A Note From Our Director
Poster design by Zach Silberberg
This filmmaker needs you for her Happily-Ever-After!
"I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her." - Julia Roberts
"I'm just a girl, standing in front of you lot, asking you to donate to my film." - Me
In 2023, I wrote a romcom pilot called 60 DAYS, and it placed at the Austin Film Festival. While I gave up on dating quite a few times since then, I didn't give up on my dream project. I pitched it, reimagined it, rewrote it to be the story of my dreams: FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS.
Think about two coworkers who are laid off, who REALLY need benefits—like insurance and rent and groceries. And as they come up with a scheme to pretend being a couple to weather unemployment, they fall in love. (But of course, you knew that.)
We have a great team and interest from major industry players, so we want to seize the moment. To get this across the finish line, we have to raise a little bit of money. Any amount gets us there, and thanks to the Tank NYC, your donations are all tax-deductible.
Thank you for believing in me and my team.
Love, (See what I did there?)
Deniz
Deniz Çam (Creator)
Nancy Pop (Director)
Karleah Del Moral (Director of Photography)
Alyssa Briddes (Producer)
Meet the Core Team!
Hello hello! I'm Deniz, the creator of FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS. I'm so glad you found this project and I'm grateful for your support.
A little bit about me: Born and raised in Istanbul, Deniz Çam is a New York-based creative. She was a producer at the Emmy-nominated show, THE PROBLEM WITH JON STEWART, and a reporter at Forbes magazine. Her debut novel, Strangers & Revisions, is represented by United Talent Agency and revolves around a Turkish immigrant who reimagines what the American Dream means to her. Her romcom pilot placed at the 2023 Austin Film Festival and was featured on Time Out New York as one of the best things to do in the city. Her work has appeared on Shondaland, Gay magazine, Bustle, and more. She also teaches comedy writing for screen and stage at the Second City Theater and fiction writing at the Center for Fiction in Brooklyn. She is an alum of Brown University and Columbia Journalism School. (Follow her @denizcam)
And meet my amazing team:
Nancy Pop (Director) is an independent producer and director with over a decade of experience shaping stories across stages and screens. Renowned for her resourcefulness and personable touch, Pop has worked with both major brands and independent creatives to craft impactful narratives and foster inclusive communities. Born in Romania and raised in Pennsylvania and Arkansas, she has called NYC home for 12 years and is always on the hunt for the next creative endeavor. Pop is the director of the hit new vertical feature films PREGNANT BY THE BOSS, UNBREAKABLE GUARD, and ROYALLY SCREWED for Interactive Films, streaming now on SaltyTV. Her indie feature film POETS ARE THE DESTROYERS is available to stream on RevryTV. (Follow her @pancynop @poptheproducer)
Karleah Del Moral (Director of Photography) is a New York City Cinematographer and filmmaker. Over the last 9 years, her work in the camera department has been a part of Emmy-winning productions such as NatGeo/Disney's SCIENCE FAIR, leading Netflix documentary releases such as THE MOST HATED MAN ON THE INTERNET, as well as several TV productions including her continued time operating for THE TONIGHT SHOW. Experienced in commercials, music videos, documentary and narrative films, her ultimate goal is to narrow her lens and concentrate her creative eye on the world of narrative cinema. While doing so, she hopes to explore her interests in the human experience through the unique relationship between light and emotion.
Alyssa Briddes (Producer) is a NYC creator, writer, producer and director. She's worked on several Emmy-nominated shows for ABC, Disney+, and Hulu such as SOUL OF A NATION, SUPERSTAR: JOHN RITTER, and INTO THE UNKNOWN: THE MAKING OF FROZEN 2. Alyssa recently worked on THE PROBLEM WITH JON STEWART, and some of her proudest work includes writing comedy pilot scripts (Second Rounders at The Austin Film Festival) and the successful audio-sketch series "The Voicemail of Carlisle Cullen" (a Twilight Parody.) (Team Edward.) She wants to use her sense of humor and absurd pop culture references to write a TV show of her own. She’s a huge fan of late night shows, and in her free time she likes to read smutty fanfiction and watch "Jeopardy!" at the gym.