Nimblefox Reveals the Agony of Defeat with Comedy Short
“Sammie Quits Football,” produced by Caravan, reveals with tellingly accurate heartbreak and rage what happens when you just give up on your beloved losers.
“At Caravan, we see a director’s reel for what it really is: not just a portfolio, but a currency. It’s a proving ground for voice, range, technical mastery and taste, all wrapped up in formats that actually matter to clients. And yes, that was aimed at you, 4:34 director’s cut.” So says Executive Producer Taylor Fisher at Caravan, the Charlotte-based creative production company that can show you a thing or two about passion, devotion and dashed hopes.
Fisher believes that a good example of this is “Sammie Quits Football,” a comic short, written and directed by the team known as Nimblefox. It's the laugh out loud story of a fan of the hapless ‘Carolina Starlings,’ whose gridiron ineptitude drives him over the top, forcing him to confront just what team spirit really means.
“Too often, a reel reflects only what a director has been hired for thus far,” Fisher explains. “And, in a moment where economic downturn meets media-zeitgeist-meltdown, finding ways of financing the ‘work that gets the work’ is suddenly all the more challenging. To that end, our scrappy sentiment is actually a superpower and a hard won skillset at that.”
Enter “Sammie,” a short film produced with Caravan directors Stephen Venezia and Dan Giraldo, who work under the Nimblefox moniker. The film follows the fictional Sammie Taylor, a die-hard football fan who finally decides to “break up” with his team after one heartbreak too many. With the help of his loyal friend Colt, Sammie stumbles through the comedy and grief of a toxic relationship that never really ends.
This project was born from the directors’ personal obsessions. Stephen, a lifelong (i.e, long-suffering) Carolina Panthers fan (as of this writing, they’re 1 – 3 on the 2025 NFL season), wrote the film as a breakup fantasy; an exaggerated, comedic exploration of what it would mean to quit cold turkey. “There’s no couples therapy for fans and their teams,” Stephen remarks. “No hotline to call. So I wrote this film as a sort of breakup fantasy. What if I finally walked away? What would that even look like? ‘Sammie Quits Football’ was my way of processing that lifelong bond - the pain and comedy of loving something that doesn’t always love you back. And while the Carolina Panthers probably won’t be any good this year…or next year…or maybe ever again…we’re still together, for better or (probably) worse.”
Fisher says the Caravan team recognized the drive Nimblefox had, not only to capture this specifically personal experience, but to explore dialogue-driven, character-based storytelling. “It’s the kind of work we’re increasingly seeing hit our desks as appetites for comedic commercial campaigns continue to grow,” she notes. “To that end, the structure of ‘Sammie Quits Football’ was intentional. While it plays as a complete short film, each vignette was built to stand alone as :30s and :15s. Building in snappy, snackable content not only made for easy film promotion, but provided a catalog of deliverables that represent where Nimblefox are as directors and, more importantly, where they want to go.”
Fisher continues: “That means the showreel value is baked in while satisfying a broader narrative appetite. Agencies don’t just want to hear that a director can land a joke in fifteen seconds, they want to see it. Waiting for the right commercial brief to make that happen is too passive. A strategically built passion project like ‘Sammie’ answers those questions upfront and gives directors a competitive edge in the room. Equally important, it’s fun.
“Helping directors make the work they want to make is just as important as helping them land the next commercial gig,” adds Jon Muedder, President and EP at Caravan. “When those two things overlap—when a project is both creatively fulfilling and strategically sharp—you get something like ‘Sammie.’ This film proves it’s not a competition between vanity projects and reel-building projects.
“The best passion projects satisfy both creative itch and market demand,” Jon says. “By backing films like Sammie Quits Football, Caravan isn’t just nurturing talent—we’re positioning our directors to win the kinds of opportunities that grow their careers. In a business where differentiation is everything, passion projects aren’t side bets. They’re informed investments. For Caravan, they’re one of the most effective ways to blur the line between art and commerce, and to make sure our directors stand out where it counts: in the room, at the pitch, and ultimately, on set.”
“Sammie Quits Football: Credits
Production company: Caravan
Writer/Director: Nimblefox
Executive Producers: Jon Muedder, Michelle Wheeler, Taylor Fisher
Production By
Producer: Michelle Wheeler
DP: Alexander Rivera
Production Design: Boston Dang
VFX Supervisor: Nate Usiak
Special Effects: Rusty & Scott Day
Post Supervisor: Jasmine Fox
Editor: Stephen Venezia
VFX: Dan Giraldo
FX Artist: Nate Usiak
Sound Mix: Joe Miller
Color: Erik Bayley
Title Graphics: Vinnie Thomas
CAST
Sammie: Gunner Willis
Colt: Patrick Gallagher
Mailman: Brian Duckson
Anna: Mary Sening
Sportscaster: Robert Blaine
News Anchor: Dawndy Mercer Plank
