Another Kind of Boy follows the story of Aleia Hayes, a 22 year old trans man from New England who found his passion in fitness early on. Before fully understanding his identity, exercise became his outlet. It was a way to move towards a body that felt right, even though he didn’t understand it yet. 

After coming out as trans and studying exercise science in college, he developed a disability from years of training incorrectly. Working out, his longtime anchor, became more complicated than it should’ve been. Instead of stepping back, he dove into the science of movement, mobility, and strength, learning not only how to support his own physical health but also how exercise could be used as a tool to ease gender dysphoria.

Aleia also works part-time as an exercise science oncology research assistant, where he studies how exercise can support cancer survivors. Another Kind of Boy examines how Aleia assists both women recovering from double mastectomies and trans men healing from top surgery, a very unexpected overlap in two disconnected communities.

We’ll also follow Aleia’s entrepreneurial pursuits of his personal training business focused on the LGBTQ+ community, especially transmasc people. With access to medical gender-affirming care shrinking across the country, Aleia focuses on how movement can help us feel more like ourselves.

Another Kind of Boy will explore Aleia’s life through a blend of short-form documentary structure and narrative cinematic flair. The film will employ exterior visuals reminiscent of Nomadland and warm interiors similar to Didi while using documentary storytelling to explore the nuances of masculinity. 

Aleia Hayes is a trans man, personal fitness entrepreneur, and oncology researcher from New England. He is the founder of MascFitLab, a personal training business focused on the LGBTQ+ community, especially transmasc people. He also works as a part-time exercise science oncology research assistant, studying how exercise can support cancer survivors. His deep dive into upper-body mobility has become central to his work, influencing how he helps both women recovering from double mastectomies and trans men healing from top surgery. 

Now more than ever, it’s important that young people see the possibilities of a trans person pursuing their passions in the sports industry, in the medical field, in a small town, and beyond. Aleia provides tools for trans people and allies alike to live long, happy, healthy lives. And we can’t wait to bring you along as our crew captures his admirable and brave work.

Aleia’s story is just the start. Another Kind of Boy has the potential to grow into a one-of-a-kind series where we showcase transmasc people of various experiences and stages of transition across the U.S. Transmasc experiences are often overlooked, even in LGBTQ media. Together, we can change that.

This project means a lot to our team, and we want to ensure a smooth process throughout production. Below you will find our budget and timeline breakdowns to help bring Aleia's story to life.

Your contribution will ensure a positive and inspiring set environment.

Anything we raise past $16,000 will allow us to hit the following stretch goals:

• If we raise $17k, we will rent a private gym. Getting access to this space would allow us to control the lighting and move equipment around freely, enhancing the cinematic tone of the film.
• If we raise $20k, we will hire a queer and trans composer to create original music and score for the project, elevating the audible quality of the project and engaging the audience through sound.
• If we raise $23k+, we will submit to film festivals for potential distribution and additional funding for future episodes.

Our goal is to complete this project promptly so we can submit it to festivals and organize local screenings on the East and West coasts for family, friends, and potential contributors for this future series.

We are currently in the pre-production stage, where we are preparing for production in the Spring. This includes storyboarding, development, and gathering our crew. By helping our campaign, you will help expedite this process to meet our deadlines!

Your generous contributions will go directly towards paying our LGBTQ crew members, securing camera and sound equipment, and more. 

This is more than one person’s story. Your contribution will help grow this project into a series, following transmasc journeys across the U.S. at all ages and stages of transition.

Follow us on Instagram @akobfilm to keep up with our project, and please share with friends.

Feel free to DM us or reach out to [email protected] with any questions.