Michael And Michael Are Gay
Los Angeles, California | Series
Comedy, LGBTQ
A satirical look at gay marriage inspired by the lives of its creators - two loveable misfits named Michael. Follow our well-intentioned heroes as they nervously tackle life's challenges together. If "Broad City" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" met up at a gay rave... well, you get the idea.
Michael And Michael Are Gay
Los Angeles, California | Series
Comedy, LGBTQ
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $40,124 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
239 supporters | followers
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A satirical look at gay marriage inspired by the lives of its creators - two loveable misfits named Michael. Follow our well-intentioned heroes as they nervously tackle life's challenges together. If "Broad City" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" met up at a gay rave... well, you get the idea.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Michael & Michael are Gay is a six-episode scripted web series inspired by the real lives
of its creators - two neurotic Jews named Michael who fell in love and decided to make
it official. The series will explore the lives and unique challenges of two loveable, sex-positive misfits, trying to navigate what marriage looks like between two men in the 21st century. It will also be an opportunity to tap into an impressive pool of LGBT talent to combine their powers (Captain Planet-style) to tell a story that is no holds-bar, unapologetically, and gratuitously GAY (Just like Captain Planet).
With a release date set for the summer of 2018, our goal is to create an Emmy-eligible, full season order for the web series, setting the stage for more seasons to come!
A Little Backstory...
Michael Feldman and Michael Rachlis met in June 2011 on the dance floor of a now defunct West Hollywood nightclub called Cherry-Pop where they drunkenly made out for twenty minutes and somehow fumbled around with their cellphones long enough to exchange numbers. Despite this inauspicious beginning, warnings from friends, and matching cases of generalized anxiety disorder, they moved in together and began a passionate romance, the likes of which the nervous Jewish comedy world had never seen! Cut to a few years later… Michael PROPOSED to Michael! (You can see how it all went down here: tinyurl.com/michaelmichaelproposal)
A friend cut together a video of the proposal and it quickly went viral. It went on to be featured in various media outlets, both gay and straight (The Huffington Post, KTLA, and Queerty among others). This enthusiastic response got the duo thinking that their unique sensibility represented a point of view that’s missing from the current media landscape.
Fast forward to today. Michael and Michael have now been together nearly seven years and married just over two. About a year ago they began writing together, creating episodic scripts that aim to capture their relationship’s unique challenges, thrills, and triumphs.
Themes / Storylines
Our storylines were born out of real life situations, obstacles, and reckonings that we experienced during our first year of marriage. The comedy we explore comes out of the unexpected - and often self-imposed - pressure that we feel to be experts on “gay marriage” despite the fact that we’re making it up as we go along. It’s a comedy of manners for the progressive communities we’re a part of (both gay and straight), who want to be supportive and encouraging of our relationship, even as they don’t fully understand what that means. The truth is we don’t either, and the journey of discovery is mutual even as we claim to be leaders.
Additionally, we still feel very connected to the LGBT community (and especially gay nightlife), but we now also find ourselves an anomaly within it. This tension is a major source of the comedy we explore.
Why Now?
When we look at the current media landscape with regards to the depiction of serious gay relationships, we don’t see ourselves reflected: two deeply-flawed, high-strung individuals who are objectified as role models simply because we got married.
In addition, multiple types of depictions of gay couples in love is overdue. We’re among the first generation of individuals opting into our newfound rights to marry and many have falsely pushed the narrative that gay and straight marriage is the same - our experience is it's not - and we want to authentically depict what that looks like!
Good News!
Many projects start from a blank slate, but we’ve been working on this project for a while and have a full sample episode filmed and edited as a proof of concept for the series. Through this process, we’ve been able to fine tune the tone and look of the series and have assembled a creative team who share our vision, are committed to the project, and are ready to begin filming, editing and post-production as soon as the project is funded!
With the most important technical and creative challenges already worked out, all that remains is the necessary funding. We’re passionate about delivering a top-quality product that does these stories justice, and with your help we know we can make it happen. Join us in bringing this unconventional LGBTQ story to life!
Proposed Budget
So far we’ve self-funded the shooting and editing of one of our scripts on a shoestring budget. Moving forward, however, we want to tackle more ambitious storylines, work with a professional cast and crew who are fairly compensated, and secure locations that accurately bring our stories to life. Even with budgeting creatively (our core creative team is taking no front-end compensation and our shooting schedule is condensed to a fast-paced but achievable seven-day timeline) our proposed budget for filming and post-production for a full first season order comes to just over $40K.
We are confident that if we achieve these funding goals we can create a professional quality product that is ready for sale and distribution.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
General Liability Insurance
Costs $2,000
We need this to insure our people, equipment and set - and for crowd scenes!
Cinematographer
Costs $2,500
They'll reinforce the story through camera work and a consistent visual aesthetic.
Sound Mixer
Costs $1,200
A necessary and specialized role so that keeping those levels spot on!
Art Director
Costs $1,000
She'll dress the set and keep the world of stories bright, vibrant and fun!
Cast and Extras!
Costs $3,800
It's a labor of love for our two leads but the rest of the cast need to be paid for their time!
Production Crew
Costs $6,500
Camera operators, lighting technician, sound, & on-set operations.
Filming Locations
Costs $9,500
We need: Nightclub, Restaurant, Offices, Luxury house. And permits for all of it.
Equipment Rentals
Costs $5,000
Camera, lighting, & sound equipment, props, and set pieces to rent - it adds up!
Post Production
Costs $4,500
Editing, Title Sequence and Color Correction - these roles are key!
Festivals and Publicity!
Costs $1,000
Funding for festival submissions, spreading the word, and pitching to secure wider distribution!
Share this update!
About This Team
MICHAEL FELDMAN (Creator) received his BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where he wrote and performed numerous original works including Diagnosis: Jew Pain - a solo show about growing up gay in a conservative Jewish family which was named “Best of Fringe” at the New York International Fringe Festival - and MuscleBound - a multimedia performance piece about male body image issues which toured over a hundred colleges, universities, and festivals across the country to critical acclaim. Feldman also created Fairy Tale Theatre: 18 & Over, a stage show which played to sold-out crowds for over six years, and was optioned as a television series for FX with Billy Crystal's Face Productions attached to produce. Feldman has written for numerous TV shows including The Inbetweeners (MTV), The Neighbors (ABC), Deadbeat (HULU), Kevin From Work (FREEFORM), and an upcoming half-hour Marvel comedy. Currently, he is developing an animated feature for The Jim Henson Company. Feldman is also an Alumnus of the Groundlings Sunday Company.
MICHAEL RACHLIS (Creator) was born into a family teeming with brothers and parents desperately hoping for a girl. Now living in LA as an actor/comedian/aspiring web series creator, his family remains in awe of his supernatural ability to crush their hopes, dreams and expectations daily. Rachlis’s theatre credits include: F*cking Men (U.S. Premiere, Ovation Nomination), The Last Jew in Europe (Off B’way, The Triad Theatre), and Romeo and Juliet (Romeo, Nat’l Tour), Equus (Ovation Nomination), The Deep Throat Sex Scandal (Zephyr Theatre), and many more. TV/Film: Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job (Comedy Central), Harper’s Globe (CBS), Ten Things I Hate About You (ABC Family). Michael also recently starred opposite Rob Riggle in a series of national commercials for Axe Bodywash. Education: BFA, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Stella Adler Conservatory, Groundlings, and UCB. More fun stuff at youtube.com/mikerach32
IAN ALDA (Director / Cinematographer) has collaborated with Michael Feldman on several shorts, the most recent of which received over five million views and was featured by numerous outlets including HuffPost Comedy. A graduate of the Theater Conservatory at SUNY Purchase, Ian also works extensively as an actor. His theater credits include the Off-Broadway revival of Jonathan Marc Sherman’s Sophistry as well as the Los Angeles premiere of Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Mark Taper Forum. On TV, Ian has appeared on Law & Order: SVU, NCIS: Los Angeles, Touch, and currently has a recurring role on HBO’s Silicon Valley. Having known Michael Feldman and Michael Rachlis for several years, Ian is very excited to be working with them to create a web series that chronicles their never-ending quest to resemble two functional human beings.
ANNIKA KURNICK (Director) has been directing Michael Feldman in a variety of projects since their undergrad days at NYU. Their short film Chlamydia is Not a Flower played at film festivals all over the world including the Melbourne Queer Film Festival. Annika feels honored to have had front row seats to the match made in sitcom heaven that is the love, life and super gay misadventures of Michael and Michael. She is a recent graduate of AFI’s Directing program where Michael and Michael can be spotted in her Alfred P. Sloan Foundation supported thesis film Magic ’85, going to town on each other in a bathhouse scene.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Michael & Michael are Gay is a six-episode scripted web series inspired by the real lives
of its creators - two neurotic Jews named Michael who fell in love and decided to make
it official. The series will explore the lives and unique challenges of two loveable, sex-positive misfits, trying to navigate what marriage looks like between two men in the 21st century. It will also be an opportunity to tap into an impressive pool of LGBT talent to combine their powers (Captain Planet-style) to tell a story that is no holds-bar, unapologetically, and gratuitously GAY (Just like Captain Planet).
With a release date set for the summer of 2018, our goal is to create an Emmy-eligible, full season order for the web series, setting the stage for more seasons to come!
A Little Backstory...
Michael Feldman and Michael Rachlis met in June 2011 on the dance floor of a now defunct West Hollywood nightclub called Cherry-Pop where they drunkenly made out for twenty minutes and somehow fumbled around with their cellphones long enough to exchange numbers. Despite this inauspicious beginning, warnings from friends, and matching cases of generalized anxiety disorder, they moved in together and began a passionate romance, the likes of which the nervous Jewish comedy world had never seen! Cut to a few years later… Michael PROPOSED to Michael! (You can see how it all went down here: tinyurl.com/michaelmichaelproposal)
A friend cut together a video of the proposal and it quickly went viral. It went on to be featured in various media outlets, both gay and straight (The Huffington Post, KTLA, and Queerty among others). This enthusiastic response got the duo thinking that their unique sensibility represented a point of view that’s missing from the current media landscape.
Fast forward to today. Michael and Michael have now been together nearly seven years and married just over two. About a year ago they began writing together, creating episodic scripts that aim to capture their relationship’s unique challenges, thrills, and triumphs.
Themes / Storylines
Our storylines were born out of real life situations, obstacles, and reckonings that we experienced during our first year of marriage. The comedy we explore comes out of the unexpected - and often self-imposed - pressure that we feel to be experts on “gay marriage” despite the fact that we’re making it up as we go along. It’s a comedy of manners for the progressive communities we’re a part of (both gay and straight), who want to be supportive and encouraging of our relationship, even as they don’t fully understand what that means. The truth is we don’t either, and the journey of discovery is mutual even as we claim to be leaders.
Additionally, we still feel very connected to the LGBT community (and especially gay nightlife), but we now also find ourselves an anomaly within it. This tension is a major source of the comedy we explore.
Why Now?
When we look at the current media landscape with regards to the depiction of serious gay relationships, we don’t see ourselves reflected: two deeply-flawed, high-strung individuals who are objectified as role models simply because we got married.
In addition, multiple types of depictions of gay couples in love is overdue. We’re among the first generation of individuals opting into our newfound rights to marry and many have falsely pushed the narrative that gay and straight marriage is the same - our experience is it's not - and we want to authentically depict what that looks like!
Good News!
Many projects start from a blank slate, but we’ve been working on this project for a while and have a full sample episode filmed and edited as a proof of concept for the series. Through this process, we’ve been able to fine tune the tone and look of the series and have assembled a creative team who share our vision, are committed to the project, and are ready to begin filming, editing and post-production as soon as the project is funded!
With the most important technical and creative challenges already worked out, all that remains is the necessary funding. We’re passionate about delivering a top-quality product that does these stories justice, and with your help we know we can make it happen. Join us in bringing this unconventional LGBTQ story to life!
Proposed Budget
So far we’ve self-funded the shooting and editing of one of our scripts on a shoestring budget. Moving forward, however, we want to tackle more ambitious storylines, work with a professional cast and crew who are fairly compensated, and secure locations that accurately bring our stories to life. Even with budgeting creatively (our core creative team is taking no front-end compensation and our shooting schedule is condensed to a fast-paced but achievable seven-day timeline) our proposed budget for filming and post-production for a full first season order comes to just over $40K.
We are confident that if we achieve these funding goals we can create a professional quality product that is ready for sale and distribution.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
General Liability Insurance
Costs $2,000
We need this to insure our people, equipment and set - and for crowd scenes!
Cinematographer
Costs $2,500
They'll reinforce the story through camera work and a consistent visual aesthetic.
Sound Mixer
Costs $1,200
A necessary and specialized role so that keeping those levels spot on!
Art Director
Costs $1,000
She'll dress the set and keep the world of stories bright, vibrant and fun!
Cast and Extras!
Costs $3,800
It's a labor of love for our two leads but the rest of the cast need to be paid for their time!
Production Crew
Costs $6,500
Camera operators, lighting technician, sound, & on-set operations.
Filming Locations
Costs $9,500
We need: Nightclub, Restaurant, Offices, Luxury house. And permits for all of it.
Equipment Rentals
Costs $5,000
Camera, lighting, & sound equipment, props, and set pieces to rent - it adds up!
Post Production
Costs $4,500
Editing, Title Sequence and Color Correction - these roles are key!
Festivals and Publicity!
Costs $1,000
Funding for festival submissions, spreading the word, and pitching to secure wider distribution!
Share this update!
About This Team
MICHAEL FELDMAN (Creator) received his BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where he wrote and performed numerous original works including Diagnosis: Jew Pain - a solo show about growing up gay in a conservative Jewish family which was named “Best of Fringe” at the New York International Fringe Festival - and MuscleBound - a multimedia performance piece about male body image issues which toured over a hundred colleges, universities, and festivals across the country to critical acclaim. Feldman also created Fairy Tale Theatre: 18 & Over, a stage show which played to sold-out crowds for over six years, and was optioned as a television series for FX with Billy Crystal's Face Productions attached to produce. Feldman has written for numerous TV shows including The Inbetweeners (MTV), The Neighbors (ABC), Deadbeat (HULU), Kevin From Work (FREEFORM), and an upcoming half-hour Marvel comedy. Currently, he is developing an animated feature for The Jim Henson Company. Feldman is also an Alumnus of the Groundlings Sunday Company.
MICHAEL RACHLIS (Creator) was born into a family teeming with brothers and parents desperately hoping for a girl. Now living in LA as an actor/comedian/aspiring web series creator, his family remains in awe of his supernatural ability to crush their hopes, dreams and expectations daily. Rachlis’s theatre credits include: F*cking Men (U.S. Premiere, Ovation Nomination), The Last Jew in Europe (Off B’way, The Triad Theatre), and Romeo and Juliet (Romeo, Nat’l Tour), Equus (Ovation Nomination), The Deep Throat Sex Scandal (Zephyr Theatre), and many more. TV/Film: Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job (Comedy Central), Harper’s Globe (CBS), Ten Things I Hate About You (ABC Family). Michael also recently starred opposite Rob Riggle in a series of national commercials for Axe Bodywash. Education: BFA, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Stella Adler Conservatory, Groundlings, and UCB. More fun stuff at youtube.com/mikerach32
IAN ALDA (Director / Cinematographer) has collaborated with Michael Feldman on several shorts, the most recent of which received over five million views and was featured by numerous outlets including HuffPost Comedy. A graduate of the Theater Conservatory at SUNY Purchase, Ian also works extensively as an actor. His theater credits include the Off-Broadway revival of Jonathan Marc Sherman’s Sophistry as well as the Los Angeles premiere of Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Mark Taper Forum. On TV, Ian has appeared on Law & Order: SVU, NCIS: Los Angeles, Touch, and currently has a recurring role on HBO’s Silicon Valley. Having known Michael Feldman and Michael Rachlis for several years, Ian is very excited to be working with them to create a web series that chronicles their never-ending quest to resemble two functional human beings.
ANNIKA KURNICK (Director) has been directing Michael Feldman in a variety of projects since their undergrad days at NYU. Their short film Chlamydia is Not a Flower played at film festivals all over the world including the Melbourne Queer Film Festival. Annika feels honored to have had front row seats to the match made in sitcom heaven that is the love, life and super gay misadventures of Michael and Michael. She is a recent graduate of AFI’s Directing program where Michael and Michael can be spotted in her Alfred P. Sloan Foundation supported thesis film Magic ’85, going to town on each other in a bathhouse scene.