VISUALIZATIONS

(OUT)CAST

His arrival in a last resort yeshiva triggers a change in Jed. But it may be too late to make a difference.

Jed

The apathetic Rabbi chosen to head up the worst yeshiva in America. And no, he’s not very excited about it either.

Rabbi Glazer

Sharona

Eating away her sorrows away does little to make Jed’s mom feel better about Jed’s mistakes. Or, her own.

Max

Give him a tool belt, a project, and a bunch of screw-ups for friends, and he’s happy as a clam. It’s almost weird.

Tush

A real-life Charlie Brown without the intellect and insight. This two-bit thief ain’t the brightest bulb in the shed.

Cold. Ruthless. If there’s an angle, he’s working it. Y’know the trope, ”nice Jewish boy”? That’s not Karp.

Karp

Ozi

Post pubescent life hasn’t been kind. If not for the chronic masturbation, poor Ozi might have been, well, normal.

Closeted. Disturbed. Guilt-ridden. A strict Hassidic upbringing has made Adam dangerous and unpredictable.

Adam

Figs

The big and silent type, but not in a good way. A fearsome, foreboding bully you don’t ever want to cross.

In 2001, I wrote a highly effective anti-tobacco commercial that showed 1,200 body bags being dropped on the doorstep of a major tobacco company. “Body Bags” was later named one of the 15 best campaigns of the 21st century by AdAge and has remained a source of great pride for me and all involved. Yet I’ve often wondered what sort of impact my work might have had on those talented ad folks working on Big Tobacco campaigns? How did messages like “Body Bags” affect their lives, their careers, their very self-perceptions? I wondered.

MESSAGE FROM THE WRITER

  • ”This script is an absolute delight -- funny, original, specific, with a surprisingly powerful emotional core.”

    Black List Reader

  • “While we've seen similar coming-of-age stories before, we've never seen one quite like this.”

    Black List Reader

  • “The writer delivers the familiar beats the audience wants, but makes it all feel fresh with a new world, unique characters, and an original voice.”

    Black List Reader

  • “Jed is an exceptionally well written protagonist, a young man who's sympathetic, likable, driven, but still rife with flaws, contradictions, and a complex, authentic emotional landscape.

    Black List Reader

  • “All in all, it's a pretty exceptional story.”

    Black List Reader

  • “This script is wildly entertaining, emotionally powerful, and has the kind of fun, original twist on the genre that could really elevate and distinguish it from competing projects.”

    Black List Reader

  • “Charming, insightful, and hilarious from beginning to end, JEW-V delivers an exercise in coming-of-age dramedy that immediately warrants recognition for the vitality of its subject matter.”

    Black List Reader

  • “This script peels back the curtain on a vital, yet woefully underrepresented American cultural experience.”

    Black List Reader

  • ”This script also delivers more than its fair share of masterfully constructed sequences.”

    Black List Reader

  • “It’s definitely an unconventional coming-of-age - like if “Holes” was set at a yeshiva.””

    Austin Film Festival Reader

  • “Authentic and satisfying.”

    Austin Film Festival Reader

ABOUT THE WRITER

Ari Merkin is a DGA member and a well-recognized advertising creative leader with some big claims that help pay the bills. These include the Grand Clio and Cannes Grand Prix working with director, Spike Jonze. Ari was an AdAge 40 under 40 and an inductee to the AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement.

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