A dream that was born over a decade ago in a musty box-office came to life in Fall 2024, when writer/director Trevor L. Poole's latest short film "Dead Air" started principal photography with a group of familiar faces.
"Multiple cast and crew on this I met more than 10 years ago, working in the box office of a movie theater," said Poole. "My producers (Paige Ferrant and Wesley Boone) and my supporting player (Matt Margheim). All of us bonded over movies, and now we make them."
No Homework Productions has been a collaborative, creative environment for even more members of that box office team. Along with Paige, Trevor, Wesley and Matt, NHP Founding Member Caleb Jobe was also a part of that very same box office crew. "Dead Air" was able to reunite (most) of this crew in Shreveport/Bossier despite members being as far as Milwaukee and Nashville.
"This was my first time acting but I think it was made so much easier just doing this with people I'm comfortable with," said Matt Margheim, who plays Brendan in the film. Matt's chemistry with Wesley was something that also helped land him the part.
Writer/Director Trevor L. Poole directs a scene during the production of "Dead Air".
"I immediately thought about Matt," said Wesley. "We've always had a special dynamic and I just felt that he'd be a great fit for the part. Trevor was open to it and once we did a screen test, it was pretty clear it would be a good fit. It was also a great excuse to hang out."
"Dead Air" follows Joey, a distressed wanna-be stand-up comedian, who has the unenviable task of giving the eulogy at his best-friend's funeral. Poole says the initial concept came from his own anxieties. "When I originally conceived 'Dead Air', I felt I was floundering in my career. Just as Joey contemplates if he's made for comedy, I wondered if I was cut out for directing," said Poole. "My first short film had not quite succeeded in any particular fashion and I was feeling listless, not really moving forward in my career at all. All of these same feelings were funneled into Joey."
Dead Air screen for cast and crew on January 9th before starting its festival journey later in 2026.
