TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire ) –

Mahalia Brown has a talent that could open doors for her. But if she
dares to step through, she may find herself in a dangerous place, far
from everything in her life that’s safe and true and comforting. Is it
a price worth paying to live her dream?

Welcome to Mahalia’s world. Welcome to SOUL.

A six-part drama premiering in February on VisionTV, SOUL stars Canada’s premier R&B artist, Keshia Chante,
as Mahalia, a gifted young gospel singer on the verge of leaving behind
the safety of church and family for the fast track to pop stardom.

SOUL is VisionTV’s first original hour-long drama series. It airs on
Wednesday nights, starting Feb. 11, at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

The series was produced for VisionTV by Halifax Film,
an award-winning production company whose credits include This Hour Has
22 Minutes and The Guard. Principal photography took place in Halifax,
NS last fall.

SOUL is the first small-screen starring role for Ottawa-born Keshia
Chante, who earned a Juno Award in 2005 for R&B/Soul Recording of
the Year.

As Mahalia, Chante plays a young woman at a crossroads. A member of
the Keystone Church choir, she has been content to play second fiddle
to her best friend Alicia (Jessica Parker Kennedy, Smallville), the
choir soloist, while secretly dreaming of stardom.

When Keystone competes in a televised choir competition, Mahalia
seizes a chance to step into the spotlight, putting her friendship with
Alicia at risk. Courted by an influential record producer, she finds
her principles put to the test. Can she stay spiritual in a material
world?

Mahalia’s story unfolds against a backdrop of sometimes violent
conflict within her troubled urban neighbourhood – a dangerous world of
drugs and guns into which her ambitious brother Malcolm (Ish Morris,
ReGenesis) is increasingly drawn.

SOUL also co-stars Eli Goree (North/South) as her boyfriend and
fellow choir member Samson, a young man struggling to protect a
troubling secret, and Karen LeBlanc (Playmakers) as choir leader Dee
Dee Washington, a former pop star and recovering addict trying to undo
the damage of her past.

Michael Anthony Rawlins (Intelligence), Kim Roberts (I’m Not There),
Mpho Koaho (Flashpoint) and series co-creator Andy Marshall (The Life
and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico) also star. Michael Beach (ER, Third
Watch) guest stars as gospel music mover and shaker Rev. Isaiah Hunter.

The Executive Producers of SOUL are Floyd Kane (North/South), Peter
Lauterman (North of 60), Michael Donovan (Bowling for Columbine) and
Charles Bishop (The Guard). Joan Jenkinson is the Executive Producer for VisionTV.

Andy Marshall is Creative Producer, and Margaret Harrison (Shake
Hands with the Devil) is Line Producer. The series writers are Andy
Marshall, Peter Lauterman and Floyd Kane. The directors include Stefan
Scaini (Degrassi: The Next Generation) and Steve DiMarco (The Chris
Isaak Show).

SOUL is a result of the DiverseTV initiative launched by VisionTV in
partnership with the National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI), and is
the first DiverseTV project to go before the cameras. DiverseTV was
designed to offer visible minority and Aboriginal writers the chance to
create a television drama for national broadcast.

Visit the official SOUL Web site: www.soultv.ca

Visit the SOUL YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/SoulTheSeries

Check out SOUL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/SOUL/44558069690?ref=ts

For more information on VisionTV programming, please visit www.visiontv.ca.

VisionTV, an S-VOX company, is Canada’s multi-faith and
multicultural broadcaster, dedicated to entertaining and insightful
programming that celebrates diversity and promotes understanding and
tolerance among people of different faiths and cultures.

Halifax Film (www.halifaxfilm.com),
co-founded by Michael Donovan and Charles Bishop, develops and produces
original film and television programming. Halifax Film manages and
co-ordinates all aspects of a program’s life, including developing
original ideas; purchasing literary rights; arranging production
financing; carrying out production and post-production; and exploiting
worldwide distribution rights. Halifax Film is a subsidiary of DHX
Media Ltd., a leading international producer and distributor of
television programming and interactive content with an emphasis on
children, family and youth markets.