How This Crazy Thing Happened 

February 10th, 2018 (New York City) - A conversation between two friends who both happen to be actors snowballs into the impractical suggestion, “Let’s make a movie!”

Fast-forward 3 weeks and 3,000 miles to a desert north of Los Angeles, where these two friends, Josh Mayes and Gabriella Piazza, are shooting the final scene of their short film, People Like You. 

That's kinda crazy. 

Following their initial conversation, Josh (who is also a writer and filmmaker) brought on his sister Megan, a talented producer with whom he had frequently collaborated. Likewise, Gabriella brought on Blake Rice to direct. 

Somehow in the span of 3 weeks our intrepid filmmakers managed to assemble a crew of twenty-some people on the other side of the country, secure locations in the desert and in Brentwood, and travel cross-country, all while Josh perfected the screenplay. 

Imagine laying tracks in front of a train as it barrels toward you. It felt something like that.

Everyone talks about making movies. Sometimes you’ve just gotta do it. Take the risk and jump in. These crazy filmmakers did just that! And we had a great time.

We took a big leap and invested our own money in production. Filmmaking is notoriously expensive, but this experience was worth it to us. Now the footage is sitting on two hard drives in NYC, waiting for us to raise the funds to begin post-production (just as notoriously expensive). We cannot do this without your help!

What's This Movie About?

A great short film is all about the setup. And we’ve got a killer one.

Ford, a brilliant, calculating man and the heir to his recently deceased mother’s estate, returns to his family’s Brentwood home. Inside, he finds the dead body of his twin brother and a beautiful, grief-stricken woman named Julia. In the quiet of night in an isolated compound, these two characters begin the dance of covering up the murder, each afraid to implicate themselves and uncertain of the other’s innocence.

Our movie is a lot of fun. A murder in an old Hollywood mansion; an ensuing battle of wills between two starkly different characters that carries them across stunning desert vistas to a riveting climax with unsettling implications.   

It also explores challenging themes. The disparity in power between men and women, and between those born with great wealth and those born without. These themes are rightly at the forefront of our cultural conversation, and what better way to delve into them than an exciting and dynamic film?

Why Should You Help Us?

We are so proud of the work we’ve done and what our team has accomplished. 

During production we were all struck by the quality of each other's work; how it seemed that everyone onboard was destined for great things. We assembled a truly talented, charismatic, passionate and hard working team. A diverse group of men and women who love what they do and care about how they do it.  

Unlike most projects, our film has already been shot! But editing, color correction, score, sound design, festival submissions (etc., etc....) are hugely expensive. We want to do it right, and honor the talents of the those who have poured themselves into this by delivering a high-quality finished product that will light up the screen. We truly cannot do this without your help!

This is an exciting step in our journey forward, and we would be honored to have you join in helping us shape our futures at this crucial time.

Much Love,

-People Like You