Romance revs up when former flames face-off in an auto restoration competition when Tyler Hynes (“Never Been Chris’d,” “Three Wise Men and a Baby“) and Katherine Barrell (“Everything Christmas,” “Good Witch“) star in “Shifting Gears,” a new, original movie premiering Saturday, March 23 (8PM ET/PT), on Hallmark Channel as part of the network’s annual Spring into Love programming event. Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe (“Signed, Sealed, Delivered“) makes her directorial debut as the first participant in Hallmark’s Make Her Mark Women’s Directing Program. The announcement was made today during Hallmark Media’s session at the Winter 2024 Television Critics Association press tour.
“Shifting Gears marks a milestone in our storytelling evolution. This fresh, captivating film reflects the energy and excitement of its director, Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe, and I am proud that this story is the first lifecycle of our Make Her Mark program,” said Lisa Hamilton Daly, executive vice president, programming, at Hallmark Media.
“Yan-Kay Crystal’s drive, intelligence, and willingness to always learn more made her the perfect fit to launch Make Her Mark. The beauty of this program is that we have created a training ground for women to learn and then showcase their skills. They really earn their seat in the director’s chair,” said Ashley Williams, founder of Hallmark’s Make Her Mark Women’s Directing Program. Continued Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe, “I’m so grateful that Hallmark granted me the opportunity to bring my creative vision to the screen and make my directorial debut with Shifting Gears.”
Motor City mechanic Jess Barro (Barrell) and her father Ray (James Burke, “Plan B“) run their family-owned automotive garage but money’s getting tight thanks to competition from a big auto repair shop chain in town. Her passion is auto restoration and when Jess gets the chance to compete on an auto restoration show, she reluctantly agrees as the prize money would go a long way toward keeping their shop afloat. She’s shocked to discover one of the competitors is Luke (Hynes), her ex-boyfriend and the son of her dad’s former business partner who cut him out, leading Jess to break things off with Luke. The show’s participants face off in a series of increasingly difficult challenges to showcase their personal style leading to the final round of repainting a classic car. As the competition revs up, Jess and Luke’s personal rivalry becomes a big hit with the audience and producers alike. After a few misfires, they work through their former relationship and start to bond again over their shared love of classic cars. As they speed toward the finish line, Luke has a disastrous painting mishap that threatens to ruin Jess’ chances of winning. And when she learns his dad plans to buy her family’s garage, she suspects the painting disaster was sabotage rather than an accident. Will their relationship break down again and be beyond repair, or will they be able to restore it and jump start their romance once again?
Hallmark Media’s Make Her Mark Women’s Directing Program is an on-the-job mentorship initiative designed to advance Hallmark’s commitment to inclusive storytelling by supporting and increasing representation of women behind the camera. The program was conceived and founded by long-time Hallmark Media on- and off-air talent and creative partner, Ashley Williams (“Notes of Autumn“, “Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday“), in collaboration with Hallmark Media executives.
“Shifting Gears” is from Muse Entertainment. Joel S. Rice, Aren Prupas, Jonas Prupas, Jessica Harmon, and Linda-Lisa Hayter are executive producers. Michael Barbuto is supervising producer. Jeff Aghassi is consulting producer. The movie is produced by Shane Boucher and Caitlin Delaney. Lowe directed from a script by Matt Marx.
