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EMMETT GREY:
(DON'T FIGHT IT), FEEL IT
A short screenplay to showcase a potential episodic.

Atlantic City, 1961.  Emmett Grey, a savvy 12-year-old boy obsessed with Sam Cooke and his transistor radio, has recently lost his parents in a car accident and has been handed over to his Uncle Charlie as his new guardian.  But Charlie isn’t your ordinary, conventional uncle; he’s a struggling, underground drag queen working at the iconic Entertainers Club under the auspices of the one and only Louisa Mack.  When police raid the club and Charlie is arrested overnight, Emmett (unaware of his uncle’s detainment) goes to school the next day and is provoked into a fight with his unrelenting bully.  After being detained in the principal’s office (and no one able to locate his uncle), Emmett slips out of school, buys a bus ticket, and heads back to his hometown of Montclair, New Jersey in search of solace.  When Charlie is released from jail, he soon realizes Emmett hasn’t returned home and frantically searches for him.  Once Emmett is finally “found,” the two have an important face-off to set things straight, to reconnect, and to grieve.  “Emmett Grey: (Don’t Fight It), Feel It” is a story about two "fish out of water" searching for their place in an everchanging world of cultural shifts while at the same time showcasing the heart and soul of a new and potential episodic about authenticity, love and acceptance.

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OFFICIAL SELECTION - Montreal Independent Film Festival - 2021 (1).png
SEMI-FINALIST - Arthouse Festival of Beverly Hills - 2022.png
SEMI FINALIST - Omaha Film Festival - 2022 (1).png
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QUARTER FINALIST - Atlanta Film Festival - 2022.png
Quarter Finalist - Short Screenplay - RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL - 2022.png
NOMINEE - Portland New Alternative Voices - 2022.png

T H E   E P I S O D I C

Conceived by producers David Schoner, Jr. and AJ Swirz, “Emmett Grey” is an 8-episode dramedy with elements of comedy and iconic musical performances.  Set in Atlantic City in 1961 as the former “Jewel of the Atlantic” is beginning to show its cracks, we delve into a world that revolves around the club culture that defined an era.  The 500 Club, Frank Sinatra, and the Rat Pack dominate the mainstream nightlife, but the underground scene is what drives the city and its people. Venturing off the beaten path you’ll find venues that serve the under-served. North of Arctic Avenue is Club Harlem, showcasing the talents of Black performers that are not showcased elsewhere. Snake Alley is the narrow, winding road that can only be found if you know what you’re looking for. It houses the gay clubs of the resort city including the city’s oldest, The Entertainer’s Club.  Music, drag, and the clashing of cultures fuels the story of “Emmett Grey,” which follows the life of a young boy who must pave a new path with the help of his uncle in a city that is threatening to consume them.

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