I knew something was wrong. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I knew... From the hair loss, to depression and massive weight gain, I knew. Two years and several doctors later, I was told that I would need surgery. In exchange for my "newly improved" quality of life I would have to give up something; something that had been a part of my life from day one... My uterus.

This health journey inspired, Good Times at Mike Kelso's. As I would soon discover, this was not just "my story" but EVERY woman's story and anyone whose life has ever been impacted by a woman. 

In Good Times at Mike Kelso's we explore the horror, and humor, of losing a major player in the female reproductive system. We begin with our main character enjoying another night of dancing at her favorite local club with the regulars - Rhythmless Nation Crew who can't catch a beat to save their lives, Barry who's always a day late and a dollar short and THAT couple with an endless supply of PDA.

Once our leading lady receives a threatening diagnosis from her disinterested and disconnected gynecologist, her whole world is turned upside down and we journey with her as she goes from the life of the party to the literal party of her life. 

When I started building the key team, I knew how empowering and inspiring it would be to bring in people who were closely related to the subject matter. Immediately it became clear that the best people to tell this story, the best team, would be women. For the first time in my career, I committed to an all-female crew.

Over 40% of our team has a personal connection to uterine cancer and other endometrial disorders. As we sat sharing story after story, it was moving how many of us had lost a loved one to, or had been directly impacted by uterine cancer. We also realized that these are not just our stories, but they are stories shared around the world by not just women but sons, nephews, husbands and fathers impacted by the loss of mothers or grandmothers or sisters or aunts or friends whom they cherished whose time here was cut short by the impact of this least talked about cancer.

In spite of the serious nature of the subject matter, we're also firm believers that laughter is great medicine for the soul so we've done our part to give viewers opportunities to laugh at, and with, our characters on the screen as they grapple with illness with dignity and humor.

In the United States, women are behind when it comes to receiving proper gynecologic health care. From PCOS to endometriosis to gynecological cancers in all stages of progression, we simply must do better. 

Pictured L to R (top row above): Coretta Scott King (died from uterine cancer); Angelina Jolie (survived multiple forms of cancer).

Pictured L to R (bottom row above): Fran Drescher (survived uterine cancer); Gwen Ifill (died from uterine cancer).

Pictured L to R (top row above): Tia Mowry-Hardrict - struggled with infertility due to endometriosis diagnosis; Whitney Way Thore - struggled with weight gain and loss after being diagnosed with PCOS.

Pictured L to R (bottom row above): Daisy Ridley - diagnosed with PCOS; Keke Palmer - diagnosed with PCOS.

As the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements advance globally, women are beginning to speak up and speak out more on matters that impact them and their bodies. 

It took nearly 3 years for me to receive the proper diagnosis. That was 3 years of crippling, painful menstruation, unexplained hair loss and debilitating iron deficiency which resulted in anemia.

Actress Fran Drescher has openly talked about the winding road and twisted path leading to her diagnosis of uterine cancer. It took 2 years and 8 doctors before she was finally and accurately diagnosed. She is not alone. We spoke to numerous women who knew something was wrong. They went to their doctors only to be told it was nothing. Essentially, they were misdiagnosed. By the time the cancer was finally caught it had entered more aggressive phases which resulted in hysterectomies and in some cases, death.

For women of color, the stats are even more staggering. The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), released a report which found that racial and ethnic minorities receive lower-quality health care than white people—even when insurance status, income, age, and severity of conditions are comparable. 

Overall, gynecologic cancers and endometrial disorders can leave women, and their loved ones, feeling powerless, unseen, and unheard, often leading to clinical depression. 

It's time for us to bring these conversations to the forefront.

COVID SAFETY

In March 2020 we were weeks away from launching our campaign when quarantine measures were put in place. During the last 12 months, many of our crew members relocated due to loss of wages and others, to be closer to family members.

I personally lost 20 loved ones to COVID... the loss was beyond devastating. 

Because I have seen firsthand the impact of COVID it's important for me to ensure the safety of our cast and crew. Consequently, we will have a COVID Compliance Officer on set at all times and all cast and crew will be required to wear PPE.

Currently we are in the development phase for this film.

Your contributions will help us:

• Secure insurance
• Secure locations
• Secure permits to film
• Purchase PPE to ensure the protection of everyone on set
• Shoot and edit a new trailer
• Rent appropriate underwater lighting and protective systems to protect our DP, cast and equipment while shooting underwater
• Handle administrative fees to set up the production

We have worked tirelessly without pay for the past 18 months laying the groundwork to acquire and obtain the necessary pieces so that once funding is secured we can hit the ground running! 

During this time, I've also worked on other projects currently performing well on the festival circuit:

Please Follow & Share

1. FOLLOW US ON ALL OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

Be sure to follow us here on Seed&Spark, but also on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Encourage your friends to follow us too!

2. SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT #goodtimesatmikekelsos

Share our posts, campaign page, and our backer updates! Tell your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors about women's health challenges and initiatives.  

3. KEEP FOLLOWING OUR CAMPAIGN!

Regular visits to our Seed&Spark page keep you in the know AND increase our chances of being featured on the site!

Sharing our campaign on your social media is helpful. Joining our team by contributing is SUPER helpful. Doing BOTH goes a long way to help bring Good Times at Mike Kelso's to life! 

Thank you for considering our project!! 
~ v.c. rhone