Valley Daze is a modern Gen-Z take on the classic high-school drama series. A coming-of-age story with a tone somewhere between Freaks and Geeks, Euphoria, and Superbad with an emphasis on realistic, intersectional, and queer representation. It follows a group of Zoomer kids trying to find a sense of identity, purpose, and belonging during their final semester of High School in the suburban shadow of Los Angeles. As they struggle against the uniquely-adult challenges faced by teenagers today like power-imbalances, addiction, and unprecedented independence enabled by social media, they are forced to come to terms with the hard truth that growing up often means making difficult decisions—and that in a world constantly competing for our attention, looking inward becomes invaluable. 

The pilot episode introduces the ensemble cast in its entirety and each episode after will aim to explore the intricacies and lives of a given character, friend-group, or scene. Ultimately, this structure allows for the freedom to depict the exceptionally diverse San Fernando Valley, its inhabitants, and their lifestyles with the depth and honesty they deserve. In bringing the classic high-school drama format into the modern day with such a young cast of creators, Valley Daze aims to fill the current need for a modern, hilarious, and genuine depiction of teenage life that teens will see themselves in, and adults will be nostalgic for.

The inspiration for Valley Daze was born out of a frustration with the way that Gen-Z and the complex issues we face have been thus far depicted in TV. This team is dedicated to depicting our lives, home, and generation with unparalleled honesty. Valley Daze was created in an effort to understand the perspective of a generation that Hollywood hasn't honestly explored. 

We want to do the Valley and it's community the justice it deserves. The melting pot of ethnicities, cultures, and identities that the Valley contains have created an abundance of life where rich stories and characters are nurtured. This means telling authentic stories which explore the identities and eclectic nature of our characters; whether that be depicting the experience of coming out in a Latino family, or digging into the complexities of being homeless as a teen. We know how important it is to be able to see yourself in the stories you love, and we want as many people to be heard by this series as possible–especially those who usually don’t find themselves represented on-screen.

Valley Daze is an attempt to speak directly to a generation going through its formative growth period. So much goes into creating a film, from paying and feeding our crew, securing locations via permits, renting equipment, and post production. Making a film is no easy feat, and every single person is responsible bringing it to life. By contributing to our series, you're not only supporting us for the production of the project, but our outreach long term goals as well. The mission for Valley Daze is to pitch our pilot to executives with the ultimate goal to sell the show and have the chance to tell more of our stories while we're still young.

We’re a badass team of passionate, hard-working and multi-talented ABSOLUTE LEGENDS, of course.

We're proudly:

✔️ Under 25

✔️Mostly from ethnic minority groups

✔️Mostly part of the LGBTQ+ community

✔️Entirely AWESOME!

Jo Catt is a 21-year old queer actor and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. Since they were just a kid, Jo has been writing stories, music, and screenplays to produce with their friends. As a highschooler, they found their love for working on set and acting through their school’s film program, and found their voice as the frontman of their band, Skirtboy. Jo is currently enrolled at SMC pursuing an AA-T in Communications while advancing their screenwriting, acting, and musicianship to the next level.

During his childhood, Genu would write scripts, choreograph intense action sequences, and shoot little movies whilst living with his cousins. Currently, Genu studies Communication and Business at Cornell University and holds an internship at a production company in Santa Monica.

Marco began making films at the age of 5, using their mom's mini dv camcorder to create stop motion animation films with their Legos. Around 11th grade in high school, Marco started shooting music videos for several artists around town. They later went on to direct short narratives such as "Wrinkles" which won Best Comedy at Millennials on Melrose Film Fest. Marco recently graduated Magna Cum Laude at USC School of Cinematic Arts with a BA in Film/TV Production and looks to continue pursuing directing and acting.

Alessia Cruci is a producer, filmmaker, and actress born and raised in Florence, Italy. In 2018, Alessia moved to the United States to study film and in May 2022 she graduated Magna Cum Laude at USC School of Cinematic Arts with a BA in Film & TV Production. Alessia is looking forward to be working in female lead productions, or any narrative project. She is passionate about historic pieces, especially the one adapted from true stories.

Samuel Gill is a recent graduate from USC’s Film & Television Production program. As an editor, he focuses on narratives that explore the human psychology and how human relationships can grow and evolve overtime. Right now Samuel is working as an Editorial Assistant on an upcoming Disney & 20th Century project.

Joseph Wise is a British cinematographer based in Los Angeles, CA. Joseph moved to the United States when he was 10 years old where he became a child actor performing in several motion pictures. It was during his time on set as an actor that he became fascinated with the camera and what was going on behind it. Is what at the USC school of cinematic arts that Joseph established himself as a full time Director of Photography encompassing his knowledge of acting into an emotionally driven and character based art.

Well, let's say that making a $40,000 movie when we're still trying to pay out our LIFE is hard as f*ck. So we need your help to cover these expenses (or maybe someone at Warner Bros who decides to finance us, both could work).

PIECHART

If math isn't your thing, here's an explanation of that colorful pie:

We’re raising funds for a 50 pages pilot script and the majority of our budget is going towards equipment, crew, post-production, film festivals etc. 

We will use about $8,000 for camera, $5,000 for production design, around $7,000 for labor, $2,000 for insurance, and $5,000 for marketing and distribution (festival run, PR agency, social media spam - all fun stuff). Funny how a good chunk of cash turns out to be a pretty tight budget once you break it all down, huh? 

Yeah, making a TV pilot is not as cheap as it seems... at least if you want to make it right! And we want to make it perfect to rack up all those awards! 

Awards? Oh yeah, we're already strategizing on the festival run and looking at some awesome platforms to deliver our series right to your screens! Isn't this cool? Absolutely. Told you we’re badass!

The only way we will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks. If you’d like to be a part of supporting LGBTQ+ filmmakers, YOU can make a difference in our success!

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

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

Help the filmmakers @jocatt & @lee_no_d by supporting their heartfelt upcoming series Valley Daze about a group of Gen Z during their final semester of High School in the Valley, where they will learn that growing up often means making difficult choices. Join them on @seedandspark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/valley-daze#story

I just watched the Valley Daze promo video directed by @marcobizio and WOW, you've got to support this upcoming series! Join them on @seedandspark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/valley-daze#story

I'm so excited to see the upcoming series Valley Daze by USC SCA Alumn and @413productionss in collaboration with @jocatt & @lee_no_d from @skirt.boy! Help them raise the production funds on @seedandspark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/valley-daze#story