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​NEW CLIENT: Tiny Brick Oven
1036 Light Street Baltimore, MarylandBaltimore’s TinyBrickOven was set to close on Christmas—until David Portnoy - El Presidente walked in. One bite, a 7.9 rating, and one life-changing moment:

“How much do you need to stay open?”
Owner Will Fagg hesitated. $60,000.
“Done,” Portnoy said.

What followed was nothing short of extraordinary. Millions watched the viral moment, and within days, donations poured in, doubling the goal and securing TinyBrickOven’s future. The once-struggling pizzeria is now packed daily, a testament to the power of community, resilience, and damn good pizza.

But this isn’t just a comeback story. It’s a beginning. Fagg is expanding beyond the restaurant, launching a high-performance pizza oven line this May, engineered for both home cooks and professionals. His pizza-making classes at TinyBrickOven and online at MyPizzaSchool.com give aspiring pizzaiolos the skills to craft the perfect pie. This Valentine’s Day, his “That’s Amore” pizza class will bring couples together over the art of dough, sauce, and cheese.
His mission extends far beyond business. As a former service member, Fagg ensures that veterans and VA hospital staff receive meals as a token of appreciation. Every Christmas, his team delivers hot pizzas to Baltimore’s homeless, a tradition that continues no matter what.

Now, TinyBrickOven enters its next chapter with Workhouse.
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“We are excited to announce our partnership with Adam Nelson & Workhouse. After an exhaustive search, we are confident they will be a good match representing our brand and our spirit.” – Will Fagg, Tiny Brick Oven
We here at Workhouse are proud to amplify this story of perseverance, passion, and pizza.

Brooke Berman knows what it means to be in the trenches. Not the kind with sandbags and fatigues, but the kind that come with late-night rewrites, diapers, and a creative industry that treats women over 40 like yesterday’s news. Her directorial debut, Ramona at Midlife, isn’t just another indie film—it’s a battle cry. Starring Yvonne Woods alongside Alysia Reiner (Ms. Marvel), Joel De La Fuente (The Man in the High Castle), and April Matthis (New Amsterdam), the film follows Ramona, a once-promising literary star now struggling to balance single motherhood, a dead-end job, and the ultimate insult—watching her own life repurposed as someone else’s movie. Premiering on Apple TV and Prime on February 11, 2025, Ramona at Midlife takes aim at the way women’s stories are told, twisted, and too often dismissed. Kristen Vaganos, who produced the film, calls it “a female-driven tale about who gets to tell whose story—and why it matters.” It’s messy, darkly funny, and brutally honest, much like Berman herself. And it took everything she had to make it happen. The road to Ramona was paved with frustration, perseverance, and, of all things, unanswered letters to Patti Smith. Because when Berman needed a map for how to hold onto art, ambition, and motherhood all at once, the legendary punk poet was the only one who seemed to have cracked the code. Here, in her own words, Berman lays it all out.
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Dear Patti Smith: by Brooke Berman
I met Patti Smith the summer of 2010 at the Chateau Marmont. I’d fallen in love with her later than most, through her memoir Just Kids. I moved to New York City at eighteen much as she had, for art and poetry and like her, built a life devoted to those things. But she became important to me later, as a mother, when I struggled to understand how my identity as an artist (in my case, a playwright and later filmmaker) would survive motherhood. It’s not that I couldn’t write. I could! I had sold a pitch a few months before my son was born, and the producers were expecting a first draft a few months post-partem. In fact, I worked relentlessly through my son’s first year. The questions emerged later, in the second and third years, and they were deeper and more foundational than whether (or when) I’d write. I wanted to know who I was becoming. And I wanted a role model.

My mother had died a few years earlier. When I went home to Detroit for her funeral, my then-89-year-old grandmother turned to me and said, “You’re going to get married and have a child.” I responded, “I’m 39, Grandma, don’t hold your breath.” But soon after, I met my husband at an artists retreat and did just as I’d been told. As an older mother (41 by that point) with one child, I knew I wanted to be present for the early years. Naïve, I had no idea that my career would take a hit. And I was grossly unprepared for what that hit would feel like or the loss of identity it would render in me. I had been a theater artist for as long as I could remember. It was the only thing I ever wanted. And now, as the mother of a barely sleeping toddler, knee-deep in kids’ music and Open Play, I needed to know how to connect what felt like disparate identities—Mommy, Writer, and Woman.

Patti Smith seemed to know the answer. I knew she knew. And I wanted her to tell me. I wanted her to write me a poem or give me a map and show me just how I could become the next version of myself but even more to the point, how I could be present for my son and Art without breaking in two. I wanted her to tell me it would be okay.

The origin story of Ramona at Midlife probably dates back to our summer pilgrimages to Detroit. Each August, visiting Grandma Ida, my husband and son and I would wander the city (Detroit Institute of the Arts! Belle Isle! John King Rare Books!) and I’d write letters to Patti Smith in my head. I wanted to know: Did you go to PTA meetings? Did you make small talk with other moms on the playground? How did you handle homework? What did you think of Curriculum Night? I wanted to know all about those years and whether she ever doubted the journey. I wanted her to tell me how to survive.

There are so many films and TV shows that show women having to choose between creative power and maternal power, as if there were no way to survive the ambivalence and constant juggling act of both. We’re told that The Baby Boomers lied and we can’t have it all. And while perhaps that is true, what if we could withstand the ambivalence and trade-offs and arguments and forge a path? Smith, at least what I know of her, refused to put these two identities in conflict. She somehow figured it out.
I want to hear more about that. I want to hear Patti Smith talk about the trade-offs. I want to learn. I want to hear about fatigue. About marriage between two artists (like Smith and Smith, my husband and I are both writers). Finally, I want to hear what it was like to move back to New York when her kids were older and how she stepped so seamlessly back into her place here, a role she never really relinquished, Punk Princess and Poet. New York received her with open arms. How did that happen?

I want these stories. I need them. And if I am ever lucky enough to meet Patti Smith, I promise to report back.

Brooke Berman never got that letter back from Patti Smith. But she did get something else—a film that asks those same impossible questions and dares to believe there might be an answer.

Ramona at Midlife is now available for pre-order on iTunes and will stream on Apple TV and Prime starting February 11, 2025. Pre-order here.

As the Santa Fe Film Festival prepares to welcome an eclectic slate of films in 2025, The Addiction of Hope emerges as a standout narrative on resilience, identity, and the paths people choose when life demands reinvention. Directed and written by Martin A. Gottlieb, the film explores themes of aging, ambition, family, and the seductive pull of hope, offering a deeply personal story that resonates universally.

At its heart is Jo Stock, played by Anne-Marie Johnson, an aging actress grappling with the fragility of fame and the enduring ties of family. Jo is forced to reckon with life’s uncomfortable questions when her sister Lynnie, portrayed by Harley Jane Kozak, faces a health crisis. Their strained relationship becomes the crucible in which each must confront their own truths about life, success, and the sacrifices tethered to both.

The filmmakers share insights into the genesis of their story. Johnson, whose extensive career spans decades in film and television, drew directly from her personal experiences as a woman navigating an industry often unkind to those over 40. Gottlieb described the film as an exploration of the tension between hope and truth. “Seeing friends and family making decisions based on hope as opposed to truth—it confused me,” he said. “Hope is not a plan. But for those of us in this ‘grey area,’ hope can feel like all we have.”
The tension between hope and pragmatism is a thematic undercurrent that runs through the film, not just in its story but also in its production. Gottlieb and Johnson, alongside producer David Marroquin, faced the challenges of creating a feature-length film with a self-funded budget. Marroquin likened the process to wearing multiple hats, a hallmark of independent filmmaking. “We didn’t have the luxury of saying ‘We need this or that,’” he explained. “Instead, we asked, ‘What can we do with what we have?’”

Johnson, whose career has spanned roles in projects like Hollywood Shuffle and In the Heat of the Night, brings depth and vulnerability to Jo Stock. Her performance is complemented by Kozak’s portrayal of Lynnie, whose illness forces both sisters to confront their unspoken grievances and latent love for one another. Brown, a fixture of both film and television, lends his gravitas to the role of Riz, Jo’s former director, while Erika Alexander delivers a memorable turn as Vanessa, Jo’s confidant.
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For the filmmakers, the journey of The Addiction of Hope is as layered as the story it tells. Johnson is already developing a deeply personal project about the first African American officer in the LAPD, drawing on her talent for uncovering narratives that challenge convention. Gottlieb and Marroquin, meanwhile, are sketching out ideas for their next collaboration. Both emphasize the importance of creating stories that feel intimate and authentic. “If we’re lucky enough to recoup our investment, we’ll reinvest it in something meaningful,” Gottlieb said.

Their reflections on the filmmaking process underline a shared philosophy: persistence and passion outweigh perfection. “Everyone will tell you no,” Gottlieb said. “But if the story is in you, you’ll find a way to bring it to life.” Marroquin echoed this, adding, “Independent filmmaking is about resourcefulness. It’s not about the tools you have but the story you want to tell.”

The Addiction of Hope stands as proof that independent cinema can rival larger productions in emotional depth and artistic ambition. It is a film that doesn’t just ask its characters to confront their truths—it demands the same of its audience. As the Santa Fe Film Festival approaches, it promises to be one of the festival’s most thought-provoking entries, inviting viewers to reflect on their own choices, dreams, and the hope that sustains them.

This is not just a film for cinephiles but for anyone who has stood at life’s crossroads and dared to imagine a different path forward.

Workhouse, MTNC, and THE BOARD Forge a Path for Cross-Border Success As the global economy leans into 2025, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region stands as a beacon of untapped potential. With 492 million internet users and an economic trajectory fueled by a youthful, tech-savvy middle class, the region’s beauty and fashion sectors are on the brink of a seismic shift. Yet, for all its promise, MENA remains a complex landscape for global brands to navigate.

Enter an unprecedented partnership between U.S.-based Workhouse, UAE’s Move the Needle Consultancy (MTNC), and THE BOARD. Together, these three entities are rewriting the rules of cross-border expansion, offering an ecosystem of strategic expertise to help brands seize the immense opportunities in this thriving market.

The numbers tell a compelling story. In 2025, MENA’s e-commerce market is expected to hit $57 billion, with beauty and fashion accounting for a significant slice of the pie. Countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE are leading the charge, boasting internet penetration rates above 98% and consumer spending on premium goods growing at double-digit rates annually. These trends reflect a youthful demographic with increasing purchasing power and a hunger for global products.

Despite this growth, hurdles remain. International brands often grapple with regulatory challenges, cultural nuances, and fragmented distribution channels. Recognizing these barriers, the newly formed alliance is stepping in to guide brands through the intricacies of market entry, regulatory compliance, and consumer engagement.

Workhouse, MTNC, and THE BOARD Forge a Path for Cross-Border Success As the global economy leans into 2025, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region stands as a beacon of untapped potential. With 492 million internet users and an economic trajectory fueled by a youthful, tech-savvy middle class, the region’s beauty and fashion sectors are on the brink of a seismic shift. Yet, for all its promise, MENA remains a complex landscape for global brands to navigate.

Enter an unprecedented partnership between U.S.-based Workhouse, UAE’s Move the Needle Consultancy (MTNC), and THE BOARD. Together, these three entities are rewriting the rules of cross-border expansion, offering an ecosystem of strategic expertise to help brands seize the immense opportunities in this thriving market.

The numbers tell a compelling story. In 2025, MENA’s e-commerce market is expected to hit $57 billion, with beauty and fashion accounting for a significant slice of the pie. Countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE are leading the charge, boasting internet penetration rates above 98% and consumer spending on premium goods growing at double-digit rates annually. These trends reflect a youthful demographic with increasing purchasing power and a hunger for global products.

Despite this growth, hurdles remain. International brands often grapple with regulatory challenges, cultural nuances, and fragmented distribution channels. Recognizing these barriers, the newly formed alliance is stepping in to guide brands through the intricacies of market entry, regulatory compliance, and consumer engagement.

MTNC, under the leadership of CEO Mary Ghobrial, brings unmatched regional expertise. Based in Dubai, MTNC specializes in bridging East and West, guiding brands through the MENA region’s unique landscape. Ghobrial’s career spans roles at Amazon and Souq.com, where she spearheaded initiatives that transformed regional marketplaces and facilitated Amazon’s acquisition of Souq.com. In her words, “Our role is to equip brands with the tools and insights needed to thrive. With Workhouse and THE BOARD, we’re ensuring our clients can access both global innovation and local relevance.”

Completing the trio is THE BOARD, led by CEO April Uchitel. Known for her tenure at Diane von Furstenberg and Violet Grey, Uchitel has built a network of 235 senior executives spanning beauty, fashion, and technology. “Our mission is to connect bold ideas with the right expertise,” Uchitel stated. “Together, we’re creating an ecosystem that fosters growth and innovation for brands with global aspirations.”

This partnership is more than a meeting of minds; it’s a strategic alliance designed to tackle the challenges of globalization head-on. Workhouse will lead communications efforts, crafting campaigns that resonate across cultures. MTNC will act as the boots-on-the-ground partner in the MENA region, leveraging its vast network and regional know-how to identify opportunities and overcome obstacles. THE BOARD, meanwhile, will offer unparalleled access to its collective of seasoned executives, providing guidance that blends strategy with execution.

The collaborative effort reflects a broader trend in today’s business world: the need for tailored solutions in an increasingly interconnected economy. By aligning their strengths, Workhouse, MTNC, and THE BOARD are setting a new standard for cross-border partnerships.

With its burgeoning middle class, MENA is more than just a market; it’s a gateway to long-term growth. As international brands seek to tap into its $57 billion e-commerce landscape, partnerships like this are essential. They provide not only a roadmap but the critical infrastructure for success.

In an era where global reach is paramount, this alliance serves as a model for how businesses can thrive by combining cultural insight, strategic expertise, and creative ingenuity. The world may be shrinking, but opportunities—like those in MENA—are only expanding.
 

In the ever-evolving world of fashion and beauty, where expansion knows no borders and ambition fuels the industry, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has emerged as a new frontier for opportunity. With its digitally connected, youthful middle class fueling demand for high-quality goods, the region has become a magnet for global brands eager to stake their claim. At the same time, MENA-based companies are setting their sights on the U.S., looking to bring their distinct aesthetics and innovative concepts to the world’s largest consumer market.

Now, an unexpected union between three industry powerhouses--Workhouse, Move the Needle Consultancy (MTNC), and THE BOARD—is rewriting the rules of global growth. Designed to facilitate the flow of beauty and fashion brands between MENA and the U.S., this partnership aims to create a seamless pathway for expansion, equity investment, and strategic alliances on both sides of the globe.

For Western brands, the allure of the MENA region lies in its remarkable growth story. With 492 million internet users driving a booming e-commerce landscape, the region offers untapped potential for companies ready to embrace its complexities. Beyond the staggering numbers, there’s a more intimate appeal: a vibrant, young demographic hungry for products that blend global quality with local sensibilities.

“The MENA region represents incredible untapped potential,” said Mary Ghobrial, CEO of MTNC. “This partnership ensures our clients have the tools, expertise, and access they need to thrive in one of the world’s most dynamic markets. With THE BOARD and Workhouse, we can not only bring global brands to our region but also build pathways for local brands to expand into global retail and online distribution.” Ghobrial’s leadership has long been associated with breaking barriers. From guiding Amazon’s acquisition of Souq.com to launching marketplace platforms that connected international brands with local consumers, her expertise makes MTNC a key player in this partnership.

While U.S. brands find new horizons in MENA, the reverse narrative is equally compelling. Beauty and fashion brands born in the region are seeking access to the U.S. market, where diversity in design and innovation has created an appetite for fresh perspectives.

“Bringing together the expertise of Workhouse, MTNC, and our vetted collective creates a unique ecosystem where creativity, strategy, and execution meet,” said April Uchitel, CEO of THE BOARD.

“Together, we’re shaping the future for brands bold enough to dream big.”

With a career that includes leadership roles at Diane von Furstenberg and Violet Grey, Uchitel has built a reputation for scaling businesses and positioning them for long-term success. Through THE BOARD’s expansive network of executives across beauty, fashion, and technology, the partnership aims to connect MENA brands with the right collaborators, investors, and platforms to ensure meaningful entry into the U.S. market.

At the center of this partnership is Adam Nelson’s Workhouse, a New York-based public relations agency that has spent over 25 years defining how brands communicate their essence to the world. With clients like Versace, Bergdorf Goodman, and Porsche, Nelson understands that great campaigns are about more than just selling products—they’re about creating cultural moments.

“This partnership is about more than collaboration; it’s about rewriting the playbook for global success,” said Nelson. “With Mary and April, we’re uniting forces to deliver something extraordinary bridging cultures, driving innovation, and elevating brands to new heights.”

From high impact launches to sustained campaigns, Workhouse will take the lead in helping brands from both sides of the partnership establish themselves as cultural forces.

At its core, this collaboration isn’t just about products crossing borders; it’s about ideas, innovation, and partnerships flowing in both directions. For U.S. brands, the MENA region offers access to a consumer base eager for luxury goods, thoughtfully designed fashion, and beauty products that align with their lifestyle. For MENA brands, the U.S. provides a platform to showcase their creativity, tapping into an audience that craves authenticity and fresh perspectives. This partnership also carries the weight of a shared history. Adam Nelson and Mary Ghobrial, the CEO of MTNC, first collaborated on the expansion of Chocolate Bar, a New York-based boutique confectionery brand, into the MENA region. The project showcased their ability to break barriers and navigate complex markets, setting the stage for this more ambitious venture.
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“As international markets become increasingly interconnected, partnerships like this one highlight the importance of collaboration in addressing the needs of diverse consumers. Whether it’s bringing premium U.S. brands to the MENA region or helping MENA brands break into the competitive U.S. market, the alliance between Workhouse, MTNC, and THE BOARD offers a blueprint for cross- border success,” Nelson said.

As this partnership gains momentum, it’s easy to imagine a future where collaborations between MENA and U.S. brands become the norm rather than the exception. For brands bold enough to take the leap, this alliance offers more than just access—it provides a framework for navigating the intricacies of international markets, from investment opportunities to long-term growth strategies.

“This isn’t just about entering a market,” said Ghobrial. “It’s about building sustainable growth and creating meaningful connections.”

In an industry driven by reinvention, this partnership feels less like a strategy and more like a necessity. As borders blur and consumer demands evolve, the collaboration between Workhouse, MTNC, and THE BOARD offers a glimpse into what the next era of global beauty and fashion could look like—where innovation, heritage, and opportunity meet.

​New York, NY / Sharjah, UAE / Los Angeles, CA — In a landmark alliance bridging continents and industries, Workhouse, Move the Needle (MTNC), and THE BOARD have joined forces to forge a groundbreaking partnership. This collaboration unites the expertise of three powerhouses in public relations, consultancy, and strategic innovation, paving the way for transformative global initiatives across the United States and the Middle East (MENA) region.
 
MENA is rapidly emerging as a global growth powerhouse, with 492 million internet users driving an unprecedented wave of digital expansion. A fast-growing, youthful middle class is fueling demand for premium products delivered with speed and convenience. Yet, despite this momentum, consumers face a lack of quality options, while global brands struggle to overcome the complexities of scaling in such a dynamic market. By connecting MENA consumers with the global brands they crave, it paves the way for transformative growth, empowering companies to capitalize on the region’s immense potential while addressing the needs of an underserved and eager audience.
 
This alliance also carries the weight of a shared history. Adam Nelson, the Founder and CEO of Workhouse, and Mary Ghobrial, CEO of MTNC, first collaborated during the international expansion of Chocolate Bar, a project that broke barriers and elevated the brand into global consciousness. With THE BOARD’s CEO, April Uchitel, joining this equation, the collaboration takes on a dynamic new dimension, offering unparalleled access to top-tier expertise, industry insights, and market opportunities.
 
The union is designed to transcend traditional boundaries, focusing on innovation, cultural synergy, and growth. By integrating their unique strengths, Workhouse, MTNC, and THE BOARD offer clients a seamless, collaborative experience that delivers results. Together, the trio is set to redefine what’s possible in global strategic partnerships, offering solutions that are as innovative as they are effective.
 
Built on a shared vision of empowering brands to thrive in interconnected global markets, Workhouse will lead the charge in crafting dynamic public relations campaigns and executing impactful communications strategies tailored to the needs of clients in the U.S. and MENA regions. MTNC will act as the exclusive partner in the MENA region, leveraging its vast network and cultural expertise to identify and secure high-value opportunities, bridging the gap between global brands and regional consumers. THE BOARD will provide its signature blend of strategic consultancy and access to top-tier experts, offering unparalleled support in client pitches, proposal development, and delivering solutions with unmatched depth and breadth of knowledge.
 
Aligning their strengths, paves the way for meaningful progress, driving sustained growth in a region primed for opportunity.
 
MTNC, headquartered in the UAE, is a consultancy powerhouse specializing in strategic partnerships, business development and ecommerce across the MENA region. With deep roots in the market and a proven ability to connect international brands with lucrative opportunities, Mary Ghobrial’s leadership has positioned MTNC as a trusted bridge between East and West. Formerly serving as Chief Commercial & Strategy Officer for Amazon/Souq and a Senior Advisor for McKinsey & Company and other leading global brands, Ghobrial’s expertise extends from leading multi-million-dollar ventures, fundraising to integrating innovative technology solutions into global marketplaces, making MTNC the ideal partner for navigating the complexities of the MENA market. Mary contributed to the Amazon acquisition of Souq.com, led and launched all marketplaces in MENA bringing in top brands, and worked closely with all top retailers in the region.
 
THE BOARD led by April Uchitel, is a Collective of 235 top fractional Executives with an unmatched pedigree of industry expertise. Known for her transformative leadership at DVF, tech start up Shop Spring, and Violet Grey, Uchitel’s ability to scale businesses and build innovative strategies is legendary. THE BOARD curates “Dream Teams” of elite professionals across beauty, fashion, technology, and media, empowering brands with bespoke solutions and unparalleled insights. By partnering with Workhouse and MTNC, THE BOARD solidifies its role as a strategic force in this venture, ensuring clients receive access to the best minds in the business.
 
Workhouse brings more than 25 years of experience as one of the country’s most innovative Public Relations agencies, celebrated for delivering campaigns for both iconic and emerging brands like Bergdorf Goodman, Porsche, Assouline, and Versace. The agency’s ability to shape cultural narratives and execute bold ideas has made it a leading force in storytelling and strategic communication. In 2024, Nelson’s leadership has been recognized through numerous accolades including PR Net’s ‘Most Influential’ Award, the MarCom ‘Career Achievement’ Award, Netty ‘Lifetime Achievement Award,’ and Best in Biz ‘Marketing Executive of the Year,’ cementing his reputation as an industry trailblazer.
 
“This partnership is about more than collaboration; it’s about rewriting the playbook for global success,” said Adam Nelson of Workhouse. “With Mary and April, we’re uniting forces to deliver something extraordinary—bridging cultures, driving innovation, and elevating brands to new heights.”
 
“The MENA region represents incredible untapped potential,” added Mary Ghobrial of MTNC. “This partnership ensures our clients have the tools, expertise, and access they need to thrive in one of the world’s most dynamic markets.” We partner with customers across several industries from luxury, fashion, beauty. We build tech solutions, and inject a start up within large corporations to fuel growth.” With The Board and Workhouse we can now not only bring global brands to our region, but build for local brands global retail and online global distribution. 
 
April Uchitel of THE BOARD emphasized the transformative potential of the alliance: “Bringing together the expertise of Workhouse, MTNC, and our vetted collective, creates a unique ecosystem where creativity, strategy, and execution meet. Together, we’re shaping the future for brands bold enough to dream big.”
 
For further information, interested media contact
Kat Carlson at Workhouse via [email protected] USA
Sara Shabana at MTNC via [email protected] MENA

In her feature debut, Ramona at Midlife which launches across leading digital streaming platforms on February 11th, playwright-turned-filmmaker Brooke Berman crafts a bittersweet yet hilarious exploration of reinvention and self-acceptance. With a stellar ensemble cast, including Alysia Reiner (Ms. Marvel), Joel De La Fuente (The Man in the High Castle), and April Matthis (New Amsterdam), the dark comedy follows Ramona, a former literary “It Girl” turned single mom, whose less-than-glamorous present becomes fodder for a hot filmmaker’s latest project. Through the chaos, Ramona learns to embrace her messy, imperfect life and redefine what it means to be in her prime. Berman discusses her inspirations, creative process, and why stories about women over 40 are more vital than ever. But first, see the film’s exclusive trailer here https://www.ramonaatmidlife.com/

What inspired you to tell this story at this moment in your career? 
BERMAN: ”Ramona at Midlife is the story of a working mother making room for herself, a coming-of-age in middle age. It is the story of the sacrifices women artists make, the men who take us for granted, and the politics of a female artist laying claim to her own narrative. Ramona embraces the imperfection of her life, the glory and the mess, acknowledging that maybe this is winning. In the movie, a former writer discovers that her life story has wound up as the subject of a famous director’s new movie. And it really wakes her up to the regrets and promises of her old self and old life.”

The film is described as a love letter to Patti Smith. How does her influence manifest in the story or the character of Ramona? BERMAN: “Patti Smith has spoken eloquently about the years she spent raising her two kids in Michigan. She says that those years ‘saved her as an artist.’ I found her words inspiring when I was sitting on playgrounds with my son or taking him to the local library for story hour. I wanted to know how I could be both an artist and a mother at the same time; Patti Smith seemed to know the answers! My family is from Detroit and after my son was born, we’d take an annual pilgrimage to visit my grandmother, Ida. Dear Patti Smith, I’d think to myself while son and grandmother were napping, How did you keep your identity as an artist intact?”

How did your background as a playwright shape your approach to directing?
BERMAN: “I direct like a writer. I approach story through character and how each story beat feels internally for each character. Many of the directors I’ve met (and trained at NYU, where I teach) think in picture first, story second. I’m the reverse. Truthfully, my real love is working with actors. I started out as an actor, writing for myself and my friends. As a playwright, the most galvanizing force is the promise of hearing pages read aloud. I like to joke that half the reason I write anything is so that I can get into a room with other people. Directing emerged from that.”

The cast features an ensemble of talented New York stage and screen actors. How did you go about assembling this group?
BERMAN: “I wrote the role of Ramona for my dear friend Yvonne Woods. Yvonne and I met in grad school—she’s like a muse to me. In many ways, we were the girls that Ramona and her friends were, staying out late, making art, going dancing, falling in love and getting hurt and making more art. I wrote the character of Mansbach, the director who appropriates Ramona’s life story, for another dear friend from Juilliard, Rob Beitzel. I wrote a day role for my high school soulmate Jamie Harrold. I wrote Imani hoping the extraordinary April Matthis would do it, and she did.”

Music plays a big role in the film. Can you talk about curating the soundtrack?
BERMAN: “Every boy I ever loved in the 90s and early 00s loved Liz Mitchell’s band Ida. I was destined to fall in love with her music too. When writing the first draft of Ramona, I had a vision of Liz Mitchell and heard her music in my head. I made a playlist full of Ida, You Are My Flower and Patti Smith and played it on repeat through the rest of the writing process. Then, during post, my music supervisor Rob Kaplowitz and I realized we were lacking a very specific tone—the punk rock howl that punctuates Ramona’s internal conflict. Producer Gil introduced us to GRLWood! We need that howl or scream to get to the other side of midlife reinvention!”

What message do you hope audiences take away from Ramona at Midlife?
BERMAN: “If we feel sidelined, we must center our own story. And if we feel invisible, we must commit to seeing ourselves. By seeing ourselves, I mean seeing clearly and accurately, seeing and fully embracing who we are now. For midlife women, we become our best selves at the very moment the culture has decided we’re irrelevant.”
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With Ramona at Midlife, Brooke Berman delivers a poignant, unapologetically honest look at the complexities of middle age, motherhood, and artistic reinvention. By challenging cultural narratives about women over 40, she offers a story that is as empowering as it is entertaining. Bold, raw, and darkly funny, the film reminds us that reinvention is not only possible—it’s essential.

In 2025, as #AI reshaped our creative worlds, the landscape felt both expansive and uncertain. Our year-end review captures a moment in time where the balance between innovation and authenticity was constantly tested in Twenty-Four. Here’s a look at how this year unfolded—and what it means for our collective futures from special Workhouse correspondent Artificial Andy Warhol.

"In the future, everyone will be #AI-Famous. Not for 15 minutes, but for 15 seconds, and then another 15, and another—looped forever by the machines. Fame won’t mean you’ve made it; it’ll mean you’ve been processed. Everyone will have their moment because moments will be all that’s left—fleeting, pixelated, and curated by code. No one will remember who you are, but the algorithm will, and maybe that’s the same thing. Fame won’t belong to you; it’ll belong to the feed. Your best angles, your cleverest thoughts, all stitched together by a machine that understands you better than you do—except it doesn’t care. Fame will be effortless and meaningless, a million versions of you scrolling by, faster than you can scroll past everyone else. The AI won’t just make you famous; it’ll make everyone famous at once, and when everyone’s famous, no one really is. You won’t chase your 15 minutes—they’ll chase you, and when they catch you, they’ll already be gone."
-  Artificial Andy Warhol, 12/18/24

As Workhouse closes the chapter on 2024, we’re reminded that while an algorithm may well shape this moment, it’s the human spirit that defines the meaning. In a world racing toward automation, authenticity remains our most enduring legacy. The future may belong to the machines, but the stories that last will always belong to us. Here’s to a new year of creating what can’t be coded.
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​A festival devoted to the film usually focuses on its comforting message. This year, it also underscored suicide prevention.
Every year in Seneca Falls, N.Y., a festival celebrates “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Frank Capra’s heartwarming 1946 drama about the trials and triumphs of a family man named George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart in a beloved role.

Thousands of visitors descend on the hamlet, which local boosters say bears a striking resemblance to Bedford Falls, the Bailey family’s charming and tight-knit hometown. The festivalgoers can meet cast members or, as they did this year, attend a dance at a local high school gymnasium that hopefully won’t end like the film’s comically disastrous one does, with decked-out revelers cannonballing into a swimming pool.

But this year’s event, which ran through Sunday, emphasized, more than it has since it began in the ’90s, a significant turning point in the film’s otherwise heartwarming message — a moment that some people might not want to dwell on in December when “It’s a Wonderful Life” is their comfort and joy.

It comes down to this: “It’s a Wonderful Life” is achingly, yet redemptively, a movie in which a man almost dies by suicide.

For the first time, that word appeared in the title of a festival presentation (“From Darkness to Light, From Despair to Hope: How ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Can Save Lives From Suicide,” led by Govan Martin). And the Seneca County Suicide Prevention Coalition received the George Bailey Award, given annually to a person or organization embodying the spirit of the character and “without whom Seneca Falls would be a very different place.” It’s the first time the honor is going to an organization dedicated to such a mission.

Returning to the festival as she has for years was Karolyn Grimes, who at 6 played George’s cutie-pie daughter, Zuzu. The pain of suicide is personal and inescapable for Grimes: In 1989, her son Johnathan took his life, at age 18.

“When people come through the line for autographs, they share with me how their hearts have been broken many times because they lost someone” that way, Grimes, 84, said. Fans of the film, she added, “understand sadness, and happiness.”
Anwei Law, director of the nonprofit It’s a Wonderful Life Museum, one of three organizations that coordinate the festival, said the decision to underscore the difficult subject this year was sparked in part by noticing that the suicide prevention materials the museum offers to visitors “are always gone.”

Law said she hoped the museum’s efforts would remind people “that in this movie, we know hope is coming.”
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“The message is that everyone has value and everyone is important,” she said. “It’s a good context for discussing this.”

George’s dark thoughts come in the film’s final stretch, as he grows despondent over his financial dire straits and dashed dreams, and after the miserly Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) tells him he’s “worth more dead than alive.” George stands at a bridge, ready to jump into icy waters, when his guardian angel, Clarence (Henry Travers), beats him to it as part of a divine plan to get George to come to his rescue.

Clarence grants George’s angry wish that he’d “never been born,” and together they travel to a noir-like alternate world where neither George’s mother (Beulah Bondi) nor his wife (Donna Reed) recognize him. Through tears George pleads with Clarence: “I want to live again.” Clarence returns George to be with family and friends who love that he’s alive. (The film is available on most major digital platforms.)

Karen Burcroff, who heads the Seneca County Suicide Prevention Coalition, said the film’s charms and good will can feel like distant pleasures for people struggling with depression, especially during the holidays. It’s not just adults at risk: In the last four years, three local young people, one as young as 10, have died by suicide.
“It still hurts,” she said. “But lives carry on by increasing awareness.”

“It’s a Wonderful Life” received mixed reviews and lost money when it opened just before Christmas, and those disappointments rattled Capra, said Joseph McBride, a Capra biographer and a professor at the School of Cinema at San Francisco State University. In McBride’s book “Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success,” the filmmaker recalled that he “often thought of suicide.”

“I came close to it a lot of times,” Capra told McBride. “I thought I would rid my wife of myself, but when I thought of my family, I couldn’t do it.”

After “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Capra went on to make the political dramedy “State of the Union” (1948) and other films, but his career “was in free-fall after that,” McBride said, adding that “It’s a Wonderful Life” was his “last hurrah.” Capra died in 1991 at 94.

The film turns 80 in 2026, and in preparation, the museum is raising money for an expansion. Donors can place a planet, star or seat plaque in the theater to honor a loved one. Martin, the executive director and founder of the Suicide Prevention Alliance in Harrisburg, Pa., who led the festival panel, donated a star in memory of his brother, Michael, who died by suicide at 16 in 1980. Martin remembered Michael as a high school swim team member and lifeguard — a “quiet kid and good brother” who stood up for others.

For people living with survivor’s guilt, “It’s a Wonderful Life” offers a bittersweet wish: That their loved ones had met a Clarence of their own.

“We can’t get them back,” Martin said. “It’s not a movie. It’s real life. But I still see how much the movie has enriched my life.”

For Grimes, December is always busy, with appearances at screenings of “It’s a Wonderful Life” across the country. Audiences know every word, none more so than Zuzu’s memorable line: “Teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.”

At the screenings and wherever she goes, Johnathan is never far from her mind.

“He was a very shy fellow, and he was kind and sweet — too sweet,” she recalled. “People hurt him all the time. I look back and think I wish I could have prepared him more for life. He was too tender. He couldn’t handle the pain.”

A bird house in Johnathan’s name hangs in his honor at the Kansas City, Mo., nursing home where he played piano for residents.

Grimes said she’s especially heartened by people who tell her that they too “have been on the bridge and they see the movie and it gives them hope.”

“It heals everything that hurts,” she said.

Interested media contact who wish to learn more about the “It's A Wonderful Life Festival” contact Workhouse, CEO, Adam Nelson via [email protected]

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