Indeed Rising Voices Present Oscar® qualified Meal Ticket Directed by Wes Andre Goodrich

Wes Andre Goodrich’s thriller Meal Ticket in consideration for 97 Academy Awards®

Los Angles, CA (September 27, 2024). Co-writer/director Wes Andre Goodrich’s MEAL TICKET follows the story of Saint, a manager who is gearing up for his client’s debut tour when he is hit with a moral dilemma after discovering life-changing news. This incredible film poses the question of whether morality trumps opportunity.

This film was presented at the Tribeca Film Festival, was part of the official selection at HollyShorts, and was made as part of Indeed’s Rising Voices program – an initiative set up to discover, invest in and share stories created by BIPOC filmmakers and storytellers. Rising Voices was created in collaboration with Lena Waithe, Hillman Grad Productions, Ventureland and 271 Films. This incredible short film has qualified to be considered for the 2025 Oscars®.

Logline: Twelve minutes before showtime, a young music manager is forced to decide what to do with life-changing news about his client, a hot-headed hip-hop star on the rise.

Wes Andre Goodrich is a Brooklyn-based writer / director. He has been on the festival circuit run with two shorts: SPEAK UP BROTHA! and PALM SUNDAY. He recently directed the short film MEAL TICKET for Hillman Grad’s Rising Voices Fellowship, which premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. Wes was selected by Filmmaker Magazine as one of the 2023 New Faces of Film.

Patrick Nichols is a co-writer/producer based in Atlanta, Georgia. He produced PALM SUNDAY, which received the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the 2023 Calgary International Film Festival, qualifying it for the Oscars®. He’s produced and co-produced over a dozen short films including MEAL TICKET and the award-winning shorts ESPERANCE TO FREMANTLE, CHOKE HOLD, and SPEAK UP BROTHA!. Patrick was a recipient of the 2023 Richard Brick Fund for Special Distinction in line Producing and the 2021 Michael Hausman/Filmhaus Foundation Award. He is currently in post-production on his debut feature, FACE OF THE EARTH.

Siddiq Saunderson is a multi-hyphenate artist from Brooklyn who channels a groundbreaking performance in MEAL TICKET. He was one of the breakout stars on WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA (Hulu). Saunderson’s additional film/television credits include: KEMBA (BET), MESSIAH (Netflix) and BLUE BLOODS (CBS)  He is currently filming GODFATHER OF HARLEM (MGM+) and THE TERROR: DEVIL IN SILVER (AMC).

Cinematographer Ben Hardwicke has lensed a diverse and acclaimed range of films, including his recent release YOU’RE SO NOT INVITED TO MY BAT MITZVAH’, starring Adam Sandler and Idina Menzel, hit #1 on Netflix. His previous films have landed on HBO, premiered at SXSW and received nationwide theatrical distribution

This anxiety thriller short has qualified to be considered for the 97th Academy® Awards. 

Indeed’s mission is to help people get jobs. And while we know talent is universal, opportunity is not. Data shows that BIPOC directors remain critically underrepresented as directors. Rising Voices was born out of the question. What would happen if we took the production budget for a national TV spot. And instead invested it in 10 BIPOC directors to create short films?

To help get the program right. Indeed partnered with Lena Waithe and Hillman Grad Productions to structure and launch Rising Voices. Mentorship was core to the program to ensure we were creating sustainable pathways to a career. So, we also brought on a number of top filmmakers as mentors. The directors each received a $10,000 script payment and $100,000 in funds to create their films. While they were hard at work shooting and editing. We turned our focus to the release strategy by launching a partnership. One with The Tribeca Festival to debut the entire Rising Voices slate of films.

Following their Tribeca premieres, the mentors helped the directors network and make connections in the industry. Rising Voices was written up by more than 50 entertainment and mainstream publications. With individual films and directors getting countless press hits as well. All this helped set the filmmakers up for long-term success with multiple filmmakers selling films. Also signing with agents, and getting hired to direct feature films. Through 3 seasons, their films created over 2,000 industry jobs–many going to people of color.

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