Manhattan Transfer is an exciting new streaming series based on the award-winning novel of the same name by John E. Stith. It will tell the tale of a massive alien ship that “abducts” Manhattan and how our captive New Yorkers react to the situation.
From the creative team that brought you Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, Star Trek: Renegades, Renegades: The Requiem and InAlienable comes a compelling new streaming series -- “Manhattan Transfer.” It is based on the Hugo Award Honorable Mention novel by John E. Stith.
Without warning, the entire island of Manhattan is covered by a clear, impermeable bubble, scooped up by a fleet of spacecraft and flown into the cargo bay of the mother of all motherships. But for what purpose? Are they friendly? Will they attack? Are we part of an alien scientific experiment? Are we some kind of cosmic zoo exhibit?
Or... are we just tonight's dinner?
Our new streaming series will tell multiple stories of how everyday and extraordinary people react to these crazy new circumstances -- from the mayor to the ordinary guy on the street, from the top minds in business and science to the street-smart loners, from the celebrities to the mobsters in the seedy underworld.
How will we discover what the aliens have in store for us? Will we be able to communicate with our captors? How will we get off this alien ship?
And, perhaps most importantly, how will people and society function when they’re cut off from the rest of the world?
Manhattan Transfer is a 60+ minute pilot episode for a new science fiction streaming/cable series.
We are independently producing and funding the pilot via BackerKit, private investors and equity funding.
Funds from this campaign will primarily be used for development and pre-production (novel rights, script, location scouting, artwork and graphics, storyboards, casting, auditions, etc.) and if we do really really well here, production costs as well.
Our goal is to have a streaming service (Netfilx, Hulu, Amazon, Paramount Plus, Apple TV, etc.) or cable channel (SyFy, AMC, FX, etc. ) pick up the pilot and fund the series.
This project will serve as either a concept pilot, or the pilot episode itself.
If the pilot is not picked up by a streaming service or cable network, then our goal would be to raise independent finances via equity crowdfunding and other forms of funding to produce further episodes.
We’ve worked in the business long enough to have established connections with top-notch Hollywood talent. Our stellar cast features:
Casper Van Dien - Starship Troopers, Sleepy Hollow. Casper will play the lead role of Matt Sheehan, a rugged Army veteran who's been everywhere, seen everything and knows secrets that would make your blood run cold. He’s also currently in charge of the New York office of one of those three letter agencies.
Walter Koenig - Star Trek: The Original Series, Babylon 5, InAlienable. Walter will be playing Dr. David Freedman, a radical free-thinking law professor at Columbia University who will be instrumental in helping organize the new society of Manhattan.
Doug Jones - The Shape of Water, Pan's Labyrinth, Star Trek: Discovery. Doug joins the cast as Dr. Zeus "Zed" Wellington, a genius scientist and Malcolm's partner. He’s quirky and ultra-focused, and is the real brains behind the company.
John Billingsley - Star Trek: Enterprise, The Man from Earth. John is Malcolm Engelbrekt, a brilliant visionary, engineering wizard and marketing entrepreneur who will be one of the major players in figuring out how to escape the dome, communicate with the other captive cities and get back to earth.
Tim Russ - Star Trek: Voyager. Tim will portray the mayor of New York City, Derek Underwood. Derek is popular, gregarious and insightful. A former NYPD officer, he’s a down-to-earth, get-things-done kind of guy and knows what makes the everyday person tick.
Dominic Keating - Star Trek: Enterprise, Beowulf. Dominic will be playing Stuart Lund, a down-on-his-luck advertising agent who gets a new lease on life after the alien attack.
Jennifer Wenger - Battle for Saipan, Assailant. Jennifer will portray Nova Taylor, a brilliant astrophysicist who has become something of a television celebrity. She will be instrumental in making contact with the alien civilizations we’ll meet and play a major part in our liberation from our captors.
Bonnie Gordon - Star Trek: Prodigy, Shield of Tomorrow, Callisto 6. Bonnie is playing Joy, a shock-jock who hosts controversial call-in shows on NY's biggest radio station.
Ashley Mary Nunes - Salvage Marines, All Through the House. Ashley is Abby Tersa, a linguist working for the United Nations. She’s intelligent, strong and resilient, and will play a big part in our eventual communication with our captors.
Rico E. Anderson - Star Trek: Renegades, Truth Be Told. Rico will be playing Big Dog, a member of an elite self-appointed group who are champions for crime prevention on the streets of New York.
Chalet Lizette Brannan - Dystopia, Renegades: Ominara, Crepitus. Chalet is Maria, a street-smart homeless teen who quickly finds herself indispensable to both the upstanding and the more disreputable citizens of Manhattan.
Robert Funaro - The Irishman, The Sopranos, Ray Donovan. Robert will be playing Uncle Rico, the capo of Manhattan's biggest mob boss.
Eve Mauro - Cypher, Age of the Living Dead, The Oath. Eve will portray Valentina, an aggressive and condescending boss who takes an instant dislike to one of our other characters.
Sky Conway - Award-winning Producer/Writer; Creator/producer/writer for Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, InAlienable, Star Trek: Renegades, Renegades: The Requiem, Cozmo's Thirsty Tentacle Bar and Grill, Renegades: Ominara
Shaun Piccinino - Director; Shaun is an award winning Film and Television Director who currently has 6 feature films on Netflix with 3 of them reaching the Top 3 most watched movies in the world for the platform. Over the past 6 years Shaun has directed 10 feature films and 2 television series (directing on multiple episodes each series). His projects have been distributed by Netflix, HBO, Warner Brothers, Lionsgate, Amazon Prime, Crackle, Tubi and more.
Walter Koenig - Producer; in addition to Walter's long acting career, he has written and produced multiple films and television episodes, including InAlienable, Star Trek: The Animated Series and Land of the Lost.
John E. Stith - Highly Acclaimed Novelist/Writer; Manhattan Transfer, Redshift Rendezvous, Reckoning Infinity, Pushback (novels)
Ethan H. Calk - Writer/Producer; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2 stories - "Visionary," "Children of Time"), Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, Star Trek: Renegades, Renegades: The Requiem, Cozmo's Thirsty Tentacle Bar and Grill.
NOTE: ALL REWARDS also receive some or all of the lower rewards - check the bottom of the rewards boxes to know exactly what's included in each.
Every reward at $150 or above includes YOUR NAME in the film's closing credits, as part of a scroll, under: "The Producers Wish to Thank..." unless that reward is receiving other screen credit (i.e. Associate Producer, etc.)
Some rewards that are available during the shooting phase (live streams, set visits) may have other items that are not deliverable until the project is completed (DVD, photos, etc.)
Here is a quick summary of the rewards (click the links to see more):
$35 - Pilot episode stream - above rewards, plus be one of the first people to watch the completed pilot episode!
Membership to Atomic Video - for all levels below, you'll receive either a one month, one year or lifetime membership to Atomic Video - a brand new streaming service for Techies, Trekkies, Geeks, Gamers, and beyond. Check out the specific reward level for more details. Discounted memberships are also available as add-ons.
$50/$60 - DVD or Blu-ray of the pilot with cast and crew commentary - above rewards, plus a special edition DVD or Blu-ray of the pilot. NOTE: the timeline for the distribution of the DVDs or Blu-Rays may depend on whether or not we are picked up by a streaming service or cable network - this could cause delays, but we will get your DVD/Blu-ray to you as quickly as humanly possible.
$100 - awesome collectible t-shirt- above rewards, plus show off your alien-ness with this awesome collectible Manhattan Transfer t-shirt!
SOLD OUT $100 - autographed first edition hard cover copy of "Manhattan Transfer" - above rewards (except t-shirt), plus receive a limited hard-cover first edition of the award winning 1993 source novel, "Manhattan Transfer," personally signed by the author, John E. Stith. Only 25 copies available; not included on any other reward.
$150 - 2 hour behind-the-scenes live streams - above rewards (except autographed novel), plus watch the cast and crew LIVE as they shoot the pilot episode during 2 or more live streams, PLUS you get your name in the credits under "The Producers Wish to Thank..."
$250 - Autographed cast member photo - above rewards (except autographed novel), plus a personally autographed 8x10 photo of one of the cast members.
$1500 - Spend a day on the set! - above rewards (except autographed novel), plus see how the magic is made as you visit our set for a day, meet the cast and crew and even have lunch on us!
$2500 - Walk on role - above rewards (except autographed novel), plus be a featured extra in the film, with your name in the cast credits and in IMDb.
$2500 - Associate Producer Credit - above rewards (except autographed novel), plus your name as an Associate Producer in the pilot's end credits and on IMDb, and visit the set for a day.
$5000 - Walk on speaking role - above rewards (except autographed novel), plus be a featured extra in the film with a few lines, plus your name in the cast credits and in IMDb.
$10,000 - Co-Executive Producer Credit - above rewards (except autographed novel), plus your name as a Co-Executive Producer in the pilot's credits and on IMDb, AND a 3 day VIP visit to the set!
Add-ons - get extra copies of our DVD or Blu-ray and more, including the chance to attend a New York Yankees game with Walter Koenig!
Even though the pandemic has been over for some time, the shipping disruption seems to have follow-on effects. Pricing and delivery schedules remain extremely volatile. Our intention is to deploy shipping options that minimize risk and expense for both ourselves and our backers.
All shipping fees will be chargedseparately, AFTER the campaign, during pledge management. The prices below are estimates. Actual shipping prices will be determined after production is finished and we're gearing up to send out the rewards.
Estimated shipping costs for physical items: United States - $15.00 Outside the US - $30.00
When I first picked up John Stith's novel "Manhattan Transfer," I immediately fell in love with it! It is science fiction at its best - the perfect "what if?" scenario full of a sense of wonder like few other novels I read.
I immediately thought this would make an excellent science fiction series. However, at the time, broadcast and cable shows were off limits to "outsider" independent producers like me. So, I put it on a back burner, but I still revisited the possibilities of creating this series from time to time.
Fast forward to today, where there are countless cable channels and streaming services. And the one thing they all have in common - they need programming!
So, now is the perfect time to bring "Manhattan Transfer" to life! There are so many stories to tell with a premise like this: how vastly disparate people can come to work together, utilizing science and creativity to solve what will be a nearly impossible scenario. Can people put aside their differences for a common goal? Can they put aside their own needs for the needs of the many? And can they function as a society when their society collapses?
These are just some of the captivating questions that we can explore in this series. With an ensemble cast of exceptional actors, we can bring this compelling story to life - with your generous help! Thank you!
As you've probably seen in our credits, this is not our first time around the science fiction galaxy. Our previous projects have garnered over 17 million views on multiple platforms, and have won several awards. Check out some of our trailers:
Star Trek: Of Gods and Men - voted "Best Web Production of 2008" bySyFy Portal's Genre Awards.
Star Trek: Renegades - one of the top 50 science fiction films ever watched on YouTube!
InAlienable - a thoughtful science fiction gem written by our very own Walter Koenig.
Renegades: The Requiem - a two-part episode continuing the saga of the Renegades crew
Cozmo's Thirsty Tentacle Bar and Grill - an unaired pilot episode starring Ethan Phillips and Drake Bell, directed by the late, great Steven Furst (Animal House, Babylon 5)
Use of Proceeds - depending on the amount raised, we will be using the funds to cover development costs, pre-production costs and hopefully, much of the production budget as well. Other sources of funding (investors, equity funding) are already being addressed in addition to this campaign.
We have been successful with crowdfunding in the past, having raised funds for eight different film projects with both Kickstarter and Indiegogo (and completed and delivered every one). We have a built-in fan base from our other projects, as well as a built-in science fiction fan base. Our fans and previous donors know they can expect high-quality science fiction content on a relatively low budget, and they know we can deliver 100%.
