A 90-Day Update from Strike Five Films

A 90-Day Update from Strike Five Films. Over the past 90 days, I’ve been moving two connected visions forward: my first feature film, R.O.G.E.R. & Me, and the larger Richmond creative work I’m building through Strike Five Films and 530 Macdonald.
One is a story for the screen. The other is about helping create space where more stories, artists, and community work can happen.
Both are rooted in the same belief: Richmond has stories, talent, history, and creative energy worth investing in.

R.O.G.E.R. & Me   🐟

R.O.G.E.R. & Me is my first feature film — a Richmond-rooted comedy about a young Black coding savant who crashes into a tropical fish store and is sentenced to carry a live goldfish everywhere he goes for 30 days. Kill the fish, go to jail.

It’s funny and strange on the surface, but underneath that, it’s about class, opportunity, accountability, second chances, and who gets seen as valuable.
Over the past few months, the project has continued to move forward in a real way. The feature script has been completed and revised, three table reads have helped test the tone and characters, the pitch deck has been refined, and the project now has a stronger visual direction as it moves deeper into pre-production.

I also submitted R.O.G.E.R. & Me to the SFFILM FilmHouse residency, along with several screenplay opportunities. That step matters because the goal is not just to have a finished script — the goal is to build the right team, support, and path toward production.
Another major step was adding cinematographer Shivashish Ahuja to the project materials. Shivashish brings a strong visual background across narrative, documentary, music, and commercial work, and his involvement helps support the next creative step: shooting a live-action proof of concept scene.

That proof of concept is one of my biggest upcoming goals. The AI trailer helped people understand the tone and premise, but a live-action scene will show the film’s real-world potential with actors, locations, comedy, and Richmond texture.

The next step is to raise and save enough money to shoot that scene properly.
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530 Macdonald, Richmond, CA

Alongside the film, I’ve also been working to move forward with the 530 Macdonald project in downtown Richmond.

530 Macdonald is the historic former First National Bank building. My long-term vision is to help activate it as a creative community space — a place for film, arts, events, local programming, small business activity, and eventually production use.
This project is bigger than one building. It is about what kind of creative infrastructure Richmond deserves.

Over the past 90 days, the project has gained more community and civic momentum. I’ve had conversations and given presentations with Richmond Main Street, the Iron Triangle Neighborhood Council, local arts and business leaders, the Macdonald Avenue Task Force, and other community stakeholders.

The façade grant process has also moved forward, which is an important early step toward improving the building’s exterior and showing visible progress.
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There is still a lot of work ahead. Buildings move slowly. Ownership questions, inspection issues, costs, permitting, fundraising, partnerships, and long-term planning remain. But the project is no longer just an idea. It is being discussed, presented, and taken seriously as part of a larger conversation about downtown Richmond, arts, and community activation.

Strike Five Films

Strike Five Films is the home base for this work.
The company started with short films, small crews, limited resources, and a lot of persistence. Over time, my films have screened at more than 90 festivals and earned multiple awards. That foundation matters because everything I’m building now comes from years of making work, learning by doing, and staying with it even when the path was not easy.
Right now, Strike Five Films is moving into a bigger phase.
The work is no longer just about making individual short films. It is about building a company, a feature film slate, a public audience, and a stronger creative presence in Richmond and the Bay Area.
That includes R.O.G.E.R. & Me, the 530 Macdonald project, future film work, community partnerships, and new ways for people to support the work directly.
Recently, I printed a small color brochure for R.O.G.E.R. & Me and handed it out at a Film SF mixer. The room was loud, but I was able to connect with people from SFFILM, Debbie Brubaker, and others in the Bay Area film community. The brochure gave people something physical to take with them — a simple snapshot of the project, the story, and the kind of support I’m looking for.
I’m also preparing a small targeted mail campaign to send the brochure to select Bay Area production companies with verifiable business addresses. It’s not a mass mailing. It’s a focused outreach step to put the project in front of people who may understand independent film, Bay Area stories, and character-driven work.

What I’m Building Toward

The next phase is about focus.
For R.O.G.E.R. & Me, the goal is to build the right producing relationships, continue submitting the script and project to meaningful opportunities, and raise enough money to shoot a live-action proof-of-concept scene.
For 530 Macdonald, the goal is to keep building the support coalition, move the façade grant process forward, continue community conversations, and identify the right partners for funding, planning, and activation.
For Strike Five Films, the goal is to keep building the audience, the contact list, the support base, and the systems needed to make this work sustainable.
None of this happens overnight. But it does happen step by step.
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How You Can Help

Right now, I’m looking for:
Producer connections for R.O.G.E.R. & Me
Bay Area film contacts
Potential supporters for the live-action proof of concept
Richmond arts, business, and community partners
People interested in the future of 530 Macdonald
Supporters who want to follow, share, or contribute to the work
The biggest help right now is connection. A producer, funder, local business, arts organization, community leader, or supporter can make a real difference by pointing this work toward the right room.
This next chapter is about turning years of work into something more visible, organized, and lasting.
Thanks for following the journey.