Queer Romance Meets Filipino Cuisine in Eat Cute, The Ampliverse’s BL Web Series
The cast of Eat Cute (from left) Carina Lastimosa as Tasty, Rich Adrian Lazatin as Justin, Donio Hinsley as Kyle
CHICAGO - JANUARY 16 2025 - The Ampliverse, a pop culture multimedia channel, today announces that pre-production has begun for their first web-based Boys Love (BL) series titled, “Eat Cute.” This romantic comedy web series follows the story of a mukbanger falling in love with a cook — and the Filipino food and culture he never had a chance to know.
Inspired by his time producing content for the Boys Love Boys Love podcast under The Ampliverse channel, RJ Silva wrote a deliciously charming story for audiences to devour. Silva also serves as the executive producer and showrunner of this five-part BL series alongside Ryan Clavin, co-founder of The Ampliverse and the Director of Photography for “Eat Cute.”
“This story follows characters in varying stages of self-discovery and self-acceptance,” said Silva, the show’s executive producer and showrunner. “I wanted to explore the intricacies of being Filipino in America, feeling like an impostor in your own skin sometimes, and how that lack of self-confidence can block a person from finding happiness with another person, and in themselves. Like the famous RuPaul saying, ‘if you can’t love yourself how in the hell can you love someone else,’ underscores the feeling of not being able to notice the person who loves you if you can’t find love in yourself first, and our characters explore these feelings.”
Cast of “Eat Cute” (from left to right) Carina Lastimosa, Rich Adrian Lazatin, and Donio Hinsley
The cast features local Chicago performers and artists including Rich Adrian Lazatin playing the role of Justin, a vlogger and mukbanger who rediscovers the Filipino culture he never got to know. Lazatin recently performed in Steep Theatre’s production of Happy Days are Here (Again) and also serves as a producer of “Eat Cute.” Donio Hinsley (IG, Tiktok), a current Master of Fine Arts (MFA) student at the Theatre School of DePaul University, will play a restaurant line cook named Kyle who crushes on Justin.
Rounding out the cast is Carina Lastimosa who’ll portray Ate Tasty, owner of a Filipino restaurant whose silly videos have gone viral and attracted the attention of Chicago’s foodies. The cast is set to begin filming the queer romance series in late winter with plans to release the show on The Ampliverse YouTube channel and other distributions later in 2025.
“I’m extremely excited about our upcoming production,” emphasized Silva, the co-founder of The Ampliverse. “This is our first foray into producing a BL series that explores the Filipino diaspora. Queer representation is essential to uplifting the voices of marginalized people. I’m hoping this is a stepping stone for us to launch more queer-centric stories under The Ampliverse Productions.”
To follow along with the production journey, visit @TheAmpliverse on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads. The team will also be sharing behind-the-scenes content on these platforms along with The Ampliverse YouTube channel.
Media Contact
Mari Joy
Marketing Manager
mari.joy@theampliverse.com
