Hold My Beer
A Film by Brian Tashima
A Film By Brian Tashima
Produced by Second Player Score and Autism Empowerment
About the Film
Hold My Beer is a scripted comedy-drama that takes you into the life of Val, an autistic young adult from Vancouver, Washington. Feeling a bit directionless, Val receives a tough-love ultimatum from his parents Ellen and Carl to either find a job by his 21st birthday or to enroll in school at the local Clark College. On his 21st birthday, Val’s friends Sky and Jess take him out to celebrate and Val discovers a passion for craft beer and embarks on a mission to open his own brewpub.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of Vancouver’s arts, music, and craft beer scenes, this short film celebrates local talent and neurodivergent creativity while exploring the themes of family, forgiveness, and having the courage to pursue one’s dreams.
Written and directed by Brian Tashima, and co-produced by Second Player Score and Autism Empowerment, this 40-minute scripted comedy-drama stars and features neurodivergent and autistic local talent.
Behind the Scenes
Hold My Beer was filmed almost entirely in Vancouver, and nearly half the cast and crew openly identify as autistic or otherwise neurodivergent. It was co-produced by multimedia production team Second Player Score along with Autism Empowerment, a Vancouver-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization devoted to enriching and empowering the lives of youth, adults, and families within autistic and neurodivergent communities.
The production of the film was funded in part by a generous grant from the Vancouver, Washington Culture, Arts and Heritage Commission. As it was a priority of Autism Empowerment to provide paid contract opportunities to people with disabilities, they set aside a reserve fund to make sure that everyone on the cast or crew who identified to them as neurodivergent would have the opportunity to be paid. Through the generosity of Autism Empowerment donors, sponsors, and grant funders, all identified neurodivergent crew and main cast members received an honorarium for their work.
Being a neurodivergent-led organization, the Autism Empowerment team were eager to find inclusive opportunities for people within our local autism and disabilities communities to contribute to the film in some way. A key scene in the film was shot in July 2024 at Pearson Air Museum at Fort Vancouver, which provided a fun opportunity for dozens of neurodivergent adults and family members to have experience on a live film set and take home a souvenir Hold My Beer shot glass.
Administrative support (website, administrative support, graphic design, and game design) behind the scenes provided additional paid opportunities for autistic and neurodivergent team members to receive work experience and compensation for their efforts.
The Vancouver premiere of Hold My Beer will take place on Thursday, January 23rd, 2025 from 6 – 9 pm at Kiggins Theatre in Vancouver, WA. The film will be released online for free on February 27th, 2025 on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@holdmybeerfilm.
Director’s Message:
Thank you so much to all those who were able to attend the premiere screening of Hold My Beer! As with all my creative projects, I made this film with the intent to both entertain and inspire. But Hold My Beer is unique, because it’s a celebration of community. I didn’t make this film alone. I had the support of so many wonderful and talented people: the cast, the crew, and all the production partners who contributed their time, effort, and resources. They brought this film to life, and for that, I will be forever grateful.
My goal is for Hold My Beer to be an ongoing series. If that goal is achieved, it will create employment and economic opportunities for local talent and businesses, and will establish Vancouver, Washington and the surrounding area as a hub for art, music, craft beer, inclusivity, and neurodivergent representation. But like with the creation of the film itself, I can’t accomplish that goal alone. I need your help.
Please subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/@holdmybeerfilm) and encourage your friends and family, and their friends and family, to watch the film in its entirety when it is released online on February 27th, 2025. Doing so will show that Hold My Beer has an established audience of viewers who would be interested in seeing more. I appreciate your support!
Cheers,
Brian
poster design by Dave Born
Cast:
Andrew York * – Val
Rich Ray – Doug, Val’s father
Ian Engelsman * – Jess, Val’s friend
Ethan Blackwelder * – Sky, Val’s friend
Lydia Pearl Pentz – Shannon
Kevin Coy – Carl, Val’s stepfather
Karen Krejcha * – Ellen, Val’s mother
Eric Holmes – Roger
Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle – Amber
* Openly identifies as autistic and/or neurodivergent
Crew:
Brian Tashima – Director and Screenwriter
Daniel Downs – Director of Photography
Kyle Gilbert – First Assistant Director / Sound
Karen York – Second Assistant Director / Gaffer / Key Grip
Jennie Greb – Sound Mixer / Boom Operator
Heidi Blackwelder * – Makeup Artist
Ryan Krejcha * – 2nd Assistant Camera / Slate
John Krejcha * – Production Assistant
* Openly identifies as autistic and/or neurodivergent
Music by:
Veio
STAB in the DARK
Nowhere Fast
Monty Vega & The Sittin’ Shivas
French Letters
Second Player Score
Old Cross
Laurelhurst
Atomic Terror
Ninjas with Syringes
Humaneyes
Still Golden
Flying Whammy
Filming Locations generously provided by:
Pearson Air Museum
Movie Premiere Sponsors and Community Ambassadors:
VISIONARY SPONSOR – $1,000
Sensory Tool House, LLC – https://www.sensorytoolhouse.com
ADVOCATE SPONSORS – $500
Employers Overload – https://www.employersoverload.com
Stephen’s Place – https://www.stephensplace.org/
Press Coverage:
Spectrum Life Magazine – Summer 2024, pgs. 32-34. Also online:
- Vancouver on Film: Hold My Beer: Vancouver WA film celebrations neurodivergence, craft beer, and community: | Karen Krejcha with Brian Tashima
The Columbian 1/18/2025 and 7/20/2024
- https://www.columbian.com/news/2025/jan/18/holy-my-beer-film-blends-passion-for-hand-crafted-beer-and-vancouver-pride/
- https://www.columbian.com/news/2024/jul/20/hold-my-beer-is-a-love-letter-to-vancouver-from-beer-loving-author-turned-filmmaker/
The Reflector 1/21/2025
Everyday Northwest on KOIN TV – 1/17/2025
Vancouver Business Journal – 12/23/2025
Want more?
Official Hold My Beer film website: holdmybeer.mov
YouTube Channels: www.youtube.com/@holdmybeerfilm and www.youtube.com/autismempowerment
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holdmybeerfilm
Support the film and future creative opportunities with a donation of cash, stock or crypto: Autism Empowerment
last updated 1/22/2025