The Story

‘Shock Jocks’ is a battle between brothers that mirrors the internal struggle between the lesser and greater versions of ourselves, set in a world that is outside of one’s control.

Set between 2006-2012, it follows a rise and fall arc over the span of 6 years. The narrative starts in the middle of a radio show at the beginning of best friend radio hosts Dusty and Erik’s careers. They are arrogant underdogs with the delusion to rise to the top, the luck to make it happen, and the character to be remembered. As a result of their ballooning success they are encouraged to find a third co-host to ensure their shows quality. Underground standup comic Paul Garcia is found to have the humor and heart that complements Dusty and Erik, and is quickly added to their entourage.

Though the trio operates like a well oiled machine on air, the addition of Paul causes a fracture between Dusty and Erik. Erik and Paul seem to connect on a deeper level than Dusty and Erik and dislike Dusty’s certain personality flaws. The team of three achieves national and personal success by appearing in a variety of pop culture, getting close to beating their radio rival Bernard Daniels, and Dusty even gets married.

During a heated on-air argument symptomatic of the various transgressions Dusty has committed over the narrative, their ratings finally eclipse Bernard Daniels, making them the biggest radio show in the world. After this huge career milestone, Erik is motivated to stay and fix his shattered relationship with his old best friend Dusty. Sadly his repeated attempts at fixing the relationship fail. Their partnership breathes its last breath when Dusty is put in a position to defend Erik’s career and does not, ultimately leading to Erik getting fired. Dusty is left to pick the bones of a peaked out radio career all alone, and Erik is freed to go wherever his talents take him.

Dusty and Erik

Meet our Dusty, Michael Michel.

Michael’s fierce presence made him stand out as the obvious choice for Dusty. His voice and demeanor  perfectly encapsulated what Dusty was written to be. Also, his previous acting experience in working on films in the Dallas-Fort Worth area only highlighted why he’s the correct pick for the formidable host.

And here’s our Erik, Heath Bromley.

Heath provides a more light-beat and comforting energy to the radio duo. He contrasts with Michael, by offering a relatively more calming presence and a looser, carefree personality that is there on and off the camera. His past work includes other films, commercials, theatre, and multiple series.

Bottom Line

Here’s a budget breakdown of the $85,000. As a paid indie production we tried to strip down the budget in areas like cast/crew rates, and G&E/camera packages. Our budget was taken from these areas and moved to the art department as making realistic and interesting sets is a high priority.

Another expensive item is our travel. We have 2 sets that are travel intensive: the casino set, and the beach set. Our casino will be the Lucky Eagle Kickapoo Casino on the border between Texas and Mexico. They have the perfect casino slots and bar area for our movie. Our beach will be in Corpus Christi.

We offer a tiered perk program to allow you to help our campaign, and the more you help, the more you get. To make this project a success, we will need your assistance.

Why This Film

Interpersonal relationships are crucial to how we interact, and often times we overlook manipulation and abuse within people to avoid being alone. We often interact in our everyday relationships, whether personal or professional, try to appease whoever we believe has the power. The movie shows us how these tendencies lead us to the path of destruction.  

Comedy also effects how we interact and develop relationships. Comedy and humor plays an important presence in conversations, and we often push its boundaries to the limits. Jokes get taken too far, we often punch down on people, and make light of serious topics. And in the story, this push to be shocking or cruel leads to characters downfall, and how we collectively allow for these jokes to be prevalent. Shock Jocks reveals this cycle, and how destructive it can truly be to others. No one is safe if everything is a joke.

How Else You Can Help!

Getting as many people to know about this movie is going to go a long way. Therefore, help us by sharing this campaign around on socials, talking about this project, and help us promote THE DUSTY AND ERIK SHOW.