Have you ever heard of a cougar? How about a cub? No, I am not talking about the animal kingdom. I am talking about an older woman dating a younger man. Why is it that so many of us can accept the fact that an older man can date a younger woman but a younger man cannot date an older woman?Well, that is exactly what Jeffrey Serpa and Susie Merwin, founders of AQBanz Productions, discuss in their innovative documentary “My American Boy” which is set to premier in the Sundance Film Festival in January, 2009. The film is set with four cougars and four cubs who discuss openly and candidly about their experiences in dating younger men and older woman, the ups, the downs, the sex and the overall attraction between the two of them. There is no doubt that some men are fascinated with older women and some women are enthralled to younger men but what is it that draws them to that taboo region of the dating arena where so many of us venture out into? Jeffrey and Susie have set out to answer this and many other questions with their creative and unprecedented film. On October 4, 2008, Jeffrey and Susie did something that no other cougar and cub film has ever done.They set up a stage at the Black Card in Scottsdale, AZ to openly discuss the relationships between cougars and cubs. All of their volunteer men and women were on stage with them in a talk show setting where they not only answered Jeffrey and Susie’s questions but the audience’s as well.This was a huge success and brought a lot of exposure to the film. This talk show experience will be a big part of the film so if you missed it, don’t worry, you can see it again when “My American Boy” comes out. Upon meeting with Jeffrey and Susie, I learned they, too, were a part of the cougar and cub population. She is 44 and he is 23 but you would never know it if you ever bumped into them. A funny thing about it all is that they did not create this film because of their love for each other. In fact, when Susie came up with the idea to produce this film, they were only just friends and hadn’t even seen each other in a while. But through common interests, a strong friendship along with a growing love for each other they have come to build a beautiful and what I think to be a long lasting relationship with each other. I would also attribute the hard work that they both have put into this film as a team to be another major factor that has most likely brought them together. They seem to work well together and have done so in the birth of their “baby”. Balancing between each other’s strong points, they have covered all of the important aspects of film making and have personally promoted it to an extent that they have become more and more recognized in the Phoenix, AZ community. One thing I learned from them is that they have more ideas in the works and have a dream of one day hosting a talk show together. If you have ever sat down with the two of them, you would soon learn that really do make a great team. They seem to feed off of one another and would surely make a fresh and impresive talk show duo. I have no doubt that someday soon we will be seeing a lot more of Jeffrey and Susie on this and many other projects. “My American Boy” has been talked about in the Arizona Republic, on the news and they are talking with the people from the Tonite Show and would love to be on there as well. It just goes to show that with a lot of hard work and ambition along with a great subject that affects many of us today, we can give birth to something that not only may change our own lives but possibly help others along the way. Jeffrey Serpa and Susie Merwin have done just that and I am sure there are many people out there who would love to thank you for all of your efforts to bringing to life a subject that is very real and for some of us, very hard to talk about without the worry of being scrutinized for a decision that is not always a choice but a materialization of something special and more fulfilling than what we have ever experienced before.The love between an older woman and a younger man also known as the cougar and the cub.
