MTV has launched its new groundbreaking project, “True Life Presents: First-Time First Responders,” following a team of millennial volunteer first responders as they self-document their lives during a high-risk EMT shift in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The episode will air on Tuesday, June 9th at 9PM ET/PT on MTV.
MTV’s first-ever fully self-shot special is an intimate, first-hand account of two young medical professionals in New York City, the epicenter of the pandemic, who heeded the city’s call for help during an unprecedented demand for first responders. Through a series of self-shot footage, intense ambulance runs, candid confessionals, and moments of levity at home and in the field, MTV paints a raw, never-before-seen portrait of two homegrown heroes in the midst of a pandemic reshaping the world like never before.
“True Life Presents: First-Time First Responders” follows Rhanell (“Nurse Barbie”), 31, a trauma nurse, and Alex (“Ace”), 33, a dedicated FDNY EMT. Both have rushed to the front lines, going above and beyond already grueling day jobs to serve Throggs Neck Volunteer Ambulance Corp (TNVAC), the Bronx’s only volunteer EMT squad which has experienced a devastating shortage of volunteers during the pandemic. Rhanell and Alex each have deeply layered reasons for risking their lives in order to save others and through first-hand accounts, we see both deal with their own personal crises at home and in the field, during their unpredictable first shifts as volunteers. Using only self-shot footage, the duo are able to capture themselves in a way no other show has tried to do.
“True Life Presents: First-Time First Responders” is produced by Hot Snakes Media. Eric Evangelista, Shannon Evangelista and MTV’s Dane Joseph serve as executive producers; MTV’s Laurie Sharpe is co-executive producer.
To donate and help protect frontline health workers, visit Help.FirstRespondersFirst.co and join the conversation using #FirstRespondersFirst. All contributions will provide essential supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), child care, food and mental health support for frontline workers who are most in need.
