Hi, my name is Mackenzie Bruen — I’m an actor, singer, producer, and the founder of Paper Crowns Productions.

I created this company out of a desire to stop waiting for permission. Some of the most meaningful artistic experiences in my life have come from people gathering together with limited resources but a huge amount of heart, passion, and imagination. I want this company to be a home for that kind of work — ambitious, emotionally driven storytelling created in collaboration with artists who genuinely want to support one another.

I’m especially passionate about creating opportunities for women and underrepresented creatives to lead, collaborate, and take up space both onstage and behind the scenes. More than anything, I want to create work that feels human, memorable, and emotionally alive, while building a creative community people feel excited to return to.

To officially launch the company, we are presenting our first public event: “Enemies to Lovers Cabaret” at The Green Room 42 on August 14th at 9:30pm. While this cabaret is our debut event, the larger purpose of this fundraiser is to help build the foundation for future theatre and film productions, workshops, staged readings, and original creative projects still to come.

We are raising money to support future production development, collaborator stipends, professional filming and photography, branding and marketing infrastructure, website and company setup costs, and the administrative tools needed to sustainably grow the company long-term. A smaller portion of the funds will support launch event expenses including rehearsal support, music direction, and creative materials.

Independent art is often built project by project without lasting infrastructure, and this company is my attempt to build something sustainable from the ground up — a creative home for artists to make bold, emotionally resonant work together. Every donation directly supports the future of independent storytelling and helps create opportunities for emerging artists to continue creating meaningful work.

Required disclaimer from GoFundMe:

No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.