A sold-out screening of the San Fernando Valley-set indie pilot “Valley Daze” brought Los Angeles City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian to the El Portal Theater on Friday night—spotlighting a community-first approach built by 100 Valley locals and funded through c
The El Portal Theater was already full when “Valley Daze” finally got its moment on the big screen—an uncommon setup for an independent TV pilot that started life on a $30k budget in 2023.
This time, the opportunity didn’t come through festivals or major streaming platforms. Instead. it arrived with a community-focused push backed by the Los Angeles City Council. which came on board to host a sold-out screening on Friday night. The screening was designed to encourage more intimate, community-based film projects to emerge across the San Fernando Valley.
“Valley Daze. ” an independent TV pilot written and performed by Jocelyn Catt. Genu Lee. and Marco Bizio. tells a “Clerks”-esque story about a week of tumultuous youthful antics. The cast and characters—skaters. drug dealers. influencers. artists. and wallflowers—move through the San Fernando Valley as they juggle the kinds of plans and impulses that can derail a whole week before it’s over.
What makes the pilot stand out, though, isn’t just the energy. The project leans hard into regionally specific details that Nazarian said reflect the lived experience of people who grew up there.
That’s not an accident. “Valley Daze” is a collaboration between 100 Los Angeles locals who met each other at high schools around the San Fernando Valley. The film exists because of a crowdfunding campaign in which they pooled their resources with the shared hope of creating a comedy project that mirrors the quirks of their neighborhoods.
The pilot’s distribution strategy mirrors that same mindset. Executive producer David Dastmalchian has kept the project centered on packed local screenings around the Valley rather than festival runs or online distribution.
For Nazarian, who spearheaded the event as Los Angeles City Councilmember for Council District 2 representing the East San Fernando Valley, the point is bigger than one pilot.
“I was so impressed by the crew from ‘Valley Daze.’ These people for the most part are all Valley-based, Valley-grown. There was a common bond between each one of them across the school boundaries. They came together in their early 20s and made something really amazing,” Nazarian said.
“You want to continue to foster that. Not only for that talent to be seen and to be recognized, but you want to nurture it so that it continues to grow here.”
He added a simple metaphor drawn from the Valley itself: “Where does a giant, almond-producing tree come from?. It comes from one little seedling. When you give that chance. when you nurture it. when you do all the things necessary to make that little seedling thrive. it’s going to do a lot more. And that’s something we should never lose sight of.”.
The story of “Valley Daze” is built from those same ingredients—young creators, Valley-specific detail, and a decision to show the work where it comes from. A crowdfunding-built pilot filmed on a $30k budget in 2023 has found an audience through the exact community that helped shape it.
What happens next remains unclear. The creators are still interested in developing more episodes and turning it into something bigger, but for now, the focus is on tonight: a packed house of Valley locals ready to see what the project means to them.
The “LA City Council Presents: Valley Daze” screening takes place on Friday, June 19 at 6pm P.T at the El Portal Theater.
Valley Daze Adrin Nazarian El Portal Theater Los Angeles City Council independent TV pilot San Fernando Valley crowdfunding David Dastmalchian Jocelyn Catt Genu Lee Marco Bizio Indie film screening
So basically the city council is funding vibes now? Cool I guess.
Didn’t think LA Council would ever show up to a theater thing. But if it’s for the Valley then fine. Still, $30k seems like nothing… how’s that even a pilot?
I’m confused because it says funded through c (whatever that means) and then also “backed by the Los Angeles City Council.” Like did they pay for the filming or just hand out tickets? Either way, sounds like nepotism but for filmmakers?
El Portal was packed already, so of course they invited the council. I swear I saw David Dastmalchian in something else, so I’m like wait is he the one with the money or is it those 100 locals. Also “Valley Daze” sounds like some tourism thing, not like drug dealers and skaters lol. If it’s really $30k in 2023, that’s insane, but maybe they didn’t count everything? Anyway good for them, I guess.