“What Remains” is a character driven story that flickers between the before and after of the end of society as we know it. A global pandemic hits and a sickness takes most of humanity with it. Those who are left standing must find a way forward while also navigating the traumas instilled in them before.  

To know the story is to know the characters. Our lead is Alex, a kind-hearted person who always puts herself second. Never a problem child, she got the job, got the sweet boyfriend, and did everything she was supposed to do. Then one night, she meets Taylor, a non-binary queer, at a party and something clicks in her. Is it possible she's hidden a truth about herself all of these years? When the world ends shortly after, is it worth even exploring?

As a fend-for-themselves kind of person, Taylor spent most of their life running away when things got tough. Fight or flight, they easily choose the latter. When they reach their lowest of lows at the end of the world, they must learn that being alone is not the way forward.

Raised by an Olivia Soprano clone of a mother, Perry spends his time taking care of her with little appreciation back. Dedicating his time after the end to making sure his family is okay, he ignores the narcissistic and stubborn tendencies that creep out in his personal relationships, which over time can only cause trouble on the road to survival.

Len is our moral compass of the story, spending his time caring for his niece, Kayla, and eventually, helping a desperate stranger in need. His guiding philosophy is that every life is worth saving and he hopes to instill this in Kayla, whose hot headedness often gets the best of her.

“What Remains” is a story of perseverance and the importance of facing your traumas head on. Only in doing so can our group learn to survive the new world they’ve found themselves in.

The Why

I guess a big question is, why? Why this story and why now? As I was writing What Remains, I had a goal set to highlight a variety of troubles we as humans face as we go through life. The COVID 19 pandemic really highlighted the shifts I saw people make in their lives. I came out as queer when I was 15 years old. I know what it's like to come out at an early age, the fears of knowing I'd have to learn to navigate the world in a different way than others. I also know there's privilege in that. Some people don't have those moments until much later in life, when they're already established and set in certain ways.

I wanted to highlight the complexities of each scenario. The hardships of family dynamics and the effects on an individual because of that. I mostly wanted to show a story of growth. And that's what this series is all about. We're all given the opportunity to grow, we just have to take it. I think that's something everyone can relate to.

The Campaign

The money pledged towards this project will go to funding all aspects of production. It will help us support our cast, our crew, and procure any rentals and additional needs on set, including the set itself! Location, location, location! Sami and I won't be taking a cut of these pledges, which I feel is important to mention. It will truly go to every other aspect of filming.

The absolute minimum we'd need to raise is $9,600 for this production.

If we raise $12,000, we'll be able to cover the costs of running this campaign!

If we raise $14,000, we'll be able cover travel and lodging.

If we raise $16,000, we'll be able to pay for original scoring.

If we raise $18,000, we'll be able to pay for sound mixing + editing.

If we raise $20,000, I might just faint. Just kidding, we'll be able to cover marketing and distribution needs.

The Cast

Meredith Vivian as Alex

Meredith Vivian is an LA-based actor hailing from the football-loving and forever-freezing Buffalo, New York. She graduated with a B.A. in Theatre from Loyola University Chicago in 2016, where she also studied improv at Chicago's The Second City. Meredith's past credits include Abigail, a feature film currently being distributed by Dark Star Pictures, and the short film Where It Happened, which premiered at the Provincetown International Film Festival in 2022 and ultimately earned her the Best Actress award at the Los Angeles Crime and Horror Film Festival. 

Meredith is thrilled to join the cast of What Remains and looks forward to collaboration in bringing her character, Alex, to life. 

Natasia "Aech" Hanratty as Taylor

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, N. Aech has been making their way through the industry producing, shooting, and editing for digital media companies such as BuzzFeed, Real Simple, NYTimes Cooking, and more. Always a writer, they're thrilled to be able to bring this story to life. N. Aech has also begun a career in acting in the last few years and has appeared in commercials for Square and 1-800-Flowers. They've also played the role of Phoebe in Spare Me.

Taylor finds choosing between fight or flight easy. Flight, always. As a loner, they make their way through survival, but finds that may not be enough. You need friends, community, and trust.

Havon Baraka as Perry

Havon Baraka was born & raised in "mini-Vegas" as he calls it aka Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the youngest of four from his mother, Christina Frommer. Havon has been writing & acting since age 5 and even studied 'Playwriting & Screenwriting' at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) at a young age, Havon dove into acting, writing, stand up & directing as a means of expression and hasn't looked back.

Perry is a strong headed individual who has spent his life caring for his less-than-grateful mother. His stubbornness and inherited trauma get the best of him and he must learn to overcome them or face the consequences of the new, rough world.

Sami Bass as Kayla

Sami is a multi-racial filmmaker raised in NYC. She began her career as an actor, then casting assistant at Scott Free Productions. When she felt a gap between her experience as a BIPOC woman and the roles offered on screen she decided to dive head first into activism in Hollywood, joining the team for The 51 Fund, a venture capital fund seeking to invest in womxn filmmakers, and founding MoviesByHer, a resource for underrepresented filmmakers to connect more easily with their audiences. During this time she began to also expand her storytelling into producing and writing, working on award-winning films such as Naomi McDougall-Jones’ 'Bite Me', Michelle Bossy’s 'Miracle Baby', and alongside Emmy winning producer Erin Glass on multiple projects. Her dedication to underrepresented storytelling also inspired her to launch 'Disrupting the Silence', a documentary interview series focusing on holding space for difficult conversations on race, gender and identity.

Kayla has spent her time pushing people away and keeping a wall up with her fiery attitude and no nonsense personality. She finds her uncle Len's optimism for other people to be a mistake, but she also begins to realize in order to survive, you need help.

What Remains has also paired up with Hire Survivors Hollywood to ensure we pledge to build a safer, more equitable industry by giving opportunities, auditions, & interviews to survivors & Silence Breakers. We’ll never retaliate against anyone for coming forward about sexual violence.

What Remains fully supports the WGA and SAG-AFTRA in their industry strike. As a fully independent production, we’ve reached out to the WGA to ensure nothing we’re doing is crossing the picket line. Our current Micro Budget Agreement with SAG-AFTRA is considered a non-struck production and may continue as is. Should anything change, we will fully adjust accordingly and follow all union guidelines as they're released. This strike affects our cast and crew personally and we support every effort in achieving a fair contract.