finalist for her animation scripts. Gracie, also a St. Raymond alum and Prospect High School graduate of 2017, is currently enrolled in DePaul University's Creative Producing Masters program based in Los Angeles.
You can follow along with Elizabeth @ElizabethSDix & www.ESDolanDix.com and with Gracie @Gracie_Dix.
Vote for Knowhere, USA at www.trojan-unicorn.com/challenges/sony-talent-league-edition-ii.