With a desire to acknowledge her grandparents for all their love and support, Jody had been searching for a way to honor them. While thinking of her grandfather on his yartzeit (anniversary of his death), she sat down and expressed herself through a written monologue. After performing it on stage, she realized that many in the audience connected emotionally with the piece. It inspired her to further share her story and put it on film.

The title "Father’s Day" is significant in that her grandfather’s funeral fell on that day. The story of ‘going home’ rings true to her own life, as she lives away from family and travels home several times throughout the year.

Jody met Ken Mader through a mutual friend. After in-depth discussion of the script, they both realized they shared a similar vision. Jody was impressed by Ken’s sincere respect for the piece, and her choice of director came easy. On set, his direction and cinematography took the project to a level far beyond her expectations.

Shooting this film was extremely important to Jody and nearly thwarted the night before. In preparation for filming, Jody was receiving a manicure when two armed robbers entered the salon, stealing money and Jody’s purse. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. After the detectives left the scene, the salon owner painted Jody’s nails for free.