What’s in this episode?

Chapter 13: Gonna Make This Movie, or Die Trying

I filmed part of this video in front of the Old North Church in Boston, where I'm kicking off something big. Over the next two years, right here on this channel, I’ll be documenting the production of my new dystopian feature film, A Still, Small Paw.

This film is being created in public — step by step — and it’s being made for trans and LGBTQ youth in these especially mean times. The story follows a sensitive 14-year-old boy in a dystopian America who has to convince his veterinarian father to defy a fascist mandate to euthanize all small dogs, all while trying to save his own scrappy little dog and grappling with his true identity. It’s in the tradition of 1984, Fahrenheit 451, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Hunger Games, Mad Max, and Children of Men — and I believe it can genuinely save lives.

Why am I doing this? Because signals matter. The ones we send. The ones we receive. The ones that help kids keep going. Over the last few years — through short films, updates, and activism — I’ve been hearing from parents, grandparents, teachers… and from LGBTQ and trans youth themselves. And the message is heartbreakingly consistent: “We’re scared. We don’t know what to do.”

So this channel is going to be the place where I show the entire filmmaking process: developing the screenplay, casting the family at the center of the story, launching a national search for the 14-year-old LGBTQ kid actor who’ll lead the film, interviewing film professionals, talking with families who’ve lived these challenges, and reaching out to the folks with the power to help us make this movie.

My goal is simple: Make this film in the next two years — and release it before the 2028 election — so it can serve as a real moment of pushback against attacks on LGBTQ youth. If you believe in this project — and believe in trans and LGBTQ kids — here’s how you can help:

👉 Watch the proof of concept at: https://www.astillsmallpaw.com

👉 Consider donating on GoFundMe or becoming a paid subscriber on Substack (the links are on the website).

👉 Like, share, and subscribe so this message reaches the people who need it

👉 Help spread this signal

I’m in this for all four quarters. I’ve poured everything into writing this screenplay, building the deck, launching the proof of concept video — and yes, I’m now deep in debt, Holy Moly! (including a personal loan and the rest of my Pennsylvania activism fine). But this is the work. This is the moment. I’m either going to make this movie… or I’m gonna die trying. Thanks for being here. Thanks for caring. And remember: Keep going. No matter what. Whatever happens to you, you keep going.

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