Ruthie Joins a Death Cult
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Comedy
"Ruthie Joins a Death Cult" is a dark comedy about a lonely young woman who tries to make friends by joining a death cult. The film explores the human need and desire for community, and the importance of being a friend to yourself.
Ruthie Joins a Death Cult
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Comedy
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $32,075 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
286 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
"Ruthie Joins a Death Cult" is a dark comedy about a lonely young woman who tries to make friends by joining a death cult. The film explores the human need and desire for community, and the importance of being a friend to yourself.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
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Our story is about Ruthie.
Ruthie Ramos is sweet, earnest, and a little pathetic.
She lives alone, hates her customer service job, and is desperate for a friend.
Ruthie’s life is forever changed when she meets two women who introduce her to The Ascension…and she learns just how far she’s willing to go for friendship.
.jpg)
A movie is only as good as its villain.
A cult is only as intriguing as its leader.
And The Ascension is no exception...
Our cult leader isn't a generic villain. He can be warm but frightening, surreal but very human. Maroon isn't a con artist; he's a man who believes he's doing something good...no matter how he does it.
On her journey, Ruthie will also meet a variety of unique, interesting cult members that soon become her new family. But she'll also encounter an unexpected character from her past...
As Denise delves further into Ruthie's life, we discover how The Ascension treats non-believers.
But enough about the plot, let's talk about the movie's vibe...
There are plenty of cult stories, but what sets ours apart is the tone, style, and care we have for our characters. We're making a comedy that humanizes people lonely enough to join our fictional cult. And we're doing it with humor and heart.
Now that you know a bit about the story and visual style, you may be asking yourself...
.jpg)
This story comes from a very real place––it’s hard to make friends as an adult. The loneliness that grips you in your 30s when you're unsatisfied with your life and you feel like you have no community can be absolutely soul-crushing. At times, we’ve felt that joining a cult honestly sounds pretty great. There are so many different types of "cults" out there but each one has a common thread: community.
We want to explore that specific dynamic: the desperate need for human connection and the lengths a person will go to feel like they aren’t alone. While our movie deals with dark themes, it’s through the lens of heartfelt comedy.
But we can't tell this story without you.
Your pledges will go directly to the production of our film - assembling an entire crew, making sure we are COVID safe, making sure everyone is fed, paying our cast - the list is never-ending when it comes to making a feature. Every penny raised will be used to ensure a smooth, safe, and incredibly fun production! And we will be eternally grateful to you.
There are also other ways to help...
Like any good cult, we have to get the word out!
And the only way we can reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks. If you like our story, YOU can make the difference in our success!
Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, carrier pigeon, high concept body art, any way you like! We can't do this without you!
Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste!
Help filmmakers @kylefreakinkenyon and @ninaconcepcion by supporting their wild comedy film RUTHIE JOINS A DEATH CULT about a lonely young woman who tries to make friends by joining a death cult. Support them on @seedandspark: tiny.cc/ruthie
I just found out about RUTHIE JOINS A DEATH CULT directed by @kylefreakinkenyon and starring @ninaconcepcion and WOW, you've got to support this movie! Join them on @seedandspark: tiny.cc/ruthie
I'm so excited to see the new comedy RUTHIE JOINS A DEATH CULT, by @kylefreakinkenyon and @ninaconcepcion - Support them on @seedandspark: tiny.cc/ruthie
Follow our campaign and stay up-to-date on the latest "Ruthie Joins a Death Cult" news! It's 100% free and it really helps us! Seed&Spark rewards us for building our audience. The more followers we get, the more we unlock products, services, and festival fee waivers courtesy of Seed&Spark!
Can't make a monetary pledge but have services or items you can donate or loan? Check out our list below! We can offer credit and/or advertising. Feel free to email us at [email protected].
Here are a few things we are looking for:
- Bowling alley shooting location in/around Los Angeles
- Diner shooting location in/around Los Angeles
- Grocery/convenience store shooting location in/around Los Angeles
- Craft services (snacks, coffee, bottled water)
- Catering
- Extras
- Production assistants
- PPE
Thank you so much for whatever you can do! You are what makes this possible!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Department
Costs $15,000
We want our movie to look great and that's not possible without gear and a talented camera crew!
Covid Testing
Costs $5,000
Gotta stay safe! Even low budget films have to follow Covid safety laws.
Crew
Costs $5,000
It's gonna take a big crew to wrangle all these cult members and we want to be sure they're paid!
Share this update!
About This Team
Hey! I’m a Los Angeles-based writer, director, and editor originally from Osage Beach, Missouri (yep, the one from "Ozark").
13 years ago, I moved to LA with nothing but an old car and some friends. For the first month, I lived in a house with total strangers and shared a bedroom with 3 other people. It wasn't great!
But it was all worth it to be here chasing my childhood dreams and that's what this entire project represents for me.
I've been lucky enough to build a career helping other people's movies come to life while making my own smaller projects that I'm really proud of. Recently, I completed Schmotts, a two-hour web series that I wrote, directed, and co-created. It has gone on to win numerous awards at film festivals around the world.
I’m also a contributing editor for Everything Is Terrible and my work has been featured on sites like Vulture, Christian Nightmares, Fake News Network, and Reddit’s front page.
But none of those projects quite satisfied my ultimate goal of making a feature film. And that's what this movie is really about: wanting something so badly and needing others to help you experience it. Our team is going to pour everything we have into this movie and I'm really excited to share it with you.
I have wanted to be an actor my entire life. I used to write in my diary as a child that my dream was to obtain a SAG card. Shockingly, I was NOT in the popular crowd at school! But I haven’t stopped following this delusional dream of mine and I’m incredibly grateful that I get to be a working actor.
I love telling stories about lonely, slightly pathetic, definitely sad, extremely earnest women. I have been this woman. I still am this woman. I love this woman. Our movie is about this woman. And more than anything, I love telling stories with heart. Even though our film deals with super heavy themes, it's always through the lens of hope, and I think that's really important. Earnest stories forever!
I’m also passionate about seeing women like me on screen. Women who aren’t smoothed to perfection, women who don't look like they belong on a CW show (nothing wrong with that of course but more average-looking people in lead roles, please! More body diversity!). I want to see that woman as the lead in a movie.
I moved to New York City when I was a 20 year old fetus. I'd graduated a year early from a program in audio-radio production (that I was enrolled in via a clerical error), and was attaining the final six credits needed on my degree via an internship at the antique television program Total Request Live in a small quiet place known as "Times Square." That began a quick but efficient pivot into the world of television and film, and I've never looked back, except to judge my decisions that landed me on the crew of Teen Mom 2. I emancipated myself from the adolescent motherhood franchise for a role at CollegeHumor a decade ago, and since then it's been a long ride of producing comedy for the internet (Conde Nast, Reddit, Conaco), as well as the small screen (Louie, Baskets, Younger), and live comedy shows galore.
I now run my own production company that services clients in NY and LA, and I have launched a mission-based creative studio that develops shows and films from marginalized creators, and flips the demographics reported by WGA/DGA/PGA/...all GAs of relevance as reflected on the call sheets and the credits. I've been told since I was in Catholic grade school that I may be a great cult leader one day, but have settled for the SCORP life instead.
I'm a cinematographer based in LA, originally from Monterrey, Mexico. I not only strive to create captivating imagery, but to serve the story and create an emotional connection between the viewer and the piece. I love to enhance the director’s vision as much as to work with my crew.
I've worked under Sony Music, Columbia Records and Pneuma + as a director and cinematographer. I currently work with Sephora as a gaffer, and just finished shooting my first feature-length independent film.
A Southerner living in California, I'm a creative producer, co-founder, and production designer who, as a child, commandeered the family camcorder to shoot the world’s best “Take On Me” fan music video to date. In 2017, I turned my years of experience in visual design toward filmmaking by directing and shooting a video installation capturing women and femmes in various California landscapes titled FORMS OF RESISTANCE. I have since collaborated on several films, music videos, and commercials, working with a multitude of independent artists, Concrete Media, Epidemic Sound, and Crypt TV as production designer and producer. In 2020, along with partner and filmmaker, Darryl Jones, I co-founded High Dive, a Long Beach-based production studio supporting companies, artists, and filmmakers with creative producing and video content.
Following in my grandfather’s footsteps, I'm a lifelong filmmaker and movie lover. I started theater acting as a child in North Carolina, and as soon as my parents could afford a Sony Handycam on my 13th birthday, I became a filmmaker. As a writer/director I've made three short films: Surprise Me, All of This!!! and the forthcoming The Cave. I've produced hours of entertaining and educational content, racking up millions (yes, millions) of views across multiple platforms and film festivals. I love supporting other filmmakers. In collaboration with my creative partner, Hillary Jones, I co-founded the boutique production studio High Dive in 2020, which produces short films, music videos, commercials, web content, and now, our first feature film!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Our story is about Ruthie.
Ruthie Ramos is sweet, earnest, and a little pathetic.
She lives alone, hates her customer service job, and is desperate for a friend.
Ruthie’s life is forever changed when she meets two women who introduce her to The Ascension…and she learns just how far she’s willing to go for friendship.
A movie is only as good as its villain.
A cult is only as intriguing as its leader.
And The Ascension is no exception...
Our cult leader isn't a generic villain. He can be warm but frightening, surreal but very human. Maroon isn't a con artist; he's a man who believes he's doing something good...no matter how he does it.
On her journey, Ruthie will also meet a variety of unique, interesting cult members that soon become her new family. But she'll also encounter an unexpected character from her past...
As Denise delves further into Ruthie's life, we discover how The Ascension treats non-believers.
But enough about the plot, let's talk about the movie's vibe...
There are plenty of cult stories, but what sets ours apart is the tone, style, and care we have for our characters. We're making a comedy that humanizes people lonely enough to join our fictional cult. And we're doing it with humor and heart.
Now that you know a bit about the story and visual style, you may be asking yourself...
This story comes from a very real place––it’s hard to make friends as an adult. The loneliness that grips you in your 30s when you're unsatisfied with your life and you feel like you have no community can be absolutely soul-crushing. At times, we’ve felt that joining a cult honestly sounds pretty great. There are so many different types of "cults" out there but each one has a common thread: community.
We want to explore that specific dynamic: the desperate need for human connection and the lengths a person will go to feel like they aren’t alone. While our movie deals with dark themes, it’s through the lens of heartfelt comedy.
But we can't tell this story without you.
Your pledges will go directly to the production of our film - assembling an entire crew, making sure we are COVID safe, making sure everyone is fed, paying our cast - the list is never-ending when it comes to making a feature. Every penny raised will be used to ensure a smooth, safe, and incredibly fun production! And we will be eternally grateful to you.
There are also other ways to help...
Like any good cult, we have to get the word out!
And the only way we can reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks. If you like our story, YOU can make the difference in our success!
Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, carrier pigeon, high concept body art, any way you like! We can't do this without you!
Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste!
Help filmmakers @kylefreakinkenyon and @ninaconcepcion by supporting their wild comedy film RUTHIE JOINS A DEATH CULT about a lonely young woman who tries to make friends by joining a death cult. Support them on @seedandspark: tiny.cc/ruthie
I just found out about RUTHIE JOINS A DEATH CULT directed by @kylefreakinkenyon and starring @ninaconcepcion and WOW, you've got to support this movie! Join them on @seedandspark: tiny.cc/ruthie
I'm so excited to see the new comedy RUTHIE JOINS A DEATH CULT, by @kylefreakinkenyon and @ninaconcepcion - Support them on @seedandspark: tiny.cc/ruthie
Follow our campaign and stay up-to-date on the latest "Ruthie Joins a Death Cult" news! It's 100% free and it really helps us! Seed&Spark rewards us for building our audience. The more followers we get, the more we unlock products, services, and festival fee waivers courtesy of Seed&Spark!
Can't make a monetary pledge but have services or items you can donate or loan? Check out our list below! We can offer credit and/or advertising. Feel free to email us at [email protected].
Here are a few things we are looking for:
- Bowling alley shooting location in/around Los Angeles
- Diner shooting location in/around Los Angeles
- Grocery/convenience store shooting location in/around Los Angeles
- Craft services (snacks, coffee, bottled water)
- Catering
- Extras
- Production assistants
- PPE
Thank you so much for whatever you can do! You are what makes this possible!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Department
Costs $15,000
We want our movie to look great and that's not possible without gear and a talented camera crew!
Covid Testing
Costs $5,000
Gotta stay safe! Even low budget films have to follow Covid safety laws.
Crew
Costs $5,000
It's gonna take a big crew to wrangle all these cult members and we want to be sure they're paid!
Share this update!
About This Team
Hey! I’m a Los Angeles-based writer, director, and editor originally from Osage Beach, Missouri (yep, the one from "Ozark").
13 years ago, I moved to LA with nothing but an old car and some friends. For the first month, I lived in a house with total strangers and shared a bedroom with 3 other people. It wasn't great!
But it was all worth it to be here chasing my childhood dreams and that's what this entire project represents for me.
I've been lucky enough to build a career helping other people's movies come to life while making my own smaller projects that I'm really proud of. Recently, I completed Schmotts, a two-hour web series that I wrote, directed, and co-created. It has gone on to win numerous awards at film festivals around the world.
I’m also a contributing editor for Everything Is Terrible and my work has been featured on sites like Vulture, Christian Nightmares, Fake News Network, and Reddit’s front page.
But none of those projects quite satisfied my ultimate goal of making a feature film. And that's what this movie is really about: wanting something so badly and needing others to help you experience it. Our team is going to pour everything we have into this movie and I'm really excited to share it with you.
I have wanted to be an actor my entire life. I used to write in my diary as a child that my dream was to obtain a SAG card. Shockingly, I was NOT in the popular crowd at school! But I haven’t stopped following this delusional dream of mine and I’m incredibly grateful that I get to be a working actor.
I love telling stories about lonely, slightly pathetic, definitely sad, extremely earnest women. I have been this woman. I still am this woman. I love this woman. Our movie is about this woman. And more than anything, I love telling stories with heart. Even though our film deals with super heavy themes, it's always through the lens of hope, and I think that's really important. Earnest stories forever!
I’m also passionate about seeing women like me on screen. Women who aren’t smoothed to perfection, women who don't look like they belong on a CW show (nothing wrong with that of course but more average-looking people in lead roles, please! More body diversity!). I want to see that woman as the lead in a movie.
I moved to New York City when I was a 20 year old fetus. I'd graduated a year early from a program in audio-radio production (that I was enrolled in via a clerical error), and was attaining the final six credits needed on my degree via an internship at the antique television program Total Request Live in a small quiet place known as "Times Square." That began a quick but efficient pivot into the world of television and film, and I've never looked back, except to judge my decisions that landed me on the crew of Teen Mom 2. I emancipated myself from the adolescent motherhood franchise for a role at CollegeHumor a decade ago, and since then it's been a long ride of producing comedy for the internet (Conde Nast, Reddit, Conaco), as well as the small screen (Louie, Baskets, Younger), and live comedy shows galore.
I now run my own production company that services clients in NY and LA, and I have launched a mission-based creative studio that develops shows and films from marginalized creators, and flips the demographics reported by WGA/DGA/PGA/...all GAs of relevance as reflected on the call sheets and the credits. I've been told since I was in Catholic grade school that I may be a great cult leader one day, but have settled for the SCORP life instead.
I'm a cinematographer based in LA, originally from Monterrey, Mexico. I not only strive to create captivating imagery, but to serve the story and create an emotional connection between the viewer and the piece. I love to enhance the director’s vision as much as to work with my crew.
I've worked under Sony Music, Columbia Records and Pneuma + as a director and cinematographer. I currently work with Sephora as a gaffer, and just finished shooting my first feature-length independent film.
A Southerner living in California, I'm a creative producer, co-founder, and production designer who, as a child, commandeered the family camcorder to shoot the world’s best “Take On Me” fan music video to date. In 2017, I turned my years of experience in visual design toward filmmaking by directing and shooting a video installation capturing women and femmes in various California landscapes titled FORMS OF RESISTANCE. I have since collaborated on several films, music videos, and commercials, working with a multitude of independent artists, Concrete Media, Epidemic Sound, and Crypt TV as production designer and producer. In 2020, along with partner and filmmaker, Darryl Jones, I co-founded High Dive, a Long Beach-based production studio supporting companies, artists, and filmmakers with creative producing and video content.
Following in my grandfather’s footsteps, I'm a lifelong filmmaker and movie lover. I started theater acting as a child in North Carolina, and as soon as my parents could afford a Sony Handycam on my 13th birthday, I became a filmmaker. As a writer/director I've made three short films: Surprise Me, All of This!!! and the forthcoming The Cave. I've produced hours of entertaining and educational content, racking up millions (yes, millions) of views across multiple platforms and film festivals. I love supporting other filmmakers. In collaboration with my creative partner, Hillary Jones, I co-founded the boutique production studio High Dive in 2020, which produces short films, music videos, commercials, web content, and now, our first feature film!