Producer-ready packaging. Independent edge.

Producer-ready screenplays with regional grit, clear casting hooks, and commercial upside.

Back Porch Productions develops original feature material for producers, managers, financiers, directors, and talent seeking distinctive Oklahoma-rooted stories with marketable roles, contained production paths, and a strong emotional engine.
Come to Oklahoma - Leave with Hollywood Quality films and a lucrative Oklahoma film rebate!

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Film and Screenplay Development
Heartland Emmy-Winning Work
Oklahoma Production Roots
Producer-Ready Materials
Producer Slate

Projects built to package.

A focused slate of original material shaped for producer review, management consideration, financing conversations, director attachment, and cast-forward packaging.

Contained Feature Drama / Thriller

Pinwheel

Oklahoma-set emotional thriller with prestige indie appeal

A guarded sixteen-year-old escapes her controlling father in Iceland and returns to Nashville in search of the mother she was taken from – but with no place to stay and a runaway alert closing in, her homecoming quickly turns into a fight for survival. Taken in by a compassionate local girl and her wary mother, Emily is given twenty-four hours to find her mom before she must turn herself in. As leads unravel and the reality of her fractured family sets in, Emily is forced to confront a painful truth: running away hasn’t given her a home – it’s only shown her what she’s been missing. When she finally finds her mother, the reunion is far from the rescue she imagined, and Emily must make a defining choice – keep running or stay and face the consequences of building a life for herself.

Status: Packaged for producer, manager, financier, and talent consideration
Commercial Feature Comedy

Holy Rollin'

Faith, family, crime, and edible chaos

In 1970s Oklahoma, an Amish widow and her rebellious daughter-in-law unknowingly grow marijuana for a group of hippies and turn it into wildly potent baked goods, sparking a booming underground business—while a relentless DEA agent closes in on the most unlikely drug operation in America.

Status: Feature concept with brand-extension potential
Produced Film

A Little Dead

Award-recognized short-form storytelling

A Heartland Emmy-winning project from writer/producer Mike McDonald.

Status: Produced / awards-recognized work sample
Elevated Genre Project

Dream Masters

Commercial genre concept with franchise-facing upside

After a traumatic night she can’t remember, a grieving woman begins to lose her grip on reality—only to discover her memories have been artificially implanted by a criminal organization, forcing her to fight for control of her own mind before it’s erased completely.

Status: In development
About Mike

An Oklahoma writer/producer developing material with a producer’s eye.

Mike McDonald is an Oklahoma-based screenwriter specializing in contained, character-driven genre films with strong commercial hooks and clear production pathways. His work sits at the intersection of elevated horror and grounded drama—designed to be both festival-forward and market-viable. A Heartland Emmy Award winner for his short film A Little Dead, Mike has a proven ability to execute tone-driven storytelling that resonates with audiences and translates on screen. His scripts prioritize contained locations, scalable budgets, and actor-forward roles—making them attractive for independent production while still delivering high-concept appeal. His screenplay Pinwheel is a contained psychological thriller in the vein of The Babadook and Hereditary, blending childhood perspective with creeping dread and emotional depth. Holy Rollin’ takes a darker, more stylized approach—combining the offbeat energy of The Righteous Gemstones with crime-driven tension, offering strong series or feature adaptation potential.

Original feature screenplay development
Producer-ready decks, one-sheets, and lookbooks
Contained concepts for responsible independent budgets
Oklahoma-based production access and regional authenticity
Talent-forward roles with clear casting hooks
Projects built for reps, producers, financiers, and attachments
Industry Materials

Available on request

Screenplay PDFs and synopsis packages
Producer-facing one-sheets
Pitch decks, lookbooks, and tone references
Casting strategy, budget lane, and comparable titles
Contact

Request the slate.

For screenplay reads, management consideration, producer inquiries, financing conversations, talent attachments, or Oklahoma production discussions, contact Back Porch Productions.

mike@backporchproductions.com 405-659-1649