Help Us Make Our Goofy Short Film about Making Friends!

Hi everyone! We’re raising funds to produce our upcoming narrative short film, Help Wanted, shooting in February of 2026.

Help Wanted follows Jane, a 19-year-old homeschooled poet who spends her days lifeguarding at a very run-down and very bizarre public pool. She'd rather focus on her writing than deal with people, but when she finds out that federal investigators are closing in on her boss's use of underage workers—aka the mysterious "Baby Bodyguards"— Jane faces an impossible issue: find an adult-hire ASAP, or lose her job to the government. Instinctively, Jane turns to her poetic abilities to send out a cry for help. Which magically falls into the hands (or should we say Bra) of Lexipra, an out-of-touch and sexually assertive young woman who mistakes the job opportunity for a hookup.

We are Ben Berman and Blakesley Coudon, the writers and directors for Help Wanted. Both of us grew up in Baltimore laboring at odd jobs. Ben ran around backstage of a Shakespeare theater company in high school, while Blakesley ran the snack shack at a public pool. Our shared love of comedy movies brought us together to develop our own set at a public pool.

The film blends camp, satire, and hyper-surreal imagery, but beneath all the absurdity is a real emotional core. Jane puts in perspective the value of working with others to save her job. Her character promotes the theme of the short film: confidence and empathy are integral in doing the right thing.

The tone of Help Wanted is completely absurd. Imagine if the humor in Zoolander was mashed with the visuals of Psycho Beach Party. We draw inspiration from 60s beach movies to create the colorful world of the public pool.

To learn more about how to make an impact against child labor, learn more at The Child Labor Coalition, https://stopchildlabor.org

A Team of Passionate, Award-Winning Young Filmmakers

This is a project led by an exceptionally talented team of young filmmakers, each bringing a unique vision and expertise to the table, all of whom attend the prestigious Virginia Tech and University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts (SCA). Recognized as one of the best film schools in the world, SCA has produced some of the most influential filmmakers of our time, and we are proud to be continuing that legacy. We’re working with Hanging Cliff Productions, a student-run production company. They’ve just wrapped their most recent short film, No One Will Believe You, which is headed to the festival circuit in 2027.

Ben Berman (Director, Writer) is a current University of Southern California student at the School of Cinematic Arts. He is majoring in Writing for the Screen and Television, but is a total fiend for every form of dramatic writing. He's currently developing a play titled "It's a Struggle Coming Out" alongside the Los Angeles Theater Initiative for a run at the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He recently directed the premiere production of his full-length play Baba Yaga alongside USC’s Community Arts Collective. Ben is an alumnus of Interlochen Arts Academy, where he received a Fine Arts Award. He attended Northwestern’s National High School Institute, where he studied playwriting under Laura Schellhardt. Ben’s also an alum of Stagedoor Manor, where he has had one-act plays produced four times. His work has been produced at the Secret Theatre, University of Southern California, and StageWorks in New Jersey. Ben was a semi-finalist once at Eugene O’Neill’s Young Playwrights Festival and four times at The Blank Theatre’s Young Play Festival. He was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland (go O’s!), and attended the same elementary school as John Waters.

Blakesley Coudon (Director, Writer) is a student at Virginia Tech, majoring in Marketing Management at the Pamplin School of Business and minoring in Cinema. She’s from Baltimore, Maryland, where she met Ben, and instantly bonded with him over their shared love for Film. She originally comes from a creative background in fashion design, which she studied and practiced throughout high school—designing, sewing, and showcasing original pieces in art shows. But alongside fashion, she’s always had a huge love for writing, storytelling, and all things comedy. This project is her first time stepping into the role of codirector, and she couldn’t be more excited (and slightly terrified) to see this chaotic story come to life. When she’s not writing with Ben, she enjoys thrifting, spending time with friends, and watching films (duh).

Eleanor Smith (Producer) is an award-winning filmmaker, actor, and producer studying Film & Television Production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Her short Strings—shot in Italy and funded with over $112,000—screened at 26+ international festivals including NFFTY and ScreamFest, winning Best Short Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Young Director, with support from filmmaker Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham). Her documentary Instant Gimbap won Best Documentary at the Arizona International Film Festival. Acting credits include Netflix’s XO, Kitty, Korean web series Reset, and global campaigns for Samsung and LG. Most recently, she wrote and directed the horror short No One Will Believe You during her first year at USC, and is interning at the talent agency NEER Motion. She was drawn to Help Wanted for its offbeat tone, standout script, and the creative vision of its directors.

Karina Alvarez (Producer) is a sophomore student at USC, and is in her second year at the John Wells Division of Writing for Screen and Televison at the School of Cinematic Arts. She is currently developing her short film Sundowning through the University of Southern California’s coveted CTPR 480 production. She has directed and produced her own short film, Tryhard, and showcased it at The Loft Cinema’s First Friday Shorts. She has also script supervised and PA’d on multiple USC student short films, such as Finding Myself, Topshelf, and Minor Key. This past semester, Karina was a Development and Production intern for the acclaimed production company, FilmNation, and is currently a Development and Acquisitions Intern at Capstone Global. She took interest in Help Wanted due to its ability to embrace absurdity and subverted expectations, yet remain grounded with its core theme of connection. Growing up in Tucson, Arizona, Karina grew up seeking refuge from the merciless desert heat in movie theaters, ultimately leading her to her love for film.

Audrey Draper (Producer) is an incoming freshman to USC’s Marshall School of Business and the School of Cinematic Arts. She will be majoring in the Business of Cinematic Arts. She’s working as an Assistant Director and Producer for the upcoming KoaCorp film The Beat Blues. Last summer, she worked as a grip on the short film “Scout’s Honor”, a film by Fit Via Vie & Offbeat films. The film is preparing to be submitted to festivals. She is from Seattle, WA and graduated this year from the Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences. In her spare time she enjoys combat sports, cooking, and going for extremely long walks. She first met Ben at 11 years old when they were both cast in the ensemble of “No No Nanette” at Stagedoor Manor. Audrey was immediately interested in Help Wanted because of the opportunity to reunite with Ben’s creativity (after many covid-era table reads), and contribute to the film's compelling message.

Why We Need Your Support

Short films like these are only possible with the contributions of those who believe in young filmmakers and the power of bold storytelling! Any contributions to this fund will go directly towards:

Why This Story Matters

As slapstick and out-there as Help Wanted is, the film is truly about empathy. Let's pull the COVID card. After the pandemic, everyone grew more reserved. The study, “Increased experiences of loneliness during the COVID‐19 pandemic, emotional distress and changes in perceived physical and mental health: A structural equation model” published under the National Library of Medicine showcased that 47% of participants reported an increased feeling of loneliness during the pandemic. Our short film promotes the importance of empathy and confidence is needed now more than ever.

The article: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10907826/