The quote above reflects that today’s social media is built on illusions, where a simple picture of you holding a stack of cash screams wealth, or a photo wearing a diamond bracelet elevates your status, even though you own neither.

Chasing Content is a thriller that follows an influencer who gets herself caught in a life-or-death challenge. Her content comes back to haunt her after Louie, a teenager, attempts suicide while participating in her latest trend. Santos, Louie's father, seeks revenge.

Jeanie gained her followers through various GRWMs, workout routines, and meal-prep plans. Known for her monthly challenges that push people to their limits, her November Nutrition Challenge is no different. For the entire month of November, the bravest of her followers will endure a grueling, extreme, and intense workout routine and calorie deficit.

The challenge runs short for Louie.

A dedicated follower of Jeanie, Louie was always up for a challenge. After experiencing bullying at school, he found her challenge to be the break that would help him get through high school. However, the intense demands of the challenge result in Louie's death.

Louie’s father, Santos, is out for revenge, blaming Jeanie for his son’s death.

I want the film to look as if you just opened your own phone and landed on the home screen. The characters will drive the story forward by chatting through text messages, hopping on FaceTime, and creating content in real-time. We are using screen recordings and After Effects to bring Instagram directly onto the screen. When the feeling of being tracked and hunted turns into a physical reality throughout Central Park, the camera will shift into tight shots with heavy movement to make the audience feel that exact panic.

The character that Central Park becomes in The Park is Mine (1986), which mixes with the claustrophobic, trapped feeling in Phone Booth (2002). All comes together with the modern social media graphics shown in Missing (2023) and mind-challenging games played in Escape Room (2019).

As a member of Gen Z born in 2005, my generation was among the first to witness technology completely take over our daily lives, and the generations to come face an even deeper saturation.

Chasing Content relies heavily on exploring the impact of social media on the user, the consumer, and the secondhand parties caught in the crossfire. My mission as a director is to pull back the curtain and expose the ugly truth behind the glitz and glamour of the influencer lifestyle. Our story revolves around a popular influencer, Jeanie, who must face the devastating real-world consequences of her content when a grieving father holds her responsible for his son's death.

The film will reveal profiles, posts, and the exact kind of content that can get you into serious trouble. Most social media users are completely oblivious to the tracking that happens behind the scenes. Revealing your location puts you and others at risk, and deleting a post never means it’s truly gone.

My inspiration for Chasing Content came from the negative influence social media has on my daughter’s generation. As influencers and vloggers rose to fame, it surprised me to see how quickly online attention could consume the minds of teenagers and young adults. Sitting down to write our next film, I was struck by the idea of a world where her generation and my generation collide.

Growing up in the '90s on the Upper West Side, influence came from my friends and neighbors and the reality around me, not a digital world. Information was found through television and radio, leaving me to tune in every night to the 10 o’clock news to get the latest updates. Or hearing the latest gossip from one of my six closest friends.

Raising Sierra in this digital world has presented a lot of moments where I needed to look at the pros and cons of giving her access to social media. I’ve been constantly learning how she and her friends have been receiving information through their apps, and it seems like I can’t keep up. On the one hand, I would have loved to have grown up with all of this technology. But I’ve seen so much danger it could have led her to. I wanted to explore a story where the father loses their child due to them following a trend, one that happens far too often today and has affected all involved.

The character of Santos was born from the tragic news reports of parents grieving children who died while "subway surfing." The pursuit of thrill-seeking content was the catalyst these kids were searching for. Imagining my own child being influenced by a life-threatening challenge just for views and likes is my worst nightmare.

Chasing Content is an announcement to today’s generation that their lives are worth far more than likes, views, and followers. Ultimately, I want the audience to walk away not hating characters like Santos or Jeanie, but deeply understanding how drastically these different generations are affecting one another.

Cruz Vision Productions (CVP) was founded on a family’s love for all things film. We are a father-daughter team. From writing to acting to directing, my father and I have turned our passion into a reality. My obsession with movies started as a childhood tradition with my father, chasing the magic of the latest blockbusters at a local theater in Brooklyn. Today, that shared love has grown into a full-scale professional partnership, with my father and I serving as co-partners of our own independent production company.

My father is the screenwriter, creating the vision on the page. I'm an actor/director who will show the audience a world where social media meets the mind games of a deranged father, in Chasing Content.

Support CVP as we help aspiring filmmakers and crew members bring their visionary masterpieces to life!

$9,550 gets broken down into...

Crew (64.9%)

Our crew is filled with hungry filmmakers who have amazing skills to offer to this industry. Your contribution will go directly toward the individuals dedicated to telling this story and bringing its vision to life through their specialties.

Cast (8.4%)

The cast required to tell this story is small but mighty. Each actor has professional training and brings their own unique approach to the characters, while staying true to the heart and integrity of the story. Together, they create a strong and compelling ensemble.

Catering (6.3%)

Someone's gotta eat! Our two-day shoot will require meals, snacks, and drinks to keep our cast and crew energized and ready to create.

Equipment (2.6%)

A majority of our equipment will be provided by our cast and crew or generously donated from outside sources. The remaining funds will go toward the essential equipment needed to bring this story from the page to the screen.

Post-Production & Festivals (17.8%)

Getting the film made is only the beginning. These funds will support the final stages of post-production, including hiring a professional colorist and sound engineer to give the film the polish it deserves. A portion will also be set aside for festival submission fees, allowing us to share the finished film with audiences and festivals beyond our initial production.

80% is the MINIMUM we need to bring this story to life with a talented crew. Support Chasing Content & CVP TODAY!