In the year 2025, the dream job isn’t to become an astronaut or a veterinarian. It’s to become an independent content creator.

Making whatever passion project you can muster, forming your own schedule and having a blast all the while — although that perfect job might seem like a far off venture, looking closely at the community around you can remind you how close you really are.

2020 DePaul alum Karsten Runquist — influencer and filmmaker — is one of these reminders.

From his YouTube channel to his podcast covering all things “Succession” to his dominion on Letterboxd, Runquist is well known for using the tools of his generation to create a unique voice for himself and his films. He has reviewed hundreds of films across his social media platforms with no plans of stopping any time soon.

Combining his spark for filmmaking with his degree in film editing, Runquist prepares to release his latest passion project, the community-funded short film “Rancho Mirage.”

“Rancho Mirage, if you didn’t know, is an actual town in California, in the Palm Desert area,” Runquist said. “I felt like the name ‘Rancho Mirage’ fit the tone of the film really well.”

The short film — currently in postproduction — touches on the experience of watching our loved ones grow old, the morality of moving family into memory care and the fear we feel should something go awry.

Starring actors Peter Breitmayer, Michael Liu and Thomas Michael Miller, the project was filmed in Lancaster, California over two 12-hour days. Through rattlesnake warnings and desert heat, Runquist and his crew worked through rattlesnake warnings and desert heat to capture an authentic vision during their quick and efficient production schedule.

Nicholas Emmanuele, Class of 2020 DePaul alum and director of photography on “Rancho Mirage,” was enthusi

astic to bring the project to life no matter what.

“We always go in with a very good plan, but are never afraid to adapt to changing circumstances or improvise on the day,” Emmanuele said. “Karsten is never afraid to throw out the storyboards and do an unconventional move with the camera or ask the actors to try something unique.”

In writing and directing the project, Runquist decided to look at Alzheimer’s in an optimistic way. Alzheimer’s — a disease involving progressive memory loss, particularly in the elderly — is typically emphasized for fear or sadness in film portrayals. “Rancho Mirage” looks more at the humanity still left in an older man grappling with the disease.

“It’s loosely based on some events with my grandparents and an experience one of them had,” Runquist said. “My grandfather left his home one day, got on a train, and went into the city. I thought that was terrifying, a very scary situation.”

The project was involved with Runquist’s online community in the project from the beginning, allowing the fans to contribute. “Rancho Mirage” was crowdfunded from the ground up by a fundraiser promoted on Runquist’s YouTube channel and across other social media platforms.

The biggest moment for the fundraiser was Runquist’s “STREAM-A-THON,” a 12-hour YouTube live stream that took place on Feb. 27, 2025. Karsten played games, interacted with fans and joined other content creators to help raise money for the project.

Popular creators including Cole Jaeger, Thomas Flight  and James Phyrillas joined throughout the live stream to talk with Runquist about popular movies and the state of the film industry.

Once the financial goal was met, production was able to begin in spring 2025. Runquist will be accrediting a special “thank you” in the credits of the film to every fan who donated to the project.

Jon Oppenheimer, another Class of 2020 DePaul graduate and close friend to Runquist, often helps the filmmaker with notes.

“Karsten showed me early cuts of his short films ‘Long Toast’, ‘Dirtbag’, and ‘Rancho Mirage.’” Oppenheimer said. “I’ve offered him my thoughts on those cuts, as well as the early screenplay drafts for some of those. He also has a running series on his channel where he blindly reviews movies based only on their opening shots, and he usually asks me to choose the shots/films for him.”

“If I didn’t have people who wanted to see it to begin with, I probably wouldn’t have the drive to make it,” Runquist said. “It all comes down to the fact that there’s people who want to see it and want to support it. It definitely would not have happened without them.”

“Rancho Mirage” is Runquist’s third big directorial production. His previous film, the surrealist comedy “Dirtbag,” premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival in 2021. “Dirtbag” was nominated for the Gold Hugo award for Best Narrative Short.

Runquist initially hoped “Rancho Mirage” would be included in the CIFF 2025 roster, but it ultimately needed more time in the oven.

“I’ve looked at short films as a chance to learn something about the process, and they all surprised me in different ways in how much I still don’t know,” Runquist said. “It’s always exciting in that way, and I’m very lucky to have a community that’s willing to support and fund these projects.”

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