NAWFSIDE
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Short
Drama, Sport
70% of student athletes quit their sport before the age of 13, but the selected talented few can now earn up to six figures deals for their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). Our short film highlights their pressures of choosing between this expected path or carving their own.
NAWFSIDE
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Short
Drama, Sport
1 Campaigns | Georgia, United States
25 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$1,850
Goal: $30,000 for production
70% of student athletes quit their sport before the age of 13, but the selected talented few can now earn up to six figures deals for their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). Our short film highlights their pressures of choosing between this expected path or carving their own.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Nawfside is a short film which points a spotlight on the extreme communal pressure surrounding its protagonist, Jaymin Barber, throughout his athletic and personal journey towards adulthood. After a violent rivalry brawl, Jaymin is transferred to a new school from a fresh start, where he faces an important dilemma; Live up to the expectations of his community to advance his basketball career and avoid disappointing those closest to him, or follow his true path of the arts.
Nawfside is set in the heart of Gwinnett County, a community north of Atlanta in Georgia (AKA Nawfside) with over one million residents. It's brimming with diversity and culture, turning out some of the biggest talent in athletics and the arts.
Jaymin Barber
(Damian Delano Young)
Jaymin is a 5-Star High School Basketball recruit with a promising future ahead of him. In the midst of struggling on with the pressures placed on him from his family, friends, and team, Jaymin faces an unexpected choice between the court and the stage. In the face of a new setting, surrounded by unfamiliar and often unfriendly faces, Jaymin must learn to navigate this new chapter and crossroad in his life. He's portrayed by Damian Delano Young, who played a young Michael Jordan in the 2023 Ben Afflack movie Air.
Marcus Barber
(Frantz Calixte)
Marcus Barber is Jaymin’s estranged father, a man who once dreamed of athletic glory but never quite made it past local stardom. Living in South view — the rival district — Marcus works hard to provide for himself but has a complicated history with Jaymin’s mom and with fatherhood in general. When Jaymin is forced to move in with him after the brawl, Marcus becomes an unexpected mirror: someone who understands the pressures of athletic ambition but also represents the cost of letting life (and choices) derail potential.
Brandon Mitchell
(Justin Edwards)
Brandon Mitchell is the crown jewel of Sugarloaf Ridge High’s basketball team — confident, talented, and already treated like a local celebrity. On the surface, he’s Jaymin’s foil: brash where Jaymin is quiet, outspoken where Jaymin is thoughtful. But beneath the trash talk and rivalry lies a young man dealing with his own insecurities, pressures, and a future that feels just as predetermined. Brandon’s journey reveals that even “the enemy” is fighting battles off the court.
Coach Bruno
(Alessandro Folchitto)
Coach Bruno is authoritative, competitive, and stubborn — but not without genuine care for his players. Coach Bruno serves as an important pillar of stability for Jaymin, whose guidance will be missed when Jaymin is forced to switch schools, and be led by a new, unfamiliar coach. He is played by Alessandro Folchitto, former Professional Italian Basketball Player, and a stunt coordinator for some of your favorite action movies, including Marvel and DC films.
Eye Candy Studios is a collective of individuals aiming to craft stories brimming with life. We’re so excited to share our debut film, but we’ll need your help. NAWFSIDE is an ambitious, grassroots project, with plans for choreographed team basketball scenes, dreamlike sequences, and many touching elements we think you’ll love. We are also aiming to bring awareness of societal pressures on student athletes, especially since the advent of NIL deals for highschoolers offering life-changing money. To make this film the best we can, we need funds to support talented actors, music producers, and our crew members involved in pre-production, film production, and post-production. If we raise more than our $30,000 budget, we will take NAWFSIDE to new heights.
$40,000 - Film Festival Run
Help us share NAWFSIDE with the rest of the world, and maybe we can pick up a few accolades along the way! Reaching this goal would allow several of us to be present at various film festivals, putting our first short film in the spotlight we believe it will deserve.
$50,000 - Education Department Donation
Cultivating growth in our community is extremely important to us. Upon reaching this goal, we can make a generous donation to our local school system.
By making a pledge on this page, you’ll help us make the NAWFSIDE short film a reality. On the side of the page, you can click on and choose from several incentives. Each one will give you access to NAWFSIDE once it’s ready for distribution, but more expensive incentives will provide additional perks, such as exclusive opportunities to attend a live viewing of the film, having your name credited at the end of the movie, or even allowing YOU to be a part of NAWFSIDE as an extra!
In addition to pledging, word of mouth is the easiest way you can help us tell the world about this film and crowdfunding campaign. Please post about us on social media by copying and pasting the paragraph below, or use it as a basis to say it in your own words:
“Check out this short film being crowdfunded that’s based in Gwinnett County! NAWFSIDE is a coming-of-age story about a black basketball star dealing with the pressures of his community, having to choose between expectations and his own dreams. You can read up on it and support the creators at seedandspark.com/fund/Nawfside”
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast & Crew
Costs $10,000
Our team is filled with talented cast and crew who will shine on and off the screen. They deserve fair compensation for their art!
Software & Equipment
Costs $5,000
To ensure our film matches our vision, we need the gear and programs to do the job right!
Locations
Costs $5,000
NAWFSIDE will be shot completely in Gwinnett County, GA. Help us make sure we can pay our generous locations for their time and space!
Food & Refreshments
Costs $2,500
Long shoot days mean a hungry cast & crew. Let's feed them something delicious and keep them hydrated!
Travel & Logistics
Costs $2,500
While most of the cast and crew live close to Gwinnett County, several of them will be coming in from out of state. Help them travel here!
Production Design
Costs $5,000
Jerseys, set design, team branding, and more. There are tons of little details that make a film memorable, and NAWFSIDE is no exception!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Jordan Dilwood
Director of Nawfside / Founder of Eye Candy Studios
After an extensive early career with Warner Brothers Music and UMG, he's making a leap of faith into the world of film. Nawfside is the first of many tales he wishes to share with the world and is a story he's strongly connected to. Jordan has called Gwinnett County, GA the home of his soul, and in those rare moments he's not working directly on Nawfside, he basks himself in community and local events. You can find him @coda.filmz on Instagram.
Ivan Diaz
Producer of Nawfside / Founder of The ARADA Company
Even before attending Full Sail University and receiving his Film Masters in Entertainment Business, Ivan has ingrained himself into countless creative projects, including blockbuster films like Avatar: The Way of Water, as well as a variety of short films and commercials. With a knack for AR and VR marketing, 3D modeling and animation, camera operation, and more, he's constantly pushing the envelop of incorporating developing tech into his art. Follow him @director_ivan on Instagram.
Xzaviah J. Stone Sr.
Lead Writer
Army veteran, Xzaviah, holds an MFA from Emerson College and a BA from the University of Tampa in Film & Media Arts. He believes in authentic storytelling, as showcased in his Emerson thesis film Nalb Noum, which was screened at the Boston Film Festival, IFFBoston, Charlotte Film Festival, and many more. Xzaviah is a screenwriter who is passionate about telling authentic stories that people can relate to. Through this project, an authentic story will have the potential touch many, and with your support, we can turn words on a page into an impactful on-screen experience that sparks conversation. Connect with him @xzaviahjstonesr on Instagram.
Miffy Hornsby
Production Designer / Art Director of Nawfside
Not only did she graduate from SCAD with a BFA in Graphic Design, Miffy's professional career is also filled to the brim with extensive work in fashion, textiles, and large-scale art installations across the Southeast United States, with her work being featured in Vice and Yahoo! News. As another Gwinnett County local, her authentic and unbridled creativity will be evident throughout the film's set designs, branding, and more. See what she's up to @miffyhornsby on Instagram.
Tony DiCaro-Smith
Unit Production Manager / Video Editor of Nawfside
Another Full Sail University graduate, Tony has a Bachelors in Graphic Design and a decade of experience across marketing, video, graphic design, and community management. Tony's passion for storytelling has driven him to support indie artists across a variety of media, from fiction podcasts to video games. He's here to connect Eye Candy with our supporters, keeping you up to date on our film and studio and helping deliver a final product that’s worth your pledge. Check out his Instagram @dicarosmith.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Nawfside is a short film which points a spotlight on the extreme communal pressure surrounding its protagonist, Jaymin Barber, throughout his athletic and personal journey towards adulthood. After a violent rivalry brawl, Jaymin is transferred to a new school from a fresh start, where he faces an important dilemma; Live up to the expectations of his community to advance his basketball career and avoid disappointing those closest to him, or follow his true path of the arts.
Nawfside is set in the heart of Gwinnett County, a community north of Atlanta in Georgia (AKA Nawfside) with over one million residents. It's brimming with diversity and culture, turning out some of the biggest talent in athletics and the arts.
Jaymin Barber
(Damian Delano Young)
Jaymin is a 5-Star High School Basketball recruit with a promising future ahead of him. In the midst of struggling on with the pressures placed on him from his family, friends, and team, Jaymin faces an unexpected choice between the court and the stage. In the face of a new setting, surrounded by unfamiliar and often unfriendly faces, Jaymin must learn to navigate this new chapter and crossroad in his life. He's portrayed by Damian Delano Young, who played a young Michael Jordan in the 2023 Ben Afflack movie Air.
Marcus Barber
(Frantz Calixte)
Marcus Barber is Jaymin’s estranged father, a man who once dreamed of athletic glory but never quite made it past local stardom. Living in South view — the rival district — Marcus works hard to provide for himself but has a complicated history with Jaymin’s mom and with fatherhood in general. When Jaymin is forced to move in with him after the brawl, Marcus becomes an unexpected mirror: someone who understands the pressures of athletic ambition but also represents the cost of letting life (and choices) derail potential.
Brandon Mitchell
(Justin Edwards)
Brandon Mitchell is the crown jewel of Sugarloaf Ridge High’s basketball team — confident, talented, and already treated like a local celebrity. On the surface, he’s Jaymin’s foil: brash where Jaymin is quiet, outspoken where Jaymin is thoughtful. But beneath the trash talk and rivalry lies a young man dealing with his own insecurities, pressures, and a future that feels just as predetermined. Brandon’s journey reveals that even “the enemy” is fighting battles off the court.
Coach Bruno
(Alessandro Folchitto)
Coach Bruno is authoritative, competitive, and stubborn — but not without genuine care for his players. Coach Bruno serves as an important pillar of stability for Jaymin, whose guidance will be missed when Jaymin is forced to switch schools, and be led by a new, unfamiliar coach. He is played by Alessandro Folchitto, former Professional Italian Basketball Player, and a stunt coordinator for some of your favorite action movies, including Marvel and DC films.
Eye Candy Studios is a collective of individuals aiming to craft stories brimming with life. We’re so excited to share our debut film, but we’ll need your help. NAWFSIDE is an ambitious, grassroots project, with plans for choreographed team basketball scenes, dreamlike sequences, and many touching elements we think you’ll love. We are also aiming to bring awareness of societal pressures on student athletes, especially since the advent of NIL deals for highschoolers offering life-changing money. To make this film the best we can, we need funds to support talented actors, music producers, and our crew members involved in pre-production, film production, and post-production. If we raise more than our $30,000 budget, we will take NAWFSIDE to new heights.
$40,000 - Film Festival Run
Help us share NAWFSIDE with the rest of the world, and maybe we can pick up a few accolades along the way! Reaching this goal would allow several of us to be present at various film festivals, putting our first short film in the spotlight we believe it will deserve.
$50,000 - Education Department Donation
Cultivating growth in our community is extremely important to us. Upon reaching this goal, we can make a generous donation to our local school system.
By making a pledge on this page, you’ll help us make the NAWFSIDE short film a reality. On the side of the page, you can click on and choose from several incentives. Each one will give you access to NAWFSIDE once it’s ready for distribution, but more expensive incentives will provide additional perks, such as exclusive opportunities to attend a live viewing of the film, having your name credited at the end of the movie, or even allowing YOU to be a part of NAWFSIDE as an extra!
In addition to pledging, word of mouth is the easiest way you can help us tell the world about this film and crowdfunding campaign. Please post about us on social media by copying and pasting the paragraph below, or use it as a basis to say it in your own words:
“Check out this short film being crowdfunded that’s based in Gwinnett County! NAWFSIDE is a coming-of-age story about a black basketball star dealing with the pressures of his community, having to choose between expectations and his own dreams. You can read up on it and support the creators at seedandspark.com/fund/Nawfside”
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast & Crew
Costs $10,000
Our team is filled with talented cast and crew who will shine on and off the screen. They deserve fair compensation for their art!
Software & Equipment
Costs $5,000
To ensure our film matches our vision, we need the gear and programs to do the job right!
Locations
Costs $5,000
NAWFSIDE will be shot completely in Gwinnett County, GA. Help us make sure we can pay our generous locations for their time and space!
Food & Refreshments
Costs $2,500
Long shoot days mean a hungry cast & crew. Let's feed them something delicious and keep them hydrated!
Travel & Logistics
Costs $2,500
While most of the cast and crew live close to Gwinnett County, several of them will be coming in from out of state. Help them travel here!
Production Design
Costs $5,000
Jerseys, set design, team branding, and more. There are tons of little details that make a film memorable, and NAWFSIDE is no exception!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Jordan Dilwood
Director of Nawfside / Founder of Eye Candy Studios
After an extensive early career with Warner Brothers Music and UMG, he's making a leap of faith into the world of film. Nawfside is the first of many tales he wishes to share with the world and is a story he's strongly connected to. Jordan has called Gwinnett County, GA the home of his soul, and in those rare moments he's not working directly on Nawfside, he basks himself in community and local events. You can find him @coda.filmz on Instagram.
Ivan Diaz
Producer of Nawfside / Founder of The ARADA Company
Even before attending Full Sail University and receiving his Film Masters in Entertainment Business, Ivan has ingrained himself into countless creative projects, including blockbuster films like Avatar: The Way of Water, as well as a variety of short films and commercials. With a knack for AR and VR marketing, 3D modeling and animation, camera operation, and more, he's constantly pushing the envelop of incorporating developing tech into his art. Follow him @director_ivan on Instagram.
Xzaviah J. Stone Sr.
Lead Writer
Army veteran, Xzaviah, holds an MFA from Emerson College and a BA from the University of Tampa in Film & Media Arts. He believes in authentic storytelling, as showcased in his Emerson thesis film Nalb Noum, which was screened at the Boston Film Festival, IFFBoston, Charlotte Film Festival, and many more. Xzaviah is a screenwriter who is passionate about telling authentic stories that people can relate to. Through this project, an authentic story will have the potential touch many, and with your support, we can turn words on a page into an impactful on-screen experience that sparks conversation. Connect with him @xzaviahjstonesr on Instagram.
Miffy Hornsby
Production Designer / Art Director of Nawfside
Not only did she graduate from SCAD with a BFA in Graphic Design, Miffy's professional career is also filled to the brim with extensive work in fashion, textiles, and large-scale art installations across the Southeast United States, with her work being featured in Vice and Yahoo! News. As another Gwinnett County local, her authentic and unbridled creativity will be evident throughout the film's set designs, branding, and more. See what she's up to @miffyhornsby on Instagram.
Tony DiCaro-Smith
Unit Production Manager / Video Editor of Nawfside
Another Full Sail University graduate, Tony has a Bachelors in Graphic Design and a decade of experience across marketing, video, graphic design, and community management. Tony's passion for storytelling has driven him to support indie artists across a variety of media, from fiction podcasts to video games. He's here to connect Eye Candy with our supporters, keeping you up to date on our film and studio and helping deliver a final product that’s worth your pledge. Check out his Instagram @dicarosmith.