Get Your Motor Running! Katherine Barrell and Tyler Hynes Compete on Hallmark's 'Shifting Gears'

Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe, who plays Rita in the Signed, Sealed, Delivered movies on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, heads behind the camera as she takes on directing duties for Shifting Gears, a new Hallmark Channel film. Lowe is the first person to participate in the Make Her Mark Women's Directing Program, a new Hallmark Media initiative to mentor female directors and increase the number of women who work behind the camera. Find out more about the mentorship program and the movie below.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Vows We Have Made

What is Shifting Gears about?

Motor City mechanic Jess Barro (Katherine Barrell) and her father Ray (James Burke) run their family-owned automotive garage but money’s getting tight thanks to competition from a big auto repair shop chain in town. Her passion is auto restoration and when Jess gets the chance to compete on an auto restoration show, she reluctantly agrees as the prize money would go a long way toward keeping their shop afloat. She’s shocked to discover one of the competitors is Luke (Tyler Hynes), her ex-boyfriend and the son of her dad’s former business partner who cut him out, leading Jess to break things off. The show’s participants face off in a series of increasingly difficult challenges to showcase their personal style. As the competition revs up, Jess and Luke’s personal rivalry becomes a big hit with the audience and producers alike. After a few misfires, they work through their former relationship and start to bond again over their shared love of classic cars. As they speed toward the finish line, Luke has a disastrous mishap that threatens to ruin Jess’ chances of winning. And when she learns his dad plans to buy her family’s garage, she suspects the disaster was sabotage rather than an accident. Will their relationship break down again and be beyond repair, or will they be able to restore and jump start their romance once again?

What is the Make Her Mark Women's Directing Program?

The Make Her Mark Women's Directing Program is the brainchild of actress Ashley Williams, who has starred in multiple Hallmark films including Christmas in Evergreen, Two Tickets to Paradise and the Sister Swap movies opposite her real-life sister, Kimberly Williams-Paisley.

Williams, who has worked behind the camera herself, most recently directed A Nashville Country Christmas for Paramount+. "As a female filmmaker, I know all too well the feeling of being told, ‘no,’ and I am absolutely thrilled to partner with Hallmark on Make Her Mark, a program that says, ‘yes,’ by empowering, training and supporting women directors and giving them much-deserved opportunities to bring their creative vision to the screen,” Williams said.

Williams added, “Crystal blows me away with her intelligence, experience, and willingness to roll up her sleeves and jump right into the business of learning and making movies. I look forward to that moment when she is a mentor herself and joins me in paying it forward and opening the door for the many women who will come after her, (Her) willingness to always learn more made her the perfect fit to launch Make Her Mark. The beauty of this program is that we have created a training ground for women to learn and then showcase their skills. They really earn their seat in the director’s chair."

Related: Get the Scoop on the Hallmark Channel's Second Sister Swap Movie, Christmas in the City

Who is Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe?

Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe is an actress (and now director!) who was cast as one of the four leads in the Signed, Sealed, Delivered series of episodic television and TV movies from Touched by an Angel creator Martha Williamson. She has had supporting roles in such Hallmark movies as Christmas at Dollywood, Flip That Romance and Christmas at Holly Lodge. She has also starred in Lifetime TV's The Wrong Wedding Planner and SYFY's Primeval: New World.

As part of the on-the-job mentorship, Lowe shadowed another director for the production of a Hallmark movie before taking the reins herself. Last year, she shadowed director Jessica Harmon on Dream Moms. That movie premiered on Mother's Day weekend 2023 and starred Tamera Mowry-Housely and Chelsea Hobbs as two moms who return to their Broadway pursuits later in life. Harmon most recently directed Joyeux Noel and Rip in Time.

Related: Niall Matter Stars as a Man From the 18th Century Who Finds Himself in 2022 in Hallmark Mysteries' Rip in Time

Meet the cast of Shifting Gears

Katherine Barrell (Jess)

Katherine Barrell is best known for her role as Sheriff Haught and one-half of the couple #WayHaught on Wynonna Earp. She also starred for several seasons as Joy Harper on Good Witch. Most recently, you may have seen her in Everything Christmas and Making Scents of Love.

Tyler Hynes (Luke)

Tyler Hynes quickly became a fan favorite when he made his Hallmark debut in Falling for You. He followed up with movies like Flip That Romance and It's Christmas, Eve and more recently in Three Wise Men and a Baby. He has also appeared on Letterkenny and UnREAL. His fans are sweetly referred to as Hynies.

Will there be any Shifting Gears guest stars?

We know of at least one! #POstables, look for Lowe's Signed, Sealed, Delivered co-star Kristin Booth to guest star in Shifting Gears.

When does Shifting Gears premiere?

Shifting Gears premieres on Saturday, March 23 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel.

Related: Sarah Drew Faces Blindness in Hallmark Tearjerker, Guiding Emily

When can I watch Shifting Gears again?

Sunday, March 24 at 7 p.m. ET
Thursday, March 28 at 8 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 6 at 10 p.m. ET
Wednesday, April 17 at 4 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 28 at 5 p.m. ET

Does Parade have a sneak peek of Shifting Gears?

Let's shift gears and check out this Parade exclusive sneak peek from the movie below.

Check out these images from Shifting Gears

Take a look at some select images from Shifting Gears starring Tyler Hynes and Katherine Barrell and directed by Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe in the gallery below.

View the 22 images of this gallery on the original article

Next, Will Alice's Next Trip to the Past Cause Everything to Unravel? Find Out on the The Way Home