Breathe, Brother, Breathe
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Family
An asthmatic Iranian-American high schooler learns the trumpet to keep a precious friendship intact, reconnect with his emotionally distant family, and take control of his fragmented life.
Breathe, Brother, Breathe
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Family
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $13,610 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
121 supporters | followers
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An asthmatic Iranian-American high schooler learns the trumpet to keep a precious friendship intact, reconnect with his emotionally distant family, and take control of his fragmented life.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Kian just started high school and his family is falling apart.
Kian's home is consumed with silent resignation towards the deterioration of his grandfather's health. His dad has withdrawn into his cell phone, physically present but drifting emotionally further by the day.
At school, Kian is frequently pulled from class to undergo nebulizer treatments. He becomes an exhibit on display to students passing the nurse’s office and feels isolated by forces beyond his control.
He shares band class with his best friend Riley, and chooses to learn the trumpet to stay close to her. Underneath all of this, a romantic relationship is budding between them--whether Kian acknowledges it or not.
Kian is a beginner musician. Loud and terrible all at once. And yet, we root for him hoping his persistent spirit will prevail.
But, when he fails to play a basic scale in front of the entire class, he’s publicly humiliated. He doubles down on practicing for hours on end trying to catch up with Riley who’s skill has outpaced his own. And in the process, he shuts her out of his life.
His home life simultaneously gets worse, and his dependence on the instrument as an emotional outlet sinks deeper into obsession. The trumpet becomes an excuse to avoid the problems he can’t face. Kian has isolated himself. Just like his father.
Will he break the cycle?
This is NOT the story of a prodigy musician striving for artistic excellence, it’s about a regular kid learning the trumpet to keep up with his friend and bond with his family when words aren’t enough. Kian’s pursuit of competence is a tragedy. The very things we obsess over and pour our hearts into, hoping they will be our salvation, are simultaneously blocking us from being present in the lives of others. Breathe Brother Breathe is Kian’s journey to understanding that the pursuit of competence and the search for artistic outlets are not substitutes for being present with the people we work so hard to love.
Kian's home life is shaped by migration. His parents and grandparents are all Iranian immigrants, who came to the United States post-1979 Islamic Revolution. The foods they eat, the music they listen to, and the parties they hold are all holdovers from the country they’d left. Things are lost in translation within this family both literally and figuratively. The tensions ingrained in their family structure is universal and culturally specific all at once.
The students within Kian's public school are at the mercy of their designated schedules, wear uniforms, and are mandated to sing the pledge of allegiance, signifying that these teenagers are living within a standardized American education system. At home and school the socio-cultural boundaries serve as the backdrop of the dramatic tension. The unspoken boundaries in the world shape the micro decisions of our lives which cumulatively form our individual worldviews.
It is within this context that Kian, a 14-year-old boy, yearns for belonging and a solid sense of self identity in his life. The cultural circumstances are not decoration. They are foundational. Shooting at real school locations, casting child actors, sourcing culturally specific production design/costumes is a challenging and expensive endeavor, however, they're crucial to the subtext of this intimate character piece. Without them, the story is not being told. Full stop.
Therefore, we MUST do justice to the cultural and circumstantial specifics of Kian's story.
The funds raised will help secure:
Studio Teachers for our Child Actors
Location Deposits and Site Monitor Fees
Culturally specific costumes and set dressing for the Iranian Home and the American Public School
Band Instrument Rentals
Meals for Our Hardworking Volunteer Cast and Crew
Please help us bring Kian's world to life. Your donation is what makes it all possible.
The budget will be distributed as follows:
Thank you for your support!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Solid State Drive
Costs $500
A solid state drive with large memory capacity and fast read/write speeds is crucial for a stable and efficient post-production workflow.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Meals for Cast and Crew (Day 6)
Costs $330
Our volunteer cast and crew needs to be properly fed in order sustain their energy and mood during long and labor heavy production days.
Meals for Cast and Crew (Day 5)
Costs $330
Our volunteer cast and crew needs to be properly fed in order sustain their energy and mood during long and labor heavy production days.
Meals for Cast and Crew (Day 4)
Costs $330
Our volunteer cast and crew needs to be properly fed in order sustain their energy and mood during long and labor heavy production days.
Meals for Cast and Crew (Day 3)
Costs $330
Our volunteer cast and crew needs to be properly fed in order sustain their energy and mood during long and labor heavy production days.
Meals for Cast and Crew (Day 2)
Costs $330
Our volunteer cast and crew needs to be properly fed in order sustain their energy and mood during long and labor heavy production days.
Meals for Cast & Crew (Day 1)
Costs $330
Our volunteer cast and crew needs to be properly fed in order sustain their energy and mood during long and labor heavy production days.
Marketing & Festivals
Costs $500
Funds for marketing and festival submissions help ensure a healthy life for the film after completion.
Locations
Costs $4,000
The authenticity of Kian's public school life and Iranian home life are essential to the dramatic tension of the film.
Hard Disk Drive
Costs $320
A disk drive is necessary to have a redundant copy of footage captured on set.
Music
Costs $700
In this film about a beginner musician, having evocative music is paramount.
Studio Teacher
Costs $1,250
Studio teachers help ensure our child actors are well taken care of and receiving an education alongside acting in the film.
Truck Rentals & Transportation
Costs $1,200
A truck for large production design pieces and lighting equipment transportation is essential to dressing and lighting our locations.
Camera & Equipment Rentals Weekend 2
Costs $1,175
Camera and Lighting Equipment helps us control the natural light, helping us recreate emotionally resonant times of day in an efficient way.
Camera & Equipment Rentals Weekend 1
Costs $1,175
Camera and Lighting Equipment helps us execute camera movement and lighting that is evocative of the emotional journey of every scene.
Production Design, Props, Wardrobe, Hair & Make Up
Costs $2,200
Between band instruments, nebulizer machines, and Persian cultural artifacts in Kian's home, there are many elements that inform the story.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Director
ARMAN KHAGHANI
Arman is a Chicago-raised Iranian-American filmmaker pursuing his MFA degree from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He is a recipient of the James Bridges and Jack Larson Scholarship, as well as the Edward Thomas Troutner Endowed Scholarship for Merit in Cinematography. His previous short film, Guilty Pleasure, was an official selection at the Oscar Qualifying LA SHORTS film festival. His work explores the cultural circumstances of social isolation. Specifically, how pursued interests/skills serve as a universal language to express a person’s unspoken emotions. Breathe, Brother, Breathe is the next step in that exploration.
Musical Talent: Arman’s trumpet laid dormant in his closet for a decade--until now. His acoustic guitar, however, is still collecting dust. For better or worse. (Probably for the better).
Producer
QUINNOLYN BENSON-YATES
Quinn is an award-winning film producer with over a decade of experience. Her feature documentary Epic Bill gained nationwide distribution through PBS, with promotions on CNN and SiriusXM. Quinn was the head writer and producer for USC's Straight to Series class, where she produced and co-wrote the pilot and completed production for the first season of the dramatic television series Top Voices. She’s a two time winner of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s 10-10-10 Filmmaking Competition. Her first winning film, Miss Rivers, screened at festivals including the Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival and was distributed on the global streaming platform Revry. Quinn continues to craft thematically layered stories while pursuing her MFA at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. She is a Town and Gown Scholar and a recipient of the James Bridges Endowed Scholarship and the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation Endowment.
Musical Talent: When asked which instrument she wanted to play for band class, Quinn chose the clarinet because her dad played the clarinet, and her dad is the coolest person she knows.
Producer
ARWEN "ZIYU" WANG
Arwen is a dedicated international filmmaker currently pursuing her studies at the University of Southern California. Throughout her cinematic journey, she has worked diligently in both producing and directing roles. Her efforts have led to nominations at various awards ceremonies worldwide, including the Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying 27th Los Angeles Shorts International Festival. Arwen's unwavering passion continues to drive her creativity in the world of cinematic storytelling, especially in her approach to telling intimate and sensitive stories.
Musical Talent: Arwen used to play the piano as a kid—mostly banging on the keys until something vaguely musical came out. Now, she just pretends she could still play if given the chance!
Associate Producer
CHARLOTTE XUWANQI WANG
Charlotte is pursuing triple business degrees from the University of Southern California, HKUST, and Bocconi, bridging her expertise in business with a deep passion for storytelling and production. Her early experiences in musical theater, live performances, and working across directing and production roles in TV dramas and variety shows have shaped her ability to craft compelling narratives through both performance and filmmaking. Now, as she deepens her studies at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, she is actively involved in short film production and exploring ways to merge her musician spirit with visual storytelling. With a passion for blending creative vision with business instincts, Charlotte approaches every project with an entrepreneurial mindset, constantly seeking innovative ways to bring stories to life artistically and commercially.
Musical Talent: Charlotte was once a saxophonist in her school’s orchestra and a guitarist in her band—both, admittedly, picked up in an attempt to look cool. As for other instruments, she’d call herself a “jack of all trades, master of none”—coolness has a burnout rate too.
Director of Photography
ROCKY HUANG
Rocky is a Chinese-Hong Kong cinematographer based in Los Angeles. He is dedicated to using his lens to reveal human vulnerability with light and shadow. Born and raised in China, he completed his bachelor degree of film production at Hong Kong Baptist University and National Taiwan University of Arts, and later moved on to Los Angeles to pursue his MFA in the Film & Television Production Program at University of Southern California (USC). His cinematography works have been accepted into Academy and BAFTA qualifying film festivals like LA Shorts International Film Festival and Norwich Film Festival.
Musical Talent: He used to play sad British pop songs on guitar but recently started to learn bass because he thought it’s even sadder.
Production Designer
ISABEL IVEY
Isabel is a multimedia fine artist and a graduate of CalArts, where she developed a deep love for theater and storytelling. A versatile production designer, Isabel has made her mark on a range of celebrated projects, including Grown-ish, Black-ish, and Candy Cane Lane, along with numerous short films. Her creative vision and passion for design shine through in every project, reflecting her commitment to crafting immersive, impactful visuals.
Musical Talent: Growing up, Isabel played piano, flute and trumpet. Band was her second home.
Production Designer
DIANA MMS.
Diana is an Iranian-American Artist and Production Designer. She earned her Bachelor’s in Architectural Engineering from Azad University before pursuing her Master’s in Film and Television Production at USC. Inspired by the poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad, the writings of Sadegh Hedayat, and the visual artistry of Josef Svoboda, she infuses storytelling with a layered, cross-cultural perspective. Her work explores identity, blending the poetic essence of her Iranian heritage with a Western dramatic sensibility.
As a production designer, Diana has shaped the visual worlds of projects such as The Case of the Missing Afikomen, 30 Yards, and Deadly Duels XII. She is also the writer/director of Grandma’s Forgotten Creatures and Call Me a Mad Woman, where she brings her distinct voice to narratives of memory and female rebellion. A self-proclaimed “curly rebel,” Diana embraces the nuances of her dual upbringing. Through art, she connects people across borders, and with life experience, navigates a tale of two worlds.
Musical Talent: Before finding her path in film, Diana dreamed of becoming an opera singer. Though the neighborhood birds have sought refuge to avoid a collective heart attack, her cat, Khorshid, remains a devoted fan.
Post-Sound Supervisor
BORNA MOINPOUR
Borna is an award-winning, Iranian-American sound designer based in Los Angeles. He left Iran in 2017 to pursue Architectural Design in San Francisco, but after years of practicing, he realized that his passion lies in film. He graduated from the USC School of Cinematic arts in 2024, and is currently nominated for an MPSE Golden Reel Award.
Musical Talent: Borna used to sing songs from Frank Sinatra at family gatherings when he was young, but his favorite rat was Dean Martin.
Composer
SHAO JEAN SIM
Shao is a Los Angeles-based composer, songwriter, and producer. Originally from Singapore, Shao’s music journey began at the age of four on the piano, later expanding to various plucked stringed instruments. As a composer, Shao Jean's music has been heard on networks such as SKY, MTV, and Discovery Channel. Recently, she collaborated with Keefus Ciancia, writing additional music for Netflix’s Eric. She has also orchestrated for Dan Romer and Mark Kilian. Beyond film and television, she has written and arranged music for records, award-winning theater works, commercials and a video game score. In March 2024, her concert piece premiered with the UN Orchestra as part of the UN Global Women in Music program. Her career started at the Village Studios in Los Angeles, where her credits as assistant engineer include Stevie Nicks and Weird Al Yankovic. She has worked as composers' assistant for Tom Howe and Didier Lean Rachou with credits including Ted Lasso S1 on Apple TV+ (score tech engineer), and Discovery’s Bering Sea Gold (score mixer, additional arrangements). She holds a dual degree from Berklee College of Music and a masters in Screen Scoring from USC. In 2023, she was also selected as one of 12 composers from around the world for the inaugural Composer Filmmaker Accelerator program at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Fueled by curiosity, her wide musical palette spans thoughtful melodies, irreverent and inventive soundscapes, continually exploring new sonic territories with each collaboration.
Musical Talent: Shao started out as a classical piano geek and student conductor of her high school guitar ensemble, before discovering she preferred musical world building with tones and textures.
First Assistant Director
MORGAN MONTGOMERY
A current MFA candidate at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Morgan holds a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola Marymount University in Film and Television Writing and Production where she graduated summa cum laude. In addition to writing and directing, Morgan thrives as an assistant director, where her strong leadership and collaborative skills have successfully guided dozens of productions through the fast-paced demands of filmmaking. She is also an avid traveler, and in addition to narrative, she has made documentaries in Cuba and Vietnam that delve into the complexities of U.S. political tensions abroad. Morgan has won several awards and accolades for her short films that primarily span the dark comedy and sci-fi genres. A Los Angeles native, you can find her at a local pickleball tournament, smashing a drive at the golf range, or meticulously taking care of her freshwater shrimp.
Musical Talent: Morgan is a classically trained violinist. She got an awesome opportunity to play at Carnegie hall with her high school orchestra, and loved every second of being in orchestra -- though the band kids always looked like they were having more fun!
Editor
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JULIE SCHULDT
Julie is a filmmaker from Northern California with a passion for creating personal stories that explore a kaleidoscope of human emotion. Driven to tell cinematic stories from a young age, Julie completed her first feature length film at the age of 15. Long before even that, she was locking herself in a bathroom at the age of 8 to ferociously huddle over an editing software, beginning her relentless history of editing which includes 4 too many feature films, uncountable shorts, and a wide range of branded content. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Film & Television Production at the University of Southern California, where she has been recognized as an Annenberg Fellow and a SONY Future of Cinematography awardee, while spending most waking moments pursuing the knowledge of the full spectrum of filmmaking.
Musical Talent: Julie picked up a guitar once, to know she was always meant to put it down.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Kian just started high school and his family is falling apart.
Kian's home is consumed with silent resignation towards the deterioration of his grandfather's health. His dad has withdrawn into his cell phone, physically present but drifting emotionally further by the day.
At school, Kian is frequently pulled from class to undergo nebulizer treatments. He becomes an exhibit on display to students passing the nurse’s office and feels isolated by forces beyond his control.
He shares band class with his best friend Riley, and chooses to learn the trumpet to stay close to her. Underneath all of this, a romantic relationship is budding between them--whether Kian acknowledges it or not.
Kian is a beginner musician. Loud and terrible all at once. And yet, we root for him hoping his persistent spirit will prevail.
But, when he fails to play a basic scale in front of the entire class, he’s publicly humiliated. He doubles down on practicing for hours on end trying to catch up with Riley who’s skill has outpaced his own. And in the process, he shuts her out of his life.
His home life simultaneously gets worse, and his dependence on the instrument as an emotional outlet sinks deeper into obsession. The trumpet becomes an excuse to avoid the problems he can’t face. Kian has isolated himself. Just like his father.
Will he break the cycle?
This is NOT the story of a prodigy musician striving for artistic excellence, it’s about a regular kid learning the trumpet to keep up with his friend and bond with his family when words aren’t enough. Kian’s pursuit of competence is a tragedy. The very things we obsess over and pour our hearts into, hoping they will be our salvation, are simultaneously blocking us from being present in the lives of others. Breathe Brother Breathe is Kian’s journey to understanding that the pursuit of competence and the search for artistic outlets are not substitutes for being present with the people we work so hard to love.
Kian's home life is shaped by migration. His parents and grandparents are all Iranian immigrants, who came to the United States post-1979 Islamic Revolution. The foods they eat, the music they listen to, and the parties they hold are all holdovers from the country they’d left. Things are lost in translation within this family both literally and figuratively. The tensions ingrained in their family structure is universal and culturally specific all at once.
The students within Kian's public school are at the mercy of their designated schedules, wear uniforms, and are mandated to sing the pledge of allegiance, signifying that these teenagers are living within a standardized American education system. At home and school the socio-cultural boundaries serve as the backdrop of the dramatic tension. The unspoken boundaries in the world shape the micro decisions of our lives which cumulatively form our individual worldviews.
It is within this context that Kian, a 14-year-old boy, yearns for belonging and a solid sense of self identity in his life. The cultural circumstances are not decoration. They are foundational. Shooting at real school locations, casting child actors, sourcing culturally specific production design/costumes is a challenging and expensive endeavor, however, they're crucial to the subtext of this intimate character piece. Without them, the story is not being told. Full stop.
Therefore, we MUST do justice to the cultural and circumstantial specifics of Kian's story.
The funds raised will help secure:
Studio Teachers for our Child Actors
Location Deposits and Site Monitor Fees
Culturally specific costumes and set dressing for the Iranian Home and the American Public School
Band Instrument Rentals
Meals for Our Hardworking Volunteer Cast and Crew
Please help us bring Kian's world to life. Your donation is what makes it all possible.
The budget will be distributed as follows:
Thank you for your support!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Solid State Drive
Costs $500
A solid state drive with large memory capacity and fast read/write speeds is crucial for a stable and efficient post-production workflow.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Meals for Cast and Crew (Day 6)
Costs $330
Our volunteer cast and crew needs to be properly fed in order sustain their energy and mood during long and labor heavy production days.
Meals for Cast and Crew (Day 5)
Costs $330
Our volunteer cast and crew needs to be properly fed in order sustain their energy and mood during long and labor heavy production days.
Meals for Cast and Crew (Day 4)
Costs $330
Our volunteer cast and crew needs to be properly fed in order sustain their energy and mood during long and labor heavy production days.
Meals for Cast and Crew (Day 3)
Costs $330
Our volunteer cast and crew needs to be properly fed in order sustain their energy and mood during long and labor heavy production days.
Meals for Cast and Crew (Day 2)
Costs $330
Our volunteer cast and crew needs to be properly fed in order sustain their energy and mood during long and labor heavy production days.
Meals for Cast & Crew (Day 1)
Costs $330
Our volunteer cast and crew needs to be properly fed in order sustain their energy and mood during long and labor heavy production days.
Marketing & Festivals
Costs $500
Funds for marketing and festival submissions help ensure a healthy life for the film after completion.
Locations
Costs $4,000
The authenticity of Kian's public school life and Iranian home life are essential to the dramatic tension of the film.
Hard Disk Drive
Costs $320
A disk drive is necessary to have a redundant copy of footage captured on set.
Music
Costs $700
In this film about a beginner musician, having evocative music is paramount.
Studio Teacher
Costs $1,250
Studio teachers help ensure our child actors are well taken care of and receiving an education alongside acting in the film.
Truck Rentals & Transportation
Costs $1,200
A truck for large production design pieces and lighting equipment transportation is essential to dressing and lighting our locations.
Camera & Equipment Rentals Weekend 2
Costs $1,175
Camera and Lighting Equipment helps us control the natural light, helping us recreate emotionally resonant times of day in an efficient way.
Camera & Equipment Rentals Weekend 1
Costs $1,175
Camera and Lighting Equipment helps us execute camera movement and lighting that is evocative of the emotional journey of every scene.
Production Design, Props, Wardrobe, Hair & Make Up
Costs $2,200
Between band instruments, nebulizer machines, and Persian cultural artifacts in Kian's home, there are many elements that inform the story.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Director
ARMAN KHAGHANI
Arman is a Chicago-raised Iranian-American filmmaker pursuing his MFA degree from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He is a recipient of the James Bridges and Jack Larson Scholarship, as well as the Edward Thomas Troutner Endowed Scholarship for Merit in Cinematography. His previous short film, Guilty Pleasure, was an official selection at the Oscar Qualifying LA SHORTS film festival. His work explores the cultural circumstances of social isolation. Specifically, how pursued interests/skills serve as a universal language to express a person’s unspoken emotions. Breathe, Brother, Breathe is the next step in that exploration.
Musical Talent: Arman’s trumpet laid dormant in his closet for a decade--until now. His acoustic guitar, however, is still collecting dust. For better or worse. (Probably for the better).
Producer
QUINNOLYN BENSON-YATES
Quinn is an award-winning film producer with over a decade of experience. Her feature documentary Epic Bill gained nationwide distribution through PBS, with promotions on CNN and SiriusXM. Quinn was the head writer and producer for USC's Straight to Series class, where she produced and co-wrote the pilot and completed production for the first season of the dramatic television series Top Voices. She’s a two time winner of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s 10-10-10 Filmmaking Competition. Her first winning film, Miss Rivers, screened at festivals including the Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival and was distributed on the global streaming platform Revry. Quinn continues to craft thematically layered stories while pursuing her MFA at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. She is a Town and Gown Scholar and a recipient of the James Bridges Endowed Scholarship and the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation Endowment.
Musical Talent: When asked which instrument she wanted to play for band class, Quinn chose the clarinet because her dad played the clarinet, and her dad is the coolest person she knows.
Producer
ARWEN "ZIYU" WANG
Arwen is a dedicated international filmmaker currently pursuing her studies at the University of Southern California. Throughout her cinematic journey, she has worked diligently in both producing and directing roles. Her efforts have led to nominations at various awards ceremonies worldwide, including the Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying 27th Los Angeles Shorts International Festival. Arwen's unwavering passion continues to drive her creativity in the world of cinematic storytelling, especially in her approach to telling intimate and sensitive stories.
Musical Talent: Arwen used to play the piano as a kid—mostly banging on the keys until something vaguely musical came out. Now, she just pretends she could still play if given the chance!
Associate Producer
CHARLOTTE XUWANQI WANG
Charlotte is pursuing triple business degrees from the University of Southern California, HKUST, and Bocconi, bridging her expertise in business with a deep passion for storytelling and production. Her early experiences in musical theater, live performances, and working across directing and production roles in TV dramas and variety shows have shaped her ability to craft compelling narratives through both performance and filmmaking. Now, as she deepens her studies at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, she is actively involved in short film production and exploring ways to merge her musician spirit with visual storytelling. With a passion for blending creative vision with business instincts, Charlotte approaches every project with an entrepreneurial mindset, constantly seeking innovative ways to bring stories to life artistically and commercially.
Musical Talent: Charlotte was once a saxophonist in her school’s orchestra and a guitarist in her band—both, admittedly, picked up in an attempt to look cool. As for other instruments, she’d call herself a “jack of all trades, master of none”—coolness has a burnout rate too.
Director of Photography
ROCKY HUANG
Rocky is a Chinese-Hong Kong cinematographer based in Los Angeles. He is dedicated to using his lens to reveal human vulnerability with light and shadow. Born and raised in China, he completed his bachelor degree of film production at Hong Kong Baptist University and National Taiwan University of Arts, and later moved on to Los Angeles to pursue his MFA in the Film & Television Production Program at University of Southern California (USC). His cinematography works have been accepted into Academy and BAFTA qualifying film festivals like LA Shorts International Film Festival and Norwich Film Festival.
Musical Talent: He used to play sad British pop songs on guitar but recently started to learn bass because he thought it’s even sadder.
Production Designer
ISABEL IVEY
Isabel is a multimedia fine artist and a graduate of CalArts, where she developed a deep love for theater and storytelling. A versatile production designer, Isabel has made her mark on a range of celebrated projects, including Grown-ish, Black-ish, and Candy Cane Lane, along with numerous short films. Her creative vision and passion for design shine through in every project, reflecting her commitment to crafting immersive, impactful visuals.
Musical Talent: Growing up, Isabel played piano, flute and trumpet. Band was her second home.
Production Designer
DIANA MMS.
Diana is an Iranian-American Artist and Production Designer. She earned her Bachelor’s in Architectural Engineering from Azad University before pursuing her Master’s in Film and Television Production at USC. Inspired by the poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad, the writings of Sadegh Hedayat, and the visual artistry of Josef Svoboda, she infuses storytelling with a layered, cross-cultural perspective. Her work explores identity, blending the poetic essence of her Iranian heritage with a Western dramatic sensibility.
As a production designer, Diana has shaped the visual worlds of projects such as The Case of the Missing Afikomen, 30 Yards, and Deadly Duels XII. She is also the writer/director of Grandma’s Forgotten Creatures and Call Me a Mad Woman, where she brings her distinct voice to narratives of memory and female rebellion. A self-proclaimed “curly rebel,” Diana embraces the nuances of her dual upbringing. Through art, she connects people across borders, and with life experience, navigates a tale of two worlds.
Musical Talent: Before finding her path in film, Diana dreamed of becoming an opera singer. Though the neighborhood birds have sought refuge to avoid a collective heart attack, her cat, Khorshid, remains a devoted fan.
Post-Sound Supervisor
BORNA MOINPOUR
Borna is an award-winning, Iranian-American sound designer based in Los Angeles. He left Iran in 2017 to pursue Architectural Design in San Francisco, but after years of practicing, he realized that his passion lies in film. He graduated from the USC School of Cinematic arts in 2024, and is currently nominated for an MPSE Golden Reel Award.
Musical Talent: Borna used to sing songs from Frank Sinatra at family gatherings when he was young, but his favorite rat was Dean Martin.
Composer
SHAO JEAN SIM
Shao is a Los Angeles-based composer, songwriter, and producer. Originally from Singapore, Shao’s music journey began at the age of four on the piano, later expanding to various plucked stringed instruments. As a composer, Shao Jean's music has been heard on networks such as SKY, MTV, and Discovery Channel. Recently, she collaborated with Keefus Ciancia, writing additional music for Netflix’s Eric. She has also orchestrated for Dan Romer and Mark Kilian. Beyond film and television, she has written and arranged music for records, award-winning theater works, commercials and a video game score. In March 2024, her concert piece premiered with the UN Orchestra as part of the UN Global Women in Music program. Her career started at the Village Studios in Los Angeles, where her credits as assistant engineer include Stevie Nicks and Weird Al Yankovic. She has worked as composers' assistant for Tom Howe and Didier Lean Rachou with credits including Ted Lasso S1 on Apple TV+ (score tech engineer), and Discovery’s Bering Sea Gold (score mixer, additional arrangements). She holds a dual degree from Berklee College of Music and a masters in Screen Scoring from USC. In 2023, she was also selected as one of 12 composers from around the world for the inaugural Composer Filmmaker Accelerator program at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Fueled by curiosity, her wide musical palette spans thoughtful melodies, irreverent and inventive soundscapes, continually exploring new sonic territories with each collaboration.
Musical Talent: Shao started out as a classical piano geek and student conductor of her high school guitar ensemble, before discovering she preferred musical world building with tones and textures.
First Assistant Director
MORGAN MONTGOMERY
A current MFA candidate at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Morgan holds a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola Marymount University in Film and Television Writing and Production where she graduated summa cum laude. In addition to writing and directing, Morgan thrives as an assistant director, where her strong leadership and collaborative skills have successfully guided dozens of productions through the fast-paced demands of filmmaking. She is also an avid traveler, and in addition to narrative, she has made documentaries in Cuba and Vietnam that delve into the complexities of U.S. political tensions abroad. Morgan has won several awards and accolades for her short films that primarily span the dark comedy and sci-fi genres. A Los Angeles native, you can find her at a local pickleball tournament, smashing a drive at the golf range, or meticulously taking care of her freshwater shrimp.
Musical Talent: Morgan is a classically trained violinist. She got an awesome opportunity to play at Carnegie hall with her high school orchestra, and loved every second of being in orchestra -- though the band kids always looked like they were having more fun!
Editor
JULIE SCHULDT
Julie is a filmmaker from Northern California with a passion for creating personal stories that explore a kaleidoscope of human emotion. Driven to tell cinematic stories from a young age, Julie completed her first feature length film at the age of 15. Long before even that, she was locking herself in a bathroom at the age of 8 to ferociously huddle over an editing software, beginning her relentless history of editing which includes 4 too many feature films, uncountable shorts, and a wide range of branded content. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Film & Television Production at the University of Southern California, where she has been recognized as an Annenberg Fellow and a SONY Future of Cinematography awardee, while spending most waking moments pursuing the knowledge of the full spectrum of filmmaking.
Musical Talent: Julie picked up a guitar once, to know she was always meant to put it down.