Thanks for watching & supporting!
I remember celebrating my birthday on the first read-through of all episodes. It was the first time the cast and crew were introduced to the entire season, and the energy in the room was phenomenal. I remember the excitement and giddiness I felt of what was to come.
And here, a year later, I can say that I'm so proud of what we made happen. It's all thanks to some very talented individuals, who despite constant curveballs and uncertainties remained collected and helped the first season of ‘Kelsey’ come to fruition. Christina and I set out to make a show that was, first of all, one that both of us would want to watch, and one that would give representation to individuals who tend to get neglected on mainstream television. It feels like we accomplished both in an entertaining way, and we're truly proud of that.
Now that season one has come to an end, the question of ‘Kelsey’s future has become very prevalent. Christina and I had worked out what we would want to do creatively with two more seasons if/when the series acquired a following. Christina and I funded the entire first season out of pocket, putting us in not insignificant credit card debt, because we knew we were making something we believed in and something we wanted to share with others. But we always knew that we'd have to Crowdfund if we wanted to continue. Luckily, it seemed like that was a very viable option with our fanbase. You wanted more and we wanted to give you more.
However, unfortunately, the plan to keep going with the series will not become a reality. At the end of the day, making a film/tv show/web series is a business, which entails a lot of negotiation and compromise. While in discussion about the upcoming season, some key members of the series had expectations we simply could not meet. We are a small production company that works with minimal budgets and has never seen a profit; so the payoff for most of the work we do is getting to produce content that we're passionate about and sharing the finished products that we put our pride and joy into with an accepting & grateful audience. To be frank, we aren’t willing to sacrifice our integrity or the passionate work environment that we strive to create for our team just to please a select few. That in no way discredits the hard work that has gone into the first season by all. We want to thank everyone from the crew & cast for their dedication and talented contributions. But the time to move on to bigger & brighter creative prospects has come.
Christina and I left 'Kelsey' season one on a cliffhanger, figuring it would be a creative push for us to continue. Had things gone the way we planned, we'd be delivering on that decision. We apologize to anyone who feels let down by the fact that we can't. However, we do not want to let fans of the show down by any means. We will continue to put out work together and prove that we're a team worth your trust and support. Our next projects are two short films, both about siblings. We’re exploring a different genre with these two pieces. They address the topic of loss, one with two brothers and one with two sisters. Not unsurprisingly, they are based on personal experiences that I have gone through. We want to show the versatility of what we can portray; but you will get the same (or better) quality in storytelling and production value. We're excited to announce that we'll again be collaborating with our 'Kelsey' Cinematographer Peter Westervelt as well as much of the core production crew members. We're also excited to announce that Lauren A. Kennedy (Joanne on 'Kelsey' & Jesse in Christina's feature film Summit) will be playing one of the sisters.
We are planning to Crowdfund for these pieces, so keep an eye out on CongestedCat.com for our Seed&Spark.com campaign in June. Seed&Spark is one place to fund & follow, discover & watch indie films. We’re aiming to launch our campaign on June 10th and will have 30 days to raise $20,000. This money will go towards production costs as well as paying all of the crew and cast for their work. The creators and cast often get all the glory when it comes to film. The crew members and how hard they have to work to make it all come together is often overlooked. Christina has managed to find an incredibly talented and passionate crew and it is time that they also reap more of the benefits. I know Christina feels very strongly about this and I, too, am consistently amazed and inspired by the work that they bring to every shoot. So, $20,000 may seem like a lot of money but we want these shorts to be products that the crew & cast are not only proud to be part of, but also are able to make a small income from. Most of them exclusively work freelance, and most are doing majority unpaid gigs.
So, thank you! Thank you for reading this. Thank you for watching and supporting our show. And thank you for the positive response we’ve gotten. We are incredibly proud of the work we’ve accomplished so far and extremely humbled by the amazing reactions from fans. We sincerely hope you will give us a chance to show you other sides of our talents.
You’ll find our Seed&Spark campaign posted on this blog in 6 weeks. And, please note, even if you don’t have any funds to contribute, sharing goes a long way!
In the meantime, tweet at us, leave a comment, re-watch 'Kelsey,' check out the other fun projects CongestedCat Productions has been working on.
Sincerely,
Kelsey (on behalf of myself, Christina & the rest of the CongestedCat team)
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We're Casting for 2 of the roles! Read below if you're interested.
Director: Christina Raia Writer: Kelsey Rauber
PREMISE:
Diana & Liz are two adult sisters who love and respect each other more than anyone else in the world. But their future plans are tested upon receiving news.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTION:
DIANA, 30s, Caucasian, the older sister who has grown up taking care of her younger sister. But roles shifted a little upon the realization that Diana cannot have kids. She is a little quirky and slightly needy. Also, a lesbian.
*Non-union only. Production will happen over 1 day in July (additional details upon callbacks).
Director: Christina Raia Writer: Kelsey Rauber
PREMISE:
Two brothers get ready for their moms' anniversary party, but quickly realize something is very wrong with their environment when they try to leave the room.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTION:
CHRIS: 22-28 age range, he's fun loving and easy going. The younger, more carefree brother. He jogs, so is in pretty good shape. The actor playing the other brother (JAKE) is caucasian. Ideally, Chris would be mixed race because we want them to be half-siblings & reflect diversity. But caucasian actors should definitely apply as well.
*Non-union only. Production will happen over 1 day in July (additional details upon callbacks).
