What’s in this episode?

This video's a little different. It’s an open letter to Richard Rushfield — founder of The Ankler, one of the smartest, sharpest, most influential voices covering Hollywood today.

I respect the heck out of him. And frankly, we — as in you and I, this community — need his help. Because what we’re doing here isn’t small. We’re trying to save lives in a moment when an entire generation of trans and LGBTQ youth is being publicly targeted on the world’s largest stage. And the only way a story like A Still, Small Paw reaches the scale it needs to reach, is with serious help from people inside the system. People who still believe in the power of movies.

So this video is the letter I sent to Mr. Rushfield — explaining who I am, why this project matters, and why I’m reaching out to him now, with this level of urgency.

It’s about the crisis facing trans and LGBTQ youth. It’s about the broken, gatekept systems independent filmmakers face. It’s about The Hollywood wall, and a certain dragon sitting on the gold, and why we need courageous producers and allies to step up.

And it’s about what all of us already know: Stories can change the culture. Stories can save lives. Millions of kids and their families need a new story.