Survival Job
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, Thriller
SURVIVAL JOB flips the script on the common actor trope and keeps the twists coming in this dark comedy about the pressure to perform under the most difficult of conditions. By supporting this project, you’re supporting a team of hardworking storytellers committed to creating against all odds!
Survival Job
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, Thriller
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $10,000 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
131 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
SURVIVAL JOB flips the script on the common actor trope and keeps the twists coming in this dark comedy about the pressure to perform under the most difficult of conditions. By supporting this project, you’re supporting a team of hardworking storytellers committed to creating against all odds!
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
UPDATE: LET'S STRETCH!!!!
You showed us that anything is possible, and now we've set our sights on our first stretch goal total of $11,000 (which means raising another $3500) to help us cover our post-production costs including:
-
Editing
-
Color correction
-
Sound mixing
-
Music
THE STORY
Survival Job opens in a Method acting class in New York City. Student Tessa Wren struggles to connect with her classmates because she is overwhelmed with her day job and life outside the classroom. The teacher, Mimi Bond, articulates the importance of turning our constraints into our creative inspiration, or what Stanislkovski describes as “the creative state of being.”
When a phone call from Tessa’s agent derails the class, Tessa must race through midtown to get to her appointment on time.
But the appointment is not what is seems, and Tessa must rely on the skills she’s honed as an actress in order to escape her constraints (with the help of a monologue from Chekhov’s The Seagull) and face her deepest fear: truly connecting with another person.
We don’t want to spoil the ending, but as Tessa tells us, she “trusts no one.” We discover this is because everyone is more than who they first appear to be. Survival Job shines the spotlight on the reality that we all contain a multitude of identities within.
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
Being an actor in NYC has always been challenging, but this past year has been particularly devastating for actors who have had both their theatrical dreams and their survival jobs taken away. But as the late Carrie Fisher advised, ‘take your broken heart and make it into art.” That is an underlying message of film as well as the impetus for making it.
Monica first came up with the concept for a show about an actress who may or may not be a CIA agent following a conversation with her parents years ago. They suspected that her unusual life of travel, training, and experiences might mean that she worked for the CIA. The reality was far less glamorous. Since she was fifteen, Monica has worked “survival jobs” including: waitressing and bartending in over 26 bars and restaurants, singing in a Big Band in Nagasaki, babysitting, temping, children’s birthday party princess, hand-model, shoe-model, health coach, public speaking coach, cater-waiter, stand-in, photo double, background actor, health coach, copywriter, and more.
Following a crisis of identity while understudying in a Broadway show, Monica took a hiatus from acting for most of a decade. She traveled to 50+ countries, and as an entrepreneur, hosted hundreds of events/workshops/talkbacks and created a podcast about the intersection between philosophy, self-help, and emotional intelligence.
But a chance encounter with a former acting colleague led her to a method acting class where, for the first time, Monica experienced sense memory, basic relaxation, and utilizing both the subconscious mind and the imagination to enter the unknown in a way she didn’t know was possible. Her love for acting and the theater was rekindled and her view of theater and the importance of storytelling to connect us has become a thread in her writing and artistic endeavors.
Survival Job has a flawed but complicated female identifying protagonist and a majority female-identifying cast and crew.
THE VISUAL STORY
The visual world of Survival Job is a love child between Barry meets Alias.
The bare interiors of an off-Broadway studio and an empty stage contrast sharply with the exterior shots of Times Square, a canvas of color and sound.
Other visual sources of inspiration for the mood include: Vertigo, The Americans, and Killing Eve.
HOW YOU CAN JOIN US
We know (and love!) that theater and filmmaking are two of the most collaberative arts possible. This dream would not be possible without the vision, talent, and dedication of our cast and crew.
But we can't do it alone!
Your support goes directly to helping us make this movie.
We have some AWESOME incentives to show our sincere appreciation for your support! Be sure to check them out and hit the follow button at the top of our campaign page to get the latest updates and behind the scenes photos.
THANK YOU for being part of the SURVIVAL JOB FAMILY! We're thrilled to have you join us!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
COVID Safety & Insurance
Costs $500
Safety on set is more important than ever! We need PPE & insurance to keep our cast & crew safe.
Food
Costs $1,000
Cast and crew gotta eat! Individually portioned meals are a necessity these days.
Crew
Costs $2,500
We would not be able to make this project happen without our amazing and talented crew.
Equipment
Costs $1,000
Lights, sound, you name it - help us cover our rented equipment
Parking & Transportation
Costs $500
Parking and transportation in NYC isn't cheap - we want to make sure everyone can get to set safely
Locations
Costs $1,000
We are so thrilled to be filming in a theater - help us help keep theaters afloat!
Wardrobe, Props & HMU
Costs $500
We may not have fancy trailers, but we do need funds for prop, wardrobe, and hair & makeup
Hard drives, Admin Expenses
Costs $500
Other things cost money! Hard drives, script registration, administrative expenses, you name it
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
ABOUT THE TEAM
Our hard-working crew is majority female identifying, with LGTBQ and international representation, and a diverse cast. Between us, we’ve had over 300 survival jobs.
CREW
Writer/Director/Executive Producer: Monica McCarthy
Executive Producer: Erin Glass
Co-Producer: Nathalie Frederick
Co-Producer: Elizabeth Daniels
Director Of Photography: John Fitzpatrick
Gaffer:Thomas Hutteau
Sound: Mariya Chulichkova
Assistant Camera: Justine Bertrand
Costume Designer: Mia Gutierrez
Editor: Alison Kusmik
HMU: Julia Valldi
Fight Choreographer: Shannon Michael Wamser
CAST
TESSA WREN: Monica McCarthy
MIMI BOND: Lindy Rogers
THE RUSSIAN: Sergey Nagorny
Classmates:
Ben Brown
Yaz Perea
Ben Stroman
Nina Tarr
Jude Severin
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
UPDATE: LET'S STRETCH!!!!
You showed us that anything is possible, and now we've set our sights on our first stretch goal total of $11,000 (which means raising another $3500) to help us cover our post-production costs including:
-
Editing
-
Color correction
-
Sound mixing
-
Music
THE STORY
Survival Job opens in a Method acting class in New York City. Student Tessa Wren struggles to connect with her classmates because she is overwhelmed with her day job and life outside the classroom. The teacher, Mimi Bond, articulates the importance of turning our constraints into our creative inspiration, or what Stanislkovski describes as “the creative state of being.”
When a phone call from Tessa’s agent derails the class, Tessa must race through midtown to get to her appointment on time.
But the appointment is not what is seems, and Tessa must rely on the skills she’s honed as an actress in order to escape her constraints (with the help of a monologue from Chekhov’s The Seagull) and face her deepest fear: truly connecting with another person.
We don’t want to spoil the ending, but as Tessa tells us, she “trusts no one.” We discover this is because everyone is more than who they first appear to be. Survival Job shines the spotlight on the reality that we all contain a multitude of identities within.
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
Being an actor in NYC has always been challenging, but this past year has been particularly devastating for actors who have had both their theatrical dreams and their survival jobs taken away. But as the late Carrie Fisher advised, ‘take your broken heart and make it into art.” That is an underlying message of film as well as the impetus for making it.
Monica first came up with the concept for a show about an actress who may or may not be a CIA agent following a conversation with her parents years ago. They suspected that her unusual life of travel, training, and experiences might mean that she worked for the CIA. The reality was far less glamorous. Since she was fifteen, Monica has worked “survival jobs” including: waitressing and bartending in over 26 bars and restaurants, singing in a Big Band in Nagasaki, babysitting, temping, children’s birthday party princess, hand-model, shoe-model, health coach, public speaking coach, cater-waiter, stand-in, photo double, background actor, health coach, copywriter, and more.
Following a crisis of identity while understudying in a Broadway show, Monica took a hiatus from acting for most of a decade. She traveled to 50+ countries, and as an entrepreneur, hosted hundreds of events/workshops/talkbacks and created a podcast about the intersection between philosophy, self-help, and emotional intelligence.
But a chance encounter with a former acting colleague led her to a method acting class where, for the first time, Monica experienced sense memory, basic relaxation, and utilizing both the subconscious mind and the imagination to enter the unknown in a way she didn’t know was possible. Her love for acting and the theater was rekindled and her view of theater and the importance of storytelling to connect us has become a thread in her writing and artistic endeavors.
Survival Job has a flawed but complicated female identifying protagonist and a majority female-identifying cast and crew.
THE VISUAL STORY
The visual world of Survival Job is a love child between Barry meets Alias.
The bare interiors of an off-Broadway studio and an empty stage contrast sharply with the exterior shots of Times Square, a canvas of color and sound.
Other visual sources of inspiration for the mood include: Vertigo, The Americans, and Killing Eve.
HOW YOU CAN JOIN US
We know (and love!) that theater and filmmaking are two of the most collaberative arts possible. This dream would not be possible without the vision, talent, and dedication of our cast and crew.
But we can't do it alone!
Your support goes directly to helping us make this movie.
We have some AWESOME incentives to show our sincere appreciation for your support! Be sure to check them out and hit the follow button at the top of our campaign page to get the latest updates and behind the scenes photos.
THANK YOU for being part of the SURVIVAL JOB FAMILY! We're thrilled to have you join us!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
COVID Safety & Insurance
Costs $500
Safety on set is more important than ever! We need PPE & insurance to keep our cast & crew safe.
Food
Costs $1,000
Cast and crew gotta eat! Individually portioned meals are a necessity these days.
Crew
Costs $2,500
We would not be able to make this project happen without our amazing and talented crew.
Equipment
Costs $1,000
Lights, sound, you name it - help us cover our rented equipment
Parking & Transportation
Costs $500
Parking and transportation in NYC isn't cheap - we want to make sure everyone can get to set safely
Locations
Costs $1,000
We are so thrilled to be filming in a theater - help us help keep theaters afloat!
Wardrobe, Props & HMU
Costs $500
We may not have fancy trailers, but we do need funds for prop, wardrobe, and hair & makeup
Hard drives, Admin Expenses
Costs $500
Other things cost money! Hard drives, script registration, administrative expenses, you name it
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
ABOUT THE TEAM
Our hard-working crew is majority female identifying, with LGTBQ and international representation, and a diverse cast. Between us, we’ve had over 300 survival jobs.
CREW
Writer/Director/Executive Producer: Monica McCarthy
Executive Producer: Erin Glass
Co-Producer: Nathalie Frederick
Co-Producer: Elizabeth Daniels
Director Of Photography: John Fitzpatrick
Gaffer:Thomas Hutteau
Sound: Mariya Chulichkova
Assistant Camera: Justine Bertrand
Costume Designer: Mia Gutierrez
Editor: Alison Kusmik
HMU: Julia Valldi
Fight Choreographer: Shannon Michael Wamser
CAST
TESSA WREN: Monica McCarthy
MIMI BOND: Lindy Rogers
THE RUSSIAN: Sergey Nagorny
Classmates:
Ben Brown
Yaz Perea
Ben Stroman
Nina Tarr
Jude Severin