THE OFF-BRANDS

Constance McKinney, a quirky teenage girl living with Sickle Cell, shares her experiences of attending a high school in a small southern town that defies the usual coming-of-age movie tropes. Her school's social hierarchy consists of three groups: The Well-Knowns, The Floaters, and The Off-Brands.

With encouragement from Jada, a "Floater," Constance tries double-dutch for the first time and realizes she is naturally good at it. This brings both positive and negative attention from a few "Well-Knowns," one being her suave high school crush, Jamel.

Constance must decide whether she will allow the opinions of others to dictate her interests and, if so, is she willing to take on the consequences that come with being an "Off-Brand" who has lost sight of her place.

The Off-Brands serves as a proof of concept for a feature film by the same name. The film provides a diverse and inclusive community with an opportunity to find thrill, nostalgia, hope, and visibility through both the plot and its characters. By showcasing underrepresented communities - people with disabilities, Black southern culture, and Y2K - The Off-Brands has met its moment, and the themes and stories woven through it are ready to enter the public imagination.

We raised over $45,000 through grants and an additional $30,000 through Kickstarter to bring this proof of concept to life.

Now, the journey to create the feature film begins.