Trauma Bonded
Tulsa, Oklahoma | Series
Comedy, Drama
This exciting adventure explores how unresolved trauma comes back to haunt us and the people we care about. Casey and Kate try to avoid injuries from their past at the expense of their relationships, until they are pushed to the brink and there is no option but to face what feels unbearable.
Trauma Bonded
Tulsa, Oklahoma | Series
Comedy, Drama
1 Campaigns | Oklahoma, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $12,280 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
83 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
This exciting adventure explores how unresolved trauma comes back to haunt us and the people we care about. Casey and Kate try to avoid injuries from their past at the expense of their relationships, until they are pushed to the brink and there is no option but to face what feels unbearable.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
It started with grief.
After months of work, I finally had to pass over the stages of bargaining and anger and depression to find my way forward. What was I grieving over? A comedy routine, that I now had to accept would never see the light of day. Why? Because it was about domestic violence.
Now let me be clear: It was funny. I'm not saying I could not make domestic violence work as a bit because it worked. But the thing I absolutely could not get over was the idea of walking into an open mic, where somewhere in the crowd could well be an unsuspecting survivor, out for the first night with her friends after escaping a horrific ordeal, only for me to traumatize her again.
I had been there, in that state where up is down and nothing makes sense and you're left alone to process the loss of what you thought your life would be. No matter how hard I worked the routine, how much I tried to convince myself that I had every right to deal with my experiences on my own terms, I could not ease the guilt I would feel if my processing of trauma made it more painful for someone else.
And with that, I shelved the project altogether.
(What I pictured happening if I ever tried to deliver that routine.)
Years later, the pain of trauma therapy drove me back to my keyboard and I started to write an untitled film project. I found myself searching for exciting scenarios; people on the run, caught in a bisexual love triangle, arguing about their personal lives around a campfire in the woods. A flippy knife was always involved. But then, when I thought to myself, Maybe I should include some of what I'm going through now, all life would evaporate from the story.
If I wanted to write about my experiences, the reasons I was in trauma therapy, I would have to write scenes of abuse. I would have to write a character as my abuser, assessing his motives and working out the realism of his lines. I would, down the line, have to sit in front of a computer screen with a hundred self-tape submissions of men auditioning to be my tormentor.
These thoughts drove me away from my work, drove me further into depression, made me question my entire career as a filmmaker, as an actor. After all, what kind of an artist would I be if I couldn't write about the things I was experiencing?
Two stunning characters whose arcs I missed out on because of how traumatizing it was to watch. 5/10
It was during one of these depressing spirals, while I was trying to decide specifically what this abuser would do to inflict pain upon my character, when I stopped and thought:
Is there really no other way to tell this story? Why am I following a standard that I had no part in creating? A standard that has been perpetuated by people who had never endured, and likely would never endure, the things they wrote onto the screen?
This is what led me to re-think the project altogether.
Out of therapy and my realization came "Trauma Bonded," a six-episode web series in which I would follow three rules for depicting trauma:
1) I would not cast the role of the abuser.
2) I would not show graphic violence.
3) The project must be fun and funny. (Yes, my original comedy routine found its home in the series.)
A hilarious show about difficult topics. 10/10
Not only would these rules make the series accessible to survivors, but they also helped me focus the story on the real issue: the lasting effects of trauma itself.
I was in intensive therapy years after I had last laid eyes on my abuser, because what happened continued to affect me long after the fact. I spent those years in between barely hanging on until a triggering event left me unemployed, crying on my couch for weeks, unable to move.
I wanted my series to reflect this moment, when it feels like you can't possibly move forward, and yet somehow, you find a way.
Beautiful, intricate storytelling, created by a survivor. 12/10
With the help of this crowdfunding campaign and its contributors, we will shoot the series as soon as we are able to do so safely within COVID guidelines. Once the series is finished in post-production, contributors will receive pre-screening links before the project goes on its festival run.
After its festival run, "Trauma Bonded" will be available online for anyone to watch. While crowdfunding is important to make the series possible, it is also important to spread the word and help find an audience for this series, which I hope will continue beyond season one because - and I promise I'm not trying to brag - I have lots more trauma to go around.
FOLLOW
Follow our campaign as "Trauma Bonded" comes to life! It's 100% free, and as the project gains more followers, we earn rewards including products, services, and festival fee waivers, courtesy of Seed & Spark!
CONTRIBUTE AND PLEDGE
You can help make "Trauma Bonded" a reality by making a pledge. We must collect 80% of our crowdfunding goal to keep our funds, and if we exceed our total goal, further contributions will go towards the distribution of the series in festivals around the country. We had so much fun creating various incentives so that you can choose any pledge amount that fits your budget!
No pledge is to small. Every dollar makes a difference in making this series possible.
SPREAD THE WORD
The only way we can reach our goal is by expanding our networks. By sharing this project with others, YOU can help bring it to life.
I started this project, initially, to cope with struggles I was facing in my own life. Now, it has grown into something that I hope will pave the way for other creatives like me to add our narratives to the conversation, which can in turn create lasting change.
By helping us spread the word, you help "Trauma Bonded" find its audience.
Here are some easy-to-share examples. You can post one of these Trauma Tiles (or all of them! Just press and hold or right-click on a computer and select "save image") and either copy-paste the caption or write your own:
.png)
Trauma sticks around. Help filmmaker @itschloeburns by supporting her project #TraumaBondedSeries, which highlights survivors of assault and domestic violence who are telling their own stories in media. Join them on @seedandspark: seedandspark.com/fund/trauma-bonded
#TraumaBondedSeries by @itschloeburns is putting a new spin on survivors in film & television. Support them on @seedandspark: seedandspark.com/fund/trauma-bonded so I can watch this show!
I cannot WAIT to see this show! So excited to see survivors like @itschloeburns adding their own stories to media. Support #TraumaBondedSeries on @seedandspark: seedandspark.com/fund/trauma-bonded
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Props
Costs $275
For our sets, we will need unique, hand-made props to create the proper backdrop for the story.
Crew Wages
Costs $5,000
Quality products mean quality people, and we're doing our best to pay them what they're worth.
Post Production
Costs $1,800
Sound, color, editing - production doesn't end when the shoot does!
COVID Protection
Costs $375
Masks, protocols, and other considerations make COVID-19 an additional expense to take seriously.
Share this update!
About This Team
Chloe Burns
Writer/Producer/Actor
Chloe Burns graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in Film & Media Studies and is currently working in Los Angeles. After graduating, Chloe wrote, produced, and acted in The Adventures of Botfly, a 6-episode web series that premiered at the 2019 Indie Short Fest and received an Honorable Mention Award at the 2019 Life After Life Films: FEM Fest. After this, she wrote, produced, and acted in The Thing About Miller House, which showed at film festivals throughout Kansas City.
As an actress, she has been featured in roles at the University of Southern California and the ArtCenter College of Design. She has studied at Warner Loughlin Studios and Lesly Kahn Studios in Los Angeles, and uses writing and producing to create challenging, dynamic roles for herself.
Tori Lane Ross
Director
Tori Lane Ross is an actor and director with a degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and an extensive resume of roles in various television, film, and stage productions in Los Angeles and throughout the country.
After working as Director's Assistant on Unexpecting, a film by David Hunt and Patricia Heaton, Ross went on to direct the theatre/film hybrid presentation of Josie Needs Help, live-streamed in October 2020. This groundbreaking production allowed them to collaborate on a story that explored the diverse experiences and challenges faced by those who struggle with mental health in our modern society.
As a proudly queer, non-binary, and spiritual artist, their goal is to normalize queer experiences and to encourage true connection and compassion with every story they tell.
Amber Handy
Line Producer
Amber Handy is a Tulsa based filmmaker and photographer with a passion for producing powerful stories through creative collaboration. She has produced several short films, documentaries and creative videos throughout Oklahoma and internationally.
“I love to challenge myself to build projects from what was once just an idea into a visual memorable experience for others to enjoy!”
John Lewis
Cinematographer
John Lewis has been working in the business for the past 10yrs. His resume ranges from countless commercials, movies, music videos and shorts. John’s passion for capturing light & emotions through the lens came at a young age when his grandfather placed a camera in his hand and that passion has never ran out.
John says that “Each subject in front of the lens brings a unique characteristic and emotion to the overall visual narrative of the project. It’s my job to capture that emotion through light, shadow and composition."
Ria Patel
Public Relations
Ria is an Australian-Indian actress, dancer, and writer. Art has always been there for her and that is what she wants to do for her audience: connect with them, help them feel understood, and ultimately evoke change.
She graduated from New York Film Academy with a Bachelors in Acting and also studied at Victorian College of the Arts in Australia. Some of her work includes playing the lead in the first ever Gujarati web-series Varta re Varta, short film Bandaid, and award-winning short Two Paper Nightingale and Nice. Most recently she won Best Actress Award for her films Trey Pops and Bandaid.
She is also passionate about PR. Actors want to tell stories and by incorporating PR into the mix, this elevates visibility of their story being shared with the audience. Ria strongly believes "your story deserves to be seen".
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
It started with grief.
After months of work, I finally had to pass over the stages of bargaining and anger and depression to find my way forward. What was I grieving over? A comedy routine, that I now had to accept would never see the light of day. Why? Because it was about domestic violence.
Now let me be clear: It was funny. I'm not saying I could not make domestic violence work as a bit because it worked. But the thing I absolutely could not get over was the idea of walking into an open mic, where somewhere in the crowd could well be an unsuspecting survivor, out for the first night with her friends after escaping a horrific ordeal, only for me to traumatize her again.
I had been there, in that state where up is down and nothing makes sense and you're left alone to process the loss of what you thought your life would be. No matter how hard I worked the routine, how much I tried to convince myself that I had every right to deal with my experiences on my own terms, I could not ease the guilt I would feel if my processing of trauma made it more painful for someone else.
And with that, I shelved the project altogether.
(What I pictured happening if I ever tried to deliver that routine.)
Years later, the pain of trauma therapy drove me back to my keyboard and I started to write an untitled film project. I found myself searching for exciting scenarios; people on the run, caught in a bisexual love triangle, arguing about their personal lives around a campfire in the woods. A flippy knife was always involved. But then, when I thought to myself, Maybe I should include some of what I'm going through now, all life would evaporate from the story.
If I wanted to write about my experiences, the reasons I was in trauma therapy, I would have to write scenes of abuse. I would have to write a character as my abuser, assessing his motives and working out the realism of his lines. I would, down the line, have to sit in front of a computer screen with a hundred self-tape submissions of men auditioning to be my tormentor.
These thoughts drove me away from my work, drove me further into depression, made me question my entire career as a filmmaker, as an actor. After all, what kind of an artist would I be if I couldn't write about the things I was experiencing?
Two stunning characters whose arcs I missed out on because of how traumatizing it was to watch. 5/10
It was during one of these depressing spirals, while I was trying to decide specifically what this abuser would do to inflict pain upon my character, when I stopped and thought:
Is there really no other way to tell this story? Why am I following a standard that I had no part in creating? A standard that has been perpetuated by people who had never endured, and likely would never endure, the things they wrote onto the screen?
This is what led me to re-think the project altogether.
Out of therapy and my realization came "Trauma Bonded," a six-episode web series in which I would follow three rules for depicting trauma:
1) I would not cast the role of the abuser.
2) I would not show graphic violence.
3) The project must be fun and funny. (Yes, my original comedy routine found its home in the series.)
A hilarious show about difficult topics. 10/10
Not only would these rules make the series accessible to survivors, but they also helped me focus the story on the real issue: the lasting effects of trauma itself.
I was in intensive therapy years after I had last laid eyes on my abuser, because what happened continued to affect me long after the fact. I spent those years in between barely hanging on until a triggering event left me unemployed, crying on my couch for weeks, unable to move.
I wanted my series to reflect this moment, when it feels like you can't possibly move forward, and yet somehow, you find a way.
Beautiful, intricate storytelling, created by a survivor. 12/10
With the help of this crowdfunding campaign and its contributors, we will shoot the series as soon as we are able to do so safely within COVID guidelines. Once the series is finished in post-production, contributors will receive pre-screening links before the project goes on its festival run.
After its festival run, "Trauma Bonded" will be available online for anyone to watch. While crowdfunding is important to make the series possible, it is also important to spread the word and help find an audience for this series, which I hope will continue beyond season one because - and I promise I'm not trying to brag - I have lots more trauma to go around.
FOLLOW
Follow our campaign as "Trauma Bonded" comes to life! It's 100% free, and as the project gains more followers, we earn rewards including products, services, and festival fee waivers, courtesy of Seed & Spark!
CONTRIBUTE AND PLEDGE
You can help make "Trauma Bonded" a reality by making a pledge. We must collect 80% of our crowdfunding goal to keep our funds, and if we exceed our total goal, further contributions will go towards the distribution of the series in festivals around the country. We had so much fun creating various incentives so that you can choose any pledge amount that fits your budget!
No pledge is to small. Every dollar makes a difference in making this series possible.
SPREAD THE WORD
The only way we can reach our goal is by expanding our networks. By sharing this project with others, YOU can help bring it to life.
I started this project, initially, to cope with struggles I was facing in my own life. Now, it has grown into something that I hope will pave the way for other creatives like me to add our narratives to the conversation, which can in turn create lasting change.
By helping us spread the word, you help "Trauma Bonded" find its audience.
Here are some easy-to-share examples. You can post one of these Trauma Tiles (or all of them! Just press and hold or right-click on a computer and select "save image") and either copy-paste the caption or write your own:
Trauma sticks around. Help filmmaker @itschloeburns by supporting her project #TraumaBondedSeries, which highlights survivors of assault and domestic violence who are telling their own stories in media. Join them on @seedandspark: seedandspark.com/fund/trauma-bonded
#TraumaBondedSeries by @itschloeburns is putting a new spin on survivors in film & television. Support them on @seedandspark: seedandspark.com/fund/trauma-bonded so I can watch this show!
I cannot WAIT to see this show! So excited to see survivors like @itschloeburns adding their own stories to media. Support #TraumaBondedSeries on @seedandspark: seedandspark.com/fund/trauma-bonded
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Props
Costs $275
For our sets, we will need unique, hand-made props to create the proper backdrop for the story.
Crew Wages
Costs $5,000
Quality products mean quality people, and we're doing our best to pay them what they're worth.
Post Production
Costs $1,800
Sound, color, editing - production doesn't end when the shoot does!
COVID Protection
Costs $375
Masks, protocols, and other considerations make COVID-19 an additional expense to take seriously.
Share this update!
About This Team
Chloe Burns
Writer/Producer/Actor
Chloe Burns graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in Film & Media Studies and is currently working in Los Angeles. After graduating, Chloe wrote, produced, and acted in The Adventures of Botfly, a 6-episode web series that premiered at the 2019 Indie Short Fest and received an Honorable Mention Award at the 2019 Life After Life Films: FEM Fest. After this, she wrote, produced, and acted in The Thing About Miller House, which showed at film festivals throughout Kansas City.
As an actress, she has been featured in roles at the University of Southern California and the ArtCenter College of Design. She has studied at Warner Loughlin Studios and Lesly Kahn Studios in Los Angeles, and uses writing and producing to create challenging, dynamic roles for herself.
Tori Lane Ross
Director
Tori Lane Ross is an actor and director with a degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and an extensive resume of roles in various television, film, and stage productions in Los Angeles and throughout the country.
After working as Director's Assistant on Unexpecting, a film by David Hunt and Patricia Heaton, Ross went on to direct the theatre/film hybrid presentation of Josie Needs Help, live-streamed in October 2020. This groundbreaking production allowed them to collaborate on a story that explored the diverse experiences and challenges faced by those who struggle with mental health in our modern society.
As a proudly queer, non-binary, and spiritual artist, their goal is to normalize queer experiences and to encourage true connection and compassion with every story they tell.
Amber Handy
Line Producer
Amber Handy is a Tulsa based filmmaker and photographer with a passion for producing powerful stories through creative collaboration. She has produced several short films, documentaries and creative videos throughout Oklahoma and internationally.
“I love to challenge myself to build projects from what was once just an idea into a visual memorable experience for others to enjoy!”
John Lewis
Cinematographer
John Lewis has been working in the business for the past 10yrs. His resume ranges from countless commercials, movies, music videos and shorts. John’s passion for capturing light & emotions through the lens came at a young age when his grandfather placed a camera in his hand and that passion has never ran out.
John says that “Each subject in front of the lens brings a unique characteristic and emotion to the overall visual narrative of the project. It’s my job to capture that emotion through light, shadow and composition."
Ria Patel
Public Relations
Ria is an Australian-Indian actress, dancer, and writer. Art has always been there for her and that is what she wants to do for her audience: connect with them, help them feel understood, and ultimately evoke change.
She graduated from New York Film Academy with a Bachelors in Acting and also studied at Victorian College of the Arts in Australia. Some of her work includes playing the lead in the first ever Gujarati web-series Varta re Varta, short film Bandaid, and award-winning short Two Paper Nightingale and Nice. Most recently she won Best Actress Award for her films Trey Pops and Bandaid.
She is also passionate about PR. Actors want to tell stories and by incorporating PR into the mix, this elevates visibility of their story being shared with the audience. Ria strongly believes "your story deserves to be seen".