THE SOUND IT MAKES
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama
THE SOUND IT MAKES is a psychological drama examining trauma and grief within the FDNY. The story centers on Johnny Flynn, a young firefighter spiraling into PTSD. We invite you to match your contribution to our film by donating to the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance.
THE SOUND IT MAKES
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama
99 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$35,617
Goal: $29,872 for pre-production
THE SOUND IT MAKES is a psychological drama examining trauma and grief within the FDNY. The story centers on Johnny Flynn, a young firefighter spiraling into PTSD. We invite you to match your contribution to our film by donating to the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
After a catastrophic injury to a member of his Engine Company, The Soul Patrol, Lieutenant Boog finds himself at the center of an investigation regarding the mental health of his probationary firefighter. What is revealed are wounds deeper than the flesh, and far more dangerous when left to fester.
I grew up as the son of a New York City firefighter. I know the worried look on my mother's face late at night, the shift schedules that shape a family, the particular silence that follows loss too difficult to verbalize. This story comes from that world I grew up in. The firehouses, the brotherhood, the unspoken code that you don't talk about what weighs on you. I wrote Inhalation because I saw what that silence costs—in the men my father worked with, in the stories that only came out years later, in the funerals that never should have happened. I hope this film asks these same questions. What is our responsibility to heal the unseen wounds their sacrifice inflicts? What is the price our community pays when we don't save the ones who continually save us?
On September 11, 2001, a large noise shook my downtown Manhattan apartment. As many of us fled the area, I thought of my dad and the other firefighters I had grown up with—the men who were rushing in the opposite direction, toward the chaos. I thought of them running up stairs with a single purpose: to save. On January 7, 2025, a plume of smoke blew into my house in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. I looked at my front door and saw flames pouring down the mountain. We were ordered to evacuate—this time with my wife and three children. As we navigated the destroyed streets, there was a certainty I recognized: a line of cars and trucks with sirens, racing toward what I had just escaped.
I think a lot about the privilege granted to me by these saviors. Who runs toward them? Who races to their needs when the toil of their work puts them in the position where they need to be saved?
The emotional and psychological toll on firefighters is both profound and historically underserved. Rates of PTSD, depression, substance abuse, and suicide among firefighters continue to exceed national averages, yet stigma and cultural barriers prevent many from seeking help. This film seeks to illuminate those unseen wounds—not through statistics, but through story, human connection, and empathy.
We ask that you match your tax-deductible contribution to The Sound it Makes with a donation to our 501(c)(3) partner, the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance. FBHA provides workshops, suicide-prevention training, clinician education, and crisis support for firefighters and their families. Founded to address the growing crisis of firefighter suicides, FBHA creates "a qualified, confidential support system" designed by someone who understands the emotional demands of the work.
Donate to FBHA: https://www.ffbha.org/make-a-donation/
Our short film, The Sound it Makes, is a proof-of-concept for our feature film, Inhalation, an adaptation of John Lavelle's award-winning play. This is a story about the men and women who run toward danger—and what happens when no one runs toward them.
Help us bring this story to life.
Through our Fiscal Sponsor, Sima Studios, all contributions to The Sound it Makes' Seed&Spark campaign are tax-deductible donations.
Why This Story Matters Now
The Sound it Makes examines two crises that remain devastatingly relevant: institutional abandonment and untreated trauma.
The 1970s saw widespread firehouse closures across American cities—budget cuts that forced remaining crews to absorb impossible workloads while response times increased and communities burned. This pattern is repeating today.
From California's understaffed wildfire response to post-recession budget slashing, we continue asking fewer firefighters to do more with less, then wonder why systems fail and people die.
But this story reveals a deeper wound: the occupational trauma we refuse to acknowledge. The same toxic masculinity, institutional denial, and stigma around mental health that destroyed firefighters in 1978 remain largely unchanged in 2025. PTSD is still seen as weakness.
Asking for help still ends careers. The "suck it up" culture that led previous generations is killing this one. The Sound it Makes holds up a mirror: we're making the same choices, expecting different outcomes. We defund the agencies that protect us, then demand heroism. We traumatize our first responders, then criminalize their breaking. We ask who will save us, but never ask who saves them. Forty years later, the answer is still: no one. Until we decide otherwise.
This Proof of Concept is Essential
John Lavelle has proven himself as a playwright and actor—earning a Drama Desk Award for The Royale at Lincoln Center, appearing in Ava DuVernay's Selma, and developing work that has moved from IAMA Theatre Company to Off-Broadway stages. His screenplay adaptation of The Very Best People is currently filming with Tim Roth, Paul Walter Hauser, and Lili Reinhart, demonstrating industry confidence in his writing.
But the film industry demands proof of directorial vision.
The Sound It Makes serves as that proof—a contained, emotionally potent short that demonstrates how John can translate his theatrical storytelling prowess into cinematic language. This isn't just about proving he can write for the screen (he's already doing that); it's about proving he can direct the complex, visceral firefighting sequences and intimate character work that Inhalation the feature requires.
The Strategic Advantage: Decades of Relationships
What makes this proof of concept financially viable—and artistically exceptional—is the caliber of talent working at passion rates:
- Wendell Pierce (Lead): The Wire, Treme, Jack Ryan
- Chris Meloni (Cast): Law & Order: SVU
- Christine Woods (Cast): Hello Ladies, The Walking Dead
- Marsha Stephanie Blake (Executive Producer): Orange is the New Black, When They See Us
- Adrian Peng Correia (DP): Emmy-nominated cinematographer whose credits include Nobody Wants This, Quiz Lady, and The Flight Attendant
- Jamie Sparer Roberts (Casting Director/Co-Producer): Former Head of Casting at Disney Animation (Frozen, Moana, Encanto)
- Jonathan Sadoff (Composer): The Peanut Butter Falcon, Ingrid Goes West, Chimp Crazy
- Feed You Films (Production Company): Established producers partnering with first-time feature directors
- AND many more to come! This is just the beginning of the beginning.
These aren't favors—they're creative partnerships built over years of collaborative theater and independent film work, particularly through IAMA Theatre Company and decades of professional success at the highest levels of the industry. John's reputation as a writer and collaborator has earned him access to an A-level team that believes in both the material and his vision.
Maximizing Every Dollar
With a free Los Angeles location and a crew working significantly below their standard rates, the $30,000 budget delivers production value typically requiring $100,000+. This isn't corner-cutting—it's strategic resource allocation that proves the material and the artistry are paramount.
The Proof of Concept Model Works
Damien Chazelle's Whiplash short led to Sony Pictures Classics acquiring the feature. Neill Blomkamp's Alive in Joburg attracted Peter Jackson and became District 9 ($210M worldwide). These weren't just writing samples—they were directorial calling cards that showed financiers exactly what they were buying.
The Sound It Makes serves the same function: a high-quality, emotionally resonant short that demonstrates John can helm the $3-5M feature Inhalation deserves. It's a 15-minute audition reel for a directing career, featuring professional craftsmanship, vision, and capacity to execute.
The Right Project, The Right Moment
John's not transitioning blindly—he's leveraging decades of dramatic training, on-set experience (83+ film/TV credits as an actor), and producer relationships to make a calculated, supported leap. The Sound It Makes isn't a risk; it's proving he's ready, backed by professionals who've already bet their reputations on his success.
This is how playwright-directors are made—through earned trust, compelling material, and a team willing to prove what's possible.
THE OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT
Not able to give right now? Here are other ways to help:
- SHARE this campaign with friends, first-responder supporters, and film lovers
- FOLLOW us on social media and spread the word
- INTRODUCE us to potential collaborators or donors
If we go over our campaign target, those donations will fund:
- An event to screen the short and raise funds for our partner, Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA).
- Festival submission fees and travel to festivals to increase exposure and support FBHA globally.
- Development and preproduction for our feature, Inhalation. These funds might cover our location scout and working with our Line Producer on the budget. If we raise enough, Seed & Spark funds could contribute to the production of the feature.
INTRODUCTION VIDEO CREDITS
Music:
"Can You Get to That" Funkadelic / Maggot Brain - Bridgeport Music
Films:
"Man Alive: The Bronx is Burning 1972" - BBC Television
"Ladder 49" - Touchstone Pictures
"Saturday Night Fever" - Paramount Pictures
"The Big Leboski" - Working Title Pictures
"Back Draft" - Universal Pictures
"Da 5 Bloods" - 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks / Netflix
"The Departed" - Plan B Entertainment / Warner Bros.
Photos by:
Roger B. Conant
Glen Usdan
H. Armstrong Roberts
Horst Fass
Dan Goodrich/Newday RM via Getty Images
Matt Moyer/Corbis
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Makeup
Costs $1,000
Besides the smoke and toil, we need to look our 1970s best. A mustache or a lovely shade of eye shadow can make all the difference.
Set Design
Costs $1,100
Get that moment just right. Maximize the world in a practical desing.
Production Staff
Costs $1,600
The heavy lifting. The often thankless roles that are so important to the machine of a film.
Electrics
Costs $2,200
Haze, Fog, Lighting. All the things we need to maximize production value.
Props
Costs $900
The period specific props will help tell the story without a word spoken. We have an amazing production designer at the ready.
On-Set Storytelling
Costs $2,500
Pays performers + key crew so we can capture the story with pro quality. You can sponsor one key player for 500 dollars.
The Sound
Costs $1,550
It is in the title. The creation of atmosphere and liminal space. Haunting sounds that are so vital to our storytelling.
The Edit
Costs $2,500
The cost of taking this film and cutting it to perfection. Support the genius who sees the moment to moment transitions.
Hardrives
Costs $300
You will be the one who preserves the work we do! It's the data. This could be your gift. The gift of storage!
Safety Net + Fiscal Sponsorship (Contingency + Sima Fee)
Costs $4,022
Covers surprises and Sima’s 501(c)(3) fee so donations stay tax-deductible.
The way to a crews heart is their stomach...and safety!
Costs $2,800
Keeps our small crew safe, fed, insured, and mobile across two fast shoot days.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Director/Producer: John Lavelle
John spent much of his acting career appearing on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Regionally, and at The Royal Shakespeare Company. He is the author of several plays including Inhalation (Two Time O’Neill Finalist, Max Lerner Award, APW Special Consideration), Gertrude (Max Lerner Award, O’Neill Semi-Finalist ), Sinner’s Laundry (IAMA Theatre Company), Woulda Coulda Shoulda (IAMA Reunion), Celestial Events (IAMA Mainstage), Forever Brentwood (23 Hour Playfest), Love in the time of Robots (One Day Plays), Before the Storm After the Fall (Sam French OOB Finalist) and his work has appeared in the ABC Discovers Talent Showcase. John received a Drama Desk Award for his performance in The Royale at The Lincoln Center Theatre.
He has appeared on TV and Film in numerous roles, most notably portraying Roy Reed in Ava DuVernay’s Academy Award-nominated film Selma. He is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and IAMA Company member, where he served as a director and actor. John’s adaptation of his play The Very Best People is currently filming in New York, starring Tim Roth, Paul Walter Hauser, and Lili Reinhardt. John is represented by Black Bear.
Feed You Films
In 2023, Christine Woods and Zack Rice partnered to form Feed You Films. Their debut project, Kanya Iwana’s Home, premiered at the LA Shorts International Film Festival in 2024.
Feed You Films’ mission is to partner with exceptionally talented yet overlooked filmmakers—artists with experience and vision but no prior opportunity to direct a feature film with real production value. Feed You Films is designed to break barriers, foster creativity, and champion films that are as financially viable as they are artistically resonant.
Producer/Actor - Karla: Christine Woods
Christine Woods has over 20 years of experience in film, television, and theater. She is known for her roles in critically acclaimed projects such as HBO’s HELLO LADIES and Netflix’s GRACE AND FRANKIE, as well as festival favorites like Macon Blair’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning I DON’T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE. Christine’s career has been defined by working on over 83 titles in film and television and thousands of hours on set.
Christine has consistently taken risks and given herself to first-time directors for shorts/indies that have gone on to successful runs on the film festival circuit. She supports new talent through her work with IAMA Theater Company in Los Angeles, where she helps develop world premieres that often transition to Off-Broadway and Broadway productions. Christine is represented by Entertainment 360 and The Gersh Agency.
Producer: Zack Rice
Zack Rice began his career in television development, rising to Vice President of Georgeville Television, where he developed and sold series to major networks like NBC and SyFy. He Co-Produced Chris Carter’s THE AFTER pilot, Amazon Prime’s first hour-long drama. Zack has sold pilots and series to NBC, Hulu, and USA, including MANHUNT for NBC and two Hulu series produced by ITV and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners. He has been represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Anonymous Content, and Grandview.
Executive Producer: Marsha Stephanie Blake
After receiving her MFA from the prestigious Graduate Acting Program at the University of California, San Diego, Marsha Stephanie went on to have an esteemed career on Broadway, before moving into the film and TV industry. In her TV work she is known for Orange Is the New Black (2015), How To Get Away With Murder (2019), The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (2021), Fight Night (2024), The Madness (2024) and When They See Us (2019), for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Critics Choice Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. MSB also shared an AAFCA Award for Best Ensemble in When They See Us (2019) as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for Orange Is the New Black (2013). In addition to her TV work, she has starred in such renowned films as Luce (2019), The Laundromat (2019), I’m Your Woman (2020) and Brother (2022).
CAST
WENDELL PIERCE – BOOG
Acclaimed actor, producer, and activist best known for his iconic roles in The Wire, Treme, and Jack Ryan. Beyond his work on screen, Pierce is deeply committed to social impact, particularly in community development and disaster recovery in his hometown of New Orleans.
CHRIS MELONI – DOC
Christopher Meloni is a celebrated actor best known for his long-running role as Detective Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime, as well as standout performances in Oz, Wet Hot American Summer, and Happy!. Beyond his acting, he is admired for his advocacy and outspoken support for social justice and equality.
Director of Photography: Adrian Peng Correia
Adrian Peng Correia is a cinematographer with over eighty narrative credits to his name, including over thirty feature films. His films have played in festivals all over the world. The critically acclaimed documentary “Color Me Obsessed: A Film About The Replacements” is just one of several documentaries Adrian has had the privilege of shooting in his career. The breadth of material Adrian has photographed that has helped him to evolve an notably eclectic style of cinematography.
The features “Night Owls” for director Charles Hood and “Ava’s Possessions” from writer/director Jordan Galland premiered at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival to excellent reviews. The feature Quiz Lady starring Awkwafina and Sandra Oh won Best Film at the 2024 Emmys. His recent television credits include the emmy-nominated shoes Nobody Wants This, Ramy, The Flight Attendant, GLOW, and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. In addition Love Life, Florida Man and Kevin Can F@ck Himself are amongst his credits. In 2025 look for The Miniature Wife starring Matthew MacFayden and Elizabeth Banks and Mindy Kaling’s show Not Suitable for Work.
Casting Director/Co-Producer:
Jamie Sparer Roberts
Jamie Sparer Roberts served as Head of Casting at Walt Disney Animation Studios for over 15 years. During her tenure, she worked on some of the most popular and highest-grossing animated films of all time, including Frozen (1&2), Moana, Encanto, Wreck-It Ralph, Tangled and Zootopia.
Named one of Elle magazine’s “Most Powerful Women in Hollywood,” Roberts oversaw all aspects of casting for the studio’s animated theatrical releases, streaming series and shorts, working closely with Disney’s stable of directors, writers and producers as well as CCO and animation pioneer John Lasseter. Roberts has received multiple honors for her work, including four Artios Awards which are presented annually by the Casting Society of America.
Roberts received wide acclaim for her casting of Idina Menzel as the voice of “Elsa” in Frozen, which went on to earn over a billion dollars and become the highest-grossing animated film in history, at the time. Frozen won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Additionally, Roberts cast box-office juggernaut, Zootopia as well as Big Hero 6 and Encanto, winner of the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Prior to joining Disney Animation Studios, Roberts was an executive in feature casting for Disney’s live-action studio and Fox Filmed Entertainment. She has also worked as a freelance casting director working on TV and live-action studio features as well as independent film. As a casting associate, Roberts is credited on films such as Enchanted, Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, Insomnia, and Hardball.
A Los Angeles native, Roberts is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts & Sciences and has over twy-five years’ experience in casting film and television both animated and live-action.
Composer: Jonathan Sadoff
Named by The Hollywood Reporter as one of “15 Composers Primed to Take Their Place on the A-List,” Sadoff has scored numerous notable features, including The Peanut Butter Falcon, Ingrid Goes West, The Meddler, and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. He also co-wrote original songs for Paramount’s animated musical feature Under the Boardwalk, and his television credits include HBO’s docuseries Chimp Crazy, The Mick, Dollface, and Last Summer. Beyond film scoring, Sadoff has produced and collaborated with artists such as Rufus Wainwright and Ed Sheeran, and was a member of the musical collective Thenewno2 alongside Dhani Harrison and Paul Hicks.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
After a catastrophic injury to a member of his Engine Company, The Soul Patrol, Lieutenant Boog finds himself at the center of an investigation regarding the mental health of his probationary firefighter. What is revealed are wounds deeper than the flesh, and far more dangerous when left to fester.
I grew up as the son of a New York City firefighter. I know the worried look on my mother's face late at night, the shift schedules that shape a family, the particular silence that follows loss too difficult to verbalize. This story comes from that world I grew up in. The firehouses, the brotherhood, the unspoken code that you don't talk about what weighs on you. I wrote Inhalation because I saw what that silence costs—in the men my father worked with, in the stories that only came out years later, in the funerals that never should have happened. I hope this film asks these same questions. What is our responsibility to heal the unseen wounds their sacrifice inflicts? What is the price our community pays when we don't save the ones who continually save us?
On September 11, 2001, a large noise shook my downtown Manhattan apartment. As many of us fled the area, I thought of my dad and the other firefighters I had grown up with—the men who were rushing in the opposite direction, toward the chaos. I thought of them running up stairs with a single purpose: to save. On January 7, 2025, a plume of smoke blew into my house in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. I looked at my front door and saw flames pouring down the mountain. We were ordered to evacuate—this time with my wife and three children. As we navigated the destroyed streets, there was a certainty I recognized: a line of cars and trucks with sirens, racing toward what I had just escaped.
I think a lot about the privilege granted to me by these saviors. Who runs toward them? Who races to their needs when the toil of their work puts them in the position where they need to be saved?
The emotional and psychological toll on firefighters is both profound and historically underserved. Rates of PTSD, depression, substance abuse, and suicide among firefighters continue to exceed national averages, yet stigma and cultural barriers prevent many from seeking help. This film seeks to illuminate those unseen wounds—not through statistics, but through story, human connection, and empathy.
We ask that you match your tax-deductible contribution to The Sound it Makes with a donation to our 501(c)(3) partner, the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance. FBHA provides workshops, suicide-prevention training, clinician education, and crisis support for firefighters and their families. Founded to address the growing crisis of firefighter suicides, FBHA creates "a qualified, confidential support system" designed by someone who understands the emotional demands of the work.
Donate to FBHA: https://www.ffbha.org/make-a-donation/
Our short film, The Sound it Makes, is a proof-of-concept for our feature film, Inhalation, an adaptation of John Lavelle's award-winning play. This is a story about the men and women who run toward danger—and what happens when no one runs toward them.
Help us bring this story to life.
Through our Fiscal Sponsor, Sima Studios, all contributions to The Sound it Makes' Seed&Spark campaign are tax-deductible donations.
Why This Story Matters Now
The Sound it Makes examines two crises that remain devastatingly relevant: institutional abandonment and untreated trauma.
The 1970s saw widespread firehouse closures across American cities—budget cuts that forced remaining crews to absorb impossible workloads while response times increased and communities burned. This pattern is repeating today.
From California's understaffed wildfire response to post-recession budget slashing, we continue asking fewer firefighters to do more with less, then wonder why systems fail and people die.
But this story reveals a deeper wound: the occupational trauma we refuse to acknowledge. The same toxic masculinity, institutional denial, and stigma around mental health that destroyed firefighters in 1978 remain largely unchanged in 2025. PTSD is still seen as weakness.
Asking for help still ends careers. The "suck it up" culture that led previous generations is killing this one. The Sound it Makes holds up a mirror: we're making the same choices, expecting different outcomes. We defund the agencies that protect us, then demand heroism. We traumatize our first responders, then criminalize their breaking. We ask who will save us, but never ask who saves them. Forty years later, the answer is still: no one. Until we decide otherwise.
This Proof of Concept is Essential
John Lavelle has proven himself as a playwright and actor—earning a Drama Desk Award for The Royale at Lincoln Center, appearing in Ava DuVernay's Selma, and developing work that has moved from IAMA Theatre Company to Off-Broadway stages. His screenplay adaptation of The Very Best People is currently filming with Tim Roth, Paul Walter Hauser, and Lili Reinhart, demonstrating industry confidence in his writing.
But the film industry demands proof of directorial vision.
The Sound It Makes serves as that proof—a contained, emotionally potent short that demonstrates how John can translate his theatrical storytelling prowess into cinematic language. This isn't just about proving he can write for the screen (he's already doing that); it's about proving he can direct the complex, visceral firefighting sequences and intimate character work that Inhalation the feature requires.
The Strategic Advantage: Decades of Relationships
What makes this proof of concept financially viable—and artistically exceptional—is the caliber of talent working at passion rates:
- Wendell Pierce (Lead): The Wire, Treme, Jack Ryan
- Chris Meloni (Cast): Law & Order: SVU
- Christine Woods (Cast): Hello Ladies, The Walking Dead
- Marsha Stephanie Blake (Executive Producer): Orange is the New Black, When They See Us
- Adrian Peng Correia (DP): Emmy-nominated cinematographer whose credits include Nobody Wants This, Quiz Lady, and The Flight Attendant
- Jamie Sparer Roberts (Casting Director/Co-Producer): Former Head of Casting at Disney Animation (Frozen, Moana, Encanto)
- Jonathan Sadoff (Composer): The Peanut Butter Falcon, Ingrid Goes West, Chimp Crazy
- Feed You Films (Production Company): Established producers partnering with first-time feature directors
- AND many more to come! This is just the beginning of the beginning.
These aren't favors—they're creative partnerships built over years of collaborative theater and independent film work, particularly through IAMA Theatre Company and decades of professional success at the highest levels of the industry. John's reputation as a writer and collaborator has earned him access to an A-level team that believes in both the material and his vision.
Maximizing Every Dollar
With a free Los Angeles location and a crew working significantly below their standard rates, the $30,000 budget delivers production value typically requiring $100,000+. This isn't corner-cutting—it's strategic resource allocation that proves the material and the artistry are paramount.
The Proof of Concept Model Works
Damien Chazelle's Whiplash short led to Sony Pictures Classics acquiring the feature. Neill Blomkamp's Alive in Joburg attracted Peter Jackson and became District 9 ($210M worldwide). These weren't just writing samples—they were directorial calling cards that showed financiers exactly what they were buying.
The Sound It Makes serves the same function: a high-quality, emotionally resonant short that demonstrates John can helm the $3-5M feature Inhalation deserves. It's a 15-minute audition reel for a directing career, featuring professional craftsmanship, vision, and capacity to execute.
The Right Project, The Right Moment
John's not transitioning blindly—he's leveraging decades of dramatic training, on-set experience (83+ film/TV credits as an actor), and producer relationships to make a calculated, supported leap. The Sound It Makes isn't a risk; it's proving he's ready, backed by professionals who've already bet their reputations on his success.
This is how playwright-directors are made—through earned trust, compelling material, and a team willing to prove what's possible.
THE OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT
Not able to give right now? Here are other ways to help:
- SHARE this campaign with friends, first-responder supporters, and film lovers
- FOLLOW us on social media and spread the word
- INTRODUCE us to potential collaborators or donors
If we go over our campaign target, those donations will fund:
- An event to screen the short and raise funds for our partner, Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA).
- Festival submission fees and travel to festivals to increase exposure and support FBHA globally.
- Development and preproduction for our feature, Inhalation. These funds might cover our location scout and working with our Line Producer on the budget. If we raise enough, Seed & Spark funds could contribute to the production of the feature.
INTRODUCTION VIDEO CREDITS
Music:
"Can You Get to That" Funkadelic / Maggot Brain - Bridgeport Music
Films:
"Man Alive: The Bronx is Burning 1972" - BBC Television
"Ladder 49" - Touchstone Pictures
"Saturday Night Fever" - Paramount Pictures
"The Big Leboski" - Working Title Pictures
"Back Draft" - Universal Pictures
"Da 5 Bloods" - 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks / Netflix
"The Departed" - Plan B Entertainment / Warner Bros.
Photos by:
Roger B. Conant
Glen Usdan
H. Armstrong Roberts
Horst Fass
Dan Goodrich/Newday RM via Getty Images
Matt Moyer/Corbis
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Makeup
Costs $1,000
Besides the smoke and toil, we need to look our 1970s best. A mustache or a lovely shade of eye shadow can make all the difference.
Set Design
Costs $1,100
Get that moment just right. Maximize the world in a practical desing.
Production Staff
Costs $1,600
The heavy lifting. The often thankless roles that are so important to the machine of a film.
Electrics
Costs $2,200
Haze, Fog, Lighting. All the things we need to maximize production value.
Props
Costs $900
The period specific props will help tell the story without a word spoken. We have an amazing production designer at the ready.
On-Set Storytelling
Costs $2,500
Pays performers + key crew so we can capture the story with pro quality. You can sponsor one key player for 500 dollars.
The Sound
Costs $1,550
It is in the title. The creation of atmosphere and liminal space. Haunting sounds that are so vital to our storytelling.
The Edit
Costs $2,500
The cost of taking this film and cutting it to perfection. Support the genius who sees the moment to moment transitions.
Hardrives
Costs $300
You will be the one who preserves the work we do! It's the data. This could be your gift. The gift of storage!
Safety Net + Fiscal Sponsorship (Contingency + Sima Fee)
Costs $4,022
Covers surprises and Sima’s 501(c)(3) fee so donations stay tax-deductible.
The way to a crews heart is their stomach...and safety!
Costs $2,800
Keeps our small crew safe, fed, insured, and mobile across two fast shoot days.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Director/Producer: John Lavelle
John spent much of his acting career appearing on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Regionally, and at The Royal Shakespeare Company. He is the author of several plays including Inhalation (Two Time O’Neill Finalist, Max Lerner Award, APW Special Consideration), Gertrude (Max Lerner Award, O’Neill Semi-Finalist ), Sinner’s Laundry (IAMA Theatre Company), Woulda Coulda Shoulda (IAMA Reunion), Celestial Events (IAMA Mainstage), Forever Brentwood (23 Hour Playfest), Love in the time of Robots (One Day Plays), Before the Storm After the Fall (Sam French OOB Finalist) and his work has appeared in the ABC Discovers Talent Showcase. John received a Drama Desk Award for his performance in The Royale at The Lincoln Center Theatre.
He has appeared on TV and Film in numerous roles, most notably portraying Roy Reed in Ava DuVernay’s Academy Award-nominated film Selma. He is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and IAMA Company member, where he served as a director and actor. John’s adaptation of his play The Very Best People is currently filming in New York, starring Tim Roth, Paul Walter Hauser, and Lili Reinhardt. John is represented by Black Bear.
Feed You Films
In 2023, Christine Woods and Zack Rice partnered to form Feed You Films. Their debut project, Kanya Iwana’s Home, premiered at the LA Shorts International Film Festival in 2024.
Feed You Films’ mission is to partner with exceptionally talented yet overlooked filmmakers—artists with experience and vision but no prior opportunity to direct a feature film with real production value. Feed You Films is designed to break barriers, foster creativity, and champion films that are as financially viable as they are artistically resonant.
Producer/Actor - Karla: Christine Woods
Christine Woods has over 20 years of experience in film, television, and theater. She is known for her roles in critically acclaimed projects such as HBO’s HELLO LADIES and Netflix’s GRACE AND FRANKIE, as well as festival favorites like Macon Blair’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning I DON’T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE. Christine’s career has been defined by working on over 83 titles in film and television and thousands of hours on set.
Christine has consistently taken risks and given herself to first-time directors for shorts/indies that have gone on to successful runs on the film festival circuit. She supports new talent through her work with IAMA Theater Company in Los Angeles, where she helps develop world premieres that often transition to Off-Broadway and Broadway productions. Christine is represented by Entertainment 360 and The Gersh Agency.
Producer: Zack Rice
Zack Rice began his career in television development, rising to Vice President of Georgeville Television, where he developed and sold series to major networks like NBC and SyFy. He Co-Produced Chris Carter’s THE AFTER pilot, Amazon Prime’s first hour-long drama. Zack has sold pilots and series to NBC, Hulu, and USA, including MANHUNT for NBC and two Hulu series produced by ITV and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners. He has been represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Anonymous Content, and Grandview.
Executive Producer: Marsha Stephanie Blake
After receiving her MFA from the prestigious Graduate Acting Program at the University of California, San Diego, Marsha Stephanie went on to have an esteemed career on Broadway, before moving into the film and TV industry. In her TV work she is known for Orange Is the New Black (2015), How To Get Away With Murder (2019), The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (2021), Fight Night (2024), The Madness (2024) and When They See Us (2019), for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Critics Choice Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. MSB also shared an AAFCA Award for Best Ensemble in When They See Us (2019) as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for Orange Is the New Black (2013). In addition to her TV work, she has starred in such renowned films as Luce (2019), The Laundromat (2019), I’m Your Woman (2020) and Brother (2022).
CAST
WENDELL PIERCE – BOOG
Acclaimed actor, producer, and activist best known for his iconic roles in The Wire, Treme, and Jack Ryan. Beyond his work on screen, Pierce is deeply committed to social impact, particularly in community development and disaster recovery in his hometown of New Orleans.
CHRIS MELONI – DOC
Christopher Meloni is a celebrated actor best known for his long-running role as Detective Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime, as well as standout performances in Oz, Wet Hot American Summer, and Happy!. Beyond his acting, he is admired for his advocacy and outspoken support for social justice and equality.
Director of Photography: Adrian Peng Correia
Adrian Peng Correia is a cinematographer with over eighty narrative credits to his name, including over thirty feature films. His films have played in festivals all over the world. The critically acclaimed documentary “Color Me Obsessed: A Film About The Replacements” is just one of several documentaries Adrian has had the privilege of shooting in his career. The breadth of material Adrian has photographed that has helped him to evolve an notably eclectic style of cinematography.
The features “Night Owls” for director Charles Hood and “Ava’s Possessions” from writer/director Jordan Galland premiered at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival to excellent reviews. The feature Quiz Lady starring Awkwafina and Sandra Oh won Best Film at the 2024 Emmys. His recent television credits include the emmy-nominated shoes Nobody Wants This, Ramy, The Flight Attendant, GLOW, and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. In addition Love Life, Florida Man and Kevin Can F@ck Himself are amongst his credits. In 2025 look for The Miniature Wife starring Matthew MacFayden and Elizabeth Banks and Mindy Kaling’s show Not Suitable for Work.
Casting Director/Co-Producer:
Jamie Sparer Roberts
Jamie Sparer Roberts served as Head of Casting at Walt Disney Animation Studios for over 15 years. During her tenure, she worked on some of the most popular and highest-grossing animated films of all time, including Frozen (1&2), Moana, Encanto, Wreck-It Ralph, Tangled and Zootopia.
Named one of Elle magazine’s “Most Powerful Women in Hollywood,” Roberts oversaw all aspects of casting for the studio’s animated theatrical releases, streaming series and shorts, working closely with Disney’s stable of directors, writers and producers as well as CCO and animation pioneer John Lasseter. Roberts has received multiple honors for her work, including four Artios Awards which are presented annually by the Casting Society of America.
Roberts received wide acclaim for her casting of Idina Menzel as the voice of “Elsa” in Frozen, which went on to earn over a billion dollars and become the highest-grossing animated film in history, at the time. Frozen won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Additionally, Roberts cast box-office juggernaut, Zootopia as well as Big Hero 6 and Encanto, winner of the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Prior to joining Disney Animation Studios, Roberts was an executive in feature casting for Disney’s live-action studio and Fox Filmed Entertainment. She has also worked as a freelance casting director working on TV and live-action studio features as well as independent film. As a casting associate, Roberts is credited on films such as Enchanted, Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, Insomnia, and Hardball.
A Los Angeles native, Roberts is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts & Sciences and has over twy-five years’ experience in casting film and television both animated and live-action.
Composer: Jonathan Sadoff
Named by The Hollywood Reporter as one of “15 Composers Primed to Take Their Place on the A-List,” Sadoff has scored numerous notable features, including The Peanut Butter Falcon, Ingrid Goes West, The Meddler, and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. He also co-wrote original songs for Paramount’s animated musical feature Under the Boardwalk, and his television credits include HBO’s docuseries Chimp Crazy, The Mick, Dollface, and Last Summer. Beyond film scoring, Sadoff has produced and collaborated with artists such as Rufus Wainwright and Ed Sheeran, and was a member of the musical collective Thenewno2 alongside Dhani Harrison and Paul Hicks.