The Dropout

A divorcee's beloved holiday celebration with her adult children derails when she falls for her daughter's charming new boyfriend.

An R-rated, sex positive comedy influenced by “The Graduate,” but told from the perspective of a protagonist inspired by Mrs. Robinson. Set in Pasadena, California.

Do Audiences Want to See Women Behaving Badly?

Classic comedies often feature difficult men misbehaving. Jack Nicholson, Bill Murray, and Seth Rogen have all played flawed but lovable romantic heroes. But can an audience empathize with a woman who makes the ultimate betrayal, a mother who sleeps with her daughter's boyfriend?

We say, the answer is resoundingly yes! As women who have at times engaged in relationships with the wrong men and struggled to break free, we know the war between desire and common sense—or as we like to call it, the battle between the head, the heart, and the vagina—is ripe for drama and teeming with comedy.

As Americans retreated to their living rooms over the past year, and date night moved to the couch, high-quality entertainment has never been so paramount to our survival as a species. Audiences have shown that they are hungry for content from new voices, a chance to laugh, and a sexy storyline that explores the limits breached by human desire.

Our Work

We started working in entertainment in the mid 2000s, cutting our teeth creating short form content. We’ve collaborated with Oscar winners such as Rob Fried (and his Hallmark owned company, Feeln), renowned filmmakers like Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians”) for his Google premium channel, and Tony-award winners.

Collectively, we’ve been on hundreds of film sets and our work has played in over 100 festivals, including the Oscar-qualifying Rhode Island International, Clermont-Ferrand International and Cleveland International film festivals, as well as the Sao Paulo International, Sante Fe, Nashville International and LA Shorts International festivals, among many others. We’ve won many awards, including multiple Telly Awards, Programmer’s Award (Cleveland International Film Festival), Jury Award (Rhode Island International Film Festival), Audience Award (Bleedfest) and Founder’s Award (ReelAbilites Film Festival NY).

Through our experience in the last fifteen years, we’ve gained invaluable boots on the ground knowledge of filmmaking, fattened our Rolodexes with talented filmmakers, and toured the world showing audiences our films.

Now We're Embarking on Our Next Feature Film...

Why Now? 

• In 2020, the Academy of Motion Pictures announced new standards for films to be eligible in the Best Picture category. These initiatives are driving the awards categories toward more representation and inclusion. Hollywood is finally demanding more diverse voices.
• Streaming services such as Hulu, Netflix and HBO Max are providing a place for edgier content to live, after, or even instead of, a theatrical release. And the appetite for provocative content is growing.
• We have seen strong indications that female audiences are desperately seeking scenes showing romance and sexuality, like those featured in our film, based on the success of the steamy Netflix show "Bridgerton," which focuses on its female characters’ sexual agency, and has over 82 million viewers. 
  
• As the technology of filmmaking continues to advance, high-quality films can be made at much lower budget levels.

State of the Business

There has never been a better time for female-centered films. This year, the Academy upended their own history by nominating two women for Best Director and two movies directed by women for Best Picture. These films already made history at The Golden Globes, which awarded Best Picture and Best Director to Chloe Zhao for "Nomadland," a film starring a female lead over 60. "Promising Young Woman," a dark comedy directed by Emerald Fennell got four Golden Globe nominations and five Oscar nods. 

And Regina King gained recognition in the Globes for her directorial debut, "One Night In Miami," highlighting the growing appetite for diversity on screen. This is all evidence that audiences are hungry for content made by and for women, and that Hollywood tastemakers are finally catching up to speed.

With more women behind the camera, the female gaze has come into focus.  On the small screen, "Bridgerton" is the number one show in Netflix history. "Bad Moms," a modestly budgeted studio film, grossed $183M worldwide and spawned the sequel "Bad Moms Christmas." In the world of independent films, "Yes, God, Yes," the freshman feature from Karen Maine, explored the sexuality of a Catholic high school junior. The independently produced film premiered at SXSW to much acclaim, receiving a score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and is now available on Netflix. 

And films starring women make money. According to the LA Times, "there's a strong correlation between female-led films and box office success." A study conducted by the advocacy group Times Up in conjunction with the talent agency, CAA, examined the 350 top-grossing U.S. films released from 2014 through 2017, found that films with female leads outperformed male-led ones in worldwide box office averages. The proof is in the numbers!

Timeline 

• Late Summer/Fall 2021 -- Principal Photography

• Late 2021 -- Post-Production
• 2022 -- Film Festival Run
• 2022-23 -- Distribution & Release

Distribution

The reception for indie films has never been better. Sundance Film Festival had another landmark year in film sales. Over half the films were purchased for distribution, with the independent feature "CODA" breaking acquisition records when it sold to Apple + for $25 million. Since 2020 had little studio or independent film production, there is a void in the market that will need to be filled by new content.

Top-tier festivals are actively seeking content that celebrates diversity. Our female focused film, produced by an all-female creative team, is exactly the kind of movie that will appeal to film festivals—particularly Tribeca, Cannes, South By Southwest, Berlin, and Sundance.

"The Dropout" shoot is scheduled to be completed by late 2021, just in time for the 2022 festival circuit. We hope our film festival strategy will gain us recognition, build our audience, and attract distributors. We plan to leverage our current relationships with film sales agents and distributors to sell our film.

There are more and more marketing opportunities available to female filmmakers such as Cherry Picks, which aggregates film reviews for female film critics, a “Film Directed by Women” category on Netflix and the ReFrame Stamp, which demonstrates success in gender balance by hiring female-identifying people in key areas of production.

Our Progress

In preparation for our late summer/fall 2021 production timeline, we are meeting with and gathering our key creatives. We are also using our vast networks to connect with actors that bring momentum and the perfect vibe for the role. There is a key location that plays an important role in the film and we have already begun looking for the perfect spot.

Use of Funds 

As independent filmmakers, we’re accustomed to making our dollar stretch and are adept at using limited funds to elevate the cinematic world of our story. We have shaped the script to fit an independent budget, limiting our cast size and locations. Our production will be nimble yet high quality, so that our budget makes the most impact on the big screen.

A Note from the Producers

After a year of hardship and isolation, a new era of independent filmmaking has arrived. We know that audiences are looking for an escape through movies that are funny, passionate, and heart-warming, and we are determined to satiate those desires.

"The Dropout" has been called daring and provocative, but also inherently commercial by one of the project’s mentors, the comedy writer/director Luke Greenfield. The timing to make a film with a small cast and limited locations has never been better. And due to the derth of independent films shooting now, it has an excellent chance of standing out in next year’s festival season.

We have spent years refining our story, directing scenes from the script in front of a collective of filmmakers in Los Angeles, building our social media presence, and recently started a podcast that discusses sexuality in cinema. We believe this is the perfect time to bring this intimate story into being. With the proliferation of streaming options, the gates have been flung open, allowing for a new kind of independent filmmaker to emerge. Our team has years of proven experience in writing, directing, acting, marketing, and harnessing resources to create scintillating content. 

By investing in our all-female team, you are taking a step to elevate women’s voices. But contributing to something important doesn’t have to be boring. We are making a movie that’s sexy, hilarious, a little cringey at times, and ultimately life affirming. 

In Closing 

This is your chance to invest in a film filled with laugh out loud moments, passionate sex, characters who make big mistakes, and ultimately find their way to redemption and new beginnings. Our all female creative team is committed to seeing our movie become a staple in romantic(ish) comedies. "The Graduate,"  still resonates more than fifty years after its premiere. And we hope that the taboos broken in "The Dropout" will spark discussion for many years to come.

Join the party! Come for a drink. Stay for a laugh.