Women and underrepresented groups in the workplace continue to fight for positional and pay equality. This digital series examines the professional and personal costs of breaking the glass ceiling through the story of Skye, a black, queer woman at a turning point in her career.

MS/MANAGE is fiscally sponsored by The Film Collaborative, a 501(c)3 organization. ALL donations to this campaign are tax deductible.

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WE ARE AT 100% OF OUR GOAL IN ONLY 12 DAYS, PLUS WE HAVE OUR FIRST FESTIVAL ACCEPTANCE!!

We could still use your help!

As of July 12, we are 100% FUNDED! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for responding to emails and late night texts, sharing on socials, and opening your hearts and wallets to support this important story.

WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP!  We are thrilled to have enough to complete the series, build the website and create marketing materials. There’s more to be done! Here are our stretch goals.

 

Goal #1: If we raise an additional $2K (or $17K total), we’ll cover our Seed&Spark campaign costs!  

Goal #2: If we raise an additional $3k (or $20K total), we’ll be able to commission a score, and pay our participating musicians a small fee!

Goal #3: If we raise an additional $2k (or $22K total), we’ll be able to create :30 and :60 second promos for our series!

Ultra-Stretch Goal #4: If we raise an extra $2k (or $24K total), we’ll be able to put a special program around Episode 6, a capsule episode about Skye and her partner Lark’s relationship. This beautiful episode was written and directed by the amazing Angele Cooper, and will be submitted to LGBTQ+ festivals as a standalone!

Ultra-Stretch Goal #5: If we raise an extra $3k (or $27k total), we’ll be able to cover the cost of a public relations expert who can help get as much exposure as possible for the series!

 

Thanks to you, we can get Ms/Manage through post.  Now, let try to get through Goal #1 so we can keep our full pledge!

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ABOUT MS/MANAGE

Have you ever been one of the only or few? What happens when the corporate world is experienced through the lens of a black, queer woman?

 

LOGLINE

On the surface Skye has it all: a successful career and a wonderful personal life with partner Lark. But lately, navigating the challenges of being Black in corporate America is starting to grate on her soul. As she attempts to oversee the launch that will define her career while preparing to start a family, Skye must decide if “having it all” is worth it.

 

SYNOPSIS

Skye Johnson is black, queer and a rising Director at the trend-forward online retailer, Fashionbae. A promotion to Vice President would validate years of hard work and sacrifice. This opportunity comes as Skye is fighting for balance - her partner Lark desperately wants to start a family. But even a baby can’t detract from Skye’s determination to reach the top, she’s worked way too hard for this. When Skye is assigned to launch new designs from a social influencer known for racial insensitivity, her moral code comes into conflict with the promise of a promotion. 

MS/MANAGE will explore critical workplace themes including respectability politics, biases, microaggressions, and advancement inequality. At home, the series will explore personal versus professional sacrifice. The duality of Skye’s professional versus truly authentic self is explored in the series by breaking the fourth wall. 

 

WHY NOW?

Black female professionals continue to fight for workplace equality while managing unique personal circumstances. Of the 6 Black CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, only two are women. In addition, the wealth gap has widened, and at this pace it could take Black women 106 years to achieve equal pay. 

In addition, studies show when an organization is failing, Black women leaders are evaluated more negatively than Black men, White women, or White men. Finally, Black professionals often face challenges at home. Often the first to “make it”, they are more likely to provide assistance to parents, siblings, or extended family members.

The current climate amplifies the need for a wider spectrum of stories. Stories help to normalize and create conversation. MS/MANAGE will attempt to unpack the challenges of succeeding in a world that wasn’t built to organically embrace women and diversity. To solve, one must first seek to understand, and discuss.

 

FACTS AT A GLANCE

Our amazing team is diverse, both in front of and behind the camera.  

• 100% women led production team representing diverse and LGBTQIA communities.
• 100% women led writers room.
• Majority female department leads representing Black and AAPI communities.
• Diverse on-screen representation including Black, AAPI and Queer.
• A focus on festivals celebrating female, diverse and Queer spaces. 
• We have our first distribution license with Black Oak Television.
• We are developing a teaching module for education, corporate and non-profit.

 

THE CREATORS STORY
Hello. You may be wondering how I got here. 

This is me, at the beginning of my career. The stakes were high. I came from a hard-working family who persisted, no matter what, and taught me how to do the same. This was more than a career; this of decades of intergenerational hope for my professional journey. I did not take my jobs lightly.

Let me tell you a story – one day several years ago I arrived to work early, bursting with pride. My job, at one of the most prestigious marketing companies in the world, exceeded the expectations of my working-class family (and frequently even myself). That day I had a morning meeting with an agency seeking to pitch my brand. As I traveled down the hall to my office, I noticed a white guy in a suit looking lost. As I approached, he greeted me.

“Good morning”

“Good morning!”

“Question...”

“Sure!”

“Can you make me a few copies for this meeting? And can I get a coffee?”

My brain attempted to process that this man thought I was an assistant. Imagine his surprise to discover that his pitch meeting was with me!

While my time in the workplace was exhilarating, this would be the first of many “incidents” across my career. These dualities, this precise, but often exhausting navigation, become the basis of MS/MANAGE. 

The story of Skye is an amalgamation of many people I know. People who are fighting for agency in spaces where their presence is uncommon. People who want to bring their fully authentic selves to the workplace. People who must overcome many biases and preconceived notions to be heard. People who actions are often misinterpreted as “angry” or “defensive”. 

We are raising funds to:

• Post production.
• Film festival submissions.
• Marketing materials.
• Development of teaching module on gender equality and unconscious bias in the workplace.

It’s time to tell their story.

Thank you for your consideration and time.

 

THE FILM COLLABORATIVE

MS/MANAGE is fiscally sponsored by The Film Collaborative (TFC), a 501(c)3 organization. ALL donations to this campaign are tax deductible. Seed&Spark admin fees and credit card processing fees are deducted before TFC receives the funds. TFC issues tax receipts on the amount they receive minus the fair market value of the incentive you select.