SYNOPSIS:

Drew Stroik: Unknown Pop Wizard is a posthumous portrait of a brilliant Cary-raised songwriter whose extraordinary gifts almost slipped through the cracks — except for the few who recognized his spark and fought to help him shine.

In his North Carolina bedroom, Stroik wrote and recorded hundreds of genre-bending indie-pop demos — songs that shimmer with echoes of Bowie, Brian Wilson, and early Beck. His talent soon reached the ears of New York producer Andy Chase (Ivy), who signed him to his label and brought him into a circle of collaborators, including co-producer Bruce Driscoll (Freedom Fry). Yet despite brushes with breakthrough moments, Stroik continued wrestling with addiction, isolation, and the quiet ache of unrealized dreams.

After his passing in 2022, his mother Connie became the driving force behind resurrecting the music he left behind. Working with Bruce and Andy, she not only uncovered a vast archive of unreleased recordings — a treasure trove revealing a singular creative voice — but together they fulfilled Drew’s dream by releasing the only fully finished album he ever completed.

Through intimate interviews, personal footage, original songs, animation, and vérité-style storytelling, Unknown Pop Wizard reconstructs the life and legacy of a North Carolina artist whose music deserved a wider world. It’s a story for anyone who has ever felt unseen — and a testament to a mother’s unwavering belief, and the collaborators who never gave up, that his songs are finally being heard.

LOGLINE:

A visionary bedroom-pop album, years ahead of its time, is unearthed — pulling us into the wild and wondrous world of North Carolina songwriter Drew Stroik, who must be seen to be believed.

“Drew Stroik: Unknown Pop Wizard”
Directed by: Bruce Driscoll
Produced by: Andy Chase & Bruce Driscoll
Edited by: Doug Werby
Filmed by: Josh Stoddard
Music by: Stroik
Special Appearances by: Dominique Durand & Andy Chase (Ivy)

PREMIERING AT THE CULVER CITY FILM FESTIVAL ON DECEMBER 8. AAA BLOCK.

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