Poor Man's Palace
Narrative Feature
Project Type: Narrative Feature
Project Status: Production
Producer, Director, and Writer: Jacob Boatsman
Producer: Sadie Prenda and Max Garfin
Lead Actor: Cleon Ony
LOGLINE
Broke, mugged, and bombing auditions, Miles stumbles through Bushwick clinging to bad gigs and stranger friendships, trying to figure out if he’s chasing a dream or just running in circles.
SYNOPSIS
Miles, a naive twenty-something actor from Maryland, arrives in Bushwick with little more than his suitcase, a dream, and an account labeled “Do Not Touch.” The city immediately tests him. He gets robbed, struggles to pay for groceries, and finds himself living beneath three loud but endearing brothers who take him in. Despite setbacks, Miles clings to the idea that one big role will validate his decision to leave home.
In the chaos of theater classes, humiliating auditions, and side hustles as a delivery worker, Miles meets Charlotte, a confident actress who dreams of escaping New York for a traveling production. Their connection both grounds and challenges him, as she forces him to consider whether ambition is enough to build a life on. At the same time, his relationships with the brothers upstairs deepen, offering him a found family that complicates his definition of success.
When Miles finally lands callbacks for an Off-Broadway production, his illusions crash down - he doesn’t book the role, his finances spiral, and he’s forced to confront the truth: New York doesn’t care about his dream. What matters is learning how to belong anyway. With the support of those around him, Miles discovers that his story isn’t about chasing stardom but about claiming a place - however small - within the city’s heartbeat..
MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT
The Poor Man’s Palace is a bittersweet, darkly funny portrait of creative survival in Brooklyn. The film follows Miles, a struggling actor drifting through Bushwick as he tries to hold onto his identity in a city that no longer seems to care. It explores the illusion of “making it,” showing how artists build fragile dreams around validation and success, only to discover that meaning often exists in failure and persistence.
Through Miles’s unraveling week of auditions, heartbreak, and late-night realizations, the film examines the tension between art and survival — how ambition, ego, and financial pressure twist together until self-worth becomes performative. The story contrasts moments of loneliness and absurd humor with flashes of human connection, revealing how community becomes both a lifeline and a mirror.
Set against the ever-changing backdrop of Bushwick, the city itself becomes a character — chaotic, testing, and alive with quiet beauty. The Poor Man’s Palace is ultimately about learning to let go of the version of yourself you thought you needed to be. It’s a love letter to failure, to humility, and to the people who keep creating even when no one’s watching — proof that even a “poor man’s palace” can be rich with meaning if it’s built with honesty and heart.
Meet the Filmmakers
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Jacob Boatsman
Writer / Director / Producer
Jacob Boatsman is an award-winning writer, director, and producer whose work celebrates heart, humor, and handmade cinema. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, his films have earned recognition at festivals around the world, including Best Indie Feature at the Cannes World Impact Film Festival for Give Us Some Time to Get Used to Each Other, Best Feature Film at Lift-Off Sessions for Jill!, Best Short Film and Best Cinematography at the ROMA Short Film Festival for Ryan and Wayne, and an Honorable Mention at the Student World Impact Film Festival.
His latest feature, Cardboard Island — a surreal, father-son adventure shot entirely with cardboard sets, puppetry, and over 800 VFX shots — marks his boldest project yet. Based in Brooklyn, Jacob is the co-founder of Rugby-Otis Productions, a creative studio pioneering a new wave of scrappy, emotionally authentic independent filmmaking. His work champions the belief that great films don’t need permission, only passion — proving that ambition, honesty, and community can outshine any budget.
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Cleon Ony
Lead Actor
Cleon Ony is a Nigerian-American actor and storyteller whose work blends vulnerability, humor, and quiet intensity. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, Cleon has appeared in the Student-Emmy Award–winning TV series G.R.I.T.S., the award-winning films Zoetrope and Grief, and the Malibu Film Festival feature selection Board Games. He was also recognized as a Las Casas Foundation Acting Finalist for his outstanding stage performance.
Drawing inspiration from his family’s Nigerian roots, Cleon brings a deep sense of empathy and cultural nuance to every role he inhabits. His performances are marked by a grounded honesty and emotional precision that make him a standout among a new generation of independent actors. Cleon stars as the lead in Poor Man’s Palace, a heartfelt dramedy exploring ambition, identity, and what it means to belong in a city that never stops moving.
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Sadie Prenda
Producer
Sadie Prenda is a producer and creative force dedicated to championing bold, character-driven stories through collaboration and craft. Based in Brooklyn, she is the lead producer of Poor Man’s Palace and has spearheaded Rugby-Otis Productions’ ambitious “52 Short Films in 52 Weeks” challenge, overseeing every project from concept to completion.
A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, Sadie has developed a reputation for her sharp creative instincts, hands-on problem solving, and ability to bring large visions to life on limited resources. Her producing work spans narrative film, comedy, and experimental shorts — all unified by an ethos of authenticity and experimentation.
With a growing slate of features and digital projects in development, Sadie continues to push the boundaries of what independent filmmaking can be, proving that consistency, community, and passion can rival any studio system.
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Max Garfin
Producer
Max Garfin is an actor and filmmaker from New York City, whose work spans film, television, and theater. He has appeared in major productions including HBO’s The Plot Against America, NBC’s New Amsterdam, and the Academy Award–winning The Trial of the Chicago 7.
As both a supporting actor and associate producer on Poor Man’s Palace, Max brings an authentic perspective to the story — one rooted in his own experiences growing up in the city that shaped him. His creative voice balances grounded realism with a deep emotional sensitivity, making him a dynamic presence both on screen and behind the scenes.
A lifelong New Yorker, Max continues to explore stories that reflect the complexities of city life, youth, and belonging, using his work to bridge personal truth with cinematic storytelling
Your Help
POOR MAN’S PLACE is a fiscally sponsored project of Cinematography for Actors, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your donation will be tax-deductible!