Chicago Screening

[Michael Sokol]

Hey all, 

Wanted to start chatter about the Chicago screening. Not sure if you wanted to loop in your rep in Chicago. We found one theatre that has availability on 9/29, 9/30 and 10/14. It's called The Davis Theatre. I have reached out to some others and am waiting for a response. 

There are plenty of chains that seem willing to host screenings as well, so the biggest question is what date would be ideal for Giving Kitchen, assuming y'all want to be somewhat more involved with that screening(s). 

I also think input from your rep in Chicago would be incredibly helpful, in terms of what areas are ideal to host these screenings. 

Thanks! 

--

Michael Sokol

Executive Producer, We're So Dead

(404) 606-2040

We're So Public! See our film's campaign!

https://wefunder.com/weresodeadmovie/

[Leah Melnick]

YES!! Looping Lindsey in here. She’s been waiting for this 😉

Looking at our calendars, it looks like the best option for the 3 of us to hop on a meeting would be tomorrow at 2pm – any chance that works for y’all?

 

 

With gratitude, 

--

Leah Melnick | Senior Director of Field Operations

P: (470) 945-2300 | Eastern Time

SUBSCRIBE | ASK FOR HELP | WAYS TO GIVE

Enroll in Dining With Gratitude to support food service workers across the nation with essential funds, and to raise vital awareness of how GK can help them.

QPR Suicide Prevention Training is always free for food service workers and only takes 45 minutes online.

-- 

[Ken]

Works for me!

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Ken MacLaughlin
Writer/Director of We're So Dead

https://wefunder.com/weresodeadmovie

[Lindsey Rosenthal]

Hello all! I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to get Chicago involved!

 

I am available at 2 PM tomorrow and would welcome any conversation.

 

With gratitude,

Lindsey Rosenthal

Regional Impact Manager, Great Lakes

Chicago, IL | Central Time
Cell: (312) 508-5500

[Michael Sokol]

We have not reached out to Sean Hyslop yet. He is with Goldberg's Corp, but used to be the Region Pres of Sysco in Atlanta. I am pretty friendly with one of Goldberg's founders, but haven't made that request, just because Sean is on your board. I don't think I realized Bill Ray was on your board, until after the email was sent. 

Here is who we have reached out to already for Atlanta: 

Fresh Point	Nicholas Costanzo	Atlanta
Buckhead Meat	Julie Toman	Atlanta
US Foods	Bill Ray	Atlanta
US Foods	Sara Matheu	Atlanta
US Foods	Blake Atkins	Atlanta

[Leah Melnick]

Excellent! I can do the intro to Sean Hyslop. And I’d be happy to follow up with Bill Ray to let him know more about this. I’m not acquainted with the others, but I think all roads here point to Sysco and US Foods between the contacts listed!

[Michael Sokol]

Perfect, thanks! 

[Leah Melnick]

Hey, sorry for delay – would you mind sending me one of your pitch emails so I can better reach out to these two?

[Michael Sokol]

Here is what we sent Nicholas at FreshPoint: 

Hey Nicholas,

We're a group of Atlanta filmmakers (and longtime servers). Our film, We’re So Dead, is a horror-comedy all about the restaurant service industry.

Early on, we had the privilege of working closely with Wendy Abney and Jenine Garden from Supplies on the Fly. They were instrumental in helping us finance the film through a giveback campaign that provided Supplies on the Fly equipment to restaurant-focused non-profits.

Now, as we enter the distribution phase, we are partnering with Giving Kitchen while touring the film in select cities, raising awareness and funds for their vital work. Sysco’s purpose, to share food and care for one another, perfectly aligns with our mission and with Giving Kitchen’s role as an organization who helps food service workers in crisis.

Our film was financed by servers and written and produced by lifelong servers, for an audience of servers. And now, with our upcoming Atlanta screenings on Sept 22, Sept 24, and Sept 26 (and beyond) we’re looking for a restaurant-centric, presenting sponsor. We want to amplify both the film and Giving Kitchen’s message.

I’d love to discuss the possibility of Fresh Point serving as the presenting sponsor for these events. I’ve attached a sponsor deck for your review.

Thanks, 

 WSD Theatrical Sponsorship Deck.pdf

[Leah Melnick]

Thank you! I pinged Bill Ray and copied you both on an email to Sean Hyslop.

 

With gratitude, 

--

Leah Melnick | Senior Director of Field Operations

P: (470) 945-2300 | Eastern Time

SUBSCRIBE | ASK FOR HELP | WAYS TO GIVE

Enroll in Dining With Gratitude to support food service workers across the nation with essential funds, and to raise vital awareness of how GK can help them.

QPR Suicide Prevention Training is always free for food service workers and only takes 45 minutes online.

-- 

 

 

From: Michael Sokol <michaeljo...@gmail.com>
Date: Thursday, September 4, 2025 at 7:47 PM
To: Leah Melnick <le...@thegivingkitchen.org>
Cc: Lindsey Rosenthal <lindsey....@thegivingkitchen.org>, Ken <kenn...@gmail.com>, Libby Schoppman <libby.s...@thegivingkitchen.org>, weres...@googlegroups.com <weres...@googlegroups.com>, Elise Riley <el...@myglobalpresence.com>
Subject: Re: Chicago Screening

Here is what we sent Nicholas at FreshPoint: 

 

Hey Nicholas,

We're a group of Atlanta filmmakers (and longtime servers). Our film, We’re So Dead, is a horror-comedy all about the restaurant service industry.

Early on, we had the privilege of working closely with Wendy Abney and Jenine Garden from Supplies on the Fly. They were instrumental in helping us finance the film through a giveback campaign that provided Supplies on the Fly equipment to restaurant-focused non-profits.

Now, as we enter the distribution phase, we are partnering with Giving Kitchen while touring the film in select cities, raising awareness and funds for their vital work. Sysco’s purpose, to share food and care for one another, perfectly aligns with our mission and with Giving Kitchen’s role as an organization who helps food service workers in crisis.

Our film was financed by servers and written and produced by lifelong servers, for an audience of servers. And now, with our upcoming Atlanta screenings on Sept 22, Sept 24, and Sept 26 (and beyond) we’re looking for a restaurant-centric, presenting sponsor. We want to amplify both the film and Giving Kitchen’s message.

I’d love to discuss the possibility of Fresh Point serving as the presenting sponsor for these events. I’ve attached a sponsor deck for your review.

Thanks, 

 

 WSD Theatrical Sponsorship Deck.pdf

 

 

[Ken]

Thank you Leah. It was really well written. It’s always awkward asking for money/sponsors, but you did it very well. I’ll be taking notes.

Ken MacLaughlin
Writer/Director of We're So Dead

https://wefunder.com/weresodeadmovie

[Leah Melnick]

Aw shucks, Ken! I felt like I was using all of YOUR language! ❤

 

Error! Filename not specified. WSD Theatrical Sponsorship Deck.pdf

 

 

[Lindsey Rosenthal]

Hi All,

 

Happy National Food Service Workers Day!

 

I hope that your screening in Atlanta was spectacular. I saw great things and I was impressed with what you put together.

 

I wanted to check in and see if you were still hoping to have a screening in Chicago. If so, I wanted to ensure it was on my calendar and that I have been able to facilitate as best I can. Would love any updates!

[Michael Sokol]

Hey Lindsey, hoping to lock that in today or tomorrow! 

Michael Sokol

weresodeadmovie.com

[Ken]

Excited to keep the conversation going. 

https://weresodeadmovie.com/

[Michael Sokol]

Hey Lindsey, 

Here is an update. We did look into the Brew and View and that appears to be closed. Not sure if it was something seasonal or not, but their last social media post was a few years ago. 

There is an opening on 10/27 for at Davis Theater. So our thought is that we take that one and then find a second theater or just do multiple screenings that night. 

What are your thoughts on that date? 

We are all very very excited about the Chicago screening! 

[Lindsey Rosenthal]

Hi Michael,

 

Thanks for the follow up!

 

I am available on 10/27. The Davis Theatre is still a great location. I’ll do a little more digging and see if there are any theaters that make sense for the second viewing.

 

I did see that the Brew & View did seem to cease its operations (though it was in The Vic Theatre, which is certainly still there).

 

With gratitude,

Lindsey Rosenthal

Regional Impact Manager, Great Lakes

Chicago, IL | Central Time
Cell: (312) 508-5500

SUBSCRIBE | ASK FOR HELP | WAYS TO GIVE
Enroll in Dining With Gratitude to support food service workers across the nation with essential funds, and to raise vital awareness of how GK can help them.

QPR Suicide Prevention Training is always free for food service workers and only takes 45 minutes online.

 

 

[Michael Sokol]

Hey all, 

The Davis Theater is asking for non-profit verification to apply a 15% discount to our rental. Do you have something you could provide us? 

Thanks! 

[Leah Melnick]

We sure do! See our 501c3 letter attached.

[Michael Sokol]

Thanks! 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/weresodead/BN8PR07MB584335C2B1F8ED5B05D2166BB9E0A%40BN8PR07MB5843.namprd07.prod.outlook.com.

[Michael Sokol]

Lindsey, Leah or Libby...

Any chance you have connections to someone at the National Restaurant Association? We know they hold a big show in Chicago every year. Wondering if they would be able to help promote the event. 

[Leah Melnick]

I believe Lindsey does! She’ll be back in office tomorrow.

[Ken]

Hi Lindsey and GK Team,

We’re so excited for the Chicago screening and to have GK people in attendance again. We've learned a lot already from our ATL and NoLa screenings and we'd like to set ourselves up for success once again. 

I'd love to get the ball rolling on the following:

-Hopefully, we can again be included in the upcoming events portion of GK's newsletter. This time we'll be sure to get you artwork. Do you have a preference between landscape, portrait, or square?

-We'd like to work closer with local Chicago restaurants. It would be great if nearby restaurants were willing to hang posters or give out flyers. Lindsey, any introductions would be greatly appreciated. It would be cool for large groups of co-workers to attend. Restaurants who buy larger ticket packages for their staff, would be highlighted like we did Sweet Auburn. If we get two restaurants, we could stage a Family Feud style game to start the evening.

-Likewise, it would be fun to market the event to other local companies as a team-building or holiday event. I'm thinking of local distributors, and wholesalers. But it could also be worth a try in hitting up Chicago companies like CH Distillery or Potbelly's. Lindsey, do you have any contacts at companies like these? Ideally their HR departments.

Thanks guys. I'm really excited for this. You can't go to Chicago and not do it big!

[Leah Melnick]

LOVE it, Ken! Libby can speak to the newsletter timing. And while Lindsey gets back and settled, I wanted to be sure you knew about Chicago’s hospitality Facebook group – it’s massive compared to ATL: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/19mHXEppo8/. It gets a lot of activity and I think you’d find incredible traction here.

[Libby Schoppman]

Good Morning! Very excited to see our new city premieres! We have the NOLA screenings on GK’s event site, and our monthly newsletter goes out today and has an inclusion as well. 

https://givingkitchen.org/events/were-so-dead-new-orleans-premiere/

If you send over the Chicago assets, we can get those live as well. 

With gratitude,

-- 

Libby Schoppman (she/her)

Senior Brand Marketing Manager

Mobile: (229) 869-3184 | Eastern Time

970 Jefferson St. NW, Suite 8, Atlanta, GA 30318

SUBSCRIBE | ASK FOR HELP | WAYS TO GIVE

 

Did you know?  QPR Suicide Prevention Training is always free for food service workers and only takes 45 minutes online.

 

[Ken]

Thanks Libby this is great. It's very surreal to see it on the actual website. And thanks Leah. We'll hit up that facebook group hard.

[Michael Sokol]

Hey Lindsey let us know if you have time tomorrow or any time this week to chat about the Chicago screening. We have some really ideas to add some fun to the screening and involve some local restaurants.

Michael Sokol

Executive Producer, We're So Dead

(404) 606-2040

weresodeadmovie.com

[Lindsey Rosenthal]

Hi Michael!

 

I’m excited to hear about them. I don’t have a lot of time today, but tomorrow after 2 PM EDT would fit. Would that work for you all? If not, I could do Thursday after 12:30 PM EDT.

[Michael Sokol]

Yes, we can do that today.

Do you want to just say 2pm? 

--

[Lindsey Rosenthal]

Just want to make sure there is no confusion – tomorrow after 2 PM would work?

[Michael Sokol]

Oh, yes. that works too! 

[Michael Sokol]

Hi Lindsey,

Thanks again for chatting about the Chicago screening, we really appreciate your time and help on this. Whatever time you're able to give to us is very appreciated. We've prepared some email templates below for any restaurant or restaurant vendors where you have direct contacts. Otherwise, we can take on any cold emailing/contacting. If you could just point us in the direction of say, famous Chicago pizza, beef, etc that we could pit against each other. 

Feel free to tweak the greeting, CC us, and we’ll take it from there. We also have a pitch deck and trailer ready to share.

We have some instant reactions from servers on NoLa that you can also share if you want. These really drive home the point of being proud of what you do in this industry. 

Connecting with local restaurants went a long way in New Orleans, and we'd love to do that again. Any introductions would be incredibly helpful. 

We’re especially excited about distributors and wholesalers. We think it could be a fun gift for their restaurant clients.

Thanks so much, Lindsey. 

---

Email Template 1: For Restaurants

Subject: Treat your team this Halloween 🎃 (and support Giving Kitchen)

Hi [First Name],

We wanted to share a unique Halloween idea for an affordable, staff-bonding event or gift for vendors: something fun, heartfelt, and made especially for the service industry community.

On Oct 27 at the Davis Theater, we’re partnering on a special screening of We’re So Dead, a horror-comedy created by and for people who work in restaurants and bars. It’s the first film of its kind, and a portion of every ticket supports Giving Kitchen’s mission to provide emergency assistance to food service workers in crisis.

The screenings are a chance for Chicago’s service industry to come together — coworkers, managers, bartenders, servers, and even vendors — to share a laugh (and maybe a tear) and celebrate what they do for a living. It’s a story about a work family, which makes it a perfect Halloween outing for teams who spend their lives taking care of others.

We’d be thrilled if your team bought tickets in larger groups as a Halloween gift for staff and regulars.

You can check out the trailer and screening details here: [link]
We also have a pitch deck available if you’d like more info.

We hope you’ll join us for a fun night out that brings the industry together and gives back to a great cause.

With gratitude,
The Giving Kitchen Team

---

Email Template 2: For Distributors, Wholesalers, and Local Companies

Subject: A Halloween Gift for Your Restaurant Clients 🎃 (and Support Giving Kitchen)

Hi [First Name],

We wanted to share a unique idea for a fun, meaningful Halloween gift. One that celebrates the service industry and gives back to the community.

On October 27th at the Davis Theater, we’re partnering on a special screening of We’re So Dead, a horror-comedy created by and for people who work in restaurants and bars. It’s the first film of its kind, and a portion of every ticket supports Giving Kitchen’s mission to provide emergency assistance to food service workers in crisis.

This is a perfect opportunity to show appreciation to your restaurant clients or for your own staff. Large groups can attend together, enjoy a night of laughs (and maybe a few tears), and feel celebrated for the work they do every day.

We have a pitch deck and trailer ready.

We hope you’ll consider gifting tickets. It’s a fun way to connect with your partners, highlight your support for the industry, and enjoy a unique Halloween outing.

With gratitude,
The Giving Kitchen Team

--

[Lindsey Rosenthal]

Hi Michael and Ken,

 

Hope you had a wonderful weekend.

 

Please find below a list of those famous Chicago establishments. I’ve included mostly chains in pizza, steak, and Italian Beef thinking that they have more employees.

 

Hot Dogs

• The Wieners Circle (known for their raunchy comedy/heckling customers when they order)
• Superdawg Drive-In
• Vienna Beef Factory Store

 

Pizza

• Lou Malnati’s (I have a contact in HR here if you need one)
• Giordano’s
• Pequod’s Pizza
• Gino’s East

 

Steakhouses

• Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse
• Morton’s The Steakhouse
• Gene & Georgetti

 

Italian Beef

• Mr. Beef
• Al’s Italian Beef
• Portillo’s
• Buona

 

Other Suggestions

• Ed Debevic’s (old-school diner known for performances and heckling customers)
• Lettuce Entertain You (largest independent restaurant group in the country; based in Chicago)
• Kuma’s Corner (heavy metal-themed burger joint)
• DMen Tap (D&D themed bar)
• Billy Goat Tavern

 

I’ll use your email template with some tweaks to send to some of my own contacts. Thanks for that! Let me know if you have questions.

[Michael Sokol]

Hey Lindsey, thanks for these. 

We would LOVE the contact to Lou Malnati's HR rep. Thanks! 

[Libby Schoppman]

Hi Team! Just checking in to see if you can send over the Chicago assets so we can get those on the GK events site. 

With gratitude,

-- 

Libby Schoppman (she/her)

Senior Brand Marketing Manager

Mobile: (229) 869-3184 | Eastern Time

970 Jefferson St. NW, Suite 8, Atlanta, GA 30318

SUBSCRIBE | ASK FOR HELP | WAYS TO GIVE

 

Did you know?  QPR Suicide Prevention Training is always free for food service workers and only takes 45 minutes online.

 

[Ken]

Hi team,

It is with much sadness that we have decided to cancel our Chicago screening. We simply could not gain any traction in the city nor find any kind of meaningful partnerships. With none of us being from there, and without the resources to travel any of the cast out there, we simply could not generate any kind of meaningful buzz.

Thanks to everyone for their efforts, but it just wasn't in the cards this time around. We're sorry but look forward to notifying The Giving Kitchen of future screenings that we will better set up for success. 

--

Ken MacLaughlin
Writer/Director of We're So Dead

https://weresodeadmovie.com/

[Lindsey Rosenthal]

Ken!

 

Thank you for letting us know! I’m so sorry to hear that, though I understand. I will say that if you decide in the future to try Chicago again, let’s just try to schedule a little further out so we have time to build up ticket sales and marketing together.

 

Thank you to Michael and the whole team. I sincerely appreciate your efforts.

 

With gratitude,

Lindsey Rosenthal

Regional Impact Manager, Great Lakes

Chicago, IL | Central Time
Cell: (312) 508-5500

SUBSCRIBE | ASK FOR HELP | WAYS TO GIVE
Enroll in Dining With Gratitude to support food service workers across the nation with essential funds, and to raise vital awareness of how GK can help them.

QPR Suicide Prevention Training is always free for food service workers and only takes 45 minutes online.

 

 

From: Ken <kenn...@gmail.com>
Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at 6:26 

PM

[Libby Schoppman]

Hi Ken! 

Thanks for your note about Chicago, and did I see on socials that the movie is now streaming online?! Very exciting! Could you give us an update on how things are shaping up with fundraising from the screenings so far?

As I’m finishing up Giving Kitchen’s content calendar for December, we’re thinking about ways to show our gratitude for the impact of the dollars already raised through your screenings, especially with the film taking place on Christmas Eve. We’d love to celebrate and highlight the generosity of everyone involved before the year ends and highlight the impact dollars. 

We’d also love to stay connected as future screenings are planned, and continue partnering with Bitchy Waiter’s incredible audience, who are such a great fit for our mission.

We’re so grateful for the entire crew and cast, and for the energy everyone has put into supporting food service workers through this project. 

With gratitude,

-- 

Libby Schoppman (she/her)

Senior Brand Marketing Manager

Mobile: (229) 869-3184 | Eastern Time

970 Jefferson St. NW, Suite 8, Atlanta, GA 30318

SUBSCRIBE | ASK FOR HELP | WAYS TO GIVE

 

Did you know?  QPR Suicide Prevention Training is always free for food service workers and only takes 45 minutes online.

 

[Ken]

Hi Libby,

Thanks so much for reaching out. We have a few exciting updates to share.

-The movie will be available to stream through our own website on November 21, and pre-sales are available now.

-We have decided to pause the live screenings until after our digital release. We will pick them back up in December or January with hopefully some momentum at our back. In fact, we would like to discuss a model that generates more proceeds for Giving Kitchen.

-We have created unique coupon codes for our influencers and cast members to share with their audiences. Their followers get a discount, and the person sharing the code earns a small commission for each use. We would love to explore doing something similar with Giving Kitchen.

-The film is available on Kinema, which makes it simple for organizations to host interactive screenings, online or in person, with a revenue share. We would love to discuss Giving Kitchen hosting one. It is turnkey, community focused, and could generate funds for your organization.

I know this is a lot of information, but there are so many new opportunities for collaboration. We'd love to jump on a call soon to talk through these ideas. Let me know when and if you guys are free.

Thanks so much,

[Erica Hicks]

Anyone interested in the $149 group rate for duct/dryer cleaning?

 Michael will be cleaning our air vents and dryer vents soon (he also offers chimney cleaning if needed). He recently did an excellent job at a nearby property—very thorough, punctual, and professional. If you have allergies, notice extra dust, or haven’t cleaned your vents in over a year, it’s probably time. He quoted $400, but with 3–4 houses it’s $159 for a single AC unit home. And if you book along with your neighbor or a friend, your price will be $149. If interested, PM me your contact number and house address so I can add you to the list. Thanks!

On Thursday, August 28, 2025 at 10:17:28 PM UTC+5 Michael Sokol wrote:

Hey all, 

Wanted to start chatter about the Chicago screening. Not sure if you wanted to loop in your rep in Chicago. We found one theatre that has availability on 9/29, 9/30 and 10/14. It's called The Davis Theatre. I have reached out to some others and am waiting for a response. 

There are plenty of chains that seem willing to host screenings as well, so the biggest question is what date would be ideal for Giving Kitchen, assuming y'all want to be somewhat more involved with that screening(s). 

I also think input from your rep in Chicago would be incredibly helpful, in terms of what areas are ideal to host these screenings. 

Thanks! 

--

Michael Sokol

Executive Producer, We're So Dead

(404) 606-2040