What if We Dated?
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Romantic Comedy
Anna & Joel are in terrible romantic droughts. After a night out at the bar, the lifelong best friends come to the realization that "you're more attractive when you're in a relationship." So, they hatch a plan to "fake date" so they can acquire a list of suitors to date once they "break-up". Genius.
What if We Dated?
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Romantic Comedy
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $16,317 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
173 supporters | followers
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Anna & Joel are in terrible romantic droughts. After a night out at the bar, the lifelong best friends come to the realization that "you're more attractive when you're in a relationship." So, they hatch a plan to "fake date" so they can acquire a list of suitors to date once they "break-up". Genius.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Why is it when it rains it pours?
Why is it that the rich get richer while others starve?
Why does it seem like the most desirable people are already taken?!
Maybe it's just the fact that they are taken that makes it seem like they’re the best. This hypothesis occurs to lifelong best friends, Anna & Joel, after another disappointing night out at the bar. What gives? They’re fun! They’re hip! They’re cutie patooties! Why can’t either of them find a date? Easy answer: they’re single. That one (and only) obstacle standing in the way of their romantic success can be overcome by one. single. question…
After their night out, Anna and Joel, can't help but contemplate why their friend Calvin, who is newly in a relationship, was getting hit on by everyone at the bar. It's not fair, damnit! The two drunken friends reach a hypothesis: people are always more attractive when they are in a relationship. So, they form a "perfect" plan: They'll pretend to date each other, so potential suitors will find them more attractive, and then they can "break up" and have a list of people who want to...date...them.
Will this work? Will they find love? Will this lead them down a path of crazy antics? Could they're greatest scheme to date actually be the ultimate test of friendship? How far do you go for your friend before you're sacrificing your own needs?
"What if We Dated?" is a proof-of-concept, short film based on a feature film script written by Michael Coale Grey, Kyle A. McLaughlin, and Rebecca Skowron. The three writers are childhood friends from their theater-kid days growing up in New Jersey...and also all happen to be single...making them the perfect trio for this story.
(Kyle, Rebecca, and Michael being cutie patootie friends down the Jersey Shore (no relation), 2018)
As they would put it:
We’re comedians. We love to laugh. We laugh to live. We yearn for a time when comedy movies packed the slate in theaters. In an era where people are becoming more and more disconnected from each other, we miss seeing silly, heartfelt stories about LOVE + FRIENDSHIP...
We especially miss the age of romantic, and buddy, comedies. Movies with heart, complex characters, and most importantly, tons of jokes you couldn’t help but quote the next day. And to combine a romantic comedy WITH a buddy comedy? GOLD.
We’re constantly seeing people ASKING for more of these kinds of stories!
- Reese Witherspoon recently spoke on the Armchair Expert Podcast about the difficulty of the modern dating scene and how she believes it is partially due to the lack of rom-coms being produced.
- 2023’s ‘Anyone but You’ made $220 MILLION in the box office globally on a $25 million dollar budget.
- Ultimately, we believe that people want, and need, more levity in the theaters these days. We know we’re not alone - we hear it from our friends and peers all the time. That is why we’re so damned determined to be the ones to bring this to life.
(Cast of the first table read of the original feature script, 2018)
“What If We Dated?” is a story that’s been brewing in our hearts for years, one that we’ve refined over time and are finally ready to bring into the world. After the initial feature draft, we went through countless edits, restructurings, a New York City table read, and more. We then made the hard decision to stash the story away in our script vault while we got some more time and experience under our belts. Which ultimately led to Michael and Kyle moving from New York City to Los Angeles, while starting their own production company, Man Falling Backwards Productions.
They wrote, produced, and starred in their first project, a comedy short about a down-trodden stoner and a magical weed nymph, Weed the People: A Stoner Fantasia on National Themes. It received a Los Angeles premiere, was accepted to a handful of film festivals (including a nomination for Best Short Film), and will soon be available for the public to watch.
(Poster design by Russell Graf)
Meanwhile, Rebecca stayed in New York and started making waves in the comedy scene, doing stand-up, improv, and sketch including joining one of UCB NY's 2024 Opening Maude Teams, Petty Crime.
(Rebecca on the right performing 'Halloween Carolers' with Petty Crime @ UCB NY)
As post-production for Weed the People... was wrapping up, Kyle, Michael, and Rebecca decided it was time to get What if We Dated? out of the script vault and get back to work. Ultimately they came to the conclusion that a proof-of-concept short would be the strongest, most strategic first step in achieving the goal of creating the full-length feature film.
This short will premiere on the festival circuit, acting as both a calling card and a launchpad as we shop the full feature to major and independent studios, and to our contacts throughout the industry. With the right backing, ‘What If We Dated?’ has the potential to stand proudly alongside modern comedic classics like ‘Knocked Up’, ‘There’s Something About Mary’, and ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ as a fresh and timeless rom-com, ready to join that legendary canon.
The genuine belief in this project from those who have been a part of the journey so far, and the ones joining now, gives us the confidence to fully realize the vision behind the film.
While we (Michael, Kyle, and Rebecca) have been working on this story for years, it was time to get more people involved. We are drawing on experience from our previous work and are supported by a team of professionals and friends we trust. After all, no better people to make a movie about friendship with, than your friends!
- Joining us as Executive Producer is Actress, Singer, Producer of Netflix specials, live shows and more, and one of Michael's best college friends, Kelsey Flynn!
- Director Jordan Roman is Kyle's roommate, and also has directed over a dozen short films, and worked on a Netflix animated feature.
- Our team of associate producers come from all different branches of friendship and backgrounds. They're coworkers, classmates, travel partners, co-creators, and chosen family. They're producers, performers, writers, models, podcasters, DJs, and theater-makers. And all of them immediately connected with the concept of our film and have been happy to join the team.
This movie is already bringing people together, connecting on a shared vision, and we haven't even started rolling.
We're looking to raise $15,000 to make this movie as efficiently and effectively as possible. Between the multi-hyphenate creative team, some cross-industry contacts, passionate friends, and YOUR DONATIONS, we believe we'll be able to shoot this movie in late Spring 2026, while still making sure our cast and crew are all given their fair dues.
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Even just sharing our campaign with your network could make the difference in this movie becoming something truly great.
We believe that What if We Dated? is a charming, funny, and exciting premise with a whole lot of promise.
With your help we can make a killer short, and get started on our journey to a feature buddy-rom-com that inspires audiences and filmmakers alike, establishing itself as a staple of its time.
SO…
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast
Costs $3,000
Help us pay our incredible talent. Proper funds could also help us secure bigger name actors!
Crew
Costs $5,000
We're looking to lock in a top-tier team to join our Director of Photography (seen here) for camera, sound, lighting, and more!
Locations
Costs $1,000
We're hoping to get the perfect bar and apartment in which to set our film, like this set from our first movie "Weed the People..."
Costumes, Props, Set Decoration, Craft Services
Costs $3,000
Help us dress our actors, build our sets, & feed our people! We want everyone looking great like in this BTS shot from "Weed the People..."
Post-Production
Costs $3,000
A movie comes together in the editing room. Help us nail it!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Michael Coale Grey is an LA-based actor, singer, and filmmaker. He is the co-founder of Man Falling Backwards Productions. Their previous film Weed the People: A Stoner Fantasia... had a Los Angeles premiere and was accepted to several film festivals, including a nomination for Best Short Film. Not bad for a movie about a magical weed nymph! As an actor he has performed all over the country, including in the 2025 Hollywood Fringe Bet Musical, One Up! He’s excited to finally be bringing this idea to life!
Rebecca Skowron is a New York-based writer, actor, and comedian who, only recently, finally discovered who let the dogs out (and it WASN’T who you’d expect!) Rebecca was a mainstage performer on Upright Citizens Brigade’s Maude (sketch comedy) team, Petty Crime. Her writing has been featured in sketch comedy and stand up shows around NYC. You can find her characters and impressions on TikTok where she lets her inner cringe theatre kid roam free.
At what point does an ICON become a LEGEND? Kyle A. McLaughlin will let you know as soon as he finds out. For now he is a screenwriter, a designer, an occasional actor, and a very loud talker. He has been writing scripts since childhood and hopes to potentially write more in the future, although tomorrow is never guaranteed. Memento Mori!
Kelsey Flynn is an LA-based actor, singer and producer. Recent producer credits include Rachel Bloom’s Netflix special Death, Let Me Do My Special and Legitimate Goddamn Theatre at UCB. She also produces and hosts her own singing and storytelling live show in LA called This Song Reminds Me Of…She is real stoked to be on this talented team! In the spirit of the content of this film, she is also single and her DMs are open! She’s only half kidding!
Jordan Roman has written, directed, produced and edited over a dozen short films and has written multiple features. He has worked on animated features for Netflix Animation, and has experience at the Panavision rental house and working for a major feature director. He is currently in the midst of pitching his debut feature Cuddle Buddies for financing, based off his award winning short film of the same title about the life and work of a professional cuddler. And he agrees that you are hotter when you are in a relationship!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Why is it when it rains it pours?
Why is it that the rich get richer while others starve?
Why does it seem like the most desirable people are already taken?!
Maybe it's just the fact that they are taken that makes it seem like they’re the best. This hypothesis occurs to lifelong best friends, Anna & Joel, after another disappointing night out at the bar. What gives? They’re fun! They’re hip! They’re cutie patooties! Why can’t either of them find a date? Easy answer: they’re single. That one (and only) obstacle standing in the way of their romantic success can be overcome by one. single. question…
After their night out, Anna and Joel, can't help but contemplate why their friend Calvin, who is newly in a relationship, was getting hit on by everyone at the bar. It's not fair, damnit! The two drunken friends reach a hypothesis: people are always more attractive when they are in a relationship. So, they form a "perfect" plan: They'll pretend to date each other, so potential suitors will find them more attractive, and then they can "break up" and have a list of people who want to...date...them.
Will this work? Will they find love? Will this lead them down a path of crazy antics? Could they're greatest scheme to date actually be the ultimate test of friendship? How far do you go for your friend before you're sacrificing your own needs?
"What if We Dated?" is a proof-of-concept, short film based on a feature film script written by Michael Coale Grey, Kyle A. McLaughlin, and Rebecca Skowron. The three writers are childhood friends from their theater-kid days growing up in New Jersey...and also all happen to be single...making them the perfect trio for this story.
(Kyle, Rebecca, and Michael being cutie patootie friends down the Jersey Shore (no relation), 2018)
As they would put it:
We’re comedians. We love to laugh. We laugh to live. We yearn for a time when comedy movies packed the slate in theaters. In an era where people are becoming more and more disconnected from each other, we miss seeing silly, heartfelt stories about LOVE + FRIENDSHIP...
We especially miss the age of romantic, and buddy, comedies. Movies with heart, complex characters, and most importantly, tons of jokes you couldn’t help but quote the next day. And to combine a romantic comedy WITH a buddy comedy? GOLD.
We’re constantly seeing people ASKING for more of these kinds of stories!
- Reese Witherspoon recently spoke on the Armchair Expert Podcast about the difficulty of the modern dating scene and how she believes it is partially due to the lack of rom-coms being produced.
- 2023’s ‘Anyone but You’ made $220 MILLION in the box office globally on a $25 million dollar budget.
- Ultimately, we believe that people want, and need, more levity in the theaters these days. We know we’re not alone - we hear it from our friends and peers all the time. That is why we’re so damned determined to be the ones to bring this to life.
(Cast of the first table read of the original feature script, 2018)
“What If We Dated?” is a story that’s been brewing in our hearts for years, one that we’ve refined over time and are finally ready to bring into the world. After the initial feature draft, we went through countless edits, restructurings, a New York City table read, and more. We then made the hard decision to stash the story away in our script vault while we got some more time and experience under our belts. Which ultimately led to Michael and Kyle moving from New York City to Los Angeles, while starting their own production company, Man Falling Backwards Productions.
They wrote, produced, and starred in their first project, a comedy short about a down-trodden stoner and a magical weed nymph, Weed the People: A Stoner Fantasia on National Themes. It received a Los Angeles premiere, was accepted to a handful of film festivals (including a nomination for Best Short Film), and will soon be available for the public to watch.
(Poster design by Russell Graf)
Meanwhile, Rebecca stayed in New York and started making waves in the comedy scene, doing stand-up, improv, and sketch including joining one of UCB NY's 2024 Opening Maude Teams, Petty Crime.
(Rebecca on the right performing 'Halloween Carolers' with Petty Crime @ UCB NY)
As post-production for Weed the People... was wrapping up, Kyle, Michael, and Rebecca decided it was time to get What if We Dated? out of the script vault and get back to work. Ultimately they came to the conclusion that a proof-of-concept short would be the strongest, most strategic first step in achieving the goal of creating the full-length feature film.
This short will premiere on the festival circuit, acting as both a calling card and a launchpad as we shop the full feature to major and independent studios, and to our contacts throughout the industry. With the right backing, ‘What If We Dated?’ has the potential to stand proudly alongside modern comedic classics like ‘Knocked Up’, ‘There’s Something About Mary’, and ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ as a fresh and timeless rom-com, ready to join that legendary canon.
The genuine belief in this project from those who have been a part of the journey so far, and the ones joining now, gives us the confidence to fully realize the vision behind the film.
While we (Michael, Kyle, and Rebecca) have been working on this story for years, it was time to get more people involved. We are drawing on experience from our previous work and are supported by a team of professionals and friends we trust. After all, no better people to make a movie about friendship with, than your friends!
- Joining us as Executive Producer is Actress, Singer, Producer of Netflix specials, live shows and more, and one of Michael's best college friends, Kelsey Flynn!
- Director Jordan Roman is Kyle's roommate, and also has directed over a dozen short films, and worked on a Netflix animated feature.
- Our team of associate producers come from all different branches of friendship and backgrounds. They're coworkers, classmates, travel partners, co-creators, and chosen family. They're producers, performers, writers, models, podcasters, DJs, and theater-makers. And all of them immediately connected with the concept of our film and have been happy to join the team.
This movie is already bringing people together, connecting on a shared vision, and we haven't even started rolling.
We're looking to raise $15,000 to make this movie as efficiently and effectively as possible. Between the multi-hyphenate creative team, some cross-industry contacts, passionate friends, and YOUR DONATIONS, we believe we'll be able to shoot this movie in late Spring 2026, while still making sure our cast and crew are all given their fair dues.
Even just sharing our campaign with your network could make the difference in this movie becoming something truly great.
We believe that What if We Dated? is a charming, funny, and exciting premise with a whole lot of promise.
With your help we can make a killer short, and get started on our journey to a feature buddy-rom-com that inspires audiences and filmmakers alike, establishing itself as a staple of its time.
SO…
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast
Costs $3,000
Help us pay our incredible talent. Proper funds could also help us secure bigger name actors!
Crew
Costs $5,000
We're looking to lock in a top-tier team to join our Director of Photography (seen here) for camera, sound, lighting, and more!
Locations
Costs $1,000
We're hoping to get the perfect bar and apartment in which to set our film, like this set from our first movie "Weed the People..."
Costumes, Props, Set Decoration, Craft Services
Costs $3,000
Help us dress our actors, build our sets, & feed our people! We want everyone looking great like in this BTS shot from "Weed the People..."
Post-Production
Costs $3,000
A movie comes together in the editing room. Help us nail it!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Michael Coale Grey is an LA-based actor, singer, and filmmaker. He is the co-founder of Man Falling Backwards Productions. Their previous film Weed the People: A Stoner Fantasia... had a Los Angeles premiere and was accepted to several film festivals, including a nomination for Best Short Film. Not bad for a movie about a magical weed nymph! As an actor he has performed all over the country, including in the 2025 Hollywood Fringe Bet Musical, One Up! He’s excited to finally be bringing this idea to life!
Rebecca Skowron is a New York-based writer, actor, and comedian who, only recently, finally discovered who let the dogs out (and it WASN’T who you’d expect!) Rebecca was a mainstage performer on Upright Citizens Brigade’s Maude (sketch comedy) team, Petty Crime. Her writing has been featured in sketch comedy and stand up shows around NYC. You can find her characters and impressions on TikTok where she lets her inner cringe theatre kid roam free.
At what point does an ICON become a LEGEND? Kyle A. McLaughlin will let you know as soon as he finds out. For now he is a screenwriter, a designer, an occasional actor, and a very loud talker. He has been writing scripts since childhood and hopes to potentially write more in the future, although tomorrow is never guaranteed. Memento Mori!
Kelsey Flynn is an LA-based actor, singer and producer. Recent producer credits include Rachel Bloom’s Netflix special Death, Let Me Do My Special and Legitimate Goddamn Theatre at UCB. She also produces and hosts her own singing and storytelling live show in LA called This Song Reminds Me Of…She is real stoked to be on this talented team! In the spirit of the content of this film, she is also single and her DMs are open! She’s only half kidding!
Jordan Roman has written, directed, produced and edited over a dozen short films and has written multiple features. He has worked on animated features for Netflix Animation, and has experience at the Panavision rental house and working for a major feature director. He is currently in the midst of pitching his debut feature Cuddle Buddies for financing, based off his award winning short film of the same title about the life and work of a professional cuddler. And he agrees that you are hotter when you are in a relationship!