Short Summary

“Step 13” tells the story of April, a recovering addict struggling to cope with the loss of her mother. April’s relationship with her father undergoes new levels of tension as they both try to navigate life without the person that served as the glue of the family. Compounding April’s emotional issues, she tries to find an outlet for the guilt she feels since her careless actions resulted in her mother’s death. Through a non-linear storyline, we witness the unraveling of April's college life and the inner turmoil she must face while also being a source of support for her father. It's a powerful exploration of the price of grief and the healing power of love and support.

Key Crew

Writer/Producer:  Rick Hansberry

Rick Hansberry is an award-winning screenwriter with more than 25 years of industry experience. With several produced credits on his IMDb page, Rick has written, produced, and directed several short and feature films.

Director/Producer: Brandon Wood

Brandon Wood is a filmmaker born and raised in rural Pennsylvania. A graduate of Kutztown University with a degree in Cinema, Television, and Media Production, Brandon has produced several short films, including the award-winning “The Trunk”. He has also directed several short films, and is excited to get back in the director's chair for "Step 13".

Cinematographer/Producer: Zack Wilcox

Zack Wilcox is an Upstate New York born and raised filmmaker who brings the sensibilities of small town life into his filmmaking. After an extensive career as a crew member on countless indie features, commercials, television, and music videos, he has honed his skills in the technical aspects of streamlined indie filmmaking.

1st AD/Producer: Tony Susi

Tony Susi is a filmmaker, designer, and multidisciplinary artist based in Pennsylvania. He creates a variety of work through the mediums of film, video, graphic design, and experimentational projects for himself, clients, and others. He has turned his professional creative focus to filmmaking and telling compelling stories using his unique view of design and communication for narrative and commercial projects.

Cast

Emma Laramie: "April"

April was the only child of Sean and Mara. A good student and lover of books and literature, like her mother. She experienced some bad choices in college and now must face the consequences of those choices to rebuild her life and her relationship with her father. She’s determined to make good on both.

Emma Laramie is a Los Angeles born and raised actress who has honed her skills in New York. With a background in theater, she has participated in numerous musicals, plays, and short films, with an eye towards characters who are so much more than what they seem.

Jody Ebert: "Sean"

Sean is a self-employed handyman/contractor. Since he was young, he could ‘fix’ anything. The loss of his wife crippled his business. She kept him organized and on task. Now, he is struggling to help ‘fix’ his daughter’s issues with grief, guilt and addiction -- He’s hoping he can find a way to make her whole again.

Jody Ebert is an actor and an award-winning writer, director, and producer who has worked with Ray Romano, Justin Long, and David Letterman. In fact, Mr. Ebert was a regular on the Late Show with David Letterman for over six years as the FU GUY. His work in commercials includes Heineken, Taco Bell and Target.

What We Need & What You Get

We need your support to bring Step 13 to life! We need to raise money to pay and feed our cast and crew, including travel expenses. In our extensive filmmaking experience, we've found that serving pizza three days in a row results in a lower-quality product than feeding the cast and crew three different meals each day. We've also found that paying our cast and crew results in a much better final product, as everybody is motivated to make an outstanding project. Any funding above our goal will go towards post-production services (editing and musical score) and festival submission fees, allowing our story to make an even greater impact!

Funding our film can get you benefits like shout-outs on Instagram, your name in the credits, and some special surprise items. 

The Impact

Step 13 isn’t just a short film; it’s a relatable story of loss and grief, and also hope and redemption. By contributing, you’re not just funding a film—you’re promoting a message of hope to those struggling to overcome their biggest demons.

Your support helps bring our story to life. This film explores themes of addiction, recovery, grief, redemption, and healing. Our story has the power to bring hope to those who need it most, and to shine a bright light in a world full of darkness.

Risks & Challenges

Any creative endeavor comes with risks and challenges. We've worked hard to perfect our story and script, but anything could still go wrong during production (rainy days when we need sun, cast or crew getting sick, etc.), and post-production (lost footage, missing an insert shot), but the great thing is we are experienced filmmakers and have experienced many of these challenges before. We know how to overcome them, reworking the schedule or reshooting/shooting pickups if we have to, and ultimately delivering a fantastic product as intended.

Other Ways You Can Help

Can't contribute financially? No problem! We appreciate any help we can get!

• Tell your friends, family, coworkers, etc. about our fundraiser! Use Indiegogo's share tools to share our fundraiser directly to your social media accounts!
• Follow us on Instagram at @otterridgepictures, and like and share our posts and stories!