Lucas Skyler is the jerk you like.  A rising YouTube star, he’s charming, energetic, self-deprecating—and dead.  Twelve months after his suicide, fans celebrate at an over-the-top One Year Memorial.

#Likes4Lucas is intensely personal.  I’m not a YouTube star, but I do feel A-list pressure:  the need to curate a public image, to distill myself into a brand, to please my peers—all vs. my real need for growth and fulfillment.

As #Likes4Lucas Mental Health Advisor Ariel Stern has confirmed, the most effective way to reach at-risk teens—and to save lives—is through stories that speak to them personally, stories that they can “identify with.”  As storytellers, we can do that. 

Along with film festival screenings, we plan to bring #Likes4Lucas to In-School Presentations, Mental Health Conferences and Big-Tech Colloquia:  events designed to spark conversations, raise awareness and inspire healthier habits.  To open minds and save lives.

Studies document dangers:  what happens when habits are unregulated, when they’re driven by profit, controlled by a privileged few. Today’s teens spend more time with Big Tech than with schools, parents and peers.

Charming, energetic, self-deprecating — but with an edge — Lucas Skyler was a rising star in the YouTube community … until he jumped off the GW Bridge.

Insta Model, TikTok Queen, former Lucas gf.  On the surface, she rocks.  Inside, she’s wailing.  Needs to stop being the girl she’s supposed to be in order to become the great girl she is.

Middle School Teacher, Visual Artist.  Lived with Lucas two years, loved him deeply—but broke up with him when he chose fame.

Influencer, Personal Trainer.  Showboat, huckster, sycophant, he puts on a great front—all driven by a need for approval.

Brand Coordinator, Manager.  He promotes influencers...and thinks they’re his best friends.  His well-polished skin is actually pretty thin.

Middle School Student.  Once publicly shamed in a Lucas video, he had to change schools—but is still a Lucas Super-Fan. 

I chose my collaborators because of expertise, personality and shared vision.

On Wednesday, Dec 14th, writer/director Dylan Kai Dempsey presented an artist talk on #Likes4Lucas at the Brooklyn Public Library: “Script to Screen: How to Develop (& Fund) your Indie Pilot.”