Emma, an undiagnosed medium and a transplant from Wisconsin, just wanted a long weekend with her longtime crush, bisexual rock climber Johnny. Right when the flames of love are about to ignite, she learns his family’s cabin is ground zero for Pioneer Day (or as Johnny and every ex-Mormon calls it: Pie & Beer Day). She gets a crash course in Mormon genealogy when pioneer ghosts appear seeking vengeance on a Joseph Smith descendant for lying to them about their Celestial afterlives. Lucky for them, and tragic for Emma, Johnny happens to be that descendant, and these ghosts are out for blood.

As the ghosts escalate from creepy (whisper singing hymns between the aspen trees) to full-on possession of Johnny's body, Emma teams up with two soon-to-be-ex-Mormon missionaries (who just realized their church lied about, well, everything), and the town's resident "witches" (progressive lesbians who actually do identify as witches). To save Johnny, they'll stage a fake temple marriage and botched Mormon exorcism - much to the delight of pioneer ghosts who watch the chaos like it's the newest season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. 

Could the key to their afterlife lie within the Joseph Smith descendant? Listen to find out!

Let me introduce myself: my name is Marta Reeder, and I'm a writer.

I was never a good enough Mormon. Always the outsider in my church because my family would go camping instead of attending conference weekend (the big-time Mormon meet up). When I finally left, I breathed for the first time. No more sin-induced anxiety! But learning the true horrors of what Mormons believe made me want to rip into that system the best way I know how: by making fun of it. As a 5th-gen ex-Mormon whose ancestors died for Joseph Smith's con, I wrote the story I needed. Pie & Beer Day is my exorcism.

I've been trying to "make things happen" since I graduated from college in 2015. And I have made things happen. Kind of.

✅ 2017 — Hired as a Staff Writer with an Emmy Award-winning production company.

❌ Then COVID hit. The film industry rocked. I was let go.

✅ 2023 — Won Screen 32's Feature Screenplay Fellowship with Michael Flatley 4EvR.

❌ Worst timing possible: the Writers' Strike. I couldn't take advantage of the fellowship the way I should have.

✅ After the strike — Michael Flatley was developed with Amasia Entertainment and optioned.

❌ The film industry is currently a shitshow (no one knows what it wants). The option expired without renewal.

✅ Almost — WB almost produced a Christmas script I wrote.

❌ They went with an action holiday film instead. (THE HORROR.)

So here's what I've learned:

I'm done waiting for my next "almost."

I'm taking things into my own hands (in the most cost-effective way possible) by turning my screenplays into audio dramas.

That's why I'm here. That's why I'm asking for your help.

Not because I haven't tried.

But because I'm done waiting for an industry that keeps almost saying yes.

This was originally going to be a labor of love, fully self-funded... and then I had to replace a tooth implant. If you don't know this, teeth are very expensive accessories (I'm calling them accessories because insurance seems to think they are, not that I have dental insurance). Moral of the story, kids: always get the root canal, not the implant.

So, I'm calling on my community to help make Pie & Beer Day happen.

Here's where your support goes:

📀 Studio & Engineer — $500

The most cost-effective way for me to produce this table read/podcast is to rent a studio with equipment and an audio engineer (because I have absolutely no idea how any of this works!). This also includes the snacks and drinks we provided for talent!

Scripts — $20

I don't know if y'all know this, but printing scripts is a pretty penny. Library printing gets the job done for about $20.

🎭 Talent - $600

I hate not paying my talent. They've all volunteered because they believe in this story—fellow ex-Mormons, actors, and friends who read the script and said, "YES!" But "volunteer" doesn't pay rent. This covers small honorariums for 7 actors and a photographer/videographer, so they leave with more than my undying gratitude and leftover Arrowhead water.

110% -> Access to all BTS recordings! That means EVERYTHING, even if we look ugly. We will obviously cut it so it's watchable, but you'll get the exclusive-exclusive. Whatever we got, you get.

125% -> Marta takes you on a 15-minute video tour of iconic SLC Mormon spots: Temple Square, Gilgal Sculpture Garden (where Joseph Smith Sphinx resides), Swig (I'll even let you pick my order), and maybe a DI.

150% -> A 12-minute audio drama Death By Chocolate Cake! A stop-motion Barbie project in the works. You'll get to hear the audio first!

So, what's the deal?

Pie & Beer Day is already recorded with all our amazing actors at Audio Inn Recording Studio. But here’s the honest truth: we were first-timers. We went over time, got hit with extra charges, and put it all on a credit card. This crowdfunding will pay off that card.

Where we are now:

Recording is done. Editing, mixing, and *special touches* are next.

How this campaign moves us forward:

Pay off studio time

Pay our actors & photographer/videographer (who volunteered their time)

Fund future episodes (we have more scripts ready to go)

When & how you’ll get the project:

Pie & Beer Day drops July 24, 2026. IYKYK. Okay, fine, we’ll tell you, it’s Actual Pie & Beer Day. The audio drama is split into 3 parts, but they’ll all be available at once. Binge away, you heathens.

Use of AI!

None of Pie & Beer Day's audio drama, Generative AI for video content, nor the pitch video! But because we live in an AI world now (crying), some visuals may contain AI-generated materials. We also used a template that may have been created by AI (not exactly sure how that works), and I used Grammarly to check for grammar mistakes (the generative AI feature was not used).