Shooting their Shot: WWU Summer Test Kitchen develops first screenplay, 'Hotshots'

On a warm July afternoon, WWU students, faculty and alumni gathered around a long table littered with open scripts, water bottles, pens, and highlighters. At the head of that table sat WWU alumnus Jeremy Urann and his sister co-writer and co-director Sherri Bylenga. Bylenga and Urann co-founded Fat Gratitude in 2000.

“The projects we create at Fat Gratitude amplify love and joy,” Bylenga said, and “Hotshots” is no exception. 

A campy comedy full of bawdy jokes and silly moments, “Hotshots” delivers a naughty cop, a kooky Karen, and some brilliant bikini baristas. Though it is a silly romp on the outside, underneath it has some very real substance. Bikini barista June, played by WWU junior Alexandria Cedras, and nonbinary carpenter Joe, played by WWU alumnus Ella Newborn (’25) join forces to help June gain ownership of the coffee stand amid a firestorm of community outcry and in defiance of stand owner Roy.  

“In ‘Hotshots,’ we’re exploring that tension between objectification and empowerment, between the silly and the serious,” Urann said.

Working with the students in the Summer Test Kitchen was critical to shaping the tone and building character development from page to screen. After a week of rehearsing and shooting test scenes on camera, the students performed in the DUG Theater. In front of a live audience, Bylenga and Urann closely observed the audience’s reaction — jokes that landed, scenes that got a big response, and moments that came across as genuine and heartfelt.

“Since we’re working in comedy, we really want more minds on the script, and especially young minds. We really want the development to have that young perspective,” said Urann.