Wylie Anderson’s ‘Thanks For Having Me’, written by and starring Johnny Berchtold, is now streaming worldwide

By Natalia Albin Legorreta

Thanks For Having Me, a short film produced by Adam Maffei’s Anchor Stone Productions, is the fourth short film directed by Wylie Anderson and the third written by Tiny Beautiful Things actor Johnny Berchtold. After premiering at the Palm Springs International ShortFest, it is now available to stream worldwide. 

The short film stars Berchtold as main character Wes, a young man traumatised by his past as a child YouTube star, as he tries to reconnect with his estranged father (Berkin Meyer). It also stars Sean Converny as young Wes, Caleb Hearon, VyVy Nguyen and Ryan Simpkins. 

The film navigates issues around the ethics of monetising children online, following documentaries such as Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke and Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing.

“I hope Thanks For Having Me brings to light the reality and aftermath of non-consensual online exposure and the substantial impact it has on a person’s life,” Anderson said. “My previous film How to Cry on Command also explores what performance kids in today’s world have to endure due to our culture being almost entirely online. I hope to continue making films that encourage the protection of children, both online and in the entertainment industry.”

“Having the film finally out in the world is exciting, and I hope that we can add to the growing conversation about protecting the kids of the internet age,” added Berchtold about the release. “I originally wrote the first draft of this film in 2017, and all these years later it’s more relevant than ever!”

Thanks For Having Me is available to stream via Vimeo.