Joy doesn't sleep. She's on edge, controlling, and often loses her temper with her husband Isaac and her 8 YO son Miles. To cope, Joy goes running. A LOT. But the forest trail holds hidden dangers for Joy. A discarded doll is mistaken for a corpse, a car backfiring as a gunshot.

Out for a run, Joy encounters a deer - calm, serene, beautiful. For the first time we see Joy relax. Suddenly - a GUNSHOT - the film cuts to Joy lunging forward in bed - - It was a nightmare.

What is Joy so afraid of?

Out on a real run, Joy gets a call. There's been a school shooting. She takes off on her car.

SIRENS. An ambulance passes. Then another.

The final minutes of the film reveal Joy is a first responder crime scene investigator and her job is the cause of her PTSD.

THE DEER is a proof of concept short film for my award-winning feature screenplay TRACER.

We’ve already completed three days of principal photography in Santa Fe, NM with a diverse, female-majority cast and crew.

We have two additional days to film in a NYC studio and post production - editing, color grading, VFX, sound design, and music.

As of May 2026, there have been 201 mass shootings in the US. We don’t talk about this enough. To start a conversation, I decided to make a film about a school shooting, without actually showing one. Instead, I focus on first responders. Our everyday heroes.

First responders see the human condition at its worst. But at the end of the day, what do they do with their trauma?

First responders face stigma and barriers when seeking support and the help they need to address their PTSD. 70% never seek support for their PTSD, 57% fear negative repercussions, 37% fear being demoted or fired.

Giving voice to those who can't is a powerful act of compassion. This film is our bearing witness for our most vulnerable citizens, children, and for the everyday heroes who keep us safe.

As a young adult I was robbed at gunpoint by three boys who looked no older than 13 or 14. It was as terrifying as it was heartbreaking, seeing children with guns. 

Since the 1999 Columbine School shooting, over 380,000 children have been exposed to gun violence in schools - an entire generation of Americans.

The US film industry glamorizes gun violence as entertainment, normalizing it for children and teens.

If you're outraged every time you hear about another school shooting and wonder why nothing ever changes, we hope you'll consider joining us to get this story told.

Supporting our film with a pledge, a follow, or a share will help us bring THE DEER to audiences, to open conversations, to reduce stigma and barriers for first responders, and to help keep our children safe in schools.

Our goal is to raise $20,000 for additional filming in NYC and for post production - editing, VFX, color grading, sound design, and music - in 30 days so we can finish our film. This is where you can help, by following this campaign and sharing with your friends, and making a pledge if you are able.