Help Gerjuan Thrive in Film School

Scott Rogowsky is organizing this fundraiser.

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If you don't believe that kindness is contagious, the unlikely friendship I formed with Gerjuan "GeCue" Harmon is proof positive.

Born just a year apart but into wildly different circumstances, our lives would seem as opposite as the coasts we grew up on—Gerjuan in Los Angeles, I in New York:

Gerjuan’s circumstances meant being orphaned at three (mother shot dead in the streets; father splitting town), bounced between foster homes and juvenile halls, and exposed to influences of criminality—ultimately leading to a 17-year sentence in California state prison.

My circumstances meant having nurturing parents and a stable home, access to top-tier healthcare and education, and exposure to countless opportunities for creative and professional growth—ultimately leading to a successful career in show business and worldwide fame as host of the viral game show HQ Trivia.

As random as the accidents of our birth—and as remarkably divergent as the lives that followed—so too was the way our paths eventually crossed...

After happening to catch a clip of me in a television documentary, Gerjuan was moved to write me a letter and gift me with a handmade piece of art he’d painstakingly created behind bars.

I was floored by the gesture and felt inspired to write back, sparking a pen-pal correspondence that eventually led to texts, phone calls, and IRL hangs following his release in November 2024 (after 12 years served).

Happy to pay forward Gerjuan's initial random act of kindness, I helped Gerjuan secure housing and enroll at the New York Film Academy, where he is currently immersed in a one-year intensive cinematography program, honing his craft and furthering his creative pursuits.

Despite our surface-level differences, we have come to realize we are identical in the most important way: we are both artists in residence on this planet called Earth.

Fueled by our natural inclination to create, we decided to document our unfolding friendship and Gerjuan's post-prison journey, as he juggles reintegration into an unfamiliar society with the demands required of a full-time film student.

The result is Release: A Life Beyond Bars — a uniquely compelling podcast that blends our refreshingly earnest conversations and humorous self-reflections with raw insights into Gerjuan's experience of incarceration, and the challenges he faces navigating his newfound freedom.

Because of his full-time film student responsibilities, Gerjuan is unable to work a 9-5. He is struggling to cover the basic costs of city living, as well as the many "hidden fees" that have cropped up on top of his school tuition. Despite borrowing from friends and family and scrounging to save every penny, his financial stresses have become overwhelming and are beginning to hinder his ability to complete his coursework.

We are humbly asking for your help. If you are inspired by our living example of "the kindness of strangers" and by Gerjuan's impassioned artwork and his dedication to his craft, please consider a contribution. We chose GoFundMe because they take fewer fees than Patreon and Kickstarter. All proceeds will flow directly to Gerjuan and are sincerely appreciated.

AND IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO COMMISSION ART FROM GERJUAN, please do not hesitate to email us through the link provided here on GoFundMe — or message him on Instagram (@crushederasers). He can produce any type of graphic design or painted piece, in addition to street art and mural work: