The Greatest Treasure in the World: An Improvised Comedy
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Comedy, Documentary
Join Izzy Roland, Siobhan Thompson and an all-star improv cast for the funeral of Rufus Wainwright Bobbins, Jr., III.
The Greatest Treasure in the World: An Improvised Comedy
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Comedy, Documentary
1 Campaigns | California, United States
2,249 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$142,388
Goal: $120,000 for production
Join Izzy Roland, Siobhan Thompson and an all-star improv cast for the funeral of Rufus Wainwright Bobbins, Jr., III.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
We did a test shoot for 2 days — here's a sizzle from that test!
"Rufus Wainwright Bobbins, JR III is dead. Yes, that Rufus Wainwright Bobbins, Jr. III. The richest man in Saltine, California's worst town. The eccentric millionaire with the castle, the local kook who insisted "alpacas are the future," the guy who used his money to fund strange acts of public art that were never properly permitted. No, no, not the musician. Well technically, he did play the digital sousaphone, but that’s beside the point. Anyway, Rufus Wainwright Bobbins, Jr. III is dead. And he’s invited his friends, family and loved ones to his manse for a reading of his last will and testament. But this will… is a will like no other."
For in this will – recorded on video, naturally – Rufus Wainwright Bobbins, Jr. III reveals that instead of deciding who of his beloved life companions would inherit his grand fortune, he instead hid it. The treasure is somewhere in his extensive, eccentric California mansion. Or maybe the grounds. Don’t worry, though... everybody gets a set of clues!! And also a documentary crew to follow them. This is that story.
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What is an "Improvised Comedy?" Like, you're not writing the movie?
We wish! This film has been developed and plotted like a regular film... with story, character arts, narrative momentum and all that good stuff. But when we get on set, things get a little silly and the scenes themselves will be improvised by some of the best improvisers on the planet. Inspired by the films of Christopher Guest (obviously), Mike Leigh, Richard Linklater, and more, we want to make a movie that tells this fun story about a group of weirdos while harnessing the you-never-know-what-will-happen energy of improv.
Our cast worked together to develop their characters relationships with Bobbins and each other (in a process similar to a TTRPG campaign's "session zero"). We shot a proof of concept over two days last summer to hone in our process. Yes, it's improvised. But we are prepared.
We’re lucky to know a veritable Avengers of 2026’s greatest funny people, and we've crammed them into this film. Check out the full bios on the next page.
WRITERS: Siobhan Thompson (Emmy-winning writer, Rick & Morty) + Isabella Roland (writer + star, D(e)ad)
DIRECTOR: Alex Fernie (Director: Childrens Hospital, Bajillion Dollar Properties)
PRODUCER: Laser Webber / Laservision Productions: the team behind distributing D(e)ad to 100+ theaters nationwide, digitally, and on Blu-Ray
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Jill Petracek (Video/DP: Dropout, all of your favorite improv shows)
EDITOR OF SIZZLE: Jon Mackey
LINE PRODUCER: Marc Underhill (Mock Trial)
ADDITIONAL EDITING: Marty Scanlon
On-set photos by Andrew Max Levy
And the cast...
This is subject to change depending on how much we can pay them and if they get other work or something else happens, but these folks (and more) have committed!
- Katie Marovitch
- Julie Brister
- Raphael Chestang
- Angela Giarratana
- Peter Banifaz
- Corin Wells
- Alex Song-Xia
- Vic Michaelis
- Dhruv Singh
- Paul F. Tompkins
In their own words... Siobhan Thompson: As Hollywood conglomerates into one massive mecha-monopoly run by an all-powerful algorithm that nobody understands, it's getting harder and harder to make small-to-medium sized comedies. Crowdfunding lets us make something on our own terms, without having to hide our politics or make awful compromises because someone's nephew got hired as a new development exec and he's excited to give us notes. Also I love a novelty t-shirt.
Isabella Roland: We tried a couple of times to get our managers to set something up to hopefully get it made and they didn't really care/it took too long. We also didn't want a generative AI CEO giving us notes on why we should cut all of the jokes out of the movie.
Laser Webber: I think crowdfunding makes better art, and I think this audience—you—believes in making something fun possible for each other.
Check out the rewards to the right, and if you have questions email us at [email protected]. Expect an FAQ here once we get your Qs!
Thank you for joining us on the hunt for the Greatest Treasure In The World!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast and Production Crew
Costs $70,000
This is expensive! To give you an idea: 25 people, 80 hours (2 weeks) of work is roughly $70,000. And we'd *love* 3 weeks.
Location rental
Costs $20,000
We're trying for a one-location movie, which means we only need to rent one mansion. Hopefully for 15 days - but this is for 10 to start!
Production design and art direction
Costs $9,500
We want to create a beautiful, engaging space for our characters to play in and pay our team well for creating it.
Post production
Costs $10,000
Editing, sound, and color — otherwise you won't want to watch it. Editing an improvised film is especially complicated!
Festival submissions and distribution preparation
Costs $2,500
We want this movie to go far, so this will help us bring it to you all and the rest of the world.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Isabella Roland is a comedian, actor and writer who can be seen in several shows on Dropout.tv, in The Sex Lives of College Girls, or in her globally successful improv show "Bigger! With Brennan and Izzy," and in her film D(e)ad. She has developed shows at NBCUniversal, Hartbeat Productions, Comedy Central Digital, Snapchat and Facebook Watch. She is a proud West Hollywood native.
Siobhan Thompson is a comedian, actor, and writer known for her work for College Humor, in Dropout’s Dimension 20 core cast, and as a writer on hit shows such as Rick and Morty and Krapopolis.
Alex Fernie has been improvising for a really long time, largely with his group Convoy at Upright Citizens Brigade. As a director, he's worked on shows like Childrens Hospital, Bajillion Dollar Properties, Last Week Tonight and The Hotwives of Las Vegas. He's created pilots for FX, Amazon, Comedy Central and AMC, has appeared on Reno 911!, Conan, Comedy Bang Bang, Key & Peele and Terriers and has been "improv consultant" for Very Important People on Dropout. If "improv consultant" sounds like a made up term, that's because it kinda is.
Julie Brister is an actor, writer, and director. She was a series regular on Goliath on Prime and recurred as Daisy the attorney on Review on Comedy Central and as Laura Lee Hickock on the Onion News Network. Other TV credits include Sex Lives of College Girls, Transparent, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, New Girl, and Reno 911, among many more.
Raphael Chestang was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he began his acting career doing commercials and stage plays. Since 2012, he's been writing and performing sketch comedy all over Los Angeles at theaters such as UCB, The Second City Hollywood and The Pack. He joined the cast of CollegeHumor in 2017. In addition to CollegeHumor Originals, other acting credits include “Adam Ruins Everything” and “Food: Fact or Fiction?”.
Katie Marovich is a comedy writer/actor/improviser who wrote and directed five seasons of Reality Check, a weekly YouTube series for FOXtv. Her short film Waffle premiered at SXSW and played at over 60 festivals worldwide. Katie was a cast member at CollegeHumor where she wrote and starred in hundreds of sketches--many of which got millions of views and ranked in the top 10 on YouTube Trending. Katie wrote, executive produced, and starred in Kingpin Katie, an eight-episode comedy series on the Dropout streaming service. She also created and hosted The Rank Room series for Dropout and regularly writes and appears in many of their popular shows.
Vic Michaelis is an American born Canadian raised actor and improviser. Vic can be seen playing a fictionalized version of themself on Very Important People for Dropout and on Ponies for Peacock. Their dad is very proud of them.
Dhruv Uday Singh is an actor, writer, improviser, filmmaker, comedian, and other things you can just say you are. He is known for Good Trouble, The Neighborhood, and On the Verge, as well as stuff like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Adam Ruins Everything, and Children’s Hospital.
Alex Song-Xia is a writer, actor, and comedian from Toronto by way of New York. They have written for TV shows including Rick and Morty, Praise Petey, Little Demon, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. On screen, they can be seen in The Week Of (Netflix), High Maintenance (HBO), and Dimension 20 (Dropout). Their proudest role yet is that of father (to their dog).
Paul F. Tompkins is a comedian, actor, and writer, known for his work in television on such programs as Mr. Show with Bob and David and Best Week Ever, later renamed Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins. He is known for his appearances on podcasts, including his 200-plus appearances on Comedy Bang! Bang! He has also been the host of the Fusion Channel talk show No, You Shut Up!, The Dead Authors Podcast, the online Made Man interview series Speakeasy with Paul F. Tompkins, the Earwolf podcast Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins, and The Pod F. Tompkast, which was ranked #1 by Rolling Stone on their list of "The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts of the Moment" in 2011.
Corin Wells is a LA-based actor, writer, and comedian. Corin is a writer on the upcoming animated series, KEVIN. Previously, she was a writer and producer on the HBO series A A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW and she wrote on Peacock's THE AMBER RUFFIN SHOW. Corin was selected as one of the 2021 JFL New Faces (Characters). You can see her performing across LA in Asssscat at UCB and with Dinosaur.
Peter Banifaz is an Iranian-American actor, comedian, and activist living in Los Angeles. Some of his TV credits include a recurring role on NBC’s Grand Crew, and three seasons recurring on the award-winning show Shameless. Some of his other tv roles have been on shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Veep, Superstore, Silicon Valley, Perry Mason, One Day at a Time, Bosch, Lethal Weapon and more. His film work includes Crime 101, a role on the Oscar winning hit Everything Everywhere All At Once, as well as Gus Van Sant’s, Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far On Foot, and the Cohen brother’s, Hail Caesar. He also creates his own original comedic content for Instagram and TikTok under the Instagram handle @pbani. His videos have garnered over 50 million total views across both platforms.
Payam resides in Sherman Oaks, California, He loves dogs and he hates arugula.
Angela Giarratana is an actress, writer, comedian, television host and podcast host. She is known for her work at Smosh, in Minx, in musicals by Starkid Productions, as one of the four hosts of Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists, and on prestigious award-winning short films like GUTS.
Laservision Productions is a new and growing production company behind some of the most exciting comedy in Hollywood today. Laser was the distributor of indie film D(e)ad, has raised $5 million on Kickstarter for indie projects (breaking records left and right), and is especially talented in turning fanbases into paying customers, a job he does for some of the internet’s top creators.
Jill Petracek (Puh-traw-check) is a Director of Photography in Los Angeles, CA. She has BFAs in Graphic Design and Studio Art from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Her photos have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. She’s also worked for Netflix Is A Joke, DropoutTV, and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In comedy, Jill loves to capture backstage moments at Dynasty Typewriter, the Elysian, UCB Theater LA, and Largo at the Coronet. In her everyday life, she takes care of her vegetables in her apartment window boxes, goes for walks, and does her very best to read real books from the library.
Jon Mackey is a writer/director/editor with over a decade and a half of improv and sketch comedy experience whose work has received praise (and millions of views) all over the internet. He's a member of long-running, LA sketch & improv mainstay BIG GRANDE and has worked on countless incredible comedy projects across television, film, and digital.
Lucy Tomkiewicz (LuMadeThis) is a Los Angeles based designer and artist. Her work has been featured in D(e)AD the movie, the Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists podcast, Worlds Beyond Number, and is a frequent collaborator with Laservision Productions. She loves to visually elevate independent media and entertainment through her work. In addition to her work as a senior art director in advertising, she owns and operates a micro bakery, FromLu. She will literally always show up with baked goods.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
We did a test shoot for 2 days — here's a sizzle from that test!
"Rufus Wainwright Bobbins, JR III is dead. Yes, that Rufus Wainwright Bobbins, Jr. III. The richest man in Saltine, California's worst town. The eccentric millionaire with the castle, the local kook who insisted "alpacas are the future," the guy who used his money to fund strange acts of public art that were never properly permitted. No, no, not the musician. Well technically, he did play the digital sousaphone, but that’s beside the point. Anyway, Rufus Wainwright Bobbins, Jr. III is dead. And he’s invited his friends, family and loved ones to his manse for a reading of his last will and testament. But this will… is a will like no other."
For in this will – recorded on video, naturally – Rufus Wainwright Bobbins, Jr. III reveals that instead of deciding who of his beloved life companions would inherit his grand fortune, he instead hid it. The treasure is somewhere in his extensive, eccentric California mansion. Or maybe the grounds. Don’t worry, though... everybody gets a set of clues!! And also a documentary crew to follow them. This is that story.
What is an "Improvised Comedy?" Like, you're not writing the movie?
We wish! This film has been developed and plotted like a regular film... with story, character arts, narrative momentum and all that good stuff. But when we get on set, things get a little silly and the scenes themselves will be improvised by some of the best improvisers on the planet. Inspired by the films of Christopher Guest (obviously), Mike Leigh, Richard Linklater, and more, we want to make a movie that tells this fun story about a group of weirdos while harnessing the you-never-know-what-will-happen energy of improv.
Our cast worked together to develop their characters relationships with Bobbins and each other (in a process similar to a TTRPG campaign's "session zero"). We shot a proof of concept over two days last summer to hone in our process. Yes, it's improvised. But we are prepared.
We’re lucky to know a veritable Avengers of 2026’s greatest funny people, and we've crammed them into this film. Check out the full bios on the next page.
WRITERS: Siobhan Thompson (Emmy-winning writer, Rick & Morty) + Isabella Roland (writer + star, D(e)ad)
DIRECTOR: Alex Fernie (Director: Childrens Hospital, Bajillion Dollar Properties)
PRODUCER: Laser Webber / Laservision Productions: the team behind distributing D(e)ad to 100+ theaters nationwide, digitally, and on Blu-Ray
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Jill Petracek (Video/DP: Dropout, all of your favorite improv shows)
EDITOR OF SIZZLE: Jon Mackey
LINE PRODUCER: Marc Underhill (Mock Trial)
ADDITIONAL EDITING: Marty Scanlon
On-set photos by Andrew Max Levy
And the cast...
This is subject to change depending on how much we can pay them and if they get other work or something else happens, but these folks (and more) have committed!
- Katie Marovitch
- Julie Brister
- Raphael Chestang
- Angela Giarratana
- Peter Banifaz
- Corin Wells
- Alex Song-Xia
- Vic Michaelis
- Dhruv Singh
- Paul F. Tompkins
In their own words... Siobhan Thompson: As Hollywood conglomerates into one massive mecha-monopoly run by an all-powerful algorithm that nobody understands, it's getting harder and harder to make small-to-medium sized comedies. Crowdfunding lets us make something on our own terms, without having to hide our politics or make awful compromises because someone's nephew got hired as a new development exec and he's excited to give us notes. Also I love a novelty t-shirt.
Isabella Roland: We tried a couple of times to get our managers to set something up to hopefully get it made and they didn't really care/it took too long. We also didn't want a generative AI CEO giving us notes on why we should cut all of the jokes out of the movie.
Laser Webber: I think crowdfunding makes better art, and I think this audience—you—believes in making something fun possible for each other.
Check out the rewards to the right, and if you have questions email us at [email protected]. Expect an FAQ here once we get your Qs!
Thank you for joining us on the hunt for the Greatest Treasure In The World!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast and Production Crew
Costs $70,000
This is expensive! To give you an idea: 25 people, 80 hours (2 weeks) of work is roughly $70,000. And we'd *love* 3 weeks.
Location rental
Costs $20,000
We're trying for a one-location movie, which means we only need to rent one mansion. Hopefully for 15 days - but this is for 10 to start!
Production design and art direction
Costs $9,500
We want to create a beautiful, engaging space for our characters to play in and pay our team well for creating it.
Post production
Costs $10,000
Editing, sound, and color — otherwise you won't want to watch it. Editing an improvised film is especially complicated!
Festival submissions and distribution preparation
Costs $2,500
We want this movie to go far, so this will help us bring it to you all and the rest of the world.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Isabella Roland is a comedian, actor and writer who can be seen in several shows on Dropout.tv, in The Sex Lives of College Girls, or in her globally successful improv show "Bigger! With Brennan and Izzy," and in her film D(e)ad. She has developed shows at NBCUniversal, Hartbeat Productions, Comedy Central Digital, Snapchat and Facebook Watch. She is a proud West Hollywood native.
Siobhan Thompson is a comedian, actor, and writer known for her work for College Humor, in Dropout’s Dimension 20 core cast, and as a writer on hit shows such as Rick and Morty and Krapopolis.
Alex Fernie has been improvising for a really long time, largely with his group Convoy at Upright Citizens Brigade. As a director, he's worked on shows like Childrens Hospital, Bajillion Dollar Properties, Last Week Tonight and The Hotwives of Las Vegas. He's created pilots for FX, Amazon, Comedy Central and AMC, has appeared on Reno 911!, Conan, Comedy Bang Bang, Key & Peele and Terriers and has been "improv consultant" for Very Important People on Dropout. If "improv consultant" sounds like a made up term, that's because it kinda is.
Julie Brister is an actor, writer, and director. She was a series regular on Goliath on Prime and recurred as Daisy the attorney on Review on Comedy Central and as Laura Lee Hickock on the Onion News Network. Other TV credits include Sex Lives of College Girls, Transparent, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, New Girl, and Reno 911, among many more.
Raphael Chestang was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he began his acting career doing commercials and stage plays. Since 2012, he's been writing and performing sketch comedy all over Los Angeles at theaters such as UCB, The Second City Hollywood and The Pack. He joined the cast of CollegeHumor in 2017. In addition to CollegeHumor Originals, other acting credits include “Adam Ruins Everything” and “Food: Fact or Fiction?”.
Katie Marovich is a comedy writer/actor/improviser who wrote and directed five seasons of Reality Check, a weekly YouTube series for FOXtv. Her short film Waffle premiered at SXSW and played at over 60 festivals worldwide. Katie was a cast member at CollegeHumor where she wrote and starred in hundreds of sketches--many of which got millions of views and ranked in the top 10 on YouTube Trending. Katie wrote, executive produced, and starred in Kingpin Katie, an eight-episode comedy series on the Dropout streaming service. She also created and hosted The Rank Room series for Dropout and regularly writes and appears in many of their popular shows.
Vic Michaelis is an American born Canadian raised actor and improviser. Vic can be seen playing a fictionalized version of themself on Very Important People for Dropout and on Ponies for Peacock. Their dad is very proud of them.
Dhruv Uday Singh is an actor, writer, improviser, filmmaker, comedian, and other things you can just say you are. He is known for Good Trouble, The Neighborhood, and On the Verge, as well as stuff like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Adam Ruins Everything, and Children’s Hospital.
Alex Song-Xia is a writer, actor, and comedian from Toronto by way of New York. They have written for TV shows including Rick and Morty, Praise Petey, Little Demon, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. On screen, they can be seen in The Week Of (Netflix), High Maintenance (HBO), and Dimension 20 (Dropout). Their proudest role yet is that of father (to their dog).
Paul F. Tompkins is a comedian, actor, and writer, known for his work in television on such programs as Mr. Show with Bob and David and Best Week Ever, later renamed Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins. He is known for his appearances on podcasts, including his 200-plus appearances on Comedy Bang! Bang! He has also been the host of the Fusion Channel talk show No, You Shut Up!, The Dead Authors Podcast, the online Made Man interview series Speakeasy with Paul F. Tompkins, the Earwolf podcast Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins, and The Pod F. Tompkast, which was ranked #1 by Rolling Stone on their list of "The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts of the Moment" in 2011.
Corin Wells is a LA-based actor, writer, and comedian. Corin is a writer on the upcoming animated series, KEVIN. Previously, she was a writer and producer on the HBO series A A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW and she wrote on Peacock's THE AMBER RUFFIN SHOW. Corin was selected as one of the 2021 JFL New Faces (Characters). You can see her performing across LA in Asssscat at UCB and with Dinosaur.
Peter Banifaz is an Iranian-American actor, comedian, and activist living in Los Angeles. Some of his TV credits include a recurring role on NBC’s Grand Crew, and three seasons recurring on the award-winning show Shameless. Some of his other tv roles have been on shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Veep, Superstore, Silicon Valley, Perry Mason, One Day at a Time, Bosch, Lethal Weapon and more. His film work includes Crime 101, a role on the Oscar winning hit Everything Everywhere All At Once, as well as Gus Van Sant’s, Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far On Foot, and the Cohen brother’s, Hail Caesar. He also creates his own original comedic content for Instagram and TikTok under the Instagram handle @pbani. His videos have garnered over 50 million total views across both platforms.
Payam resides in Sherman Oaks, California, He loves dogs and he hates arugula.
Angela Giarratana is an actress, writer, comedian, television host and podcast host. She is known for her work at Smosh, in Minx, in musicals by Starkid Productions, as one of the four hosts of Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists, and on prestigious award-winning short films like GUTS.
Laservision Productions is a new and growing production company behind some of the most exciting comedy in Hollywood today. Laser was the distributor of indie film D(e)ad, has raised $5 million on Kickstarter for indie projects (breaking records left and right), and is especially talented in turning fanbases into paying customers, a job he does for some of the internet’s top creators.
Jill Petracek (Puh-traw-check) is a Director of Photography in Los Angeles, CA. She has BFAs in Graphic Design and Studio Art from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Her photos have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. She’s also worked for Netflix Is A Joke, DropoutTV, and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In comedy, Jill loves to capture backstage moments at Dynasty Typewriter, the Elysian, UCB Theater LA, and Largo at the Coronet. In her everyday life, she takes care of her vegetables in her apartment window boxes, goes for walks, and does her very best to read real books from the library.
Jon Mackey is a writer/director/editor with over a decade and a half of improv and sketch comedy experience whose work has received praise (and millions of views) all over the internet. He's a member of long-running, LA sketch & improv mainstay BIG GRANDE and has worked on countless incredible comedy projects across television, film, and digital.
Lucy Tomkiewicz (LuMadeThis) is a Los Angeles based designer and artist. Her work has been featured in D(e)AD the movie, the Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists podcast, Worlds Beyond Number, and is a frequent collaborator with Laservision Productions. She loves to visually elevate independent media and entertainment through her work. In addition to her work as a senior art director in advertising, she owns and operates a micro bakery, FromLu. She will literally always show up with baked goods.