Stocktonian Exhange – Kill Your Spirits is as intriguing as it is darkly comical. Carolina Ramos wakes up to a rude surprise when her younger sister, Roman, breaks into her apartment with shocking news—they’ve both died while filming themselves exploring a collapsing house. On the advice of a local psychic, the sisters set out to stage their own funerals, hoping that this act will allow their souls to ascend and prevent the black hole created by their lingering presence from consuming the town. Along the way, they encounter the disdainful remarks of their mother and revisit the site of their demise in search of closure.s
Vernot’s inspiration for the story comes from her love of dysfunctional family dynamics and larger-than-life characters. She draws a parallel between the chaotic energy of her characters and the cast of “Always Sunny,” noting that while the characters insult and bicker with each other, the humor lies in their oversized personalities rather than in their unlikeability. The sisters, both in their thirties, continue their lifelong dynamic of childish squabbling even in the face of death, making for a darkly humorous and relatable narrative.
Biography
Hannah Rose Vernot is a visionary filmmaker, writer and arborist, seamlessly merging creativity with environmental passion. She is currently completing her Associate degree in Arboriculture from Merritt College and holds a certification in Cinematography and Film/Video Production from Full Sail University. With extensive experience in film and arboriculture, Hannah's credits include Writers Room/Production Assistant (Movie Making Throughout the Bay Inc., MMTB), Filmmaker (Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project), Screenplay Reader (Atlanta Film Society), Scriptwriting Assistant (Immortal Cinema International), Script Data Analysis Intern (StoryFit), and Inventory Arborist Technician (Davey Resource Group). She currently apprentices with Biodiverse-City and writes comedy for PrismFL.
Vernot’s journey as a writer began in childhood, fueled by an imagination that often outpaced her ability to translate ideas into prose. It wasn’t until she graduated with a degree in Creative Writing and began exploring screenwriting that she found her stride. Over the past five years, she has honed her craft, moving away from prose and focusing on writing for the screen. She has written several other thirty-minute teleplays, including two comedic specs and a pilot for a series titled “Wildflower of the Valley.” She is also collaborating on a short animation project with a group of women from Women in Animation (WIA), which has reached the animatic stage and is being prepared for entry into film festivals.
Vernot is also a member of several organizations that support writers in animation, including WIA, Asians in Animation, and Script Anatomy, where she has been refining her pilot and spec scripts. As Vernot continues to revise and submit her work to festivals, her goal is to gain the attention of agents and managers who can help her secure a staff writing position on a series with a similar tone to her own work. For now, she is focused on using her portfolio to showcase her talent and make connections within the industry.