About
“Hey Dad” is a fast-paced, semi-autobiographical exploration a young man's thoughts as he processes the loss of his father.
Drake Tobias and Aaron Schoonover developed the script together, which was originally written as an essay by Tobias.
Short Film
7:02 Minutes
Filmed in Akron, Ohio
Director’s Statement
Life and Death. It’s universal, and yet so individual.
When it came to the direction of “Hey Dad” it was important to me that we maintain a level of relatability between our character Adrian’s direct to camera relationship with the audience.
As heavy and emotional as death can be, we wanted the tone of the short to maintain this engaging, analytical approach, seen through the perspective of a curious young person experiencing grief.
I am so grateful to have collaborated so intimately with Drake on this short film, and proud of him for sharing his thoughtful insights and personal experience with the world. It takes courage to be vulnerable on this level, and this story will resonate with many people.
Cast & Crew
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Drake Tobias
WRITER/ACTOR
Drake is an actor based out of Cleveland, Ohio.
A graduate of Baldwin Wallace with a BA in Acting and Directing.
Recent credits include: Shooting Stars (Peacock), The Midnight Club (Netflix), and the short film Rabbit Hole.
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Aaron Schoonover
WRITER/DIRECTOR
Aaron is a filmmaker and casting director based in NY/LA.
In 2022 Aaron wrote, directed, and produced the short film Rabbit Hole starring Catherine Curtin in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
Recent casting credits include the Emmy-nominated series 'Severance' (Apple TV), 'City on Fire' (Apple TV), 'The Tender Bar' (Amazon).
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John Gebhart
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
John is a filmmaker based in Astoria.
He is the co-founder and head of production for A Stori A Film, a full-service video production company based in New York City that offers a variety of production and post-production services.
Most recently John was the cinematographer of You Would’t Understand which premiered at Sundance 2020.
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Mary Louise Trask
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Mary Louise Trask has worked in theatre and film for the last thirty years. She has experience as choreographer, set designer, playwright, director, producer and costume designer. She was costumer for the Gullak Kinfolk, a traveling theatre company that educates children and adult audiences about enslavement and reconstruction in the southern states. She was the costume designer for their film Circle Unbroken: a Gullah Journey from Africa to America (2014).
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Rachel Sandy
ORIGINAL SCORE
Born and raised in East London, Rachel Sandy began producing and writing music in her home studio at the age of 13. By the age of 15 Rachel was writing full symphonic scores and expermienting with music production.
The now 18 year old composer aims to pursue a fulltime career in film composition, whilst exploring her own artistry through personal projects.
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Jesus Arteaga
SOUND DESIGN
Jesus has 8 years of experience in the Audiovisual Industry as a Sound Designer, Re-recording mixer and Dialog Editor. With collaborations in over 10 feature films and a diverse array of OTT web series on platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBOmax. Currently working as a Re-recording mixer at Labodigital, a post house facility based in Mexico City.
