PROJECTS - in Development
Welcome to Projects in Development
This is where the glue is still tacky. A home for our raw concepts, rough ideas, scribbled sparks, and not-quite-ready pieces. Some of what you see here may grow into full projects.
Others may just sit and stretch. Updates happen when we’ve got a moment—so check back. Or better yet, subscribe to our Jank & File newsletter, where we share deeper backstory, creative context, and the occasional polished version available only to our subscribers.
We’ve committed to three core projects for 2025: Synopsis: The Storytelling Game, our graphic novel Blood Sucking Lawyers, and the exhibition picture book Left at The Wellgate: The Untold Story of Mary Petrie Smith.
What’s next for 2026? We’ll be choosing from the ideas posted right here!
Project in Development #1 - Song
During the pandemic lockdowns, over 30 original songs came pouring out of Frank’s notebooks. This is one we’ve decided to explore further—step by step through the creative process.
The Napkin
It started as a scribble on a Christmas napkin. A title. A feeling. A spark.
The Inspiration
As the lyrics took shape, Frank immersed himself in learning the craft of songwriting—starting with Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling by Andrea Stolpe, a renowned Berklee songwriting instructor. From there, he taught himself music production software, experimenting with melody, timing, and structure. It was a full self-directed deep dive—equal parts curiosity and grit—using whatever tools he had to bring the sound in his head to life.
The Lyrics
The first typed draft—covered in pencil edits, rewrites, rhythm tweaks, and new lines emerging between the old ones. During this unexpected pause between major projects, we revisited the song and began imagining how it could take shape visually. That exploration led us to our next step: creating a rough demo video to bring the lyrics to life.
The Demo (Subscriber Exclusive)
The finished demo music video is just one part of this evolving creative journey. For now, it’s only available to our Jank & File subscribers—a quiet first release shared with the folks who’ve joined us for the ride. There are several other songs we’re exploring behind the scenes too, because sometimes, just playing around with an idea can lead to something bigger than you expected.