California Scenario - Distribution Fundraiser
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Drama
When single parents Jacob and Laura separately bring their struggling children to Isamu Noguchi's sculpture garden to grapple with shared family legacies of survival, they discover the possibility of building something new together… one day.
California Scenario - Distribution Fundraiser
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Drama
3 Campaigns |
10 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$10,848
Goal: $12,500 for distribution
When single parents Jacob and Laura separately bring their struggling children to Isamu Noguchi's sculpture garden to grapple with shared family legacies of survival, they discover the possibility of building something new together… one day.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Our goal is to bring California Scenario to the widest possible audience through self-distribution — and we need your help to get there.
Thanks to your backing, the film premiered at the 2026 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. It was a Human Rights Watch selection, an ADL nominee, and Brooklynn Prince took home Best Supporting Actress at Fort Lauderdale.
We hired a PR firm for Santa Barbara International Film Festival using the remaining funds from our Seed & Spark Post Production campaign -- landing red carpet interviews and podcasts as well as our first great review from Netflix Junkie!
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Jon Huertas, Abby Miller, Brooklynn Prince, Dara Resnik, James Takata, Minnie Mills, and Will Yun Lee hit the red carpet at SBIFF
We're making an impact!
Audiences and critics are loving the film! You can see the excitement on @California_Scenario_Film which is now over 1000 followers on Instagram. You can also access the trailer and press updates on our website.
"Shaped in part through community support via Seed & Spark, the film carries the imprint of collective belief, favoring emotional truth over spectacle. California Scenario ultimately observes that some stories do not seek closure; they ask only to be witnessed." - Sarah Ansari, Netflix Junkie
Abby, Jon, Dara, and James at the 40th Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
Meaningful Partnerships
We're collaborating with the Mental Health Storytelling Initiative to provide resources for viewers and guidance with safe and effective messaging around self harm and depression. It was incredible to continue connecting with audiences as part of Designing Resistance Film Week where we had a lively panel with Noguchi expert Amy Lyford moderated by MHSI's Ashley Kolaya.
California Scenario also received the endorsement of Human Rights Watch as their recommended film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival because of the light it sheds on the generational effects of Japanese American incarceration during WWII and parallels to current events in the US and abroad. We're in active talks with museums and community groups to bring the film to audiences across the country.
We're at a critical and important moment for the film. Please help us make the most of our film festival run and get California Scenario to audiences everywhere!
The festival run has been everything we hoped for. Now we're taking the next step: self-distributing the film so we can bring it directly to the communities it was made for, rather than handing control and profit to a traditional distributor.
We need your help to cover the real costs of doing this right — errors & omissions insurance, quality control, festival expenses, PR, distribution consultant and marketing. Our goal is to recoup our production investment, and any profit beyond that goes directly to organizations including the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center.
Join us and help take California Scenario home.
With gratitude,
James, Dara and the California Scenario team
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Public Relations "PR"
Costs $5,000
Works with media outlets to secure reviews and interviews. Attends festival facilitating Red Carpet photos, interviews, and Q&A sessions.
Festival Submission Fees
Costs $1,500
This covers submissions to approx 30 festivals. (Fees average $50 per festival.)
Promotional Materials
Costs $1,000
Posters, business cards, postcards, and t-shirts help the film stand out and get audiences to attend screenings.
Travel Expenses
Costs $2,500
Transportation, accommodations, and meals. The Festivals cover some of these expenses but not all.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
JAMES TAKATA - Director/Co-Writer
James Takata is a film and television director, writer, and cinematographer. James has directed episodes of This Is Us, and The Company You Keep, as well as the feature documentary We the Parents. James is a protégé in the Directors Guild of America's selective 2024 Director Development Mentorship Program. He is a member of the DGA and International Cinematographers Guild Local 600.
DARA RESNIK - Producer/Co-Writer
Dara Resnik is a writer and showrunner whose credits include Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Pushing Daisies, Mistresses, Castle, Jane the Virgin, Joey Soloway’s I Love Dick, and Marvel’s Daredevil. Dara co-created and co-showran Home Before Dark for Apple TV+, a drama inspired by real-life 13-year-old crime reporter Hilde Lysiak, and she completed co-showrunning The Horror of Dolores Roach for Amazon Studios and Blumhouse Television last year. She is currently developing a limited series about Robert Durst for UCP/Peacock.
Jon is an actor, director, and producer, who for six seasons, starred as Miguel Rivas on NBC’s critically acclaimed, award-winning series, This Is Us. Audiences also know Jon from his role as the tough but affable, Detective Javier Esposito on the hit dramedy Castle, and as Sgt. Tony “Poke” Espera in HBO’s limited series Generation Kill. As a filmmaker, Jon’s directed episodic television, including episodes of Ballard (Amazon), Tracker(CBS), The Irrational(NBC), This Is Us(NBC), The Rookie(ABC), award winning short films and music videos. He produces narrative and documentary feature films, is a member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and most recently he produced Lena Heady’s feature directorial debut, The Trap, and is currently attached to direct two independent feature films, Rock Bottom Express and Defensas. His production shingle, WestSide Stories, formed with fellow Groundlings alum Kenny Stevenson, has several TV, Podcast and Film projects in various stages of production and development and most recently sold a series based on the novel, Fire with Fire as an EP/and the series lead with plans to film a Pilot in April 2025.
JHENNIFER WEBBERLEY - Producer
A Los Angeles native, Jhennifer Webberley is a producer/editor and founding member of Metamorfic Productions. Feature film credits include 7000 Miles, Quality Problems, And Then There Was Eve, Love Danielle, Bread and Butter, Orchard Wedding and Wait Means Never. Webberley also enjoys editing many of her independent projects including Quality Problems, Farewell My King, Only Child and Broken Wings. Recent projects also include the immersive experience for COSM’s Cirque du Soleil’s “O” and immersive short projects for the Beijing Olympics. Webberley holds a MFA (Magna Cum Laude) in Film and Television Production from the USC School of Cinema-Television and a MBA (Magna Cum Laude) from Pepperdine University in Marketing and Strategy
Jen Prince is an independent film producer and editor originally from San Antonio, Texas. Feature producing credits include 7000 Miles, Quality Problems, And Then There Was Eve, and Eve of Understanding. Her work in immersive and virtual reality earned her a Sports Emmy Nomination for Digital Innovation (XXIV OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES First 8k Immersive Livestream). She produced and edited, together with Jhennifer Webberley, an immersive feature-length shared reality experience of Cirque du Soleil’s “O” for the new COSM domes opening around the country. Jen is a graduate of the MFA Film Production Program at USC and earned her BFA in Acting and a BA in Liberal Arts in the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin (Phi Beta Kappa). Post-Production TV Credits include the Emmy Awards, The Contender, and The Amazing Race. She is a faculty member at New York Film Academy in Burbank, CA and serves as a mentor for The University of Texas at Austin.
Jennie Yamaki is a program management and business operations executive in the entertainment and technology sectors. Most recently, she spent over 6 years at Netflix, where she first served as a physical production executive for the Original Independent Film division before moving into a program management role for the Global Production Strategy & Operations team. Before Netflix, Jennie held physical production executive roles at both start-ups and established companies, managing a diverse slate of digital, film, and television content at companies such as Mattel, Lionsgate, and PopSugar. Early in her career, she was a Line Producer for independent films, most notably Napoleon Dynamite. She also spent 6 years at Mandata Pictures as a physical production executive, overseeing productions such as Harold & Kumar 3.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Our goal is to bring California Scenario to the widest possible audience through self-distribution — and we need your help to get there.
Thanks to your backing, the film premiered at the 2026 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. It was a Human Rights Watch selection, an ADL nominee, and Brooklynn Prince took home Best Supporting Actress at Fort Lauderdale.
We hired a PR firm for Santa Barbara International Film Festival using the remaining funds from our Seed & Spark Post Production campaign -- landing red carpet interviews and podcasts as well as our first great review from Netflix Junkie!
Jon Huertas, Abby Miller, Brooklynn Prince, Dara Resnik, James Takata, Minnie Mills, and Will Yun Lee hit the red carpet at SBIFF
We're making an impact!
Audiences and critics are loving the film! You can see the excitement on @California_Scenario_Film which is now over 1000 followers on Instagram. You can also access the trailer and press updates on our website.
"Shaped in part through community support via Seed & Spark, the film carries the imprint of collective belief, favoring emotional truth over spectacle. California Scenario ultimately observes that some stories do not seek closure; they ask only to be witnessed." - Sarah Ansari, Netflix Junkie
Abby, Jon, Dara, and James at the 40th Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
Meaningful Partnerships
We're collaborating with the Mental Health Storytelling Initiative to provide resources for viewers and guidance with safe and effective messaging around self harm and depression. It was incredible to continue connecting with audiences as part of Designing Resistance Film Week where we had a lively panel with Noguchi expert Amy Lyford moderated by MHSI's Ashley Kolaya.
California Scenario also received the endorsement of Human Rights Watch as their recommended film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival because of the light it sheds on the generational effects of Japanese American incarceration during WWII and parallels to current events in the US and abroad. We're in active talks with museums and community groups to bring the film to audiences across the country.
We're at a critical and important moment for the film. Please help us make the most of our film festival run and get California Scenario to audiences everywhere!
The festival run has been everything we hoped for. Now we're taking the next step: self-distributing the film so we can bring it directly to the communities it was made for, rather than handing control and profit to a traditional distributor.
We need your help to cover the real costs of doing this right — errors & omissions insurance, quality control, festival expenses, PR, distribution consultant and marketing. Our goal is to recoup our production investment, and any profit beyond that goes directly to organizations including the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center.
Join us and help take California Scenario home.
With gratitude,
James, Dara and the California Scenario team
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Public Relations "PR"
Costs $5,000
Works with media outlets to secure reviews and interviews. Attends festival facilitating Red Carpet photos, interviews, and Q&A sessions.
Festival Submission Fees
Costs $1,500
This covers submissions to approx 30 festivals. (Fees average $50 per festival.)
Promotional Materials
Costs $1,000
Posters, business cards, postcards, and t-shirts help the film stand out and get audiences to attend screenings.
Travel Expenses
Costs $2,500
Transportation, accommodations, and meals. The Festivals cover some of these expenses but not all.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
JAMES TAKATA - Director/Co-Writer
James Takata is a film and television director, writer, and cinematographer. James has directed episodes of This Is Us, and The Company You Keep, as well as the feature documentary We the Parents. James is a protégé in the Directors Guild of America's selective 2024 Director Development Mentorship Program. He is a member of the DGA and International Cinematographers Guild Local 600.
DARA RESNIK - Producer/Co-Writer
Dara Resnik is a writer and showrunner whose credits include Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Pushing Daisies, Mistresses, Castle, Jane the Virgin, Joey Soloway’s I Love Dick, and Marvel’s Daredevil. Dara co-created and co-showran Home Before Dark for Apple TV+, a drama inspired by real-life 13-year-old crime reporter Hilde Lysiak, and she completed co-showrunning The Horror of Dolores Roach for Amazon Studios and Blumhouse Television last year. She is currently developing a limited series about Robert Durst for UCP/Peacock.
Jon is an actor, director, and producer, who for six seasons, starred as Miguel Rivas on NBC’s critically acclaimed, award-winning series, This Is Us. Audiences also know Jon from his role as the tough but affable, Detective Javier Esposito on the hit dramedy Castle, and as Sgt. Tony “Poke” Espera in HBO’s limited series Generation Kill. As a filmmaker, Jon’s directed episodic television, including episodes of Ballard (Amazon), Tracker(CBS), The Irrational(NBC), This Is Us(NBC), The Rookie(ABC), award winning short films and music videos. He produces narrative and documentary feature films, is a member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and most recently he produced Lena Heady’s feature directorial debut, The Trap, and is currently attached to direct two independent feature films, Rock Bottom Express and Defensas. His production shingle, WestSide Stories, formed with fellow Groundlings alum Kenny Stevenson, has several TV, Podcast and Film projects in various stages of production and development and most recently sold a series based on the novel, Fire with Fire as an EP/and the series lead with plans to film a Pilot in April 2025.
JHENNIFER WEBBERLEY - Producer
A Los Angeles native, Jhennifer Webberley is a producer/editor and founding member of Metamorfic Productions. Feature film credits include 7000 Miles, Quality Problems, And Then There Was Eve, Love Danielle, Bread and Butter, Orchard Wedding and Wait Means Never. Webberley also enjoys editing many of her independent projects including Quality Problems, Farewell My King, Only Child and Broken Wings. Recent projects also include the immersive experience for COSM’s Cirque du Soleil’s “O” and immersive short projects for the Beijing Olympics. Webberley holds a MFA (Magna Cum Laude) in Film and Television Production from the USC School of Cinema-Television and a MBA (Magna Cum Laude) from Pepperdine University in Marketing and Strategy
Jen Prince is an independent film producer and editor originally from San Antonio, Texas. Feature producing credits include 7000 Miles, Quality Problems, And Then There Was Eve, and Eve of Understanding. Her work in immersive and virtual reality earned her a Sports Emmy Nomination for Digital Innovation (XXIV OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES First 8k Immersive Livestream). She produced and edited, together with Jhennifer Webberley, an immersive feature-length shared reality experience of Cirque du Soleil’s “O” for the new COSM domes opening around the country. Jen is a graduate of the MFA Film Production Program at USC and earned her BFA in Acting and a BA in Liberal Arts in the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin (Phi Beta Kappa). Post-Production TV Credits include the Emmy Awards, The Contender, and The Amazing Race. She is a faculty member at New York Film Academy in Burbank, CA and serves as a mentor for The University of Texas at Austin.
Jennie Yamaki is a program management and business operations executive in the entertainment and technology sectors. Most recently, she spent over 6 years at Netflix, where she first served as a physical production executive for the Original Independent Film division before moving into a program management role for the Global Production Strategy & Operations team. Before Netflix, Jennie held physical production executive roles at both start-ups and established companies, managing a diverse slate of digital, film, and television content at companies such as Mattel, Lionsgate, and PopSugar. Early in her career, she was a Line Producer for independent films, most notably Napoleon Dynamite. She also spent 6 years at Mandata Pictures as a physical production executive, overseeing productions such as Harold & Kumar 3.