About the Film

Director’ s Statement

Draft Night is a character-driven narrative that delves deep into the hopes, dreams, and challenges that come with the pursuit of success; it takes a hard look at the complexities of identity, ambition, and the impact of societal and familial expectations.

I first came across Draft Night at a monologue competition in Manhattan. On the surface, both the monologue and the film are very much about the commodification of Black athletes. But what really resonated for me—as someone who has spent a significant portion of my career dissecting how we send young adults into the world via producing 13 Reasons Why and curating a development slate of similarly themed shows—was the story of a young man ill-equipped to deal with what he perceives as failure. So I reached out to the writer/performer, Shawn Williams, and we began collaborating on an adaptation about a juvenile athlete burdened by the weight of the expectations he places on himself to “save” his family through basketball.

One of the major challenges of this film is generating empathy for a protagonist on the brink of immense financial success. We made it even harder for ourselves by choosing to introduce him as self-assured, brash, and boisterous. By portraying his emotional immaturity and exposing his internal conflicts and vulnerabilities behind the masks he wears to cope with his anxieties, however, we hope to invite the audience to feel the turmoil boiling beneath the exterior.

We collaborated with mental health experts to help us authentically navigate the paradoxical complexities of the journey—how the pursuit of one’s dreams can simultaneously uplift and challenge, empower and confine. Their insights led us to a portrayal of Generalized Anxiety stemming from the Yerkes-Dodson model of high achieving performance. We experience the positive self-talk that propels our protagonist forward as well as the mounting pressure of excessive worry and negative thought patterns that builds into an anxiety attack. 

As the director, my vision for Draft Night is to present an intimate and thought-provoking exploration of the human experience of a high performing individual. It’s a story about basketball without any basketball. It is a call for empathy, understanding, and change, urging us to reevaluate how we nurture and shape the young men and women we send into the world.

       — Tom Glinkowski

       Director, Draft Night

“Draft Night not only highlights the story of a young Black Man’s dream, but also allows the audience a peek into the world of mental health through the Black family lens. The rollercoaster of excitement, pressure, anxiety, disappointment, and relief are highlighted through an experience that is all too familiar with the Black community.” 

-Katie Ohene- Gambill, Psy.D.

“As a psychologist serving high school and college ‘elite’ competitive athletes, artists, and scholars, I really appreciate the themes portrayed in Draft Night. I often see the emotional downside of raising young adults who feel like commodities. They often struggle to develop a sense of identity and value beyond the desires and pressures of others.”

-Helen H. Hsu, Psy.D.