The Jobber
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Satire
This project is being made by first-generation minorities from underrepresented communities who want to break down the barriers of the film industry today.
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This campaign raised $6,060 for pre-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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This project is being made by first-generation minorities from underrepresented communities who want to break down the barriers of the film industry today.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The Jobber follows Raúl, a young luchador, who dreams of following in his late lucha-libre father’s footsteps as a wrestling champion. He wrestles under the Global Wrestling Federation as Vato Loco, a racist Latino gangbanger persona, and serves the role of a jobber, a wrestler who purposely loses to make his opponent seem strong. Raúl's sister/manager Lindsey strongly disapproves of her brother's gimmick and pushes for Raúl to don their father's lucha-libre persona. When Raùl is finally given a chance at the championship belt under the condition that he wrestles as Vato Loco, he must choose between the belt or staying true to his lucha-libre roots.
The Characters
Raúl Fernández - A down-on-his-luck luchador who has been stuck being a jobber for the Global Wrestling Federation. Being the son of the legendary Red Fantasma, he's willing to do anything to get his hands on a championship belt.
Lindsey Fernández - Raúl's older sister and manager who is a more technical wrestler than any man in the GWF locker room. A no-BS kinda gal who's tired of seeing Raúl play a loser and bring shame not only to their family -- but to their community.
Mr. Chairman - The loud and proud Texan owner of the GWF who cares about one thing and one thing only -- profits. He is in charge of all booking and creative decisions at the GWF, especially the racially insensitive storylines.
Brett Barkley - Raúl's main opponent and current GWF Champion. He is a cocky son-of-a-gun that bleeds red, white and blue and whose words on the mic hit harder than his wrestling moves.
Like many Latino kids of a certain generation, I loved professional wrestling for the exciting bouts and cartoonish personas. It has a vaudeville-esque style that allows the viewer to clearly tell who is good and who is evil.
Yet as an adult, I would often question why, in an overly-produced environment like WWE, were the Latino Wrestlers often relegated as villainous comic relief but never serious champion contenders. I quickly became aware of how some of my favorite pieces of media would box Latino characters into these racist stereotypes that never reflected the Latine Community I belong to.
Simultaneously, I fell in love with Lucha-Libre, Mexican wrestling that centered around masked heroes who uphold values like honor, dignity, and justice. This dichotomy in Pro-Wrestling representation really let me reflect on the many Latino wrestlers who had to put on a racist gimmick because of what WWE higher-ups wanted to promote. I wrote this sports comedy to not only satirize the sport I love but to really examine the consequences of normalizing these racist depictions of Latinos.
Inspired by the wave of anti-political correction and trends in the early 2000s, The Jobber will depict a heightened transgressive comedy that was prevalent in most comedies of that era.
The best way to combat bigotry is to make fun of it and although the world we are portraying may feel heightened in the present, it was very real in the past.
The Jobber is not just a comedy about family, prejudice, and Lucha Libre, it also explores identity, social norms, and Latinidad.
For the last five years, Latinos have been reported as the most underrepresented group in film and TV. According to a 2023 study from USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, just 5.5% of speaking characters on the big screen are Hispanic or Latino.
Being a Latino filmmaker, I want to make art that showcases and represents my people in a dignified light. Too often mainstream media only portrays Latine people as dangerously troubled hoodlums instead of the vibrant, hard-working people I know and love.
With such an overwhelming lack of Latine life in American media, I think now is the perfect time to make a comedy that celebrates being Latino while addressing uncomfortable issues about prejudice.
We want to tell authentic stories about the challenges and obstacles of being a person of color in sports. Some of our unique film challenges include:
- Portraying Wrestling in a safe way through stunts and safety plans
- Finding the perfect actors who speak Spanish
- Finding children actors who can speak Spanish
- Ongoing COVID-19-related issues
- Portraying the Wrestling & Latine community authentically
The Jobber is a USC thesis film is an independently funded project that will be filmed in Los Angeles. This is significant due to the story's authenticity and our community. Our budget breakdown consists of getting a wrestling ring, period-appropriate costuming and production design, taking care of our cast and crew, and ensure all of our stunts are done safely.
It takes a village to make a film so please help us make this film a reality!
Making this film is a smackdown in our community. Our goal is to distribute our film to festivals both locally and internationally. We aim to inspire the Latine community by showcasing this film in Spanish and English.
We are incredibly grateful for any contribution, and if you can’t contribute now, we would love for you to share our story. Gracias!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Costumes
Costs $1,500
We strive to have authentic wrestling, Lucha Libre, and Y2k costumes to portray the era of the film.
Crafty & Meals
Costs $1,000
Feeding our cast and crew is very important to keep us going in a long days of filming
Ring Rental
Costs $1,000
NO RING NO MOVIE
Production Design
Costs $1,500
To build the world of "The Jobber" we must create the chairman's office and wrestling ring surroundings to bring the world alive.
Equipment
Costs $1,000
We would like to get the best equipment to make a film.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Franco Vidal - Director / Writer
Martha Rodriguez - Producer
Martha Rodriguez is a first-generation Latina filmmaker, born and raised in San Diego by parents from Guanajuato, Mexico. Her life experiences and culture inspire Rodriguez to empower her Latine community through her films. Martha’s roots and values are a crucial part of her bilingual narrative, which depicts identity and social injustice within low-income, marginalized communities. Martha is proud her family embraces their Mexican language and culture; she hopes to allow underrepresented communities to see themselves on screen. She is determined to bring representation, inclusivity, and diversity to her filmmaking in front of and behind the camera. She wants to tear down barriers and challenge stereotypical labels affixed to the Latine community. As the only Latina of 60 students in her Spring 2022 MFA Production Cohort, Martha consistently advocates for more representation in higher education and film programs for underrepresented communities. Martha is going into her 5th semester at USC in the MFA Program. She continues mentoring first-generation Latine film students to further her desire to impact a new generation of courageous and kind filmmakers unafraid to tell their stories.
Karo Esqueda - Producer
Her commitment to equity and amplifying diverse voices was further developed in her time as the Annenberg Fellow in Diversity working with the SCA Council in Diversity and Inclusion at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Lastly, she is a proud member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia and the Undocumented Filmmakers Collective.
Bita Arefnia - Producer
Bita is a multifaceted artist who loves creating art of all forms. Her goal is to tell more stories that represent people from the Middle East in a positive light in front and behind the camera.
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The Jobber follows Raúl, a young luchador, who dreams of following in his late lucha-libre father’s footsteps as a wrestling champion. He wrestles under the Global Wrestling Federation as Vato Loco, a racist Latino gangbanger persona, and serves the role of a jobber, a wrestler who purposely loses to make his opponent seem strong. Raúl's sister/manager Lindsey strongly disapproves of her brother's gimmick and pushes for Raúl to don their father's lucha-libre persona. When Raùl is finally given a chance at the championship belt under the condition that he wrestles as Vato Loco, he must choose between the belt or staying true to his lucha-libre roots.
The Characters
Raúl Fernández - A down-on-his-luck luchador who has been stuck being a jobber for the Global Wrestling Federation. Being the son of the legendary Red Fantasma, he's willing to do anything to get his hands on a championship belt.
Lindsey Fernández - Raúl's older sister and manager who is a more technical wrestler than any man in the GWF locker room. A no-BS kinda gal who's tired of seeing Raúl play a loser and bring shame not only to their family -- but to their community.
Mr. Chairman - The loud and proud Texan owner of the GWF who cares about one thing and one thing only -- profits. He is in charge of all booking and creative decisions at the GWF, especially the racially insensitive storylines.
Brett Barkley - Raúl's main opponent and current GWF Champion. He is a cocky son-of-a-gun that bleeds red, white and blue and whose words on the mic hit harder than his wrestling moves.
Like many Latino kids of a certain generation, I loved professional wrestling for the exciting bouts and cartoonish personas. It has a vaudeville-esque style that allows the viewer to clearly tell who is good and who is evil.
Yet as an adult, I would often question why, in an overly-produced environment like WWE, were the Latino Wrestlers often relegated as villainous comic relief but never serious champion contenders. I quickly became aware of how some of my favorite pieces of media would box Latino characters into these racist stereotypes that never reflected the Latine Community I belong to.
Simultaneously, I fell in love with Lucha-Libre, Mexican wrestling that centered around masked heroes who uphold values like honor, dignity, and justice. This dichotomy in Pro-Wrestling representation really let me reflect on the many Latino wrestlers who had to put on a racist gimmick because of what WWE higher-ups wanted to promote. I wrote this sports comedy to not only satirize the sport I love but to really examine the consequences of normalizing these racist depictions of Latinos.
Inspired by the wave of anti-political correction and trends in the early 2000s, The Jobber will depict a heightened transgressive comedy that was prevalent in most comedies of that era.
The best way to combat bigotry is to make fun of it and although the world we are portraying may feel heightened in the present, it was very real in the past.
The Jobber is not just a comedy about family, prejudice, and Lucha Libre, it also explores identity, social norms, and Latinidad.
For the last five years, Latinos have been reported as the most underrepresented group in film and TV. According to a 2023 study from USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, just 5.5% of speaking characters on the big screen are Hispanic or Latino.
Being a Latino filmmaker, I want to make art that showcases and represents my people in a dignified light. Too often mainstream media only portrays Latine people as dangerously troubled hoodlums instead of the vibrant, hard-working people I know and love.
With such an overwhelming lack of Latine life in American media, I think now is the perfect time to make a comedy that celebrates being Latino while addressing uncomfortable issues about prejudice.
We want to tell authentic stories about the challenges and obstacles of being a person of color in sports. Some of our unique film challenges include:
- Portraying Wrestling in a safe way through stunts and safety plans
- Finding the perfect actors who speak Spanish
- Finding children actors who can speak Spanish
- Ongoing COVID-19-related issues
- Portraying the Wrestling & Latine community authentically
The Jobber is a USC thesis film is an independently funded project that will be filmed in Los Angeles. This is significant due to the story's authenticity and our community. Our budget breakdown consists of getting a wrestling ring, period-appropriate costuming and production design, taking care of our cast and crew, and ensure all of our stunts are done safely.
It takes a village to make a film so please help us make this film a reality!
Making this film is a smackdown in our community. Our goal is to distribute our film to festivals both locally and internationally. We aim to inspire the Latine community by showcasing this film in Spanish and English.
We are incredibly grateful for any contribution, and if you can’t contribute now, we would love for you to share our story. Gracias!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Costumes
Costs $1,500
We strive to have authentic wrestling, Lucha Libre, and Y2k costumes to portray the era of the film.
Crafty & Meals
Costs $1,000
Feeding our cast and crew is very important to keep us going in a long days of filming
Ring Rental
Costs $1,000
NO RING NO MOVIE
Production Design
Costs $1,500
To build the world of "The Jobber" we must create the chairman's office and wrestling ring surroundings to bring the world alive.
Equipment
Costs $1,000
We would like to get the best equipment to make a film.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Franco Vidal - Director / Writer
Martha Rodriguez - Producer
Martha Rodriguez is a first-generation Latina filmmaker, born and raised in San Diego by parents from Guanajuato, Mexico. Her life experiences and culture inspire Rodriguez to empower her Latine community through her films. Martha’s roots and values are a crucial part of her bilingual narrative, which depicts identity and social injustice within low-income, marginalized communities. Martha is proud her family embraces their Mexican language and culture; she hopes to allow underrepresented communities to see themselves on screen. She is determined to bring representation, inclusivity, and diversity to her filmmaking in front of and behind the camera. She wants to tear down barriers and challenge stereotypical labels affixed to the Latine community. As the only Latina of 60 students in her Spring 2022 MFA Production Cohort, Martha consistently advocates for more representation in higher education and film programs for underrepresented communities. Martha is going into her 5th semester at USC in the MFA Program. She continues mentoring first-generation Latine film students to further her desire to impact a new generation of courageous and kind filmmakers unafraid to tell their stories.
Karo Esqueda - Producer
Her commitment to equity and amplifying diverse voices was further developed in her time as the Annenberg Fellow in Diversity working with the SCA Council in Diversity and Inclusion at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Lastly, she is a proud member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia and the Undocumented Filmmakers Collective.
Bita Arefnia - Producer
Bita is a multifaceted artist who loves creating art of all forms. Her goal is to tell more stories that represent people from the Middle East in a positive light in front and behind the camera.