Oh, Rick!

Seeking aid to help fully distribute our Award-Winning feature documentary "OH, RICK! "

Meet Rick Crom, Comedy's Everyman...

What is "OH, RICK!" about?

Showcasing a nearly 40-year career in entertainment, “OH, RICK!” is a documentary that aims to redefine how we measure success within ourselves through the eyes of comedy's everyman, Rick Crom. And more importantly, to answer this question: “What still drives Rick to be Rick?” Most likely, another question answers that question:

“Who is Rick Crom?”

On any given Saturday morning, Rick Crom is bustling down the sidewalk, papers in hand, on his way to the “Comedy Cellar,” one of New York City’s most respected platforms for stand-up comics. The “Cellar” is where Rick teaches undiscovered, aspiring stand-up comics. It’s also where Rick got his own start back in 1984, eventually performing night after night alongside the greatest comedians of our generation.

Rick's an award-winning actor, singer, comedian, lyricist, composer and beloved teacher. He’s made a living in entertainment for nearly 40 years doing what he loves, an accomplishment very few can claim. On top of that, he's respected & loved by his colleagues as well as his hundreds of students.

Now almost four decades later, Rick still shows us daily that we can always still find success and redefine our future if we just keep pushing forward, no matter the climate of the industry or obstacles in one's personal life.

Project History

"OH, RICK!" began back in February of 2014 as a small short film on Comedy Cellar veteran and stand-up teacher Rick Crom, whom Director Dustin Sussman knew from his stand-up classes. Ha! Little did we know where we'd be 4 years later, Rick most of all. To our surprise, the outpouring of support from the comedy community for "OH, RICK!" was more than we could have ever imagined. There seemed to be no other choice, we had to get Rick's story out into the world.

From Ray Romano & Wanda Sykes to Bill Burr & Sarah Silverman, the long list of comedic all-stars in "OH, RICK!" each took part out of their love, respect & support for Rick, and graciously doing so in their free time. That said, we wanted to do everything in our power to do Rick's story justice. That's why WE NEED YOUR HELP.

Independently, we were able to complete the film ourselves in the Summer of 2017, finishing the mix, color correction and paying all rights & clearances costs for film festival screenings. On November 12th, 2017, "OH, RICK!" had its World Premiere in front of a sold-out crowd at the largest documentary festival in the country, DOC NYC , where it went on to win the Audience Award. The film has also screened at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, Stranger Than Fiction Film Series and upcoming at the SOHO International Film Festival in June.

Based on the surprising outpouring of support from audiences as well as festivals, the final step for us is to get "OH, RICK!" officially released on a large-scale digital platform. We are SO CLOSE. All the heavy lifting & hard work has basically been done. Everything is in place, we just need enough funds to cover our entire clearance costs so the film can finally be fully distributed. That's where YOUR HELP COMES IN.

The "OH, RICK!" Team

Over the past 4 years, it's taken a lot of blood, sweat & serious sacrifice from a very small, talented and dedicated team to bring "OH, RICK!" to life. Needless to say, seeing Rick's story fully released into the world would be a dream come true for us all. No matter how large or small the support, please know we consider you a part of the "OH, RICK!" family.

Dustin Sussman (director & producer)

Dustin is an award-winning director, producer, & stand-up comedian based out of New York City & Los Angeles. His production credits include Comedy Central, MTV, and the Peabody Awards among others. Dustin started his professional career at the pioneering content website ifilm, where he curated the first music video library for MTV Networks. He went on to cover landmark pop culture events such as the VMAs, SXSW, Comic-Con, E3 & others. After getting to know Rick Crom and his story, Dustin quit his job 4 years ago to dedicate all of his time to Rick's story. “OH, RICK!” is his first feature film.

Aaron Rosenbloom (director & co-producer)

Aaron is an award-winning director and producer in New York. Since graduating from the University of Colorado in 2003, he has written, produced, and directed commercials, music videos, documentaries and films that have played at film festivals and on televisions all over the world. His short film, “Bananas”, premiered at the 2014 Seattle International Film Festival and subsequently played more than 20 festivals across the world. “OH, RICK!” is his first feature film.

Kimmie Kim (executive producer)

Producer and Writer Kimmie Kim has extensive experience producing live shows, special events, and films. Her acclaimed documentary Live from New York!, a film that chronicles the 40 year history of SNL,​ premiered at the opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival in 2015. Most recently Kimmie produced the film Songwriter, a documentary that provides an intimate look into the songwriting process of Ed Sheeran. The film made its World Premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2018 and its North American Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival, during which it landed a distribution deal with Apple. Kimmie is actively developing multiple projects across various genres, and she plans to continue her creative journey by telling stories that make the world laugh, think and be inspired.

Atsuko Atake (editor)

A native of Japan, Atsuko Atake knew from a young age her future was to be in the film industry. With a passion for storytelling and a drive to explore marginalized stories, she took her skills to Los Angeles. Her feature documentary credits include serving as lead editor on Uninformed Consent and supporting editor on Shout Gladi Gladi. Atake has collaborated on and edited several shows, commercials and numerous branded content pieces for clients such as 20th Century Fox, adult swim, Disney, Toyota, Nintendo, Snapchat, Facebook, among others. Atake currently lives in Los Angeles.

Clint Byrne (cinematographer)

Clint Byrne is a cinematographer based in Brooklyn, NY. He has worked ad agencies and production companies to create ads for Axe, Windows, Purina, Delta, Famous Footwear, P&G, among others, shooting all over the US and in over 20 countries worldwide. When he isn't working in advertising he shoots short films, feature films, documentaries, and music videos. The short film he photographed, C (299,792 km/s) was a science fiction viral hit, and let to a production deal for the film's director, Derek Van Gorder. Oh, Rick! is his first feature length documentary.

Rick Crom! (star)

The man himself, who's put more into this project than anyone else. Rick has been a constant inspiration to the entire team throughout the making of the film, it's hard not to love the guy. His genuine warmth, charm and endless talents are undeniable. Thank you, Rick!

Why GoFundMe?

As a totally independent production, our small, but dedicated team have done everything in our power to complete this film ourselves. We're very proud to say that we've succeed in terms of completion, but need serious help in this final push for full distribution. It is not easy to ask for help nor for a sum of money this size, but we truly believe in this project and feel GoFundMe is the most genuine & reliable platform to finally achieve this goal. We want you ALL along for the ride with us because WE CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU.

Why $78,600?

It's hard to make a movie, you guys! Especially without a big studio backing you up. Making a movie independently means finding all of the funds ourselves and hustling our butts off. That's why we want to be totally transparent with you and tell you exactly what we need & why we need it.

This may seem like a BIG number goal-wise, but added with the 8% taken off the top by GoFundMe fees, this is the full sum it would take to pay off the entire rights & clearances costs for the film (as well as some pricey union fees). This means IF WE CAN HIT THIS GOAL, WE'LL FINALLY BE ABLE TO DISTRIBUTE "OH, RICK!"

With documentaries there are countless video clips, pictures & songs used to tell a story, especially in a feature length. The many costs that can pile up are out of a filmmaker's control at times based on what the owner of each decides to charge to license them.

Rick has had a long career, appearing on MTV, Comedy Central, FX, HBO & so many others. This wealth of great material makes telling his story that much better, but the costs can increase quickly depending on what the owner of each one decides to charge. Depending on who owns it, each asset can range from hundreds of dollars, to even the in thousands. We've trimmed the film & costs down as much as we possibly can without compromising the end product. Our GoFundMe goal is set at exactly what we need to get "OH, RICK!" officially released.

We truly appreciate every single one of you for your support.

Rewards

#1 - Pledge $50 or more: Link to download your very own digital copy of "OH, RICK!".

#2 - Pledge $150 or more: Reward #1 + Theatrical or Illustrated (above) "OH, RICK!" poster.

#3 - Pledge $300 or more: Reward #2 + "OH, RICK!" T-Shirt. Show your love for all things Crom with your very own sweet cotton tee from the film!

#4 - Pledge $500 or more: Rewards #1 & #3 + All-Star "OH RICK!" theatrical or illustrated poster signed by Rick Crom, Comedy Cellar founder Bill Grundfest & multiple all-star comics from the film. Some of the biggest names in comedy!

#5 - Pledge $750 or more: Rewards Bundle (#3 & #4)

#6 - Pledge $1000 or more: Rewards Bundle + Rick Crom, the real voice of the Comedy Cellar, does you or a loved one's very own personal stage introduction! Great for voicemails :)

#7 - Pledge $1500 or more: All Rewards + a very limited one on one class with the greatest comedy teacher in the world, Rick Crom! 3 hours total. Online or in person.

*For larger pledges & inquiries on how to get more deeply involved with the team, please us privately at [email redacted].

Thank you!

We can't thank you all enough for taking the time to support our project. The film is locked, loaded & ready to go, we just need YOUR HELP to get over this last BIG hurdle. Thank you.

WE LOVE YOU ALL!!!

- Team "OH, RICK!"