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A jolly, but meek, grocery store manager must learn to stand up for himself after a misunderstanding brands him as public enemy #1.
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About
The Film
Beloved by customers and employees alike, Sunnyside Grocers manager NIGEL watches his world turn upside down when a would-be white-knight influencer wrongly accuses him of sexually harassing a female customer. Suddenly, Nigel finds himself the target of a well-meaning but rabid internet mob, which cares more about canceling him than hearing the truth. He is forced to stand up and fight back to save his job, his reputation, and his entire sense of self.
Cast
Brian Huskey
as “Nigel”As seen in: Veep, People of Earth, Childrens Hospital, Another Period, Bob’s Burgers, Mr. Neighbor’s House, If Google Was a Guy
Martin Mull
as “Mr. Sunnyside”As seen in: Clue, Roseanne, Arrested Development, Veep, The Ranch, I’m Sorry, Two and a Half Men, Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Also Starring
Melody Peng as Katie • David Valdes as Brian • Jordan Williams as William • Kristi McKamie as Wendy
Shivani Thakkar as Belinda • Mueen Jahan as Mr. Patel • Bonnie Hellman as Gigi • Lisagaye Tomlinson as Host
The team
Director
MATT MACDONALD
Born with a fiery passion for storytelling and high-SPF sunblock, writer and director Matt MacDonald grew up in the sweltering desert heat of Phoenix, Arizona. Since graduating the prestigious University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts with his MFA in Film & Television Production, Matt has screened work at more than 40 film festivals worldwide (including the Palm Springs International ShortFest and San Diego Comic-Con), been highlighted multiple times as a Vimeo Staff Pick, and been featured by the likes of Mashable, Kotaku, io9, Bloody Disgusting, Rolling Stone, and HBO’s Project Greenlight.
Collectively, Matt’s work has amassed close to 20 million online views. His dad frequently tells him to “keep up the good work.”
As a writer, director, and editor, Matt has worked with brands such as Microsoft, Playboy, McDonald’s, Nike, Electronic Arts, and Toyota, among many others. He collaborated with industry legend Rob Zombie and The Walking Dead co-creator Tony Moore to write and direct an animated short for Ubisoft’s blockbuster franchise Assassin’s Creed, which SPIN magazine described as a “visually stunning and crazy bloody” film. But, like, Matt’s also really nice and funny too. Pinky promise.
His short Not Normal, a 12-minute original narrative created entirely with the video game Grand Theft Auto V, took the internet by storm and landed Matt a 2018 Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Award nomination... which he promptly lost to Star Wars: Battlefront II, Game of Thrones, and Dunkirk.
In his free time, Matt enjoys spin class, theoretical science, and red velvet cake. His favorite Beatles song is “Hey Jude,” and he currently has no unpaid parking tickets.
Director of Photography
Ryan BroombergRYAN BROOMBERG is a Los Angeles and New York-based cinematographer originally from San Diego, CA. He developed a passion for filmmaking by capturing action sports at an early age, including skateboarding and surfing, and gradually transitioned into narrative film. He won numerous awards during his undergraduate and graduate film studies culminating with the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) award for best graduate cinematography. Since then, Ryan has filmed commercial work for All-Clad, Calvin Klein, Krupps, and Caesars Palace as well as several feature films, some of which have aired on Lifetime.
Production Designer Madeleine Maloy
MADELEINE MALOY began her work in the performing arts as a set designer and project manager for theater and live events. After relocating to Los Angeles, she expanded her work into TV and film while maintaining her passion for large scale scenic design and immersive events. She is the lead production designer for Little Dot Studios which partners with Disney, Pixar & MGA/Mattel for their child-focused branded content. Her work helped launch Westbrook Media’s Hey Humans product campaign and she most recently designed content for the launch of the newest iPhone 13 Pro as well as Lebron James’ tequila brand LOBOS 1707.
Composer
Amit May CohenAMIT MAY COHEN is a Los Angeles-based composer for film and TV, best known for her work on Disney Channel’s Zombies 2 which she co-composed with George S. Clinton (Austin Powers, The Santa Clause). She has worked as an additional composer and/or orchestrator on projects including Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019), Valley Girl (2018), SWAT (2017-2020), The Sinner (2018-2020), and the Australian Academy Award-nominated documentary In My Blood It Runs (2019). Her music was nominated for multiple best score awards at different film festivals around the world.
Executive Producer
NICK REIDNICK REID is a film producer and the Moving Picture Institute’s executive vice president. He is responsible for shaping and executing fundraising strategy, working on MPI Original productions, and serving as a member of the executive team. His executive producer credits include Miss Virginia, A Piece of Cake (Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2020, Nominated for Best Narrative Short), The Perfect One, and MPI’s forthcoming Original feature documentary, Project Home: 3D Printing the Future. Nick is currently executive producing MPI’s forthcoming narrative features, Freedom Hair: The Melony Armstrong Story, The Kemba Smith Story, and Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game.
Producer
Lana LinkLANA LINK, the Moving Picture Institute’s senior vice president, works with the executive staff to acquire, develop, and produce MPI Original Films. She also works with rising filmmakers in MPI’s talent development programs and runs MPI masterclasses with industry experts. Her various producer credits include narrative shorts A Piece of Cake (Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2020, Nominated for Best Narrative Short), Gringa, The Perfect One, Moving Violation, and Regulation; feature documentaries Incarcerating US and Los Últimos Frikis; short doc Mama Rwanda; and feature narrative Miss Virginia. Lana is currently producing MPI’s forthcoming feature documentary, Project Home: 3D Printing the Future, and MPI’s forthcoming narrative features, Freedom Hair: The Melony Armstrong Story, The Kemba Smith Story, and Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game.
Producer
Rob PflatzgraffROB PFALTZGRAFF is a member of the Producers Guild of America and has served as the president of the Moving Picture Institute (MPI) since its founding in 2005. He has led the organization from its initial founding into a multimillion-dollar production company and talent incubator. He has 18 producer credits including lead producer on the narrative feature film Miss Virginia starring Emmy® winner Uzo Aduba. His producer credits also include the award-winning short film A Piece of Cake (Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2020, Nominated for Best Narrative Short) starring Rich Sommer (Mad Men, GLOW). Rob is currently developing and producing several forthcoming short and feature length MPI Original Films. They include Project Home: 3D Printing the Future, Freedom Hair: The Melony Armstrong Story, The Kemba Smith Story, and Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game.
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About The MPI
Melons was developed as an MPI Original Film in the Moving Picture Institute’s Short Film Creative Development and Production Lab. MPI is a production company and talent incubator that creates and supports high-impact films designed to entertain, inspire, and educate audiences with captivating stories about human freedom.
Learn more at TheMPI.org.
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