"Don't Shoot The Messenger" is a comedic web series written by Craig Fogel, Andrew Fisher, John McGinty, and Onudeah Nicolarakis.  It's loosely based on Craig's experiences as a sign language interpreter, and the Deaf writers' experiences with interpreters and hearing people in NYC. Maleni Chaitoo and Jessica Wasserman are both Executive Producers of this web series. The pilot episode was filmed in Brooklyn and Manhattan in late June on a shoe-string budget which mostly consisted of our life savings and favors from friends and family. We are raising this money so we can produce the rest of the episodes in this season (about 6 more episodes).

The money you donate will go to production costs such as paying the actors and crew, securing locations, feeding cast and crew (you won't believe how cranky they can get when hungry), wardrobe, props, transportation to and from locations and post-production costs such as editing, sound, captions, and marketing. Here is a breakdown of our costs:

Why should you donate to our web series? We are telling unique stories that are rarely showcased in mainstream media. We intend to feature rich, interesting Deaf characters written by Deaf writers and played by Deaf people. Our show is for both Deaf AND hearing audiences and we hope to show that there are humorous and compelling stories to be told by people who are often relegated to stereotypical story arcs in film and TV. We are proud of the diversity of our team: we are Deaf and hearing, people of color, men and women, and people of all walks of life.  Our show was written by an actor who is a professional sign language interpreter with a team of Deaf writers, the show is directed by a Deaf woman, and produced by two other diverse women, one Deaf and one with only very basic sign language skills. Overall, we just want to share these stories with as wide an audience as possible and your donations will make this a reality.

How do I know I'll like your show? Check out our pilot episode here:

What do I get for donating? The most important thing you will get for donating, if we reach our goal, is to be able to watch 6 more funny and compelling episodes of "Don't Shoot The Messenger" which we will be able to film and produce thanks to your help. If that isn't enough, we have tried to sweeten the deal by offering more immediate gratification with some sweet perks. Each donation level comes with its own set of perks so donate and enjoy!

When will you shoot the rest of the series if you hit your goal? GREAT question! If we reach our goal we will get back to work immediately and start the pre-production on the rest of the series. Our goal is to then shoot the rest of the season this Fall 2015 and start premiering the rest of the episodes on YouTube Winter 2015. 

What if I have more questions? We are happy to answer any more questions you have. Feel free to contact us on our website www.themessengerasl.com, or on YouTube, or on Facebook, or on Twitter. Basically, if you want answers you can reach us whatever way is most convenient for you.