In It 2 Win It
Chicago, Illinois | Film Short
Horror, Comedy
What’s the bigger nightmare? The monster lurking in your bedroom at night, or the daily weight of crushing debt, a dead end job and an uncertain future?
In It 2 Win It
Chicago, Illinois | Film Short
Horror, Comedy
1 Campaigns | Illinois, United States
4 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$800
Goal: $7,500 for production
What’s the bigger nightmare? The monster lurking in your bedroom at night, or the daily weight of crushing debt, a dead end job and an uncertain future?
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The dream is dead. The stable career, the house, the kids, gone. What you've got instead is a roommate in your 30s, a job that pays a couple dollars above minimum wage, and an 8-week losing streak at bar trivia.
But there's a skillet cookie at the end of that rainbow. And a voice in the dark that says it can help. So what if you don't fully catch the terms? It can't be that bad, right?
Ren is a millennial, underachieving through no fault of his own. Born into a generation that was promised something that never came, and has quietly renegotiated what "winning" even means.
THE HORROR
The horror in this film is lowering your standards so slowly you don't notice until they're gone. It's wanting so little — a cookie, a win, one good night — and still having to make a deal to get it. It's falling asleep and dreaming, but even your dreams come with terms and conditions.
THE COMEDY
Comedy is the language I deal in.
The best comedy is when you are willing to be vulnerable and honest and laugh at yourself.
Comedy has been retreating out of theaters, away from serious investment, off screens and onto social media feeds where it lives in 60-second clips. That's fine for what it is. But I think it belongs on the big screen too.
When mundane life gets hard enough, absurd enough, relentless enough, you can't help but laugh. Comedy is a pressure release valve. Ren and Jen are doing their best in a situation that stopped making sense a while ago.
WHY THIS FILM?
The idea came from watching people lose their minds over a skillet cookie at bar trivia. Grown adults. Over the moon. Winning nothing and it meaning everything.
The next day I was visiting a friend, I saw he had moved his bed to an alcove in his dining room. It made me think of him sleeping there and being vulnerable, and an entity coming and speaking to him at night.
I had been concepting various short films, but many of them seemed too involved. The cast was too big, too many locations, too big a budget, it wasn't feasible. Then combined this idea of bar trivia, skillet cookies, and this entity talking to you at night. It strikes a great balance of being incredibly doable while being fulfilling to me artistically and being representative of my comedy and sensibilities.
WHY ME?
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I took the long way to get here. Public schools, no resources, no shortcuts. But I think doing this at this point in my life allows me to bring a wealth of experience, artistically and otherwise.
I couldn't have told this story fresh out of college or film school. The themes we're exploring come from a place of experience. I'm a working class person who has ridden all the ups and downs of the last 20 years, personal ones, and the ones the whole world has been through. Stagnant wages. Rising cost of living. A generation that was promised something that never arrived, still looking for answers. And a reason to laugh.
I think I'm an excellent person to deliver this story in this medium. And I think now is exactly the right time to deliver it.
WHY CHICAGO?
Because I live here and I'm always gonna live here.
Chicago keeps me honest and inspired.
The Goodman Theater. Second City. A world class food scene that's simultaneously Italian beefs and Michelin-starred tasting menus. The businessmen and the bucket boys. The firefighters and the filmmakers.
I think that combination is unique to this place. And it's where I get my perspective.
Every dollar raised goes directly to the people making this film. We’re working with SAG-AFTRA actors and an experienced crew:
DP, AC, gaffer, make up artist, production sound mixer, BTS videographer, stills photographer, and editor.
These are skilled professionals who deserve to be paid and that’s exactly what this campaign is for. We shoot in Chicago on June 20th and 21st. Post-production runs through this summer, and we’re targeting a mid-August debut for the finished film.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
SAG Actors
Costs $2,000
We wanted to do this right so we went through all the right channels to work with seasoned professionals.
Festival Submissions
Costs $700
We will submit In It 2 Win It to local, and national film festivals.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Reggie Johnson
Writer / Director
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Reggie Johnson has been interested in films and filmmaking his entire life. When it came time to go to college, he ran into a problem: being born in the 80s. Movies were shot on film. Nobody owned cameras, lights, or audio equipment. Filmmaking seemed so out of reach he bailed and became an English major. Then dropped out.
But he continued with the art thing. Mirrorless cameras came out, the dream crept back, and he spent the last ten years doing photography and videography. He's not shooting this movie — but knowing all the jobs helps him direct.
That's the idea anyway.
Glenn-Dale Obrero
Ren
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Glenn Obrero is a Chicago based actor that was recently seen in The Targeted at A Red Orchid Theatre. Film credits include: Wheelhouse and When Cats Fly. TV credits include: "Chicago Fire" (NBC) and "nExt" (FOX). He's performed in numerous critically acclaimed theaters such as Steppenwolf Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Timeline Theatre, and Asolo Repertory Theatre. Glenn is a member of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble and represented by Gray Talent Group.
Elena Victoria Feliz
Jen
Elena Victoria Feliz is an Afro-Latina actor based in Chicago. She recently premiered her first original piece the un-blessed, a hybrid poetry reading and solo show. She recently wrapped filming a supporting role in an upcoming horror feature. Other recent work includes a lead role in the audio drama Two Thousand and Late (Ambie Award Nominee); a supporting role in the short film No Entry currently in post-production; lead roles in the short films Choke and Lost Boys Pizza, currently in post production and on the festival circuit, respectively. She has also been featured in roles in the feature film The Up & Comer, Dark Matter (Apple TV+), and a recurring role on Chicago Med (NBC). She is proudly represented by DDO Artists Agency.
Leonel Garza
Dark Voice
Leonel Garza is a Chicagoland native with deep roots in the Southwest and northern Mexico. He is known for his dynamic presence in Latine and racially ambiguous roles, portraying everything from the humble working man to edgy, offbeat authority figures. Recent screen credits include Chicago P.D. as Ivan Alvarez, Mexican Delight as Rodrigo, and appearances in This Fool, Primo, and The Absence of Eden. A fluent Spanish speaker and fully bilingual, Garza brings authenticity, nuance, and depth to every role, drawing from his bi-cultural background and years of experience in theatre, voice-over, and education.
Andrew S. Gordon
Trivia Host
Andrew Gordon is a Massachusetts-born actor and producer based in Ohio. Screen credits include: The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, Sweet Meats, Curtains for Christmas, The Forest Hills, The Realtor, Macabre Mountain, and Alan and the Rulers of the Air. Known for grounded, offbeat, authoritative, and character-driven roles, he has built a substantial résumé across film, television, commercials, and voiceover with more than sixty credits. He lives with his wife and an ever-changing menagerie of pets.
Alan J. Epstein
Producer
Alan is a Chicago artist and filmmaker. He created Film to Table Dinner, a dining experience pairing food and cinema, and has spent years photographing and interviewing Chicagoans through What Was Breakfast. Breakfast time is over, it's skillet cookie time now.
John Oricchio
Editor
John Paul Oricchio is the director of Byrdsong. Oricchio is an Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker who focuses on the intersectionality of sports, race and pop culture. He has produced documentaries on Baseball Hall of Famers Mike Piazza and Tony Gwynn, as well as WNBA legend Candace Parker. Oricchio won an Emmy for his work on MLB Tonight and currently works as an Editor for Turner Sports.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The dream is dead. The stable career, the house, the kids, gone. What you've got instead is a roommate in your 30s, a job that pays a couple dollars above minimum wage, and an 8-week losing streak at bar trivia.
But there's a skillet cookie at the end of that rainbow. And a voice in the dark that says it can help. So what if you don't fully catch the terms? It can't be that bad, right?
Ren is a millennial, underachieving through no fault of his own. Born into a generation that was promised something that never came, and has quietly renegotiated what "winning" even means.
THE HORROR
The horror in this film is lowering your standards so slowly you don't notice until they're gone. It's wanting so little — a cookie, a win, one good night — and still having to make a deal to get it. It's falling asleep and dreaming, but even your dreams come with terms and conditions.
THE COMEDY
Comedy is the language I deal in.
The best comedy is when you are willing to be vulnerable and honest and laugh at yourself.
Comedy has been retreating out of theaters, away from serious investment, off screens and onto social media feeds where it lives in 60-second clips. That's fine for what it is. But I think it belongs on the big screen too.
When mundane life gets hard enough, absurd enough, relentless enough, you can't help but laugh. Comedy is a pressure release valve. Ren and Jen are doing their best in a situation that stopped making sense a while ago.
WHY THIS FILM?
The idea came from watching people lose their minds over a skillet cookie at bar trivia. Grown adults. Over the moon. Winning nothing and it meaning everything.
The next day I was visiting a friend, I saw he had moved his bed to an alcove in his dining room. It made me think of him sleeping there and being vulnerable, and an entity coming and speaking to him at night.
I had been concepting various short films, but many of them seemed too involved. The cast was too big, too many locations, too big a budget, it wasn't feasible. Then combined this idea of bar trivia, skillet cookies, and this entity talking to you at night. It strikes a great balance of being incredibly doable while being fulfilling to me artistically and being representative of my comedy and sensibilities.
WHY ME?
I took the long way to get here. Public schools, no resources, no shortcuts. But I think doing this at this point in my life allows me to bring a wealth of experience, artistically and otherwise.
I couldn't have told this story fresh out of college or film school. The themes we're exploring come from a place of experience. I'm a working class person who has ridden all the ups and downs of the last 20 years, personal ones, and the ones the whole world has been through. Stagnant wages. Rising cost of living. A generation that was promised something that never arrived, still looking for answers. And a reason to laugh.
I think I'm an excellent person to deliver this story in this medium. And I think now is exactly the right time to deliver it.
WHY CHICAGO?
Because I live here and I'm always gonna live here.
Chicago keeps me honest and inspired.
The Goodman Theater. Second City. A world class food scene that's simultaneously Italian beefs and Michelin-starred tasting menus. The businessmen and the bucket boys. The firefighters and the filmmakers.
I think that combination is unique to this place. And it's where I get my perspective.
Every dollar raised goes directly to the people making this film. We’re working with SAG-AFTRA actors and an experienced crew:
DP, AC, gaffer, make up artist, production sound mixer, BTS videographer, stills photographer, and editor.
These are skilled professionals who deserve to be paid and that’s exactly what this campaign is for. We shoot in Chicago on June 20th and 21st. Post-production runs through this summer, and we’re targeting a mid-August debut for the finished film.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
SAG Actors
Costs $2,000
We wanted to do this right so we went through all the right channels to work with seasoned professionals.
Festival Submissions
Costs $700
We will submit In It 2 Win It to local, and national film festivals.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Reggie Johnson
Writer / Director
Reggie Johnson has been interested in films and filmmaking his entire life. When it came time to go to college, he ran into a problem: being born in the 80s. Movies were shot on film. Nobody owned cameras, lights, or audio equipment. Filmmaking seemed so out of reach he bailed and became an English major. Then dropped out.
But he continued with the art thing. Mirrorless cameras came out, the dream crept back, and he spent the last ten years doing photography and videography. He's not shooting this movie — but knowing all the jobs helps him direct.
That's the idea anyway.
Glenn-Dale Obrero
Ren
Glenn Obrero is a Chicago based actor that was recently seen in The Targeted at A Red Orchid Theatre. Film credits include: Wheelhouse and When Cats Fly. TV credits include: "Chicago Fire" (NBC) and "nExt" (FOX). He's performed in numerous critically acclaimed theaters such as Steppenwolf Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Timeline Theatre, and Asolo Repertory Theatre. Glenn is a member of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble and represented by Gray Talent Group.
Elena Victoria Feliz
Jen
Elena Victoria Feliz is an Afro-Latina actor based in Chicago. She recently premiered her first original piece the un-blessed, a hybrid poetry reading and solo show. She recently wrapped filming a supporting role in an upcoming horror feature. Other recent work includes a lead role in the audio drama Two Thousand and Late (Ambie Award Nominee); a supporting role in the short film No Entry currently in post-production; lead roles in the short films Choke and Lost Boys Pizza, currently in post production and on the festival circuit, respectively. She has also been featured in roles in the feature film The Up & Comer, Dark Matter (Apple TV+), and a recurring role on Chicago Med (NBC). She is proudly represented by DDO Artists Agency.
Leonel Garza
Dark Voice
Leonel Garza is a Chicagoland native with deep roots in the Southwest and northern Mexico. He is known for his dynamic presence in Latine and racially ambiguous roles, portraying everything from the humble working man to edgy, offbeat authority figures. Recent screen credits include Chicago P.D. as Ivan Alvarez, Mexican Delight as Rodrigo, and appearances in This Fool, Primo, and The Absence of Eden. A fluent Spanish speaker and fully bilingual, Garza brings authenticity, nuance, and depth to every role, drawing from his bi-cultural background and years of experience in theatre, voice-over, and education.
Andrew S. Gordon
Trivia Host
Andrew Gordon is a Massachusetts-born actor and producer based in Ohio. Screen credits include: The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, Sweet Meats, Curtains for Christmas, The Forest Hills, The Realtor, Macabre Mountain, and Alan and the Rulers of the Air. Known for grounded, offbeat, authoritative, and character-driven roles, he has built a substantial résumé across film, television, commercials, and voiceover with more than sixty credits. He lives with his wife and an ever-changing menagerie of pets.
Alan J. Epstein
Producer
Alan is a Chicago artist and filmmaker. He created Film to Table Dinner, a dining experience pairing food and cinema, and has spent years photographing and interviewing Chicagoans through What Was Breakfast. Breakfast time is over, it's skillet cookie time now.
John Oricchio
Editor
John Paul Oricchio is the director of Byrdsong. Oricchio is an Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker who focuses on the intersectionality of sports, race and pop culture. He has produced documentaries on Baseball Hall of Famers Mike Piazza and Tony Gwynn, as well as WNBA legend Candace Parker. Oricchio won an Emmy for his work on MLB Tonight and currently works as an Editor for Turner Sports.