It was April of 2025, and I had concluded the second part of my friend Jordan Michael‘s Producing Course. I was chatting with him after stating my desire to work with him in the future. He expressed to me, if I’m interested, in reading a project of his and is eager to hear my feedback. This was the gateway, and I’m being vetted for entry. Jordan Michael:
Previous to his current profession as a writer-producer in the film and entertainment space; Jordan Michael built his institutional knowledge of the Hollywood system with tenures at such places as the Weinstein Company, Gersh Agency, New Line Cinema /Warner Bros, Focus Features / Universal Pictures, Abrams Artists Agency, and Compact Media Group; while working across departments such as Licensing and Consumer Products, Motion Picture Literary, Television Literary, and Intellectual Property Rights Management. He has matriculated from both the School of Visual Arts Film Program and the American Film Institute’s Producing Program; while also completing additional fellowship training at UCLA. He’s been awarded the Jack Kirby Award; while also being a guiding chairperson of Ivy Entertainment.
Jordan sends me an email of the script, and that night I open and begin reading. I read on my bed, at my desk, in the bathroom, in the kitchen. I’m reading this story, and I’m almost immediately immersed in this world. Much like ours, grounded in reality, but with a charm of timelessness from indies from the last 4 decades.
I finish the story, and immediately I get to sending notes. The story stays with me. I read a ton of scripts, but it’s been a long time since a screenplay has made me feel something. Jordan and I get on a scheduled call, and we discuss for hours. His motivations, what he and Jeremiah Lewis chartered, the details of how this story came to be. It is then May, when I meet with the team. I’m not on the team just yet; I’m still trying to show value and my usefulness. Around the second week of May, I’m in. We meet, and we have a delightful Zoom meeting discussing the mission and the need to get the project off the ground. I’m using the skills I was taught by Jordan and our time in coursework. This is the real work, because producing can’t be taught, but it can be learned. Meeting Jeremiah Lewis:
Jeremiah Lewis grew up in the backwoods of Tidewater Virginia. A 2025 Story Incubator Fellow, he is also currently in development on a feature with Temple Hill Entertainment. Jeremiah believes in creating a supportive space and community for all writers through online shared daily early writing sessions (#5AMWritersClub) and relishes seasons in upstate New York with his wife and two dogs. He is represented by Range Media.
It was a splendid Zoom. Jordan had recruited another fellow onto the project, his good friend and University of Southern California alum Arturo Herrera Leon to come and join the project. I got firsthand experience in searching for the dream team. On Arturo:
Arturo Herrera is a multidisciplinary strategist with a background in product development, innovation, and storytelling. He has led cross-functional teams across tech, music, and live entertainment, shipping over 35 hardware products in the pro A/V industry and developing digital platforms for artists. Arturo blends creative vision with operational execution, with expertise in development, budgeting, scheduling, and go-to-market strategy. Now focusing on film, he supports production teams with business-savvy leadership and a deep respect for the creative process, with a passion for championing bold stories and underrepresented voices.
The next steps were going over the Directors and Cast document I created with all this new energy behind the story. Now that we have the initial producing team together, it was key that we find our director, as they can help us in securing key people who want to work on this project. We had a list of 4 directors, then one more in Jordan’s back pocket. This is still in the month of May, working out the details of creating a budget and schedule for the film, securing key personnel, and logistics around Film Independent programs and Film grants that year. One director, who’s had an extensive body of work, went to school with Mr. Michael and had a feature released recently, was on the list, but was going to be too busy. So we crossed them and the other two off based on credentials. The last one, they had Film Independent credits, a stellar background, and direct ties to a major organization. We sent a message, a follow-up, and guess what? No response.
Then Jordan sent me over, Eric Wang Schwager, this guy’s work was incredible. We sent out an email and invited him for an interview, and it was simply the countdown to greatness. I went on his website, his AFI website, and anything I could find on him to contribute to the conversation. I watched Lucky Market (2023) and Carcass (2023) and got a preview of his recently completed feature. I was blown away. His body of work is diverse, refreshing, and it’s shot so beautifully. The stories and the way he tells them are so unique that he was made to direct. And yes, this can mean anything for anybody, but something about Eric screamed, this is the one. So, we get to the Zoom interview. Jeremiah, Jordan, and I are on. We begin our initial rounds of questions and his take on the script. Everything in my head was saying “yes.” He had this magic about him that made me feel like the film was going to be in good hands. And later, you’ll find out why. On Eric:
Eric Wang Schwager is a first-generation Chinese and Jewish director and writer based in Los Angeles. He is currently in post-production on his debut feature, Dirty Little Secrets. An AFI Conservatory fellow and recipient of the Franklin J. Schaffner Award, Eric directed two thesis films that premiered at LA Shorts. Carcass screened at the CAA Moebius Showcase and won Best Student Film at the Hamilton Film Festival, while Lucky Market earned a Golden Angel and an ASC Heritage Award nomination. He has directed vertical dramas for platforms like ReelShorts and PocketFM, and his pilot Bad Beat was recognized by Cinequest, Screencraft, and Nantucket. His commercial work includes brands like Bank of America and a Silver Telly Award. Previously, Eric spent over a decade as a Local 600 camera operator on projects including Joker and 30 Rock.
After the call, the producing team and I deliberate on him and the other options once again. Still no response from the other director, but it doesn’t matter. We wanted Eric on this. Not solely because he answered, not because his resume, but because his spirit reflected what the story needed. We received some great notes and feedback from him a day or so later, and Jeremiah got to editing the script. Then I make an attempt to call Eric to share the good news. We made our choice. MIND YOU, we’re on different time zones, so I’m on the East Coast, and Eric’s on the West Coast, and working on verticals and other projects at the time. I sent him a voice message and an email congratulating him on coming onto the team. I get a voicemail that is still in my phone, to this day, which I will play on the campaign trail. It was the best feeling in the world. Now with a producing team, a director, and some more momentum, we’re ready to kick ass.
Jordan Michael takes on the contractual role of being our Line Producer and finishes the budget and schedule for Jackpot Summer. He does all this and still makes time to attend the Producers Guild of America‘s Produced By Conference. We round out at just about $1.6M to 2M (posting range, not actuals for confidentiality reasons). Jordan provides a Critical Assumptions document to explain the reasoning behind the price point, the cost, and the timeline. Masterful work all provided and done right before Jordan’s birthday in June. Now, with everything in place, team bios, key personnel, and a budget & schedule, we’re all set to apply for Film Independent Fiscal Sponsorship and the Fast Track Finance Forum. By June, we got the Fast Track application in, and in August of that year, we got the Fiscal Sponsorship bid in. Jeremiah had made a play with the NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) and their grant programs.
The summer was arduous and tough; we spent time figuring out the next set of grants, cutting the script down, and trying to match the story and the budget. We succeeded, but it was hard work. I had undergone a series of horrid events in June and July and had to make a lot of life moves. I felt like our protagonist in the story.
Then, I got the wildest idea. I’m a free agent for the time being. Let’s fly out to Los Angeles and go to the Film Independent Forum, and then the next weekend at CineGear in Atlanta. Trying to get some more momentum on the film. You can read about it in some HERE.
After attending both events, I met some cool people, financiers, and leads. These are all great data points leading to me being introduced to another good friend of Jordan’s Anuj Gupta, esq.. I reached out to Anuj, which was interesting because Jordan expressed to me how he lost track of Anuj’s information, but thanks to LinkedIn, he found him again. And I found out about him, because of a video interview I watched before Jordan even told me who he was. Anuj and I hot off great, and he put us in touch with his team at Wadr Law PLLC , and now we’re meeting with Gaby Sosa and Pippa Lambert. They give us good feedback on the story and what we need in our arsenal to get ahead. So, it was very validating, back to the drawing board, but this time we still have some good etchings on it.
After the string of events, I got some sad emails. We did not get the fiscal sponsorship, nor did we get access to Film Independent Fast Track. It’s peaks and valleys in this business. The team and I were already having a stressful end of the year, encouraged yet not defeated! Jordan sends me what Niels Juul‘s said about the journey. And I spring back up again.
This is the role of a producer. As Jordan always tells me, “Welcome to Producing,” with a chuckle that follows. He told me at the end of last year, after the Rebecca Green and The American Film Institute chat, he wished he could tell me it gets easier and it’s not so cutthroat, but that is the business. But it’s the truth in those words that means more than sugarcoating it. I’m happy I learned producing from him; the lessons I’m learning are not expensive and painful, yes, somewhat painful (LOL), but they are actually strategic and intrinsic. I am getting better and better at this each and every day.
This year, in 2026, I was catching up with the team. I had spoken to our director, Eric, about what’s happening, where we are at, and the needs of the film. He mentioned that he just got fiscal sponsorship through his production company and Cinematography for Actors. Also, some great news about the soon-to-be-released feature and a big side project. I congratulate him, but he does let me know that if we need to put Jackpot Summer under his company for Fiscal Sponsorship, he’s more than happy to do so. He says he doesn’t care about the credits or anything else; he just wants to direct and help the project move forward. That sent chills down my spine and goosebumps on my skin. It was already a tough start to the year, and Eric made it a million times better. I told him I’d like to consider. We assemble the team for a meeting. Jeremiah is working on a feature, and that just wrapped as of a week or two ago #ITVISITSME. We get the details from Eric and share team updates, and he can add it to his slate of things to be Fiscally sponsored, making Jackpot Summer now a fiscally sponsored work. I can’t wait to share more details when I launch the deck + landing page.
I was also tasked with attending the American Film Association to see about how to get Jackpot a few steps further. Mission accomplished. It’s all about getting the necessary connections! Read about my time at the event here.
Jackpot Summer is a film about Elliot Garby, a teenage boy who, on the day of his 18th birthday, wins a $45 Million-dollar lottery jackpot off a scratcher. The time between winning and collecting, drifting through a summer of elation, paranoia, and isolation, unsure how to spend the time or what kind of person he’s becoming, until the weight of secrecy threatens everything he loves.
PROTAGONIST: Elliot, 18, a quiet kid—not a loser, not a star. Elliot lives in a fading Ohio factory town with his single mom, Ginnie, and older sister, Cat, who works at the bowling lanes with a chip on her shoulder. Elliot’s got a crush on Milo, a wry artist type (who may be bisexual or maybe is just performing), and a best friend, Agnes, a blunt, loyal slacker emo girl who knows Elliot is gay but still is in love with him.
TONE: Intimate, bittersweet, young adult drama—Anora meets Ladybird. Wish fulfillment is a double-edged sword.
SYNOPSIS: For 18-year-old Elliot, what should be the luckiest day of his life becomes an existential crisis. In a forgotten rust-belt town where everyone lives paycheck to paycheck, Elliot’s golden ticket out becomes his heaviest burden. With one more year of high school ahead, he must navigate a landscape suddenly warped by potential wealth while keeping his win a secret. But when his sister Cat discovers the ticket, Elliot’s summer spirals into a pressure cooker of family ultimatums, misplaced crushes, and impossible choices. As his relationships with cynical best friend Agnes and artistic crush Milo intensify and fracture, Elliot must decide: What kind of rich person will he become? What connections matter most? And is escape from a small town worth losing yourself in the process? A sharp, unflinching look at how money changes everything—and nothing at all. Jackpot Summer is an examination of how sudden wealth forces a teenager to grow up overnight. With whip-smart dialogue and unforgettable characters, it brilliantly captures that liminal space between adolescence and adulthood where decisions have lasting consequences and identity is still malleable.
Fans of John Green’s authentic teen voices, Rainbow Rowell’s emotional depth, and Jesse Andrews’ raw humor will find themselves captivated by this fresh, unexpected take on wealth, privilege, and the true meaning of good fortune.
The tenets we’re pressing on:
- Education
- Financial Literacy
- Queer Stories and Underrepresented Communities
Here’s a look at our Director’s Lookbook:
Jackpot Summer should feel dreamy and edgy A24, NEON, or Black Bear. The inspiration for this film is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets Slumdog Millionaire/Moonlight/The Peanut Butter Falcon. In today’s report, I wanted to share a bit about my team and what we’re doing. Each of us on the team has deep ties to the project and cares about it for a plethora of reasons. And we’re still working, tapping into financing activities, programs, and seeking executive producers to attach. We’ve also made some other cool moves I cannot legally share, but I pray they pan out. I hope you enjoyed our story and how it came together. For each of us, we all have our own way of how we got here and joined together. The glue, at the end of the day, is Jordan Michael and belief in his vision. I personally thank him for the continued lessons, the partnership, and the project at large. Be on the lookout for more about Jackpot Summer and what’s to come.
This has been your Rumble Report! Have a great weekend.
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