Nonprofit Web Series
Portland, Oregon | Series
Comedy, Drama
Gabby’s story grapples with universal themes of finding love, searching for fulfillment in work, and navigating our life purpose. The story follows a spunky, idealistic Filipina organizer as she navigates relationships, friendships, family, and the realities of activism in and out of nonprofits.
Nonprofit Web Series
Portland, Oregon | Series
Comedy, Drama
2 Campaigns | Oregon, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $13,265 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
145 supporters | followers
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Gabby’s story grapples with universal themes of finding love, searching for fulfillment in work, and navigating our life purpose. The story follows a spunky, idealistic Filipina organizer as she navigates relationships, friendships, family, and the realities of activism in and out of nonprofits.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Synopsis:
Gabby Antonio is a quirky and self-righteous 25-year-old Filipina American who just started as a community organizer at APIISA (Asian Pacific Islanders in Solidarity Alliance) a social justice nonprofit in Portland, Oregon. In the pilot, she runs her first training session with a multigenerational group of community members and immediately experiences the chasm between ideals and reality. Gabby walks away deflated but gets back on track to planning her next big event after talking with a mentor. She works through a series of obstacles to save the event from last-minute debacles that threaten to derail the event. Ultimately, she realizes that to be successful means creating space to reflect and evaluate, allowing ourselves to make mistakes, and embracing our flaws.
Story Behind the Project:
In January 2016, I along with two other friends/colleagues that work in the nonprofit sector, had a late night discussion about our usual rants and gripes about working in our different organizations. From the typical “No one understands what I do!” to “White people don’t get it”, our conversations were unique in the sense that we were all women of color trying to navigate our careers in nonprofit work – a specific kind of work that is typically thankless and undeserving of recognition and higher salaries because we’re doing the “good work.”
I had been thinking for some time prior to that conversation about writing a novel that followed the life of someone that worked in nonprofits, but after that conversation and after agreeing about how funny it would be to see a TV show about nonprofits, that was when the idea of Nonprofit was born!
Gabby and I are alike but we’re also very, very different. Several of her nuances, mannerisms, and stories are derived from my own experiences as a woman of color living and working in Portland, Oregon, but they’re also comprised of stories from the many people of color that are working in the artist-activist and social justice spaces in Portland. It’s a narrative that is largely unseen in shows like Portlandia, which have dominated the perception of what life in Portland is like. Because shows like Portlandia have established a strong narrative about Portland in the national landscape, and because Portland is America’s whitest major metropolitan area, this city is the perfect backdrop to push back on racially homogenized narratives, while also offering a nuanced, insightful, hilarious, and occasionally heartbreaking glimpse into activism, social justice, and nonprofit life.
Finally, this project is important now more than ever because we need people of color writing, producing, directing, and performing in their own projects! And what better time than now?
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Director of Photography with camera assistant
Costs $2,000
Plans the lighting and coverage for the shoot. Does the actual shooting and provides gear. Also covers camera department gear.
Grip/Gaffer
Costs $1,000
Grip handles rigging and mechanical aspects of the shoot and Gaffer works with the electrical elements. Covers grip gear and lights.
Hair and makeup
Costs $600
Covers compensation for stylists and purchasing materials for makeup and wardrobe.
Extras
Costs $500
We want to make sure folks that participate in this project can get compensated for their time!
Insurance
Costs $1,200
We need insurance so we know we're covered in case anything happens on set!
Expendables
Costs $1,000
This includes petty cash, covers permits, and compensation for locations.
Production Assistants
Costs $300
Covers production assistants who serve as runners and gofers.
Share this update!
About This Team
Meet the rest of the team at Nonprofitwebseries.com!
Creator/Producer, Luann Algoso
Luann Algoso is a Portland, Oregon-based writer and creative activator. After completing her undergraduate degree in 2012, she went on to complete a Master of Arts degree in Conflict Resolution in 2015 also at Portland State University with the thesis titled, “Comedy as a Platform for Marginalized Voices: Asian American Women and the Disoriented Comedy Showcase". Her background in organizing and activism is grounded in using cultural work and communications as strategies for social change.
Director, Dawn Jones Redstone
Dawn Jones Redstone is an award-winning gay, Latina filmmaker best known as director and co-writer of the acclaimed dramatic short film, Sista in the Brotherhood. Dawn has worked in and around the non-profit world for 14 years as an employee, board member and a subcontractor and is ready to mine the wealth of comedy, this sector has to offer! Dawn is the recipient of the MRG Foundation’s 2016 Lilla Jewel Award and was named a Woman of Vision by the Oregon Daily Journal of Commerce. She recently received a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council along with Kjerstin Johnson to develop a pilot for a potential web series and is currently devloping her first feature film script about a Latina carpenter and her reluctant apprentice. She is committed to creating films that help balance the media representation of women and people of color both in front of and behind the camera.
Producer, Rachel Hills
Rachel Hills is a New York-based writer, speaker, and activist who is interested in the space where the personal meets the political. She is a college speaker on sex and gender issues, and the author of a book called The Sex Myth, which published in North America, Australia, New Zealand and the UK in August 2015. She is also the Executive Director of Break the Sex Myth, an activist organization that believes that raw, honest, critically-engaged dialogue about subjects that are typically perceived as too private to talk about can transform the way we see the world, measure our value, and treat other people.
Producer, Amy Nieto-Cruz
Amy Nieto-Cruz is a Puerto Rican artist and all-around jill-of-all-trades based in Portland, OR. She is the owner/designer of Little Bright Studio and co-founder of Broad Space, a women’s creative studio. With every project that comes her way, Amy makes sure to prioritize the voices and experiences of women of color. Now that she has re-entered the film/video industry as producer for Nonprofit Web Series, her goal lies in continuing to highlight the fascinating stories of people of color. After she retires, she would like to pet all the cats in the world.
Script Supervisor/Writer, Jessica Yen
Jessica Yen is a Chinese-American essayist and novelist whose work focuses on the intersection of identity, culture, family, and memory. Her personal essays have appeared inOregon Humanities and The Drum Literary Magazine, and she was a finalist for the 2016 Fourth Genre essay prize. She is an alumni of the Voices of our Nations Arts writers workshop, the only multi-genre writers workshop for writers of color, and of the Independent Publishing Resource Center's certificate program. She spent nearly a decade working in non-profits before transitioning to a career as a freelance writer/editor.
Music Production, Scott ‘Chops’ Jung
Scott “CHOPS” Jung is a music maker whose multi-instrument style helped his group Mountain Brothers become the first Asian American rap group signed to a major label. He’s since worked with many of rap’s biggest and most respected artists (Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Raekwon, Talib Kweli, E-40, Ice Cube, Snoop). His Strength in NUMBERS album featured over 30 talented Asian American rappers and singers. CHOPS’ music is heard in ads (Nike, Coca Cola, X Games), TV shows (Empire, Grey’s Anatomy, House of Lies, Breaking Bad, Law & Order: SVU, Parks and Recreation), and movies (Brown Sugar, House of Wax, Hurricane Season, Face, Ping Pong Playa). He credits the sports documentary 9-Man for reigniting his love of writing music to picture.
Graphic Design, Shannon Paine
Shannon Paine's work touches on communication design and community development. She uses her freelance design work to create graphic design solutions that help build community in for-profit companies and advocates for marginalized communites in non-profits for the Portland Metro area. As a productions artist she uses her html and css skill to help build out digital advertisements for websites and social media and her background in print production to help with large format printing on a variety of materials.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Synopsis:
Gabby Antonio is a quirky and self-righteous 25-year-old Filipina American who just started as a community organizer at APIISA (Asian Pacific Islanders in Solidarity Alliance) a social justice nonprofit in Portland, Oregon. In the pilot, she runs her first training session with a multigenerational group of community members and immediately experiences the chasm between ideals and reality. Gabby walks away deflated but gets back on track to planning her next big event after talking with a mentor. She works through a series of obstacles to save the event from last-minute debacles that threaten to derail the event. Ultimately, she realizes that to be successful means creating space to reflect and evaluate, allowing ourselves to make mistakes, and embracing our flaws.
Story Behind the Project:
In January 2016, I along with two other friends/colleagues that work in the nonprofit sector, had a late night discussion about our usual rants and gripes about working in our different organizations. From the typical “No one understands what I do!” to “White people don’t get it”, our conversations were unique in the sense that we were all women of color trying to navigate our careers in nonprofit work – a specific kind of work that is typically thankless and undeserving of recognition and higher salaries because we’re doing the “good work.”
I had been thinking for some time prior to that conversation about writing a novel that followed the life of someone that worked in nonprofits, but after that conversation and after agreeing about how funny it would be to see a TV show about nonprofits, that was when the idea of Nonprofit was born!
Gabby and I are alike but we’re also very, very different. Several of her nuances, mannerisms, and stories are derived from my own experiences as a woman of color living and working in Portland, Oregon, but they’re also comprised of stories from the many people of color that are working in the artist-activist and social justice spaces in Portland. It’s a narrative that is largely unseen in shows like Portlandia, which have dominated the perception of what life in Portland is like. Because shows like Portlandia have established a strong narrative about Portland in the national landscape, and because Portland is America’s whitest major metropolitan area, this city is the perfect backdrop to push back on racially homogenized narratives, while also offering a nuanced, insightful, hilarious, and occasionally heartbreaking glimpse into activism, social justice, and nonprofit life.
Finally, this project is important now more than ever because we need people of color writing, producing, directing, and performing in their own projects! And what better time than now?
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Director of Photography with camera assistant
Costs $2,000
Plans the lighting and coverage for the shoot. Does the actual shooting and provides gear. Also covers camera department gear.
Grip/Gaffer
Costs $1,000
Grip handles rigging and mechanical aspects of the shoot and Gaffer works with the electrical elements. Covers grip gear and lights.
Hair and makeup
Costs $600
Covers compensation for stylists and purchasing materials for makeup and wardrobe.
Extras
Costs $500
We want to make sure folks that participate in this project can get compensated for their time!
Insurance
Costs $1,200
We need insurance so we know we're covered in case anything happens on set!
Expendables
Costs $1,000
This includes petty cash, covers permits, and compensation for locations.
Production Assistants
Costs $300
Covers production assistants who serve as runners and gofers.
Share this update!
About This Team
Meet the rest of the team at Nonprofitwebseries.com!
Creator/Producer, Luann Algoso
Luann Algoso is a Portland, Oregon-based writer and creative activator. After completing her undergraduate degree in 2012, she went on to complete a Master of Arts degree in Conflict Resolution in 2015 also at Portland State University with the thesis titled, “Comedy as a Platform for Marginalized Voices: Asian American Women and the Disoriented Comedy Showcase". Her background in organizing and activism is grounded in using cultural work and communications as strategies for social change.
Director, Dawn Jones Redstone
Dawn Jones Redstone is an award-winning gay, Latina filmmaker best known as director and co-writer of the acclaimed dramatic short film, Sista in the Brotherhood. Dawn has worked in and around the non-profit world for 14 years as an employee, board member and a subcontractor and is ready to mine the wealth of comedy, this sector has to offer! Dawn is the recipient of the MRG Foundation’s 2016 Lilla Jewel Award and was named a Woman of Vision by the Oregon Daily Journal of Commerce. She recently received a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council along with Kjerstin Johnson to develop a pilot for a potential web series and is currently devloping her first feature film script about a Latina carpenter and her reluctant apprentice. She is committed to creating films that help balance the media representation of women and people of color both in front of and behind the camera.
Producer, Rachel Hills
Rachel Hills is a New York-based writer, speaker, and activist who is interested in the space where the personal meets the political. She is a college speaker on sex and gender issues, and the author of a book called The Sex Myth, which published in North America, Australia, New Zealand and the UK in August 2015. She is also the Executive Director of Break the Sex Myth, an activist organization that believes that raw, honest, critically-engaged dialogue about subjects that are typically perceived as too private to talk about can transform the way we see the world, measure our value, and treat other people.
Producer, Amy Nieto-Cruz
Amy Nieto-Cruz is a Puerto Rican artist and all-around jill-of-all-trades based in Portland, OR. She is the owner/designer of Little Bright Studio and co-founder of Broad Space, a women’s creative studio. With every project that comes her way, Amy makes sure to prioritize the voices and experiences of women of color. Now that she has re-entered the film/video industry as producer for Nonprofit Web Series, her goal lies in continuing to highlight the fascinating stories of people of color. After she retires, she would like to pet all the cats in the world.
Script Supervisor/Writer, Jessica Yen
Jessica Yen is a Chinese-American essayist and novelist whose work focuses on the intersection of identity, culture, family, and memory. Her personal essays have appeared inOregon Humanities and The Drum Literary Magazine, and she was a finalist for the 2016 Fourth Genre essay prize. She is an alumni of the Voices of our Nations Arts writers workshop, the only multi-genre writers workshop for writers of color, and of the Independent Publishing Resource Center's certificate program. She spent nearly a decade working in non-profits before transitioning to a career as a freelance writer/editor.
Music Production, Scott ‘Chops’ Jung
Scott “CHOPS” Jung is a music maker whose multi-instrument style helped his group Mountain Brothers become the first Asian American rap group signed to a major label. He’s since worked with many of rap’s biggest and most respected artists (Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Raekwon, Talib Kweli, E-40, Ice Cube, Snoop). His Strength in NUMBERS album featured over 30 talented Asian American rappers and singers. CHOPS’ music is heard in ads (Nike, Coca Cola, X Games), TV shows (Empire, Grey’s Anatomy, House of Lies, Breaking Bad, Law & Order: SVU, Parks and Recreation), and movies (Brown Sugar, House of Wax, Hurricane Season, Face, Ping Pong Playa). He credits the sports documentary 9-Man for reigniting his love of writing music to picture.
Graphic Design, Shannon Paine
Shannon Paine's work touches on communication design and community development. She uses her freelance design work to create graphic design solutions that help build community in for-profit companies and advocates for marginalized communites in non-profits for the Portland Metro area. As a productions artist she uses her html and css skill to help build out digital advertisements for websites and social media and her background in print production to help with large format printing on a variety of materials.