Filmmaker Statement

BRENDA & BILLY was conceived during the “Omicron phase” of the pandemic. Everyone was a bit anxious and work was still a bit scarce. Santino Fontana (Tony-winner for Tootsie, Frozen, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) and Sarah Stiles (“Billions,” “Get Shorty”, two-time Tony-nominee) suggested I write something for them. I went for a morning run and the first thing that popped into my head was the image of the two of them sitting on a park bench in winter, Sarah holding a dying plant. My mind then descended rapidly into some bizarre pandemic rabbit hole...and Brenda and Billy were born. Filmed and set entirely in New York City it is also a bit of a twisted love letter to our city, and now serves as a bit of a comic (and somewhat bloody) reflection of our shared pandemic experience.