A person doesn't normally "celebrate" National Depression and Mental Health Screening
Month, but you can at least find some humor in it and learn a coping skill or two by watching John Poveromo's short film, "Duppet." It's available on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.
Poveromo shot the film in and around Toms River, where he grew up. He co-wrote the film with his friend, Vinnie Nardiello. It was directed and produced by Chris Fitz and production company ifitfitz.
"Duppet." was inspired by Poveromo’s own experiences with depression and anxiety with which he has been dealing his whole life. He said, "Depression is like a 'shitty roommate' that doesn't go away."
The script came about after a period difficult period in his life -- moving to California to work on his comic writing and stand-up, as well as the loss of his parent’s home in Toms River in Hurricane Sandy. Poveromo’s character in “Duppet.” goes through a downward spiral, blowing off his friends and not following through on a potential new relationship. The character is nagged by annoying puppet that encourages him to be his worst self. Finally, the character takes control and decides to get out there and communicate with others about his feelings.
Poveromo said, "We made it less than a month and you never know what's going to happen and how it will resonate with people. Fortunately, we got a ton of positive response from people."
Although born in Brooklyn, Poveromo grew up in Toms River. He started doing stand-up at Caroline's on Broadway in New York City but played many venues in Monmouth County including shows in Asbury Park at The Showroom. He opened for Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens at the Jersey Shore Music Fest in Seaside in 2016 and also hosted the Garden State Film Fest in 2018 in Asbury Park. Since 2018, he has been mostly living in Beach Haven.
He was making a living as a stand-up comedian until Covid-19 hit. Since then, he's been doing a lot of writing, including a new podcast called "Dystopia Tonight" which premieres soon. Follow him on Instagram or get the links from his website -- www.johnpoveromo.com