YOU HAVE TO BREAK THE RULES TO MAKE SHIFT HAPPEN

A new series about finding your misfit, makeshift family, and going after your dreams together

A female take on the tech industry, the show follows an aspiring startup founder and an eclectic group of techies and creative artists who realize they need each other to flourish in this new world. With this tenacious and motivated cast and crew, we wrote, fundraised, and filmed the pilot episode of our series.

THE STORY

MAKESHIFT SOCIETY

Alex has always dreamed of building a startup, but has always taken the safe route. When she is fired by her tech bro boss, she discovers a co-working space of misfit founders, each running their own eccentric business. She decides to embark on an adventure to build her own startup, and make her own rules.

MEET THE TEAM BRINGING THIS STORY TO LIFE

On the set of Makeshift Society, Serena Schuler directing Samir (Nardeep Khurmi) — On the set of Makeshift Society, Serena Schuler directing Nardeep Khurmi (LAND OF GOLD, Tribeca Film Festival)

AUDIENCE RESPONSES

“I resonated with the theme of taking risks, despite having fear. After becoming a mother, I lost a lot of that drive to get up and activate the work that I had done before. I just had no time. I think this feeling is something that a lot of women experience - making difficult decisions around risk.”

“I was the only female intern on an all-male full stack developer team, and it was hard (impossible) to be recognized for my accomplishments. But this series showed me there could be another way.”

“With humor and heart, Makeshift Society captures the essence of pursuing one's dreams and breaking free from the constraints of corporate culture. The main character, Alex, embodies what a lot of us in tech want to do: defy expectations and carve our own path.”

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THE CAST

Siobhan Doherty (PLEA, SUPERFLUOUS)

Tommy Beck (STAR WARS: TALES FROM THE GALAXY'S EDGE)

Carla Lee (NICE TAN, SF SKETCHFEST)

E. Ambriz deColosio (BLINDSPOTTING, Sundance Film Festival)

Amy Shank (UPRIGHT CITIZEN'S BRIGADE)

Nardeep Khurmi (LAND OF GOLD, Tribeca Film Festival)

KEY CREW

PRODUCER — Maira Memmi
THE CURSE (Showtime), BLINDSPOTTING (TV Series, Starz), and BLINDSPOTTING (Feature Film, Sundance Film Festival)

EDITOR — Jaime Sukonnik
BARBIE (Directed by Greta Gerwig), DON’T WORRY DARLING (Directed by Olivia Wilde)

CHIEF LIGHTING TECHNICIAN — Vanessa Woo
BEEF (Netflix), BLINDSPOTTING (TV Series, Starz)

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR — Hilton Jamal Day
LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (Sundance Film Festival)

MAKEUP DEPARTMENT HEAD — Josie Rodriguez
PAINT, THIS IS US (NBC), 13 REASONS WHY (Netflix)

BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS

Follow our journey on Instagram and Twitter as we bring this story to life.

For the final scene of Makeshift Society, director Serena Schuler knew just the song she wanted - an anthem to artists and entrepreneurs and everyone bold enough to take their own path. The song is “Doing It Our Way” by husband-wife rock

We were so lucky to team up with the talented editor Jaime Sukonnik on Makeshift Society! Jaime was an assistant editor on the iconic Barbie movie, Mean Girls (the 2024 musical, "You still can't sit with us") and Don't Worry Darling (direct

Excited to announce we are screening at the Ojai Film Festival as part of the @cinefemme slate on Nov 3rd! Shoutout to @michellekantor and @ojaifilmfest for putting this together! Join us for screening and Q&A at the Sane Center, Ojai, CA ☀️ 🎥

Three cheers to our fabulous panelists Bonnie Crater (Executive Producer and serial startup founder), Sophia Yen, MD (Founder, @pandiahealth), Minnie Sarwal (startup founder) and Serena Schuler (writer/director of Makeshift Society) who shared the hi

Behind the scenes of Makeshift Society! How do you get that on-camera glow? Bounce, bounce, bounce that light. You even can see the overhead light hanging by a crane over the orange couch to make it look like a chandelier lighting the actors @pats

LET’S BRING THIS STORY TO AUDIENCES

YOUR SUPPORT WILL FUND FILM FESTIVAL SCREENINGS AND DISTRIBUTION OF MAKESHIFT SOCIETY

Donations are tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsor, Cinefemme, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to advancing women in film. We accept contributions on the Cinefemme website (see “Donate Here” button below), checks, and from charitable funds. Please make checks to "Cinefemme," with memo line "Makeshift Society," and mail to:

Cinefemme, 1014 Broadway #477 Santa Monica, CA 90401

Federal Tax EIN #: 52-237-4579

DONATE HERE