NEWS AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY, Sept 1, 2025: ‘From Yard,’ the critically acclaimed and award-winning Jamaican drama television pilot, is now available for streaming worldwide on Tubi, one of the fastest-growing free streaming platforms.
Shevrado Oliver (left) and Joe Herrera in From Yard. (PHOTO CREDIT- Nick Whatley)
The highly anticipated pilot first premiered on the red carpet in Kingston, Jamaica, in 2023, and has since gained international recognition on the film festival circuit. With its arrival on Tubi, the production team behind From Yard hopes to build a global audience and secure support for a full season of episodes.
Based on the autobiographical novel Yardie by David G. Heron, From Yard is described as an immigrant urban drama that follows Heron’s personal journey from his childhood in Jamaica to his often turbulent life in New York City. The series explores his career as an NYPD parole officer while delving into the challenges, tragedies, and cultural complexities that shaped his life.
“It is a deeply personal story,” said Heron, who also serves as the pilot’s executive producer. “The journey to this moment began with the publication of Yardie several years ago. To now see it reach international audiences on Tubi, after premiering in Jamaica and traveling the festival circuit, is a testament to passion, dedication, and persistence.”
Heron added that streaming on Tubi offers the production the kind of exposure that could lead to the greenlighting of a full season: “The more viewers tune in, the stronger our case becomes for bringing this powerful Caribbean story to life on a larger scale.”
The one-hour pilot was produced by Leland and Phaedra Benford through Cupcake Rapture Studios in Atlanta, with Benford directing from a script adapted by Heron, Noel E. Dunn, and Maya Hall. The pilot is distributed by Wish Love Media.
According to the team, the pilot is envisioned as the first step in a long-form television series that will span multiple episodes and continue exploring the immigrant experience in all of its complexity.
Following its world premiere at Kingston’s Palace Cineplex in 2023, From Yard was featured at a range of international film festivals, where it won accolades and recognition. Among its honors:
- Best Short Drama at the 2024 Shoot Your Shot Film Festival
- Special Recognition Award at the 2025 Spotlight Short Film Awards
- Finalist at the 2024 Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival
- Official selection at the 2024 Atlanta Black Film Festival
- Official selection at the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival in Toronto
These achievements helped cement From Yard’s reputation as a standout Caribbean production with international appeal.
The pilot features a strong cast of primarily Jamaican actors, led by Shevrado Oliver as David G. Heron. The ensemble also includes Glen “Titus” Campbell, playwright and actor David Heron (no relation to the executive producer), Joe Herrera, Darron Donaldson, Miranda Melhado, and Adam Christian as the younger David.
Since filming, several members of the cast have seen their careers flourish:
- Shevrado Oliver won the 2024 Accolade Global Recognition Award for Best Actor in Behind Closed Doors and made his New York stage debut in Love and Marriage and New York City.
- David G. Heron earned the 2024 Broadway World Award for Best Supporting Performer in Shakespeare in the Park’s The Tempest (Rhode Island).
- Glen Campbell took home Jamaica’s 2024 Actor Boy Award for Best Actor in the comedy Room 513.
- Joe Herrera appeared in STARZ’s hit crime drama BMF (Black Mafia Family).
Producer-director Leland Benford, whose feature film Empathy is also streaming on Tubi, said he was proud of the cast and their accomplishments:
“We are extremely happy and proud to congratulate our cast who have continued to excel since working on From Yard. Their growing fan bases can make a major difference in how well our series performs on Tubi, and hopefully, this will pave the way for producing our full first season.”
From Yard is now streaming for free on Tubi, where audiences worldwide can access the pilot without a subscription.
For more information on the production, visit www.fromyardtheseries.com or watch directly on Tubi at https://bit.ly/fromyard.
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