About Of Substance
Why we do what we do the way we do!
Of Substance
is a nonprofit film company that creates premium, entertaining short films to offer healing, support, & understanding for all those touched by Addiction.
We believe that there is power in numbers. Short films allow us to share more stories and insights, from infinitely diverse perspectives, to help as many people relate as possible.
Help us continue to create.
Our Mission...
To combat isolation and create community by connecting people through the power of story.
A Digital, On-demand, and Immersive Aid
For...
addiction treatment & sustainable recovery.
From...
prevention to early intervention through long-term recovery.
To be used in...
Personal Support. Professional Therapy. Interpersonal Communication. General Education.
Why narrative movies?
By engaging people emotionally, our films entertain and disarm audiences, allowing them to develop empathy toward strangers and their worlds.
Can't make it to a meeting?
Visit Of Substance to watch a quick film to laugh and remind you why you fight the good fight. Then go back to your family or work, easy as that!
Wish your loved ones understood you better?
Share a film with them that you identify with and give them an enjoyable and engaging way to understand you more deeply.
Is someone you love addicted?
We tell stories from both sides, from those addicted and those who love them. We have films for you to identify with as caretaker, to feel less alone, and also to share with those addicted in your life to give them insight into how their struggles affect you.
We All Struggle with Something...
And struggle leads to loneliness and isolation.
So we make movies to help people understand one another, connect with others, and feel less alone.
Meet the founders
Learn more about our founders
Alex Kaplan
Co-founder
In his early 20’s, Alex started a promising acting career in Manhattan while bartending at night to get by. The unexpected death of his father sent him into a tailspin and he began to numb himself with substances to ease the pain. This turned into a full-blown addiction that lasted almost 4 years. Disconnected, disillusioned, and plummeting ever deeper into crisis, Alex was finally convinced by his closest relationships to leave New York and seek help. Over the past five years, surrounded by the steadfast support of family, friends, and colleagues, Alex had climbed his way out of addiction and into a very successful career as a writer, director, and producer, and is now the Executive Producer of a well-regarded commercial production company on the East Coast. Alex considers himself living proof that with the right kind of support you can get your life back and build it into exactly what you envision. Now he wants to help others do the same.
Brian Gallagher
Co-founder
Brian went to rehab on his 18th birthday. His experience there sent him on a life-long quest to understand human struggle as deeply as possible. He went on to study peer-counseling and team building, eventually receiving a Masters degree in Social Work and teaching at Temple University while also running a violence-prevention program for teenage boys in Philadelphia. In 2006, Brian decided he wanted to become an actor and for over a decade he has been acting, writing, directing, and producing full-time. While collaborating with Alex on a short film in 2017, they learned about their shared history with addiction, and soon discovered that a greater purpose was being laid out in front of them – to combine their unique set of skills and hard-won wisdom to help make addicts and their loved ones feel more connected, understood, and supported through the power of film.
Board of directors
Alex N. Kaplan
BOARD PRESIDENT
Co-founding President & Executive Director, Of Substance
Brian J. Gallagher
Board Vice President & Secretary
Co-founding Vice President & Executive Producer, Of Substance
Kevin J. Cafferky
Board Treasurer
Principal, Magis Consulting Inc.
Basha A. Silverman
Board Member
CEO, Jewish Family Services of Delaware
James C. Berman, M.D.
Board Member
Addiction Medicine Specialist, Fellow of The American Society of Addiction Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System
What our audiences say
