Netflix selects Norwich woman's art to promote final season of 'Orange is the New Black'
Norwich — Netflix selected a local woman as one of 10 people worldwide whose artwork will promote the final season of "Orange is the New Black."
Jasmine Stroud said art is a "side hobby" in comparison to her job as a day care teacher at Little People's Play Place Daycare. A 2008 graduate of Norwich Free Academy's fine arts program, she never thought her artwork would receive publicity.
Stroud uses an Instagram account to post her art pieces. In May 2015, she drew the "Orange is the New Black" character "Crazy Eyes." Stroud tagged the actress in her drawing and used several hashtags to draw attention to her piece.
Four years later, the drawing has been rediscovered.
Stroud said a Los Angeles-based Verb Marketing representative messaged her on Instagram just over two months ago about using her drawing of Crazy Eyes for promotion of the seventh and final season of the hit Netflix show.
"Orange is the New Black" features 30-year-old Piper Chapman, who was sentenced to a women's prison after being convicted of transporting drug money. The comedy series — based on the memoir titled "Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison" by Piper Kerman, who served time in a Danbury prison — follows Chapman and her inmate friends as they navigate the federal corrections system.
With help from Verb, Stroud copyrighted her piece, signed a nondisclosure agreement and sold the drawing rights to Netflix.
Now, Stroud's art is on a billboard in New York City's Times Square and is one of four featured on the show's cover photo on Netflix. It also could appear on buses and buildings elsewhere.
Stroud said Netflix is compensating her for her art but couldn't say for how much because of the agreement.
Norwich Free Academy announced the news Wednesday on its Facebook page, along with sharing the drawing, at bit.ly/NFAOITNB. Stroud said she plans to write thank-you notes to her art teachers for their encouragement and the wisdom they shared.
"This still hasn't hit me yet," Stroud said about the publicity. "It's crazy that I am one of 10 people in the whole world who was asked."
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