The Case Within
Los Angeles, California | Radio & Podcasts
Crime, Mystery
When a new lead prompts a fresh look at a cold case, Special Agent Nicole Baumer is tasked with finding out what really happened to sixteen year old Erin Michaels. But as parallels surface between her past and Erin’s, Nicole must finally confront her own trauma in order to save her.
The Case Within
Los Angeles, California | Radio & Podcasts
Crime, Mystery
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $8,165 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
78 supporters | followers
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When a new lead prompts a fresh look at a cold case, Special Agent Nicole Baumer is tasked with finding out what really happened to sixteen year old Erin Michaels. But as parallels surface between her past and Erin’s, Nicole must finally confront her own trauma in order to save her.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
What happened to Erin Michaels? Almost a decade ago, she was reported missing, and the case went cold. Now, her mother Nina receives a letter from Erin, telling her that she is okay. But Nina doesn’t believe that’s true..
She reaches out to Special Agent Nicole Baumer at the FBI, and implores her to re-open the case.
Dismissive at first, Nicole grows more and more invested in what really happened, as parallels surface between her own past and Erin’s. While avoiding emotional connections with a case are part of her training, finding Erin will require Nicole facing her own traumas head on. The psychological toll may be too much for her.
Based on real life accounts of abduction, The Case Within is a fictionalized journey told with the factual authenticity of true crime.
Agent Nicole was first seen in the 2013 season 2 finale of the hit webseries Clutch. In the episode, Nicole has been kidnapped by a human trafficking ring and is awaiting sale. Little does Nicole know, the other woman in her cell is an FBI agent - and there's two mysterious men who are about to help her escape. Click the image below to watch the full episode:
Nicole's story continued in Clutch: There Will Be Vengance, a 3 episode podcast mini-series. Since her inital kidnapping, Nicole has become a FBI agent and is working to find the man who orginally took her.
"Nicole was not only an integral character to the Clutch series, but she encapsulated all of the themes I was exploring in making it. She is everything that I think a “strong female character” should be, in that she is flawed, vulnerable, and sharp, but also determined and fiercely independent. It is no wonder that Jillian Clare won acting awards both for her initial portrayal and for her return to the character a decade later, as she embodies this role so deeply, that I simply would not consider returning to this project without her as co-creator.
Bringing her back to life in this audio drama will allow us to explore her thoughts in ways that can’t be done on screen, while delivering an exciting, at times nail-biting, true crime style mystery." - Jonathan Robbins (Narrator, Co-Creator)
"Nicole has always been a special character for me to portray. When Jonathan initially came to me with the role 11 years ago, I was so moved by her story, as I know that so many young people end up in the same scary situations she did. As an actor, it's rare to find a character so developed, and so real on the page. Nicole was alive before we even went to film. She is the embodiment of strength and survival, and is easily one of the most inspiring characters I've ever had the pleasure to play.
Continuing her story now that she has entered the FBI to help those who end up in similar situations gives me such joy. It's lovely to return to a character and see how they have used their struggle to build something new. That's not to say Nicole isn't still extremely flawed, she is. This story is not only about crime - but about surviving trauma - something I think we don't explore enough in the aftermath of crime. I'm honored to be able to bring this to light with Jonathan and the team." - Jillian Clare (Nicole, Co-Creator)
Who doesn't love true crime? Jillian, Jonathan, and Matthew have always been pulled towards criminal investigations. The Case Within brings about a new way of telling crime based dramas. We created a fictionalized story and characters, and based them on multiple accounts of true stories. We even collaborated with FBI agents to ensure accuracy!
Additionally, the team has always been focused on not only what happens during the crime, but surviving the trauma and what comes next. How does a victim move on? So much of our entertainment in this genre revolves only around the action of the crime and abandons the characters who have experienced the trauma. With Nicole, we really wanted to explore how someone moves through life after an abduction.
All eight episodes have been written and are ready to record! So what's next? We need your help to rent the studio, pay our actors, and make this show the best it can be! Our plan is to record this live in studio, with all actors present. By recording this way, the actors are able to interact with each other and bring these incredible characters to life in the most realistic way! The entire show will only take two days to record and then we're off to the editing bay! Here we will be focused on adding in all the extra knocks, footsteps, whishes, and whooshes to make sure the sound pops. The show will also feature an original score that will help evoke all the emotions we want you as the audience to experience during the show.
We estimate that the show will need two months in post-production and are planning on a late September release! Once the show is completed, it will be released on all podcast platforms. Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon, Google...if you can listen to a podcast on it, it will be there! For those who contribute $10 and up, you'll receive the first two episodes straight to your inbox!
Stretch Goals! What happens if we surpass our goal? Well that's easy! We start writing season two. The first season, as you'll see, ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and we already have plans for season two. Any extra funds will go to the writing team to prep the next season!
If you've gotten this far, you're a true one. Help us bring this genre-bending podcast to life by pledging, following, and sharing the page!
To stay up to date, and see more casting announcements, follow our journey on Instagram!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Recording Studio
Costs $2,400
Podcasts are nothing without quality sound which is why we need a studio!
Paying Our Actors
Costs $3,000
Actors bring the story to life and keep you engaged, we need to pay them!
Dun Dun...Music!
Costs $750
Can you imagine composing a 200 minute project? (I guess the guy from Avatar can)
Editor
Costs $750
Someone has to spend all those hours making it all fluid and perfect!
Sound Design & Foley
Costs $500
Those extra knocks and footsteps are extra important in podcasts!
Catering & Crafty
Costs $500
Of course we want to feed our talent and creators when production is up and running!
Directing and Writing Team
Costs $1,000
We wouldn't have a show without them!
Distribution and Promotion
Costs $250
This is how we get the show to YOU and others who will love it!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Jillian Clare - Co-Creator / “Nicole”
For over two decades, Jillian Clare has worked both in front of and behind the camera and has graced the big and small screens in numerous projects. Popular credits include: ‘Abby Deveraux’ on NBC’s "Days of our Lives", ‘Haley Ferguson’ on Nickelodeon’s "Victorious", "The Kitchen", "By God’s Grace", and IFC’s "Alien Abduction" by famed producers Lawrence Bender and Mike Fleiss. Clare starred in the season two finale of the award-winning female fatale series, "Clutch", which earned her the title of Best Supporting Actress in a Drama at the 2014 Indie Series Awards.
She produced and starred in "Pretty Broken" which made its world premiere at the famed The Newport Beach Film Festival in 2019. It is currently available worldwide. Most recently, Clare stepped behind the camera for her directorial debut on the feature film "To The Beat!" (2018) and for the sequel, "To The Beat! Back 2 School" (2020), making her one of the only female directors to helm both films in a franchise. Jillian created the podcast Thanks For Coming In, which debuted across multiple platforms including Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and Stitcher, featuring actors talking candidly about "the one that got away”. The show is now exclusivley distributed by Realm. Jillian also stars in the podcast “Posy Flynn Sings” from GoKidGo as Fifi, the evil cousin. Jillian Clare on IMDb.
Jonathan Robbins - Co-Creator / Writer / “Narrator”
Creating the groundbreaking web series "Clutch", Jonathan has stood at the forefront of digital evolution. During its successful run from 2009 to 2013, "Clutch" received commendations from the Streamy Awards, the Webbys, and the Indie Series Awards. The series has garnered over 1 million views on YouTube since its inception. "Clutch" returned in 2021 for a final season as an audio drama and continues to play on Spotify.
Jonathan’s versatile career includes starring in the globally acclaimed YouTube hit "Out With Dad", co-producing, co-writing and editing the espionage drama "Asset", and editing "Glitch" for CryptTV which has become one of the most watched films on the platform. Jonathan Robbins on IMDb.
Matthew Carvery - Writer
Matthew's experiences as a mixed race actor and writer have given him a distinctive voice. Pivoting from his role as an actor on the web series “Clutch”, he wrote episodes for its award winning second season. Matthew then co-created, and was head writer for, the web Series “Asset”, which gained funding from the highly competitive IPF program and went on to shoot in Toronto and Prague as well as winning Best Thriller at Vancouver Web Fest. Matthew returned to the world of "Clutch", penning one of the three episodes of its audio only, third season. Matthew Carvery on IMDb.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
What happened to Erin Michaels? Almost a decade ago, she was reported missing, and the case went cold. Now, her mother Nina receives a letter from Erin, telling her that she is okay. But Nina doesn’t believe that’s true..
She reaches out to Special Agent Nicole Baumer at the FBI, and implores her to re-open the case.
Dismissive at first, Nicole grows more and more invested in what really happened, as parallels surface between her own past and Erin’s. While avoiding emotional connections with a case are part of her training, finding Erin will require Nicole facing her own traumas head on. The psychological toll may be too much for her.
Based on real life accounts of abduction, The Case Within is a fictionalized journey told with the factual authenticity of true crime.
Agent Nicole was first seen in the 2013 season 2 finale of the hit webseries Clutch. In the episode, Nicole has been kidnapped by a human trafficking ring and is awaiting sale. Little does Nicole know, the other woman in her cell is an FBI agent - and there's two mysterious men who are about to help her escape. Click the image below to watch the full episode:
Nicole's story continued in Clutch: There Will Be Vengance, a 3 episode podcast mini-series. Since her inital kidnapping, Nicole has become a FBI agent and is working to find the man who orginally took her.
"Nicole was not only an integral character to the Clutch series, but she encapsulated all of the themes I was exploring in making it. She is everything that I think a “strong female character” should be, in that she is flawed, vulnerable, and sharp, but also determined and fiercely independent. It is no wonder that Jillian Clare won acting awards both for her initial portrayal and for her return to the character a decade later, as she embodies this role so deeply, that I simply would not consider returning to this project without her as co-creator.
Bringing her back to life in this audio drama will allow us to explore her thoughts in ways that can’t be done on screen, while delivering an exciting, at times nail-biting, true crime style mystery." - Jonathan Robbins (Narrator, Co-Creator)
"Nicole has always been a special character for me to portray. When Jonathan initially came to me with the role 11 years ago, I was so moved by her story, as I know that so many young people end up in the same scary situations she did. As an actor, it's rare to find a character so developed, and so real on the page. Nicole was alive before we even went to film. She is the embodiment of strength and survival, and is easily one of the most inspiring characters I've ever had the pleasure to play.
Continuing her story now that she has entered the FBI to help those who end up in similar situations gives me such joy. It's lovely to return to a character and see how they have used their struggle to build something new. That's not to say Nicole isn't still extremely flawed, she is. This story is not only about crime - but about surviving trauma - something I think we don't explore enough in the aftermath of crime. I'm honored to be able to bring this to light with Jonathan and the team." - Jillian Clare (Nicole, Co-Creator)
Who doesn't love true crime? Jillian, Jonathan, and Matthew have always been pulled towards criminal investigations. The Case Within brings about a new way of telling crime based dramas. We created a fictionalized story and characters, and based them on multiple accounts of true stories. We even collaborated with FBI agents to ensure accuracy!
Additionally, the team has always been focused on not only what happens during the crime, but surviving the trauma and what comes next. How does a victim move on? So much of our entertainment in this genre revolves only around the action of the crime and abandons the characters who have experienced the trauma. With Nicole, we really wanted to explore how someone moves through life after an abduction.
All eight episodes have been written and are ready to record! So what's next? We need your help to rent the studio, pay our actors, and make this show the best it can be! Our plan is to record this live in studio, with all actors present. By recording this way, the actors are able to interact with each other and bring these incredible characters to life in the most realistic way! The entire show will only take two days to record and then we're off to the editing bay! Here we will be focused on adding in all the extra knocks, footsteps, whishes, and whooshes to make sure the sound pops. The show will also feature an original score that will help evoke all the emotions we want you as the audience to experience during the show.
We estimate that the show will need two months in post-production and are planning on a late September release! Once the show is completed, it will be released on all podcast platforms. Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon, Google...if you can listen to a podcast on it, it will be there! For those who contribute $10 and up, you'll receive the first two episodes straight to your inbox!
Stretch Goals! What happens if we surpass our goal? Well that's easy! We start writing season two. The first season, as you'll see, ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and we already have plans for season two. Any extra funds will go to the writing team to prep the next season!
If you've gotten this far, you're a true one. Help us bring this genre-bending podcast to life by pledging, following, and sharing the page!
To stay up to date, and see more casting announcements, follow our journey on Instagram!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Recording Studio
Costs $2,400
Podcasts are nothing without quality sound which is why we need a studio!
Paying Our Actors
Costs $3,000
Actors bring the story to life and keep you engaged, we need to pay them!
Dun Dun...Music!
Costs $750
Can you imagine composing a 200 minute project? (I guess the guy from Avatar can)
Editor
Costs $750
Someone has to spend all those hours making it all fluid and perfect!
Sound Design & Foley
Costs $500
Those extra knocks and footsteps are extra important in podcasts!
Catering & Crafty
Costs $500
Of course we want to feed our talent and creators when production is up and running!
Directing and Writing Team
Costs $1,000
We wouldn't have a show without them!
Distribution and Promotion
Costs $250
This is how we get the show to YOU and others who will love it!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Jillian Clare - Co-Creator / “Nicole”
For over two decades, Jillian Clare has worked both in front of and behind the camera and has graced the big and small screens in numerous projects. Popular credits include: ‘Abby Deveraux’ on NBC’s "Days of our Lives", ‘Haley Ferguson’ on Nickelodeon’s "Victorious", "The Kitchen", "By God’s Grace", and IFC’s "Alien Abduction" by famed producers Lawrence Bender and Mike Fleiss. Clare starred in the season two finale of the award-winning female fatale series, "Clutch", which earned her the title of Best Supporting Actress in a Drama at the 2014 Indie Series Awards.
She produced and starred in "Pretty Broken" which made its world premiere at the famed The Newport Beach Film Festival in 2019. It is currently available worldwide. Most recently, Clare stepped behind the camera for her directorial debut on the feature film "To The Beat!" (2018) and for the sequel, "To The Beat! Back 2 School" (2020), making her one of the only female directors to helm both films in a franchise. Jillian created the podcast Thanks For Coming In, which debuted across multiple platforms including Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and Stitcher, featuring actors talking candidly about "the one that got away”. The show is now exclusivley distributed by Realm. Jillian also stars in the podcast “Posy Flynn Sings” from GoKidGo as Fifi, the evil cousin. Jillian Clare on IMDb.
Jonathan Robbins - Co-Creator / Writer / “Narrator”
Creating the groundbreaking web series "Clutch", Jonathan has stood at the forefront of digital evolution. During its successful run from 2009 to 2013, "Clutch" received commendations from the Streamy Awards, the Webbys, and the Indie Series Awards. The series has garnered over 1 million views on YouTube since its inception. "Clutch" returned in 2021 for a final season as an audio drama and continues to play on Spotify.
Jonathan’s versatile career includes starring in the globally acclaimed YouTube hit "Out With Dad", co-producing, co-writing and editing the espionage drama "Asset", and editing "Glitch" for CryptTV which has become one of the most watched films on the platform. Jonathan Robbins on IMDb.
Matthew Carvery - Writer
Matthew's experiences as a mixed race actor and writer have given him a distinctive voice. Pivoting from his role as an actor on the web series “Clutch”, he wrote episodes for its award winning second season. Matthew then co-created, and was head writer for, the web Series “Asset”, which gained funding from the highly competitive IPF program and went on to shoot in Toronto and Prague as well as winning Best Thriller at Vancouver Web Fest. Matthew returned to the world of "Clutch", penning one of the three episodes of its audio only, third season. Matthew Carvery on IMDb.