Showrunner Jacob Tierney received the Creative Impact Award at the Departure Honours during the Departure Festival in Toronto this week. Speaking with Queer & Now at the ceremony, Tierney discussed the significance of centring Queer joy in television storytelling.
Tierney explained that while 2SLGBTQ+ representation on screen has increased, this does not always translate to reflecting the happiness of these communities. "That's the most important thing to me, because I think that so many people see our stories and for understandable reasons, there's a lot of trauma associated with them," he said.
The Heated Rivalry creator emphasised that joy itself serves a crucial function in countering negativity. "Because it's the best. Because we don't get to see it, and I think joy is the best antidote to hate," Tierney stated.
Tierney noted that his motivation for creating Heated Rivalry centred on delivering a love story with a happy ending. "I think, really, the reason I wanted to make Heated Rivalry is because it's a love story with a happy ending, and it's incredibly meaningful to me to be able to do that," he explained.
The Departure Festival brought together talent from across Canada alongside international performers for a week of performances, showcases, panels, and entertainment industry programming.
