Atlantic City Chronicles Shows the City Behind the Strip

A Rutgers University professor and alumnus will premiere a new web series on Friday that tackles real issues of drugs, poverty and PTSD in Atlantic City.

John Paxton Jr. is a filmmaker and a teacher of "Blacks and Economic Studies" and "Aspects of Filmmaking" at Rutgers University, where he also received his bachelor's degree in 1998 and two master's degrees in 1999 and 2005.

He will premiere "Atlantic City Chronicles" on Friday night in Scott Hall, a web series consisting of eight 15-minute episodes telling the story of a Marine with PTSD returning to his hometown of Atlantic City.

Shot over long winter months and delayed by Hurricane Sandy's destruction of his parents' home, Paxton said she series was hard work and slow coming, but he's very excited to finally show it to the world.

The character Frank Porter returns home after a tour in Afghanistan to find himself without a job or a family, and wrestles with his personal demons as well as the call of gang life on the streets and the false promises of the casino strip, according to the series' IMDB page.

Paxton said the series is entertaining, but it is filled with messages and ideas to consider about crumbling communities and the realities for returning servicemen and women.

"Atlantic City Chronicles" is very raw," he said. "I put in the elements I feel will resonate with this new generation."

But what if that audience is desensitized to violence and social ills?

Many young people don't know much about PTSD, Paxton said, but if a show that talks about it pulls them in, and they make the decision to research it and think about what kind of change they can make, he's succeeded.

"True learning is investigation," Paxton said. "If I tell you something and you believe it, you just became a carbon copy of me. I want to entertain people, (but I also) I want them to investigate - 'Why this guy chooses to talk about Marines? Why did he do it in such a salacious way?"

The venue of the web is a great place to introduce those ideas, but also to showcase the series, Paxton said. Web-only series are very hot right now, with multiple major networks, as well as Netflix exploring web series.

Paxton grew up in Atlantic City himself, a few blocks from the glitz and glamour of the casinos, in the "heart of the inlet."

He described his relationship with his hometown as a "love-hate relationship".

"Atlantic City is more than casinos and slot machines," he said.

Viewers who are only familiar with the resorts of Atlantic City may not recognize what they will see, Paxton said. He welcomes that discussion.

"Challenge me. If that's not Atlantic City, then show me Atlantic City is different," he said.

Paxton will premiere "Atlantic City Chonicles" from 7-9 p.m. Friday, Aug 2 in Scott Hall, Room 123, located at 43 College Ave.

The series will be released in full on the internet after the premiere, Paxton said.

A trailer for the series can be viewed here.

For more information, visit the "Atlantic City Chronicles" Facebook Page.