Much of my professional career has been spent telling stories from the multi-cultural community. Many of those stories have been deeply personal, and Unsaid is no different. We have an incredible, diverse, female-led team that has come together to help make this film which I have been working towards creating for over four years. I wrote about the story in my first book, No One Here is Like Me, published in 2022, and now we are finally making it happen in film form.

One of the biggest reasons I need to make this film (beyond my own personal closure) is because I want to practice the things that I preach to my kids. My wife and I are constantly encouraging our two young boys to "use their words"; to tell us how they feel so they can begin the healing process and just feel lighter. I had been holding this story inside myself for way too long, and the weight of it was hurting me. The conversations we don't have, the stories we don't share, they weigh on us, and the only way we can truly heal is by letting them out.

I hope you'll help me in telling my story and getting the work of more biracial people into the world. To the right you'll see our incentives are themed with notable biracial artists that have inspired me. My hope is that this film will help inspire others to tell their own stories, too.

A finalist in the Cinequest Screenwriting Competition and based on actual events from my life, Unsaid is about race, family, and grief. But ultimately it's about a conversation that I never got to have with my grandmother, my Nana. 

The film starts off with a flashback, a moment before Nate, our protagonist, was born. We see a young pregnant white woman and black man staring out the window at a an angry middle aged woman, yelling out to them from the front yard. It's 1982 and these soon-to-be parents are realizing that a lot of the world still doesn't believe in interracial relationships. And right now that message is coming from the woman's mother; Nate's grandmother.

We then flash forward 30 years to present day where Nate is at a funeral for his grandmother, mourning her loss while still processing the information he (and we) recently learned from the flashbacks. He's struggling to properly say goodbye, knowing he didn't get the closure he needed by talking to his grandmother about the racism in her past. Although she was always loving and supportive to him, finding out about her actions deeply affected him, and he's found himself unable to fully grieve and move forward.

His best friend KB shows up (one of the few close black friends Nate has in his life), and offers Nate a mix of questionably inappropriate--

"Negro, please. You’re talking 30

years ago. With inflation it’s barely racism." 

--and strangely insightful advice.

"You can choose

to define what people mean to you, and your life." 

That interaction forces Nate to look at his grandmother's past from a different perspective. Then, a conversation with Harper (his subtly powerful and highly influential wife) challenges Nate in all the ways he needs to be challenged. In her own special way, she holds a verbal mirror up to him, lovingly forcing him to face the moment. If this is his last chance to talk to his grandmother about their past, how does he want to handle it? What does he truly need to do, deep down?

Finally, Nate summons the courage (and humility) to approach the casket. And although it's technically a one-way conversation, he's able to tell his grandmother how he feels, and to say goodbye.

Writer / Executive Producer - ROBERT KING

Robert King is a writer, actor, and author living in Los Angeles. Most recently Rob was a writer/producer for ABC’s The Chase, and served as an executive producer and co-head writer for Up Early Tonight, a new late night show on Hulu. Rob is also an award-winning branded content creator (writer/producer/director), having created successful campaigns for companies such as Eggo, Huggies, and Johnson & Johnson to name a few. Rob's first book 'No One Here Is Like Me' was published by Scribd as an e-book/audio book in 2022.

Rob was a senior writer for Lorne Michaels' Above Average, where he created and hosted the popular web series Your Biggest Fan where he worked with celebrities like Jane Lynch, Alan Alda, and Russell Brand. Rob was also a recipient of NBC’s Diversity Award for writing and performing. As an actor Rob has been seen in Billy Crystal’s stage show Have A Nice Day alongside Kevin Kline, Annette Benning, and others. He has also worked on various television shows like The Blacklist and two different Law & Order shows, and films such as Don’t Think Twice with Mike Birbiglia and Can You Keep A Secret opposite Alexandria Daddario. Most importantly, Rob has the best Will Smith impression in the world (which really hasn't been too in demand since "The Slap".)

Director / Executive Producer - MONIQUE MOSES

Monique Moses is a Canadian born writer, director and actor based in New York and Los Angeles. She was Co-Head Writer and a Co-Executive Producer for Season 4 of HBO's A Black Lady Sketch Show and has consulted on projects with Jimmy Fallon (That’s My Jam, NBC Universal), Mike Myers (The Pentaverate, Netflix) and John Mulaney (Sack Lunch Bunch, Netflix). Additional writing credits include the second season of Teenage Euthanasia (Adult Swim / HBO Max), the first season of Human Resources (Big Mouth spin off, Netflix), and The Kid’s Tonight Show (Peacock). As a member of all black comedy team Astronomy Club, she co-created and starred in Astronomy Club The Sketch Show, which premiered on Netflix in 2019 to stellar reviews from Variety, Vulture and Rotten Tomatoes. 

Dir. of Photography - ARIC JACOBSON

Aric Jacobson, a director of photography of 20 years, was born and raised in New York. Growing up on Manhattan’s lower east side in the 1980s not only influenced his shooting style but also allowed him to grow up on movie and tv sets. After receiving his degree in cinematography from the School of Visual Arts in 2006, Jacobson got his second education on major motion pictures and television shows shot in the city. He learned the dynamics of a film set and the nuances of each department. It all laid the groundwork for his career as a cinematographer, shooting with speed and efficiency, doing more with less, while fostering creativity and camaraderie. His work ranges from stylized Superbowl commercials and music videos to gritty feature films, and glossy branded and editorial videos for various brands and companies.

Producer - MELISA BREINER-SANDERS

A producer and actor based in Brooklyn, NY, Mélisa received her MFA in Acting from DePaul University and her BA from Georgetown University. A producer for over a decade, Mélisa has worked on award-winning features, shorts, webseries, and music videos that have screened at festivals across the country and internationally. She was a Consulting Producer on Cupids (TriBeCa, Cannes, BET+), Producer for Being Here which released to 20K views in the first week, and her viral sketch Interview with an Applicant has over 1.6M views on Youtube. Her first feature Seven Lovers is available on all digital streaming platforms and she is currently in post-production as a Producer on the indie feature Greetings From Arizona. Melisa was part of the Sundance Co//ab Producing cohort in 2020, advised by Karin Chien.

Producer - SHANNON TAYLOR

Shannon Taylor is an EMMY award winning filmmaker (NATASPSW) who runs her own production company Taylor Way Productions. She has produced feature films, commercials, TV pilots, documentaries, TV programs, social media content, live events, virtual events, and live telethons. Her work has been seen on Primetime TV, local TV, YouTube, social media, and film festivals worldwide. Her projects have included Julius Thomas III (Hamilton), Tiffany Denise Hobbs (Ozark, Atlanta), Faithe Herman (This is Us, Shazam), Mark Christopher Lawrence (Chuck, Pursuit of Happyness), Alexander Hodge (Insecure), and Arielle Kebbel (Vampire Diaries, Fifty Shades Freed). Based in Southern California, she is currently the Supervising Producer at the tech company, ClickUp. 

Over 33 million Americans identify as multiracial and yet their stories are largely absent from from our media landscape. That's over 10% of people who don't see themselves and their stories represented on screen. This film is an effort to tell one story so that others don't feel alone. We hope this film can be a jumping off point for discussion and healing within families and in communities. To that end, we will be taking this finished film to organizations and communities events in order to lead discussions and promote healing and understanding. Your contribution will allow us to do that work.

Also filmmaking is hard! And making your own work is even harder, but it's the only way to get new stories out there. As we are seeing with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the big corporate system is broken. We need your help to keep independent film going.

FOLLOW

Hit the follow button and follow our campaign. You'll get updates on the latest "Unsaid" news and it's 100% free. 

What does the "Unsaid" team get out of it? Seed&Spark rewards us for building our audience. The more followers we get, the more we unlock products, services, and festival fee waivers courtesy of Seed&Spark!

CONTRIBUTE AND PLEDGE

You can make a contribution to our film by making a pledge. We have to collect 80% of our crowdfunding goal to keep our funds. You can choose an incentive or make a pledge to a specific wishlist item. You can choose any pledge and incentive amount that fits your budget. No pledge is too small. Every dollar makes a difference in making our film possible!

LOANS & DONATIONS

Can't make a monetary pledge but have services or items you can donate or loan? Check out our wishlist! We can offer credit and/or advertising. Feel free to make a loan request in our "Wishlist" tab or email us at [email protected]

Here are some items we are seeking:

• Church Location in LA
• Home location in LA
• Coffin rental
• Flowers for set dressing
• Craft services (snacks, coffee, bottled water)
• Catering (Breakfast and Lunch)
• Extras
• Ground transportation
• Accounting services or a clerk
• Production assistants

SPREAD THE WORD

The best way we can reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks. If you’d like to be a part of supporting independent filmmakers and spreading stories of healing and community, YOU can make the difference in our success!

Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you want! We can't do this without you!

Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste!

Help filmmaker @robkingofficial by supporting his autobiographical film UNSAID about a biracial man who finally gets the courage to tell his grandmother how her racist past affected him… at her funeral. Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/unsaid

I just saw the Seed &Spark for UNSAID by filmmaker @robkingofficial and WOW, you've got to support this moving autobiographical short film!  Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/unsaid

I'm so excited to be a part of the group supporting the short film UNSAID, by NJ native @robkingofficial. Such an important story to be told and can't wait to see it! Support them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/unsaid

Joan "Nana" Leonard

1920-2019

Thank you for all the love you gave me my entire life.

I love you. I miss you.