Hey Guys! I’m raising $8,000 to bring this film to life, and I need your help.

I’m Ricardo A. Spence, a Bronx-raised drama and romance writer dedicated to changing lives through storytelling and amplifying underrepresented voices. I believe that togetherness and vulnerability are the remedies to a divided world.

My new short film, SONNY VERNON, follows a rising boxer who is days away from the fight of his life when a sudden tragedy in training shatters everything.

His world is turned upside down, and he’s forced to confront grief, identity, and the true cost of greatness. In the aftermath, he has to decide whether to walk away from the dream entirely or step back into the ring and fight alone.

This story is deeply personal to me. It’s rooted in my childhood grief after my best friend moved from the Bronx to Mount Vernon. An experience that left a silence I didn’t yet have the language to understand. I wrote this film to honor boys who were never taught to love their friends out loud, fighters who never reach MGM but are just as great, and anyone who has had to carry grief quietly while still showing up for life.

I’m asking my family, friends, loved ones, and anyone who believes in independent storytelling to support this project. Through BethelFilmsNY, my minority-owned microbudget filmmaking company, I produce work completely independently from script to screen. Every dollar raised will go directly into making this film possible, including production costs, equipment, locations, cast and crew support, post-production, and festival submissions so this story can reach the audiences who need it most.

Any amount helps, and even if you’re not able to donate, sharing this campaign means just as much. Thank you!