LIVING (2026)
“My vision for Living is for it to be an intimate and real portrayal of how unique and debilitating one’s first experience with grief can be. Ultimately, I want my audience to feel as though they are peeking through the blinds of a person’s life, bearing witness to and sharing in the discomforts, relief, pain, and joy of that life.
The inspiration for Living comes from my own first experiences with grief during an already transformative period of my life - adolescence. My current day job as a social worker also exposes me to the stories of youth battling with similar experiences, and I’ve drawn a tremendous amount of inspiration from them and their resilience.”
- Jay Gardener, Writer & Director
A quarter of all profits made from Living will be donated to The Dinner Party, a nonprofit that supports young adults dealing with grief. The Dinner Party was selected by Jay for its mission, which she feels aligns with the meaning behind Living and the intent of the project.
Living is currently in post-production after a successful shoot in February 2026. To support the project, you can follow along on its journey on Instagram.
MEET THE CREW & CAST
Jay Gardener, Writer/Director - A Drexel University English graduate with a gift for storytelling. Dedicated to creating immersive and intimate worlds for her audience to voyeur into. Her work is rooted in emotional realism, psychological depth, and character-driven narratives that linger after the final frame. Living is a great source of pride for Jay, and she remains deeply committed to nurturing it through to completion.
Nicholas Pietroniro, Director of Photography - An accomplished cinematographer with over 8 years of experience in the film industry. Based in New York City and northern New Jersey, he has established himself as a versatile and well-rounded professional with a proven track record of delivering outstanding results on feature films, commercials, music videos, and short films.
Rose Palmieri, starring as Agatha - thrilled to be a part of Living. Originally from Seattle, she’s been loving getting to know the east coast’s theater/film scene. Recent credits include Zap!(Antihero Theatre Company), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Indecorous Theatre), and An Idea! (Philly Children’s Theatre). Rose holds a BA in theater and linguistics from Swarthmore College and is currently enrolled in the ASL/English Interpreting program at the Community College of Philadelphia.
Scarlet Presley, appearing as Child - Scarlet is excited to appear in Living. She was most recently seen on stage at the Walnut Street Theater in A Christmas Story and will soon appear as Young Julia in the upcoming film Jesus Land, slated for release this year. When not acting, Scarlet loves dancing, arts and crafts and writing her own stories.
Lauren Furley, appearing as Dr. Fran - An actor, singer, writer and painter with multiple film awards around the Northeast: (Heart of Gold) and Cannes Film Festival (Africa). Lives to create and story tell in the most authentic ways. Currently, Lauren is seeking representation in film, TV and stage. Her favorite stage productions include Louise/Gypsy in Gypsy and Sybil in Private Lives.
Laquan Burroughs, appearing as Anthony - A New York-born and South Jersey-raised multi-Hyphenate artist. He graduated Summa Cum Laude after majoring in Radio, Television & Film with a Minor in Creative Writing at Rowan University. His multiple passions have led him into all avenues of the creative field. Currently focused on writing, directing, acting in, and editing his own films.
Adaeze Nwoko, appearing as Lainie - A Philly-based actor, writer, and teaching artist. Her onstage work includes The Arden Theatre Company, Azuka Theatre, Theatre Horizon, and many more. She is very excited to be a part of this incredible project, and to have the opportunity to work with the team of Living!
Lucky (2025)
Lucky is a comedic micro-short film written, directed and produced by Jay Gardener. This project was shot in 2019, and the lead actors are Andrew “Gram” Yun and Katelyn Odoms. Gram was a friend of Jay’s and Katelyn’s. He worked with Jay in a Cinema Equipment Room and shared film classes with both Jay and Katelyn during their freshman year. Gram passed away in 2019 and he left a tremendous impact behind. Jay recovered the footage from their shoot, edited the project and released it in Gram’s honor this year.
Additional Credits
Jay has gained on-set experience through serving as a Production Assistant for multiple student films.
Jay also has extensive experience in promotional content creation. All graphics included above were designed by her. She has served in professional content creator roles for Write Now Philly, The Drexel Publishing Group, The Paper Dragon, and The Lindy Center for Civic Engagement.
Jay has displayed remarkable skills as a line-producer for Living. Serving as Writer, Director, and Producer for the film - Jay has been the driving force that recruited all crew members and brought on board in-kind sponsorships such as The Dinner Party. In addition to this, Jay has been responsible for location scouting, fundraising, and budget management for the project.
Gear List
Nikon Z 30
Sony Omnidirectional Lavaliers with compact stereo.
