Wish Granted — Getting to Work With the Remarkable McKenna Grace

A genie, a beach, a party of the century, and McKenna Grace — what more could you ask for? Serving as dialogue coach on Genie in a Bikini for Nickelodeon was an absolute delight, and being on set with a talent like McKenna early in her career is one of those things you simply never forget.

Directed by Bennet Silverman (in what was his feature directorial debut) and written by David Ihlenfeld and David Wright, with the story developed by Bob Castrone, Brian Levin, and Jason Zumwalt — this AwesomenessTV production brought an enormous amount of energy and fun to a very small budget. The whole thing was shot for around $45,000, and the creativity and heart the team poured into every scene was remarkable.

Joey Richter was a total joy as the well-meaning but gloriously incompetent genie Matt, with Rachel Gage and Joey Morris as the best-friend duo at the center of the story, and Maggie Wheeler bringing warmth and comedy as Esther. And then there was McKenna Grace as Teresa — already showing the precision and depth that would carry her through Gifted, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and beyond. What a kid. What a set. Wish absolutely granted.