Hostel Heart Proof of Concept
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy
When college grad Ellie’s life unexpectedly falls apart, she flies to Australia to retrace her late mother’s travel journal. But after being left, scammed, and stranded at a rundown outback hostel, she finds an unexpected home among its chaotic crew of travelers trying to keep the hostel afloat.
Hostel Heart Proof of Concept
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy
1 Campaigns |
3 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$345
Goal: $1,400 for pre-production
When college grad Ellie’s life unexpectedly falls apart, she flies to Australia to retrace her late mother’s travel journal. But after being left, scammed, and stranded at a rundown outback hostel, she finds an unexpected home among its chaotic crew of travelers trying to keep the hostel afloat.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
WELCOME TO HOSTEL HEART ❤️
Recent college graduate Ellie has always had a plan. High-achieving, fiercely independent, and determined to stay in control, she has spent years holding herself and her future to impossibly high standards.
Graduate. Build a career. Create the right life. Stick to the plan.
Until, almost overnight, the plan falls apart. With no idea what comes next, Ellie does something completely out of character: she impulsively flies across the world to Australia, armed with her late mother’s old travel journal and a mission to retrace the adventure her mother took decades earlier in her 20's.
Of course, Ellie has a plan for that too. It lasts approximately five minutes.
Before her journey can properly begin, she’s left scammed, stranded in the middle of the Outback, and with nowhere to go.
Enter The Roaming Kangaroo. A rundown backpackers’ hostel barely staying afloat, filled with an ever-changing collection of travelers from around the world and a chaotic little crew trying desperately to keep the place alive. For someone who craves control, The Roaming Kangaroo is basically her worst nightmare.
What should have been an unfortunate overnight stay becomes a job, a community, an adventure and perhaps the first place Ellie learns that not everything worth having can be planned.
Hostel Heart is a heartwarming ensemble comedy-drama about travel, found family, growing up, and the terrifying freedom of letting go of the life you thought you were supposed to have.
Welcome to a world of dusty Outback roads, golden sunsets, crowded bunk rooms, battered backpacks, questionable wildlife encounters, and strangers who somehow become family.
At the center of it all is The Roaming Kangaroo, a quirky, rundown backpackers’ hostel tucked away in the Australian Outback. It may be a little rough around the edges, but what it lacks in luxury, it makes up for in character.
Our world is warm, colorful, sun-soaked and slightly chaotic, blending the freedom and adventure of backpacking with the intimacy of communal hostel life.
Beyond the hostel lies the vast Australian landscape: road trips, swimming holes, small towns, wildlife, nights under the stars, and adventures waiting just beyond the front door.
Inside, the world comes to us. Travelers from different countries, cultures and walks of life constantly check in and out, allowing every new arrival to bring a new story, perspective and occasionally a new disaster.
At The Roaming Kangaroo, you never really know who’s going to walk through the door.
A backpacker passing through for one night might stay for months. A complete stranger can become your best friend by breakfast. And just when the hostel starts feeling like home, someone packs their bag and heads off on their next adventure.
At the heart of Hostel Heart is an international ensemble of travelers, locals, dreamers, wanderers and the occasional walking disaster, each arriving at The Roaming Kangaroo for their own reasons.
Meet our lead ensemble:
WHY US? WHY NOW? ❤️
NOTE FROM THE CREATOR OF HOSTEL HEART:
In 2019, at 19 years old, I spent three months working at a small hostel in New Zealand. Like so many of the people I met there, I was traveling solo, far from home and looking for adventure.
My coworkers and I came from different countries, cultures, backgrounds and stages of life. We were people who probably never would have met under normal circumstances and yet, within an incredibly short amount of time, we became our own little hostel family.
We worked together, lived together, explored together and got ourselves into the kind of ridiculous situations that only seem to happen while backpacking. We used to joke that one day someone should make a TV show about our hostel shenanigans.
Eventually, I thought: why not?
I, however, chose the backdrop to take place in the neighboring country, Australia, as they have an even larger backpacker and hostel culture than New Zealand, and have a wider variety of wildlife and nature to fuel the laughs. I envisioned our hostel nestled in the heart of the outback - because what could be more hilarious than a bunch of backpackers in the middle of nowhere?
There is much more than my own experiences to WHY I wan't to tell this story!
We live in a world that can feel increasingly divided. We're constantly reminded of the things that separate us; Where we're from, what we believe, how we live and who we're supposed to be. And yet, I've experienced these strange little places (Hostels) scattered around the world where those differences suddenly don't seem to matter quite as much anymore.
Put a group of strangers from different corners of the globe into the same hostel room and, before long, they're cooking dinner together, sharing stories, getting hopelessly lost on an adventure and forming friendships with people they may never otherwise have met. There is something so wonderfully human about that!
At the same time, Hostel Heart is also about another feeling I believe many young people can relate to: the pressure to have your life figured out. We all know where we are "supposed to be", but what if the reality actually is, that the life you're supposed to want isn't actually the life that makes you happy?
With that spirit in mind, young people today, still travel more than ever! Most on a budget, leading them to stay at hostels and meeting new friends along the way. It has become an amazing opportunity and a unique lifestyle that a lot of today's youth to some extent can relate to!
It's a show about travel and adventure, but ultimately it's about people. The strangers who become friends, the friends who become family, and the unexpected places where we find belonging.
And now, with this proof of concept, we're finally taking the first step toward bringing that world to the screen.
Even though our ultimate dream is to bring Hostel Heart to life as a full television series but we're starting with a proof of concept. More than simply telling people what Hostel Heart could be, this is our chance to show them. The completed proof of concept/trailer will become a calling card for the project as we take the next steps toward producing the pilot, growing our audience and ultimately pursuing a full first season.
WERE WE ARE 📍
Hostel Heart has been years in the making, and The Roaming Kangaroo is finally getting ready to open its doors.
The series concept, characters and world have been developed, the proof-of-concept script is written, and we’ve begun assembling the team and production plan needed to bring it to life.
We’re currently in the early stages of pre-production, preparing to shoot our proof of concept in Southern California.
Right now, we're:
- 🎬 Building our cast and crew
- 🏚️ Securing our filming location
- 🎨 Developing the look of The Roaming Kangaroo
- 🎒 Sourcing props, wardrobe and production equipment
- 📋 Planning the shoot
- 💰 Raising the funds needed to make it happen
And that's where you come in.
This crowdfunding campaign will help us move Hostel Heart from development into production and finally give audiences their first glimpse inside The Roaming Kangaroo.
📅 THE ITINERARY — Production Timeline
🛎️ CHECK IN EARLY / BECOME AN OG!
Every hostel has its first guests. Be one of ours!
Early support can make a huge difference to a crowdfunding campaign. By pledging, following, or sharing Hostel Heart early, you help us build momentum and show that there’s already a crowd ready to check into The Roaming Kangaroo.
So grab your backpack, claim your bunk, and get in before the good beds are taken. 🦘
Give What You Can! Follow Our Socials! Share our Crowdfunder!
INSTAGRAM: @hostelheartseries
TIKTOK: @hostelheart
Threads: @hostelheartseries
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ❤️
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
🏚️ Build The Roaming Kangaroo / Location
Costs $600
Help us turn a California location into our rundown Australian Outback hostel, the home of Hostel Heart.
🍳 Feed the Hostel Crew / Food & Crafty
Costs $300
Our cast and crew are donating their time. Help us keep everyone fed, caffeinated, and ready to roll!
⛽ Get Us to the Outback / Gas & Parking
Costs $100
Gas and transportation to get our cast, crew, and gear to our little slice of the Australian “Outback.”
🎒 Dress the Hostel / Props
Costs $150
Backpacks, signs, maps, travel clutter and all the little details that will transform our location into The Roaming Kangaroo.
🎥 Pack the Gear / Equipment
Costs $100
Help cover the extra production equipment and technical essentials we need to bring the proof of concept to the screen.
🧳 The Emergency Travel Fund
Costs $150
Every production has surprises. This gives our tiny production a cushion for unexpected costs along the journey.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Meet the Team ❤️
Hostel Heart is being brought to life by a passionate team of LA-based filmmakers and creatives who believe in the heart, humor, and wonderfully chaotic world of The Roaming Kangaroo.
Led by creator and producer Elsa Nilsson, our growing team is coming together to turn Hostel Heart from a story inspired by real backpacking experiences into its first proof of concept.
Meet the people helping us bring The Roaming Kangaroo to life. 🦘❤️
Elsa Nilsson — Creator / Producer / Co-Director
Elsa Nilsson is an LA-based filmmaker, producer, and the creator of Hostel Heart. She is originally from Sweden, where she studied two years at a Film Trade School and graduated as a film coordinator. In 2025 she attended UCLA Extensions Producer Certificate Program, where she finally took the leap in developing this story. The series was inspired by her own experiences backpacking and working at a small hostel in New Zealand at 19, where a group of solo travelers from around the world quickly became an unlikely family. After years of developing the story, she is now bringing that experience to the screen with Hostel Heart combining her love of travel, comedy, and character-driven storytelling to celebrate the unexpected connections we make along the way.
Anthony Rodman — Screenwriter / Co-Director
Filmmaker from New Jersey based in in Los Angeles. I studied Narrative Storytelling and Cinema Arts at Indiana University with a minor in Music Scoring for Visual Media. I have also studied at the Film and TV School of Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU) with a focus on Screenwriting and Directing. I love collaborating with people from all over the world and creating projects that bring us joy. When Elsa told me about this project I was very excited and instantly connected to the story she shared and feel very lucky to be a part of this journey. Excited to be a part of an amazing team and look forward to bringing this story to life.
Eduardo Estacio — Associate/Assistant Producer
Creative producer with a track record spanning film, television, and live event production, skilled in end to end project management, budget oversight, crew coordination, and creative development. Equally strong in storytelling and operational execution, with experience supporting directors, writers, and production teams across narrative and non-profit content.
Gabriel Kalu — 1st Assistant Director
I am a Film Production graduate of SUNY Oswego University with an associate degree in Mass Communication. I have had production and post-production positions in small films in New York and here in Los Angeles as well as in theater as a tech and stage manager, gaining hands-on experience on set and stage through the development process.
I’ve attained both skills and knowledge of media production in the industry. I'm passionate in the creative process as well as my duties have ranged from supporting producers, directors and technical teams to coordinating all aspects of the set, essentially problem-solving to ensure the smooth flow of production as needed.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
WELCOME TO HOSTEL HEART ❤️
Recent college graduate Ellie has always had a plan. High-achieving, fiercely independent, and determined to stay in control, she has spent years holding herself and her future to impossibly high standards.
Graduate. Build a career. Create the right life. Stick to the plan.
Until, almost overnight, the plan falls apart. With no idea what comes next, Ellie does something completely out of character: she impulsively flies across the world to Australia, armed with her late mother’s old travel journal and a mission to retrace the adventure her mother took decades earlier in her 20's.
Of course, Ellie has a plan for that too. It lasts approximately five minutes.
Before her journey can properly begin, she’s left scammed, stranded in the middle of the Outback, and with nowhere to go.
Enter The Roaming Kangaroo. A rundown backpackers’ hostel barely staying afloat, filled with an ever-changing collection of travelers from around the world and a chaotic little crew trying desperately to keep the place alive. For someone who craves control, The Roaming Kangaroo is basically her worst nightmare.
What should have been an unfortunate overnight stay becomes a job, a community, an adventure and perhaps the first place Ellie learns that not everything worth having can be planned.
Hostel Heart is a heartwarming ensemble comedy-drama about travel, found family, growing up, and the terrifying freedom of letting go of the life you thought you were supposed to have.
Welcome to a world of dusty Outback roads, golden sunsets, crowded bunk rooms, battered backpacks, questionable wildlife encounters, and strangers who somehow become family.
At the center of it all is The Roaming Kangaroo, a quirky, rundown backpackers’ hostel tucked away in the Australian Outback. It may be a little rough around the edges, but what it lacks in luxury, it makes up for in character.
Our world is warm, colorful, sun-soaked and slightly chaotic, blending the freedom and adventure of backpacking with the intimacy of communal hostel life.
Beyond the hostel lies the vast Australian landscape: road trips, swimming holes, small towns, wildlife, nights under the stars, and adventures waiting just beyond the front door.
Inside, the world comes to us. Travelers from different countries, cultures and walks of life constantly check in and out, allowing every new arrival to bring a new story, perspective and occasionally a new disaster.
At The Roaming Kangaroo, you never really know who’s going to walk through the door.
A backpacker passing through for one night might stay for months. A complete stranger can become your best friend by breakfast. And just when the hostel starts feeling like home, someone packs their bag and heads off on their next adventure.
At the heart of Hostel Heart is an international ensemble of travelers, locals, dreamers, wanderers and the occasional walking disaster, each arriving at The Roaming Kangaroo for their own reasons.
Meet our lead ensemble:
WHY US? WHY NOW? ❤️
NOTE FROM THE CREATOR OF HOSTEL HEART:
In 2019, at 19 years old, I spent three months working at a small hostel in New Zealand. Like so many of the people I met there, I was traveling solo, far from home and looking for adventure.
My coworkers and I came from different countries, cultures, backgrounds and stages of life. We were people who probably never would have met under normal circumstances and yet, within an incredibly short amount of time, we became our own little hostel family.
We worked together, lived together, explored together and got ourselves into the kind of ridiculous situations that only seem to happen while backpacking. We used to joke that one day someone should make a TV show about our hostel shenanigans.
Eventually, I thought: why not?
I, however, chose the backdrop to take place in the neighboring country, Australia, as they have an even larger backpacker and hostel culture than New Zealand, and have a wider variety of wildlife and nature to fuel the laughs. I envisioned our hostel nestled in the heart of the outback - because what could be more hilarious than a bunch of backpackers in the middle of nowhere?
There is much more than my own experiences to WHY I wan't to tell this story!
We live in a world that can feel increasingly divided. We're constantly reminded of the things that separate us; Where we're from, what we believe, how we live and who we're supposed to be. And yet, I've experienced these strange little places (Hostels) scattered around the world where those differences suddenly don't seem to matter quite as much anymore.
Put a group of strangers from different corners of the globe into the same hostel room and, before long, they're cooking dinner together, sharing stories, getting hopelessly lost on an adventure and forming friendships with people they may never otherwise have met. There is something so wonderfully human about that!
At the same time, Hostel Heart is also about another feeling I believe many young people can relate to: the pressure to have your life figured out. We all know where we are "supposed to be", but what if the reality actually is, that the life you're supposed to want isn't actually the life that makes you happy?
With that spirit in mind, young people today, still travel more than ever! Most on a budget, leading them to stay at hostels and meeting new friends along the way. It has become an amazing opportunity and a unique lifestyle that a lot of today's youth to some extent can relate to!
It's a show about travel and adventure, but ultimately it's about people. The strangers who become friends, the friends who become family, and the unexpected places where we find belonging.
And now, with this proof of concept, we're finally taking the first step toward bringing that world to the screen.
Even though our ultimate dream is to bring Hostel Heart to life as a full television series but we're starting with a proof of concept. More than simply telling people what Hostel Heart could be, this is our chance to show them. The completed proof of concept/trailer will become a calling card for the project as we take the next steps toward producing the pilot, growing our audience and ultimately pursuing a full first season.
WERE WE ARE 📍
Hostel Heart has been years in the making, and The Roaming Kangaroo is finally getting ready to open its doors.
The series concept, characters and world have been developed, the proof-of-concept script is written, and we’ve begun assembling the team and production plan needed to bring it to life.
We’re currently in the early stages of pre-production, preparing to shoot our proof of concept in Southern California.
Right now, we're:
- 🎬 Building our cast and crew
- 🏚️ Securing our filming location
- 🎨 Developing the look of The Roaming Kangaroo
- 🎒 Sourcing props, wardrobe and production equipment
- 📋 Planning the shoot
- 💰 Raising the funds needed to make it happen
And that's where you come in.
This crowdfunding campaign will help us move Hostel Heart from development into production and finally give audiences their first glimpse inside The Roaming Kangaroo.
📅 THE ITINERARY — Production Timeline
🛎️ CHECK IN EARLY / BECOME AN OG!
Every hostel has its first guests. Be one of ours!
Early support can make a huge difference to a crowdfunding campaign. By pledging, following, or sharing Hostel Heart early, you help us build momentum and show that there’s already a crowd ready to check into The Roaming Kangaroo.
So grab your backpack, claim your bunk, and get in before the good beds are taken. 🦘
Give What You Can! Follow Our Socials! Share our Crowdfunder!
INSTAGRAM: @hostelheartseries
TIKTOK: @hostelheart
Threads: @hostelheartseries
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ❤️
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
🏚️ Build The Roaming Kangaroo / Location
Costs $600
Help us turn a California location into our rundown Australian Outback hostel, the home of Hostel Heart.
🍳 Feed the Hostel Crew / Food & Crafty
Costs $300
Our cast and crew are donating their time. Help us keep everyone fed, caffeinated, and ready to roll!
⛽ Get Us to the Outback / Gas & Parking
Costs $100
Gas and transportation to get our cast, crew, and gear to our little slice of the Australian “Outback.”
🎒 Dress the Hostel / Props
Costs $150
Backpacks, signs, maps, travel clutter and all the little details that will transform our location into The Roaming Kangaroo.
🎥 Pack the Gear / Equipment
Costs $100
Help cover the extra production equipment and technical essentials we need to bring the proof of concept to the screen.
🧳 The Emergency Travel Fund
Costs $150
Every production has surprises. This gives our tiny production a cushion for unexpected costs along the journey.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Meet the Team ❤️
Hostel Heart is being brought to life by a passionate team of LA-based filmmakers and creatives who believe in the heart, humor, and wonderfully chaotic world of The Roaming Kangaroo.
Led by creator and producer Elsa Nilsson, our growing team is coming together to turn Hostel Heart from a story inspired by real backpacking experiences into its first proof of concept.
Meet the people helping us bring The Roaming Kangaroo to life. 🦘❤️
Elsa Nilsson — Creator / Producer / Co-Director
Elsa Nilsson is an LA-based filmmaker, producer, and the creator of Hostel Heart. She is originally from Sweden, where she studied two years at a Film Trade School and graduated as a film coordinator. In 2025 she attended UCLA Extensions Producer Certificate Program, where she finally took the leap in developing this story. The series was inspired by her own experiences backpacking and working at a small hostel in New Zealand at 19, where a group of solo travelers from around the world quickly became an unlikely family. After years of developing the story, she is now bringing that experience to the screen with Hostel Heart combining her love of travel, comedy, and character-driven storytelling to celebrate the unexpected connections we make along the way.
Anthony Rodman — Screenwriter / Co-Director
Filmmaker from New Jersey based in in Los Angeles. I studied Narrative Storytelling and Cinema Arts at Indiana University with a minor in Music Scoring for Visual Media. I have also studied at the Film and TV School of Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU) with a focus on Screenwriting and Directing. I love collaborating with people from all over the world and creating projects that bring us joy. When Elsa told me about this project I was very excited and instantly connected to the story she shared and feel very lucky to be a part of this journey. Excited to be a part of an amazing team and look forward to bringing this story to life.
Eduardo Estacio — Associate/Assistant Producer
Creative producer with a track record spanning film, television, and live event production, skilled in end to end project management, budget oversight, crew coordination, and creative development. Equally strong in storytelling and operational execution, with experience supporting directors, writers, and production teams across narrative and non-profit content.
Gabriel Kalu — 1st Assistant Director
I am a Film Production graduate of SUNY Oswego University with an associate degree in Mass Communication. I have had production and post-production positions in small films in New York and here in Los Angeles as well as in theater as a tech and stage manager, gaining hands-on experience on set and stage through the development process.
I’ve attained both skills and knowledge of media production in the industry. I'm passionate in the creative process as well as my duties have ranged from supporting producers, directors and technical teams to coordinating all aspects of the set, essentially problem-solving to ensure the smooth flow of production as needed.