Adult Children
New York City, New York | Film Feature
Comedy, Romance
AUGUST is an almost-30 gay singer-songwriter living with his suburban family post-Covid. His family supports him and his dream, yet he feels they keep him from flourishing as a gay man in the adult world — especially once he meets a younger boy on Grindr on a trip to the city.
Adult Children
New York City, New York | Film Feature
Comedy, Romance
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
58 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$7,495
Goal: $18,000 for production
AUGUST is an almost-30 gay singer-songwriter living with his suburban family post-Covid. His family supports him and his dream, yet he feels they keep him from flourishing as a gay man in the adult world — especially once he meets a younger boy on Grindr on a trip to the city.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
YEAH!
We all understand the feeling of being a tad behind in our adulthood, a bit past the checkmarks.
Some of us moved back home with our parents during Covid,
Some of us had their children move back in...
So we all know what it's like to have to step back out into the world and start anew.
This brings us to the story of Adult Children.
Complete with a soundtrack of original songs, Adult Children is both a gut-wrenching story of a fleeting gay romance and a relentlessly honest portrait of a loving but disconnected family.
Here is the full proof-of-concept trailer.
The story follows AUGUST, an almost-30 gay singer-songwriter who still lives with his parents in Connecticut. He longs to fall deeply in love, apparent in his innocent love songs and his devotion to bedroom pop artists - especially his favorite, “Joanie.” But August is a romantic in an unromantic world, navigating casual hookups and dry encounters with strangers online. His songs therefore lack lived reality, and his music pursuit lacks focus.
August’s family supports him and his dream, yet he feels they keep him from flourishing as a gay man in the adult world - especially once he meets a younger boy on Grindr, Seth, one night in Brooklyn. Seth is Gen-Z, yet has a stable job and his own apartment. Meanwhile, August is that millennial who lingered too long with his suburban parents post-Covid, and is overcome with a feeling of lost time.
In short, he needs to become an adult overnight.
...August will fall for this boy like a teenager falls in love - no chill, no rationale, and constantly streaming sad-girl pop songs. But he won’t give himself away; too afraid that being earnest would expose his immaturity. Instead, he will lie about his job and his apartment, write his love songs in secret, and do whatever he can to escape the clutches of his family.
What August fails to see is that his family shares a similar restlessness: his mother, Catherine, longs for purpose beyond motherhood; his sister, Lyell, wants to start a family of her own; and his younger brother, Paul, dreams of becoming an artist himself after his own heartbreak. So when August's fantasy of love starts to crack, and his lies catch up to him, he must repair his relationship with the only people in his life that are constant.
~ Over the course of four months, each month its own chapter ~
Adult Children will trace August's journey to Adult - not by reaching milestones, but by confronting himself and taking on the responsibilities that will allow him to carve space for his inner child.
A Note from Each of Our Team Members:
In the past few years, I've felt this predominant feeling of uncertainty: Uncertainty about how to rely on other people while still feeling independent, how to be myself but also protect myself, when to give myself away and when to hold myself in tact. My goal is not to answer these questions, but to give myself a little bit more grace for still asking them - and to offer that grace to anyone else doing the same.
-Teddy Schaffer (Co-Writer/Director)
When Teddy came to me with the idea of Adult Children, I had just quit my corporate job and found myself writing songs about a recent heartbreak I’d been through. I constantly needed to fight the flood of doubt that comes from making changes in life past a certain age. It's important to me to help tell this story because it will serve as that reminder that it's never too late to change course.
-Bryan Schaffer (Co-Writer/Producer)
Being a part of Teddy's film feels like being part of a family, both a family of filmmakers and a literal family. I'm excited to help this story of shared loneliness and the universal and often comedic search for purpose that we all face come to life!
-Olivia Kimmel (Cinematographer)
I love stories of self-discovery, especially when the backdrop is NYC.
-Alex Kasvikis (Music Producer)
It's going to be magical.
-Giselle Bonilla (1st Assistant Director)
Half of the film will be shot in Woodbridge, CT (the Children world), and the other half will be shot in Brooklyn, NY (the Adult world).
Every pledge from this campaign will fund the first half of production: an 8 day shoot in Woodbridge, CT.
This includes:
-Paying our crew wages they deserve
-Renting lighting, grip and camera equipment that will do the story justice
-Crew transportation and catering
...And so, at its full potential, this film will be a success story. It begins with humble roots—a first-time feature director telling a personal story about heartbreak and family—but will resonate with a wide audience who will see a reflection of their own hopes and fears as they step back into the world and start anew.
CONTRIBUTE!
Every pledge you make today counts, as we must reach 80% of the goal to receive any of the funds!
SPREAD THE WORD!
Send our Seed&Spark to anyone you think would be interested in this film!
You can copy and send this link here:
seedandspark.com/fund/adult-children-1
FOLLOW!
@adultchildsummer
*For those who wish to receive a tax deduction on a donation:
After making your pledge, please email [email protected]
to request your donation acknowledgment letter from our fiscal sponsor, E2AC.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Paying the Camera Crew!
Costs $10,000
We want to pay our camera crew the day rate they each deserve, including travel and prep.
Camera Package Rental
Costs $2,000
Camera / lenses that will capture the soft-light, nostalgia, warmth of the "child" world, and the stark, modern feel of the "adult" world.
Travel, Catering, Incidentals
Costs $4,000
Food, gas, train tickets for the hardworking, talented crew!
Grip and Electric Rental
Costs $2,000
The right G+E equipment will help us make use of natural light in the "child" world, and more modern, synthetic light in the "adult" world.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Co-Writer/Director: Teddy Schaffer
Teddy Schaffer is a Brooklyn-based writer, director and animator. His short, Wherefore Art Thou, Theo?, documenting his mother’s voicemails during a time of loss, won best animation at the 2020 Indie Street Film Festival and was a semifinalist for the New York Animation Awards. A graduate of the AFI Conservatory in Directing, Teddy tells heartfelt and humorous stories about characters who are their own worst enemies.
Co-Writer/Producer: Bryan Schaffer
Bryan is a Brooklyn-based producer and writer. He graduated from Georgetown University and began his career in tech, most recently at Whip Media, where he led client services for major studio partners including NBCUniversal and Discovery, overseeing complex content distribution workflows. He has since transitioned into production, working on commercial and music video shoots. In addition to his film work, Bryan is an active musician who performs regularly as a solo artist in Brooklyn and just released his debut album Letters From Home.
Cinematographer: Olivia Kimmel
Olivia is a cinematographer! A graduate of the AFI Conservatory Cinematography Program, her latest two feature films, 5 Days at Zooblin’s Bar and Steakhouse, an absurdist comedy based in a run-down Red Lobster, and Big Sky Country, an experimental documentary about the music of Montana, were both shot on 16mm Kodak film and are in post production. Her AFI thesis film Cherubs was selected for the prestigious CAA’s Moebius Showcase. She is a member of the ICF⁺C collective of professional cinematographers. Her narrative cinematography work has screened at AFI Fest, Austin Film Fest, Maryland Film Fest, Oldenburg, and more. She is a member of the IATSE Local 600 camera union and serves as a Camera Operator on union films. When not making movies, she is a mountain climber, pie contest winner, terrible banjo player, one-time touring biker, and over-enthusiastic gardener. She loves to sit around a fire and chat with a glass of whiskey (and sometimes with people).
Music Producer: Alex Kasvikis
Alex Kasvikis is a New York City-based producer and film composer who truly believes that every day is the best day of his life. At his studio Big Huge Love Forever, he centers expression, artistry, originality and risk.
1st Assistant Director: Giselle Bonilla
Giselle Bonilla received her MFA in Directing from the American Film Institute Conservatory, and is a recipient of the AUDI Fellowship for Women which sponsors one promising female director with a full-tuition scholarship for the program. Her thesis film, THE BULLFIGHTER, won the Student DGA Grand Prize Award, AFI's Richard P. Rogers Spirit of Excellence Award, and received Special Mention for Best Comedy at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival. Her feature directorial debut, THE MUSICAL, premiered in US Dramatic Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, starring Tony-award winner Will Brill, Gillian Jacobs, and is produced by and starring Rob Lowe.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
YEAH!
We all understand the feeling of being a tad behind in our adulthood, a bit past the checkmarks.
Some of us moved back home with our parents during Covid,
Some of us had their children move back in...
So we all know what it's like to have to step back out into the world and start anew.
This brings us to the story of Adult Children.
Complete with a soundtrack of original songs, Adult Children is both a gut-wrenching story of a fleeting gay romance and a relentlessly honest portrait of a loving but disconnected family.
Here is the full proof-of-concept trailer.
The story follows AUGUST, an almost-30 gay singer-songwriter who still lives with his parents in Connecticut. He longs to fall deeply in love, apparent in his innocent love songs and his devotion to bedroom pop artists - especially his favorite, “Joanie.” But August is a romantic in an unromantic world, navigating casual hookups and dry encounters with strangers online. His songs therefore lack lived reality, and his music pursuit lacks focus.
August’s family supports him and his dream, yet he feels they keep him from flourishing as a gay man in the adult world - especially once he meets a younger boy on Grindr, Seth, one night in Brooklyn. Seth is Gen-Z, yet has a stable job and his own apartment. Meanwhile, August is that millennial who lingered too long with his suburban parents post-Covid, and is overcome with a feeling of lost time.
In short, he needs to become an adult overnight.
...August will fall for this boy like a teenager falls in love - no chill, no rationale, and constantly streaming sad-girl pop songs. But he won’t give himself away; too afraid that being earnest would expose his immaturity. Instead, he will lie about his job and his apartment, write his love songs in secret, and do whatever he can to escape the clutches of his family.
What August fails to see is that his family shares a similar restlessness: his mother, Catherine, longs for purpose beyond motherhood; his sister, Lyell, wants to start a family of her own; and his younger brother, Paul, dreams of becoming an artist himself after his own heartbreak. So when August's fantasy of love starts to crack, and his lies catch up to him, he must repair his relationship with the only people in his life that are constant.
~ Over the course of four months, each month its own chapter ~
Adult Children will trace August's journey to Adult - not by reaching milestones, but by confronting himself and taking on the responsibilities that will allow him to carve space for his inner child.
A Note from Each of Our Team Members:
In the past few years, I've felt this predominant feeling of uncertainty: Uncertainty about how to rely on other people while still feeling independent, how to be myself but also protect myself, when to give myself away and when to hold myself in tact. My goal is not to answer these questions, but to give myself a little bit more grace for still asking them - and to offer that grace to anyone else doing the same.
-Teddy Schaffer (Co-Writer/Director)
When Teddy came to me with the idea of Adult Children, I had just quit my corporate job and found myself writing songs about a recent heartbreak I’d been through. I constantly needed to fight the flood of doubt that comes from making changes in life past a certain age. It's important to me to help tell this story because it will serve as that reminder that it's never too late to change course.
-Bryan Schaffer (Co-Writer/Producer)
Being a part of Teddy's film feels like being part of a family, both a family of filmmakers and a literal family. I'm excited to help this story of shared loneliness and the universal and often comedic search for purpose that we all face come to life!
-Olivia Kimmel (Cinematographer)
I love stories of self-discovery, especially when the backdrop is NYC.
-Alex Kasvikis (Music Producer)
It's going to be magical.
-Giselle Bonilla (1st Assistant Director)
Half of the film will be shot in Woodbridge, CT (the Children world), and the other half will be shot in Brooklyn, NY (the Adult world).
Every pledge from this campaign will fund the first half of production: an 8 day shoot in Woodbridge, CT.
This includes:
-Paying our crew wages they deserve
-Renting lighting, grip and camera equipment that will do the story justice
-Crew transportation and catering
...And so, at its full potential, this film will be a success story. It begins with humble roots—a first-time feature director telling a personal story about heartbreak and family—but will resonate with a wide audience who will see a reflection of their own hopes and fears as they step back into the world and start anew.
CONTRIBUTE!
Every pledge you make today counts, as we must reach 80% of the goal to receive any of the funds!
SPREAD THE WORD!
Send our Seed&Spark to anyone you think would be interested in this film!
You can copy and send this link here:
seedandspark.com/fund/adult-children-1
FOLLOW!
@adultchildsummer
*For those who wish to receive a tax deduction on a donation:
After making your pledge, please email [email protected]
to request your donation acknowledgment letter from our fiscal sponsor, E2AC.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Paying the Camera Crew!
Costs $10,000
We want to pay our camera crew the day rate they each deserve, including travel and prep.
Camera Package Rental
Costs $2,000
Camera / lenses that will capture the soft-light, nostalgia, warmth of the "child" world, and the stark, modern feel of the "adult" world.
Travel, Catering, Incidentals
Costs $4,000
Food, gas, train tickets for the hardworking, talented crew!
Grip and Electric Rental
Costs $2,000
The right G+E equipment will help us make use of natural light in the "child" world, and more modern, synthetic light in the "adult" world.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Co-Writer/Director: Teddy Schaffer
Teddy Schaffer is a Brooklyn-based writer, director and animator. His short, Wherefore Art Thou, Theo?, documenting his mother’s voicemails during a time of loss, won best animation at the 2020 Indie Street Film Festival and was a semifinalist for the New York Animation Awards. A graduate of the AFI Conservatory in Directing, Teddy tells heartfelt and humorous stories about characters who are their own worst enemies.
Co-Writer/Producer: Bryan Schaffer
Bryan is a Brooklyn-based producer and writer. He graduated from Georgetown University and began his career in tech, most recently at Whip Media, where he led client services for major studio partners including NBCUniversal and Discovery, overseeing complex content distribution workflows. He has since transitioned into production, working on commercial and music video shoots. In addition to his film work, Bryan is an active musician who performs regularly as a solo artist in Brooklyn and just released his debut album Letters From Home.
Cinematographer: Olivia Kimmel
Olivia is a cinematographer! A graduate of the AFI Conservatory Cinematography Program, her latest two feature films, 5 Days at Zooblin’s Bar and Steakhouse, an absurdist comedy based in a run-down Red Lobster, and Big Sky Country, an experimental documentary about the music of Montana, were both shot on 16mm Kodak film and are in post production. Her AFI thesis film Cherubs was selected for the prestigious CAA’s Moebius Showcase. She is a member of the ICF⁺C collective of professional cinematographers. Her narrative cinematography work has screened at AFI Fest, Austin Film Fest, Maryland Film Fest, Oldenburg, and more. She is a member of the IATSE Local 600 camera union and serves as a Camera Operator on union films. When not making movies, she is a mountain climber, pie contest winner, terrible banjo player, one-time touring biker, and over-enthusiastic gardener. She loves to sit around a fire and chat with a glass of whiskey (and sometimes with people).
Music Producer: Alex Kasvikis
Alex Kasvikis is a New York City-based producer and film composer who truly believes that every day is the best day of his life. At his studio Big Huge Love Forever, he centers expression, artistry, originality and risk.
1st Assistant Director: Giselle Bonilla
Giselle Bonilla received her MFA in Directing from the American Film Institute Conservatory, and is a recipient of the AUDI Fellowship for Women which sponsors one promising female director with a full-tuition scholarship for the program. Her thesis film, THE BULLFIGHTER, won the Student DGA Grand Prize Award, AFI's Richard P. Rogers Spirit of Excellence Award, and received Special Mention for Best Comedy at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival. Her feature directorial debut, THE MUSICAL, premiered in US Dramatic Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, starring Tony-award winner Will Brill, Gillian Jacobs, and is produced by and starring Rob Lowe.