She Could Wait for Netflix. Cynthia Kaye McWilliams Built CynCity Productions Instead.
- Dennis Nichols
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
She could wait for Netflix—but Cynthia Kaye McWilliams built CynCity Productions instead. Before Messy Lola Episode 5 streams, explore the creator-owned studio redefining independent TV, Black storytelling, and direct-to-audience streaming.
Most actors wait for the call — the audition, the deal, the platform to say “yes.” Cynthia Kaye McWilliams decided to stop waiting. Instead of chasing placement on Netflix or Hulu, she built CynCity Productions — a creator-owned studio designed to produce, distribute, and sustain her own stories. And now, with new episodes of Messy Lola rolling out, that decision is no longer a risk. It’s a working model.
From Actress to Architect
For years, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams built a career across television and film... showing up, delivering, and navigating an industry that often asks creators to wait their turn. But like many working actors, she understood something fundamental... waiting doesn’t build ownership. So, she shifted.
CynCity Productions wasn’t created as a side project. It was built as infrastructure. A space where stories could be developed, produced, and released without relying on traditional gatekeepers. Not someday. Now.
Messy Lola Is the Proof — Not the Pitch
For many viewers, Messy Lola is their introduction to CynCity Productions. A Chicago-set comedy-drama, the series follows Lola — sharp, self-aware, and constantly navigating the gap between who she is and who life requires her to be. Career missteps, complicated relationships, family dynamics, and mental overload all collide in ways that feel uncomfortably familiar (and often hilarious).
What makes Messy Lola different isn’t just the story. It’s how it exists. There’s no network rollout. No major streaming deal. No waiting for approval. Episodes, including the upcoming Episode 5, are distributed directly through CynCity’s own platform. It’s independent television, but more importantly, it’s controlled television.
Building a Studio, Not Just a Show
CynCity Productions isn’t positioning itself as a one-project company. It’s being built as a scalable, creator-owned studio. That means retaining ownership of intellectual property, developing multiple projects under one umbrella, mentoring emerging talent within its production model, and creating direct relationships with audiences
And crucially, it means shifting how success is defined. Not by platform placement, but by sustainability, control, and growth.
Expanding the Vision
That growth is already visible. Blake Martin, who served as Executive Director on Messy Lola, is stepping into a leadership role as Managing Partner — signaling that CynCity Productions is expanding beyond a single series into a structured studio operation. It’s a move that reinforces what’s already becoming clear... this isn’t just a moment.
A Different Kind of Platform
CynCity Productions aims to become a platform rooted in authentic storytelling, broader representation in Black film and television, creative and economic ownership, and community-based production. In a landscape where many creators are still navigating access, this approach shifts the conversation entirely. It’s about building something that others can step into.
What Happens Next
With Messy Lola continuing its episodic rollout, CynCity Productions is doing what many projects struggle to achieve... showing consistency.
Best part is... her consistency isn’t limited to a single series. The CynCity platform also features Sunday Evenings, an original series written, directed, and produced by Managing Partner Blake Martin — further establishing CCP as a multi-project studio, not a one-title operation. And the expansion is accelerating.
CynCity Productions is also expanding into feature filmmaking. The company is set to begin production this April on its first feature film, Fried Catfish, written by Inda Craig Galván. The film will star Cynthia Kaye McWilliams alongside longtime friend Terri J. Vaughn, repeat collaborator Anthony Fleming III, her Average Joe co-star Malcolm Barrett, and Chicago darling Ayana Bria Bakari.
Together, these projects signal something much larger than a rollout schedule. They reflect a studio building a slate. The real story is the system behind the shows and film. Not the glitter that's shown on the big screen.
Where to Watch
New episodes of Messy Lola, including the upcoming Episode 5:
Cynthia Kaye McWilliams didn’t wait for permission and you shouldn't either so take notes. She built infrastructure. And in today’s entertainment landscape, that may be the most important story of all.
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