The team behind Contingency, from left: Alexander Shahviri, Stephen O'Connor and Benjamin Lee.

The Earth is only a year away from destruction, but there’s no panic in the streets because only a handful of people know it.

And those people aren’t interested in sharing that information with anyone.

It sounds like the plot of a new HBO thriller, but it’s actually the synopsis of a show being produced by a group of McMaster multimedia students for their fourth-year thesis project.

Alexander Shahviri, Benjamin Lee and Stephen O’Connor hope their apocalyptic pilot Contingency will score high marks with associate professor David Ogborn and assistant professor David Harris Smith.

They also hope their show will get the attention of television executives interested in producing an entire series based on their concept.

First, however, the team needs to reach its $7,000 goal on crowdfunding website Indiegogo.

The students need financial support for their ambitious project, including money for props, transportation and insurance.

As of Jan. 14, the group had raised nearly $2,000.

“We want to kick-start our careers, and we need experience,” said O’Connor. “What better way to get experience is there than to produce your own television pilot while still a student?”

The group hopes to hold a public screening of the pilot in the spring.

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