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"Something to Surprise Me" Film

Two ex-boyfriends reconnect and play an intense game to get to know each other again.

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About


Nearly five years after the initial lockdown, we are compelled to look back at the pandemic era with a defiant optimism. This unabashedly hopeful, romantic story unfolds with the realities of the pandemic lurking in the periphery. Jeremy treats lockdown like a summer vacation, while Kevin can't forget the horrors outside the window.

When everything is taken away from us, we discover we already have everything we need. In solitude, both characters have cultivated self-love, and now they're trying to figure out if they're ready to let someone in again. Years later, so many of us are still in that same dilemma: How do we take all the lessons we learned in that extended period of self-protection, and confidently walk back out into a world that is still invariably going to break our hearts now and again?

Thematic Questions

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Queer Representation

As our country grows more divided, we need stories about all we have in common. The best way to reduce anti-queer bias is to make authentic queer stories as visible and relatable as possible.

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Style and Tone

The joyful challenge in making a single-location film is collaborating with the director, the cinematographer, the color-grader, and the G&E team, to make the story as dynamic and visually compelling as we can.

Still images from "The Blonde One," "Benjamin," "Matthias and Maxime," and "Studio 54" and a stock image.


poster art from our creative references.


Previous Work

The producing team recently collaborated on "For Years to Come," a queer romantic dramedy TV pilot co-starring Richard Riehle from "Office Space". It screened to great acclaim at a dozen festivals around the world, and will soon be available to stream.

Production photos, poster art, talkbacks, and red carpet photos from the "For Years to Come" festival tour.


We're ecstatic to follow that success with our film "Something to Surprise Me". The script has been in development the past year, and we go into production next summer.

And we want YOU to be part of our team!

Your generous contributions will bring this story to life. Nuanced, queer-centric, character-dramas can only be made with individual supporters like you. Your charitable donations at the link above will be fully tax-deductible, and you'll be supporting dozens of hard-working artists on this film.

We are so thankful for you! Please reach out to somethingtosurpriseme@gmail.com to speak further about supporting our work.

Creative Team

Headshot and bio for actor-creator James Patrick Nelson

Headshot and bio for co-producer Chelsea Fenton