TV series uses Kelowna restaurant as set

KELOWNA – Sliderz Community House has only been around since August 2013 but owner-operator Darren Bates is feeling optimistic about their future. White Lion Films, a Kelowna production company, has produced a pilot episode for a new series called “Silk Road” and are using the downtown restaurant as a regular setting.

“The story’s about online drug trafficking and some kids that find a laptop with some information on it and the story progresses from there,” says Bates. “It’s kind of like Blow meets Breaking Bad.”

He says the Bernard Ave. restaurant came to the attention of White Lion Films president Chris Clayton through Chris’ son’s girlfriend, Katie Tinling. Tinling works at Sliderz as a line cook.

“She’s the last person I’d expect to bring a film crew to my door,” says Bates. “She told me they’re looking for a coffee shop location.”

The pilot, an industry term for a first episode that will be used to secure additional funding, spends much of its time inside the 900 sq. ft. burger restaurant. The coffee shop scene was filmed on location Monday with a crew of around 35 people.

“It was a place where the characters are meeting to establish the story line,” says Bates. “If the show gets picked up, it will be a mainstay in the rest of the series.”

Sliderz opened its doors on the August long weekend of 2013 and Bates says it has not been easy.

“It’s been an uphill struggle starting a restaurant (in Kelowna),” he says. “I had an idea for a place I wanted to see in Kelowna and it’s nice to have a major film company acknowledge that it’s kind of a cool little place."

Silk Road is directed by Chris Clayton, who also co-wrote with lead actor Thomas Fraser.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca, call (250) 718-0428 or tweet @AdamProskiw.