About Our Story…

"Sometimes our lives need to blow up in order for us to realize the reason to have one."

Little May is a story of a flawed man, blind to his own self-destruction and the inspiration that transforms his biggest breakdown into his greatest breakthrough initiated through the purity of an artistically gifted child.

The disappointments of life have caused our adult characters to give up on their dreams and lose hope.  No one is telling the truth.  Their hopelessness leads to justifying bad decisions to alleviate the pain which keeps them stuck in their patterns and feeling victimized.

Little May represents the hope, the purity, the possibility of dreams.  Our children give us a chance for a fresh start, but we can’t get there without being honest with ourselves.

It takes courage to admit that we’ve had a hand in our circumstances and that we alone have the power to change.  Jon can’t see his blessings until he meets Little May. Their friendship is born at a mutual crossroads: John fostering her talent and May requiring John to get real with himself.

Inside John’s greatest disaster is his greatest gift.  Little May effects his true life purpose.

“Ain’t nothin’ for free.”  Our greatest breakthroughs usually leave a scar from which to tell our story, a reminder of the journey. We hope Little May will inspire us all to become better versions of ourselves so that we can give our children opportunities to become better version themselves and to always believe that the world outside (and inside of us) is full of endless possibilities.

“I guess that’s why I do art 'cause I’m just a little fish who’s dreamin’."  ~ Little May 

~ Danielle & Jon

Our Inspiration to Give Back...

In the story of Little May, and in the process of making the film, our goal is to bring the arts and artists to the forefront which is why we are collaborating with amazing painters and musicians to showcase their work. With the arts always on the chopping block when school budget cuts are enforced, we want to stress the fundamental foundation that the arts give in building children’s self-esteem and the positive influence that it has on the community.  Here are facts in Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning  (Fiske, 1999):

•The arts reach students not normally reached, in ways and methods not normally used.
•It changes the learning environment to one of discovery.
•Students connect better with each other.
•The arts provide challenges to students of all levels.
•Students learn to become self-sustained, self-directed learners.

Growing up we both experienced organizations that offered FREE art, theater, music, and dance classes which helped shape the people and artists that we are today.  We've aligned ourselves with great art-centered non-profits (The San Fernando Valley Art & Cultural Center, Inner-City Arts, Art Share) to promote their advocacy for arts education by offering free classes to kids and adults alike so they can create, express, discover and expand themselves.

In this very spirit, we want to give back.

#LittleMayEffect 

Creating world peace, one artwork at a time. 

The heart and soul of our film is to inspire a win-win culture.  The "art for art's sake" message of Little May has already inspired support, creation, and generosity as all of our artists are offering their artwork for our premium PERK PACKAGES to help us raise funds for our budget.

The arts give us hope, expression, and reflection so that we don’t feel so alone on this journey. 

“The world needs dreamers because without dreams there’s no hope” ~ John Friedmann

Director's Vision

Little May appeared in a dream.  It wasn’t so much what she had to say that struck me, it was the way that she made me feel…seen, inspired, capable, needed, and loved. Her curious stare burrowed right through my soul causing all my defenses to fall away so the only thing remaining was… the truth. With similar qualities, she serves as the catalyst that activates a major breakthrough in our flawed protagonist, John.  

Jon Bangle and I began our writing journey sharing a beer whilst talking about the unpleasant struggles of his recent divorce.   From my own past experiences, I saw his tale through the lens of duality inherent in all relationships- the two sides of every story and the two sides of ourselves.  I wondered about the treasure buried inside the wreckage, the deeper truth revealing why we attract situations into our lives.  Jon said the redemption from his disaster were his two daughters.

The duality of our story is mirrored by the juxtapositions of our character’s inner and outer realities.  John’s blurry, dulled, monotone life-view juxtaposed with Little May’s bright, colorful hope and crystal clear focus. John’s sound, fatherly advice, and generous care-taking against his self-serving and self-destructive behavior.  May’s pure innocence mixed with her wise, old soul; her vulnerable fragility tempered by her learned courageous survivalist instincts.

The process of growing up is messy, painful and hard as hell but the resiliency we have as humans, like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, is possible.  When "Little May's" innocence is counting on us to be better - we must take responsibility and choose a different way to be.  

For her sake. For our sake. For the truth’s sake.

~ Danielle
IMDb

Little May is Off To a Promising Start…

We were honored to win the Grand Jury Prize for “Best Short Script” for the Fade In Awards - and a chance to pitch our story at The Hollywood Pitch Fest in August to hundreds of Studios, Producers, Agents, and Managers.  But BEFORE we do… we wanted to make our short film to share our story the way we envision it not only as storytellers but also as filmmakers.

Our Cast

Jon Bangle
(Navy SEALS v Demons, Little Boy, What It Takes) IMDb

Jazlyn Yoder
(Chicago P.D., Chicago Justice, Once Upon a Night) IMDb

Danielle Bisutti
(God of War, Curse of Chucky, Insidious: Chapter 2) IMDb
*BAFTA Award Nominee

Kelsey Scott
(12 Years a Slave, Fear the Walking Dead: Passage, True Detective) IMDb
*Emmy Award Nominee

Spencer Garrett
(Yes Man, Air Force One, 21, Thank You for Smoking) IMDb

Our Crew

Stefan Colson - Cinematographer
(Honeyglue, Walk to Vegas, Eat Spirit Eat) IMDb

Johnny White - Art Director
(My Best Friend's Wedding, Home Alone 3, Miracle on 34th Street) IMDb

Mackenzie Gaspard - Production Designer
(SEAL Team, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Transparent) IMDb

Our Producing Team

Perfect Timing Productions
(Still Single) IMDb

Kim Waltrip
(The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them, Walk to Vegas) IMDb

Jewels Lubin
(Shadow of the Monarch, Different Eye, Interns of Newport Beach) IMDb

Ernessa T Carter
(Who You Know, Downsizing) IMDb

Amber Montervino
(Still Single, Switched!, Kitchen Confessions) IMDb

Our Musicians

Aaron Zigman - Composer
(The Notebook, Wakefield, Sex and the City 2, Alpha Dog) IMDb

Anita Coats - Singer-Songwriter "The Journey" - Theme Song
anitacoats.com

Our Painters

COMING SOON: "Meet the Artists of Little May” interviews post weekly on our UPDATES!
Follow us on social media platforms @littlemayfilm

Ryan Barton-Grimley - "Self Portrait" & "Venus Flytrap" (John's Paintings)

 

Anita Coats - "Fire and Rain" (Little May's Pastels & Painting, and Gallery Paintings)

Jeremy Lipking Realist Painter - “Skylar”  of his daughter (Gallery Painting)

Danielle Bisutti & Harland Williams - "Dreaming Fish" (John's Painting inspired by Little May)

Rachel Clark - "Heart Hurtling Through Space" (Gallery Painting)

Serge Serum - "Transformative Man" (Gallery Painting)

Rachael Vaught Root - "Bioluminescent Abyss" (Gallery Painting)




Diana Ferrare-Magaldi - "Poppies" (Gallery Painting)

Our Perks for You:

Thanks to the support of our artistic community of friends and family, we have incredible artwork, music, private screenings, a featured role and swag to score!  Check out our "SELECT A PERK" section on the right and see why we're so excited!

All "Perk" Paintings are on our "Artists of Little May Album" on FaceBook

John's "Art Kidz" School T-Shirts

"Little May" Official Movie Poster - Design by Connie Fueyo, Photo by Oeil Photography

"Little May" - Pop Art Poster - Design by Christopher Daniels, Painting by Rachel Clark

How Your Support Helps Us

In the wise words of our Little May, “Ain’t nothin’ for free.”  And that holds true in independent film making as well.  It’s our passion that will keep us going, but it’s your support that will make Little May possible.  Our budget is broken down as follows:

•The best cast & crew
•Permits, location costs
•Worker’s comp, general liability insurance
•Craft services, meals
•Props, set dressing, wardrobe
•Artwork cost, and materials
•Camera/sound equipment
•Post-production: editing, color, sound, visual effects
•Composer, music licensing
•Film festival submissions
•Marketing, publicity
•Travel to festivals for the cast &  crew
•Cost of perk materials and shipping
•8% fee to Indiegogo                                                                                                                                 

Other Ways to Contribute

Don’t have the means but still want to help?  Here are some easy way to contribute:

•LIKE and FOLLOW US on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
•Share our link on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, or any other platforms
•Shoot an email out to your contact list asking them to support as well
•Got resources? If you can provide catering, props, time or anything helpful

THANK YOU FOR BEING OUR COMMUNITY - WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

A Big Thanks to Our Current Supporters!

•Kim Waltrip
•Jimmy Van Patten
•Mary Shriver
•Katy O’Donnell
•Christopher Daniels (Pop Art Poster designer) MisterStyles.com
•Connie Fueyo (Official Film Poster designer) IMDb
•Mike Magaldi (“Art Kidz” T-shirt designer) RedStarProductions.com
•Dunkin’ Donuts
•Coca-Cola Company

Hashtags

#LittleMayFilm
#LittleMayEffect