A CU Denver Student Film Series

Our Story:

Workers at the restaurant “Benny’s Bistro” find a world renowned food critic dead, face first in his last meal. The workers recount where they were during the shift to uncover who among them is to blame.

Trailers

Episode 1: Front of House

Episode 3: Management

Episode 2: Back of House

Meet the Showrunners and Directors

  • Bryan Buitrago

    Showrunner/Co-Writer

    Bryan comes from a culinary background, studying it throughout high school and really enjoying it. This story is near and dear to him as it blends his 2 biggest passions: Cooking and film. He is so honored to have the privilege of leading such a talented team of people.

  • Parker Vanden Hoek

    Showunner/Co-Writer

    Parker is in his 3rd year at CU Denver’s film program, and has already made 2 previous projects: Night Owl and Hell of a Time. He helped make and write this series because he used to be a host at a restaurant, and this is how he’s processing the trauma.

  • Naomi Mukai

    Showrunner

    Naomi is currently a junior in the CU Denver film program. She’s really interesting in pursuing producing. She just really loves bringing stories to life, and find a lot of drive in coordinating and planning all the varies aspects that are involved. She is so excited to be a showrunner on this project!

  • Jack Kabel

    Director of Episode 1

    Jack is a junior in the FITV program at CU Denver and is very passionate about filmmaking- especially writing, directing, and producing. He has previously directed films such as Two Step Program, Kill Your Darlings, and most recently, Western Trash. As someone who has worked in a handful of dysfunctional restaurants, he enjoyed bringing these characters to life on screen.

  • Nick Wilson

    Director of Episode 2

    A military brat raised on the East Coast, Nick Wilson is a director and comedy writer. He has won awards for directing at the Far East Film Festival (2012) and Toronto Feedback Comedy Film Festival (2024). He plans to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from CU Denver’s FITV program in Spring of 2025

  • Mason Grande

    Director of Episode 3

    Mason is extremely excited for this project and is proud to have directed the finale of this Webseries. This is his third project that he has directed for at CU Denver, with his earlier projects being First Light and Hexed.

To learn more about the rest of our incredibly talented crew, check out our Instagram! @todiefor_series

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We are a group of 39 CU Denver film students working to create a fun and engaging webseries that appeals to anyone who has worked in the restaurant industry. To hear more about the inspiration behind the project, check out this video from the showrunners themselves!

About us

Where can you view our series?

Minnesota WebFest

October 16-25
St. Louis Park, Minnesota

Our series will be making its festival debut at all 3 nights of CU Denver’s Cinefest. Starting at 5:30 on the 12th, 13th, and 14th of May, each episode will be shown in the King Center on the Auraria Campus. Admission is free, and we’d love to see you there!

Portland Comedy Film Festival

November 9th

Portland, Oregon

If you’re unable to make it, fear not. We will also be submitting to film festivals across the country! To learn more, every selected event so far has been linked here. Come check out how much all of our hard work paid off!

March 1st-April 1st (2026)

Virtual

Houston Comedy Film Festival

November 1-2

Houston, Texas

Austin Comedy Film Festival

September 15th

Austin, Texas

Moondance International Film Festival