About the Movie

Ladybeard is a feature-length independent comedy about an aspiring stand-up comic who must try to stop his lesbian best friend from coming out to her conservative family in order to save their friendship.

Andy would do anything to help his best friend Michelle, which is why hes put his dreams of stand-up comedy stardom on hold to stick around his college town and help her hide her sexuality from her family. Michelle is afraid to tell her family she is a lesbian, so she and Andy pretend that they are in a relationship to throw them off.  When Michelles girlfriend Hayden proposes to her, she decides its time to finally come out of the closet. Andy knows he should be happy, but he begins to worry that their friendship will be over once Michelle and Hayden get married. Aided by a traveling performance artist named Amy, Andy sets out to do anything he can to save his role as Michelles beard.

About Us

"Ladybeard" will be the second feature film released by Apartment 2B Productions. We're a film collective based in Huntington, West Virginia, headed by husband and wife team David Smith and Molly Tilly.  We've released several short films in addition to our previous feature-length comedy Escribitionist.  We've shown our movies at several regional film festivals and took Escribitionist on tour across the East Coast in autumn 2010.  We are self-taught filmmakers that take a DIY approach to all aspects of the filmmaking process. 

David Smith, director of Ladybeard and co-founder of Apartment 2B, began making movies in high school.  He wrote and produced his first feature film Maneater, a romantic comedy about a college student falling for a cannibal, before he turned 18.

Molly Tilly has worked as a producer on all the Apartment 2B projects.  She also wrote and directed the short films Anxiety, Lt. Chicken, and Facade.  In addition to producing, she snuck in a role as carpet store mogul Geannie Peraldo in Escribitionist and will play Hayden in Ladybeard.

Chase Henderson will be Ladybeard's Director of Photography.  Chase is a photographer and artist who runs the Charleston branch of the international burlesque figure drawing class Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School.  Chase's work has been a fixture of Charleston's Art Walk and has been featured in the Purple Moon Gallery in Charleston and Gallery 842 in Huntington.

Toby Poole (Andy) is the dark comedy mastermind behind the Huntington cable access series The Lords of Fun.  Penny Maple (Michelle) is a Dr. Sketchy's model who you may have previously seen in the horror films Porkchops and Zombie Babies. Rachel Henderson (Amy) is the Dr. Sketchy's assistant, muse, and wife of Chase Henderson.  

What We Need & What You Get

Our main purpose for this fundraising campaign is to update our equipment.  Specifically, we need to replace our sound equipment (boom microphone, lapel microphones, mixer, etc) to make this the best Apartment 2B film to date.   Sound is an area in which our films need improvement.  We've spent the time between our last project and this learning how to make our films sound better, and now we need equipment to put that knowledge into place. 

Your money will also fund things like wardrobe for the actors, props, and craft services (aka food).  Once those are taken care of, we'll allot the last of the money we receive to distribution costs: DVD printing, festival fees, screening costs, and so on.  If we surpass our goal, we can get Ladybeard on the road and in a city near you much quicker.  (And if we don't meet our goal, we'll be hitting you up for more money six months from now.)  

Any donation is appreciated.  Every dollar amount gets a thank you on our website Apartment2BProductions.com and access to a Member's Only Facebook group, which gives you updates and sneak peeks of the film during production.  The more you contribute, the more stuff you get.  We're offering DVDs from our previous films, new exclusive merchandise, and one-of-a-kind opportunities. Your idea could become the next Apartment 2B short!  You could hang an original Molly Tilly painting over your fireplace!  David Smith could cook you a pan of manicotti! 

Other Ways You Can Help

If you can't make a financial contribution, please help us get the word out.  Share this page with all your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and the blogosphere. 

If you live in Huntington/Charleston region and would like to donate food during our production, please email apartment2bproductions@gmail.com.

Finally, get out there and support local film!  We can't make them if you don't watch them.  We appreciate all of your support and hope to see you at the premiere!