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Work-Life Balance

A gender-swapped Workaholics, this workplace comedy features two gal pals avoiding work by gossiping about Charlie's latest one night stand with nerdy Kabir, who mistakes their sloppy sex for a Casablanca-level romance.

  • Danielle Swanson
    Director
  • Christy St. John
    Writer
  • Christy St. John
    Key Cast
    "Charlie"
  • Miley Yamamoto
    Key Cast
    "Jessie"
  • Hari Sivaskandan
    Key Cast
    "Kabir"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Television, Web / New Media
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 54 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Dances With Films
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    June 24, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Firstglance Film Festival
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    March 17, 2023
    World Premiere
    Winner: Best Director & Best Actress
Director Biography - Danielle Swanson

Danielle brings her unique sense of humor to this female-driven project and deserves full credit for the line, “Gotta have a fresh wrap for your wee-wee trap!” She made her film directorial debut in 2019 with the short film Bankeys Cinemas, followed by Long Weekend (2022) and Work-Life Balance (2022).

Danielle is also an actor, writer, and producer, and co-founder of 3D1S Productions. She has performed in film, theatre, and improv in Chicago and LA for more than 20 years. She currently studies with Robert D’Avanzo at RD Studio, where she is also on the teaching staff alongside Work-Life Balance writer and creator, Christy St. John.

Originally from Chicago, Danielle is currently based in Los Angeles and is a member of Women In Film.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

As someone who has worked in the corporate sector for 10+ years, I understand the delicate balance between wanting to survive and make ends meet while not getting stuck as a “cog” in the corporate machinery. Work-Life Balance is a fun, vulgar, female-driven workplace comedy that serves as a rebuttal to the typical rom-com plotline of “stylish gal gets the guy while working hard at the big fancy magazine.” Christy St. John wrote a phenomenal script that captures the life most corporate people wish they could lead…one where they can be unabashedly honest and forthright about their efforts in the office and what’s most important to them. In a world where going above and beyond from 9am-5pm is the norm, Work-Life Balance defies corporate etiquette and gives audiences a taste of what we really want in the workplace: freedom, rebellion, and a little bit of fuckboy gossip.
-DANIELLE SWANSON, DIRECTOR

I got my degree in Mechanical Engineering where I was 1 of 20 girls out of 120 students in the program. I still work in tech when I’m not making films, and both fields are heavily male-dominated. I’ve noticed that the workplace comedy genre also tends to skew male. The male characters are charming slackers who get away with minimal work effort, while the female characters tend to be great at their jobs while fighting for visibility and recognition in a male-dominated space. Personally, I’m indifferent at my job: I clock in, do my work, and get out as quickly as possible so I can pursue other interests. I work to live, not live to work. I’ve yet to see a workplace comedy with gender-swapped commentary on workplace gender politics, and I also haven’t seen anything that captures a what it means to be a woman in tech. I wrote Work-Life Balance to show that women can do anything men can do – including failing up at their corporate jobs while being funny and entertaining.
-CHRISTY ST. JOHN, WRITER / LEAD ACTRESS