Graviteur Studios has selected Kristen Brancaccio to direct Crush Party, the first feature film from the company established by Dolphin Entertainment and KYNETIC Media Ventures. The project will mark Brancaccio’s feature directorial debut, with production slated to begin in early 2027.
Written by Johnny Saras, Crush Party follows college students invited to an exclusive Valentine’s Day gathering. Guests are anonymously matched with people who secretly have feelings for them, but the event turns dangerous when attendees begin dying.
As blackmail involving the students’ darkest secrets emerges, the group discovers that the party is part of a deadly game—and that the killer is one of them.
Graviteur Studios and Crush Party were announced at Cannes Lions in June 2026. The studio is led by Dolphin CEO Bill O’Dowd and KYNETIC CEO David Freeman.
Graviteur says it works across film, television, streaming and digital platforms, connecting talent, platforms, capital and audiences. Its activities include developing, financing, producing, marketing and distributing projects built around creators, audiences and culturally relevant intellectual property.
Emerson Davis, Head of Development and Production for Dolphin Entertainment and Graviteur Studios, said the company aims to support filmmakers moving from audience-building work into longer-format storytelling. Davis said Brancaccio’s previous work demonstrated her ability to create stories that reach audiences worldwide.
Brancaccio has directed more than 20 microdramas for platforms including ReelShort, TikTok, NetShort, Shorts App and DramaShorts. Her recent work includes Screen Time, Issa Rae’s debut vertical series, which has garnered more than 250 million views on TikTok.
Her other credits include Audible’s Southern Belle Insults, featuring Keke Palmer, Phaedra Parks and Zachariah Porter, which premiered in August 2026. She also worked on Hollywood Starlet for the microdrama app aTwist, produced by Bradley Bell.
Before working in vertical entertainment, Brancaccio was a Top 10 directing finalist on HBO’s Project Greenlight for her short Day One. She also wrote and directed the action-romance pilot Resistance for SYFY and has directed music videos.
Brancaccio began creating skits and vlogs after becoming an early YouTube viewer and creator in 2007. She later worked as an independent contractor for YouTube and appeared both in front of and behind the camera for the comedy channel The Key of Awesome, whose content garnered more than three billion views.
Brancaccio said she was honoured to be entrusted with the project by O’Dowd, Freeman, Davis and the wider Graviteur team. She described Saras’ screenplay as a thriller with twists and turns and said she looked forward to bringing the film to the screen.
Graviteur Studios announced that Kristen Brancaccio will direct its first feature film, Crush Party. The film is written by Johnny Saras and marks Brancaccio’s feature directorial debut.
Graviteur Studios announced the appointment on October 6, 2026. The announcement was made after the studio and Crush Party were initially announced at Cannes Lions in June 2026.
Crush Party is slated to begin production in early 2027. The announcement does not provide a more specific production date.
Crush Party follows college students invited to an exclusive Valentine’s Day “Crush Party”, where attendees are anonymously selected by someone secretly harbouring feelings for them. After guests begin dying and blackmail linked to their darkest secrets surfaces, the students realise they have been drawn into a deadly game in which the killer is one of them.
Johnny Saras wrote the screenplay for Crush Party. The film is described as a YA thriller.
Graviteur Studios develops, finances, produces, markets and distributes projects built around creators, audiences and culturally relevant intellectual property. It describes itself as a creator-first entertainment company working across film, television, streaming and digital platforms.
Dolphin Entertainment and KYNETIC Media Ventures founded Graviteur Studios. The studio launched in June 2026 and is led by Dolphin CEO Bill O’Dowd and KYNETIC CEO David Freeman.
Graviteur Studios says it connects talent, platforms, capital and audiences to develop, produce, market and distribute premium content. Emerson Davis, Head of Development and Production for Dolphin Entertainment and Graviteur Studios, said the studio aims to support creative voices moving from audience building into longer-format storytelling.
Kristen Brancaccio has directed more than 20 microdramas for platforms including ReelShort, TikTok, NetShort, Shorts App and DramaShorts. She most recently directed Issa Rae’s debut vertical series Screen Time, which has garnered more than 250 million views on TikTok, according to the announcement.
Before Crush Party, Brancaccio directed Audible’s Southern Belle Insults, starring Keke Palmer, Phaedra Parks and Zachariah Porter, and worked on Hollywood Starlet for the microdrama app aTwist. She was also a Top 10 directing finalist on HBO’s Project Greenlight for her short Day One, and wrote and directed the action-romance pilot Resistance for SYFY.
Emerson Davis said Brancaccio represents the type of filmmaker Graviteur Studios hopes to support and described the studio as a home where creative voices can move from audience building to longer-format storytelling. Davis also said Brancaccio had demonstrated an ability to create stories that connect with audiences worldwide.
Dolphin is identified in the announcement as “Dolphin (Nasdaq:DLPN)” and, in the company description, as “Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN)”.