Maggie Daniels wouldn’t call her life a tragedy. She’s gaining recognition as a beauty vlogger.

She has a booming social life. She’s thriving in a big city. 

This is partly due to, not in spite of, being a proud Black trans woman. 

However, moments into meeting a colleague for drinks, Maggie realizes she’s being targeted by a nefarious crime syndicate.

Much to her chagrin, she has to learn to trust another person if she hopes to survive the night...

Beneath its thriller elements and action set pieces there is a message of solidarity within STAKE OUT. Our young protagonist isn't defined by her identity; however, finding her people enables Maggie to take the first steps toward becoming a fully realized superhero who just happens to be trans.

BUT...

The hero WE need is YOU!

STAKE OUT has definitely been a labor of LOVE! But love doesn't pay the bills, especially the extensive ones associated with quality filmmaking. 

In order to make this short film at a level that the communities represented deserve, we'll need funds to cover: 

In return, we are gonna hook you up!

We see you as part of the team in producing our film and want to make sure you feel valued as a part of this experience.

In exchange for your help, we're offering personalized hype shoutouts, mind blowing merch, your very own customized superhero profile, private screenings, a ticket to our wrap party, producer credits and much more!  

Check out all the cool incentives and watch here for updates. We’ll see you at the STAKE OUT!

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If donating is not in the cards for you right now, no worries! 

There are so many ways you can help.

*Like* us here on Seed & Spark, follow us on Instagram and share the campaign with your friends on social media.

A signal boost goes a long way!

The inspiration for STAKE OUT came from a story brainstorming session between myself (Elijah) and Charlie Peppers where we were looking to tell a story about superheroes and how they would react to our present day world. A rash of headlines of transphobic violence was taking over the news cycle and that brought up a question for us: how would a superhero make their stance known?

How would they respond? Would they make a statement? Fight back and protect trans people? While the answer to the last two questions is absolutely yes, we wanted to show that allyship is an action and thus began STAKE OUT with a trans character in crisis and the opportunity for our superheroes to seize the moment and do the right thing. 

And then the story began to evolve. And Maggie - originally named Marie - became a woman who was strong, funny, vulnerable and didn’t need saving. But she did need support. She did need community. She needed someone to say “I see you and you’re welcome here”. And the story answered our question by showing that what a superhero would do (and what we hope to do through this story) is hold space and create a world where a trans person is recognized for the powerful radiant being that they are.

Our hope is that in telling this story, we can empower people to do the same in our world.

As members of the LGBTQIA community, we all need to do more to protect Black trans people. They deserve to exist and experience joy in all forms. 

Making art that centers their livelihood is one of many steps we should take to stand alongside them as friends and neighbors.

We would love to expand this story into a feature length film exploring Maggie’s growth as she takes ownership of her powers and grows in community.

Charlie and Elijah are just two boys with big imaginations who believe that the best way to change the world is to tell a good story. Here’s a little bit about them.

Charlie Peppers is Black, LGBTQ+ writer who was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Charlie’s love for writing began at the early age of 8 when he would accompany his mother who was a PA to various sets. Rather than playing with toys or video games, Charlie lost himself in reading scripts. Charlie then began journaling which quickly evolved into writing short stories, plays, and graphic novels. In addition to writing, Charlie was a dedicated community organizer in East Hollywood. He co-wrote an Emmy-winning episode of Rian Johnson's TV series POKERFACE. He's repped by Gersh and managed by The Range.

"I pored over my dad’s X-Men comics as a kid. They were the first stories I took initiative to read outside of school. Cyclops and Wolverine’s rivalry fascinated me; Jubilee’s enthusiasm was infectious; Storm’s leadership was nothing short of aspirational. Although the action scenes were incredible, the chosen family aspect was my absolute favorite.

I’ve been saved and uplifted by my community.

Currently, my mission is telling stories that encapsulate the joy and complexities of that chosen family. This is needed now more than ever. A staggering 300+ anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in under three months. People like me are under attack just for existing. Maggie was created as a reaction to this oppression.

In spite of being strong and resourceful, Maggie struggles to find her community. Our proof of concept short film, STAKE OUT, is about her finding her people. Much like the X-Men. This is a story made by the community for the community. I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve worked on."

Elijah Olachea is an actor, storyteller, and creator based in Los Angeles. He was four years old when he knew that he was put on this earth to tell powerful stories and he's been doing that ever since. He's an award winning actor currently making a splash in the indie film world. He has films currently in festivals including Boyfriends, The Men's Room, Thirty-Nine in the Desert, and The Last Sonata. Past credits include the Sundance Short Film Jury Award winning Touch of the Master's Hand, Here Lies Lauren, and Tuesday. He is thrilled to make STAKE OUT his filmmaking debut especially since it's a collaboration with Charlie Peppers.

STAKE OUT  was born from the question, "how would superheroes respond to trans violence and anti-LGBTQ legislation?"

Together, they created a world where a telepathic/telekinetic beauty vlogger could find solidarity within a group of similarly gifted people.

In order to make this film, Charlie and Elijah needed a hero of their own to guide them through the world of short film production...

Enter Nat Majette.

It's a bird! It's a plane! Nope, it's a producer!

Nat Majette is a Trans producer based between NY and LA with a comprehensive background in branded content, commercials, and narrative films. Their work thematically centers around coming of age stories that shed light on viscerally intimate, palpable, under-represented narratives. They have worked on television shows, films, and content on HBO MAX, Netflix, Amazon, Allure, and Glamour. 

With our powers combined, STAKEOUT is growing from a dream to a reality and we are so thrilled to be sharing this story with the world.