A Better Way to Make Films
If you work on any of my productions, here’s what you can expect.
Fun
First and foremost, you’ll have fun. I’m all about empowering others to do what they do best, collaborating with other creative geniuses and tech wizards, all while having fun and laughing a lot. We’re creating a masterwork together. I want you to feel ownership, flexibility, and opportunity to do your best work and be part of a great, collaborative team.
I never yell at people (except to call “action!”), treat each and every person with respect (no matter your job title), and encourage everyone to play and contribute from their own inspiration.
Work-Life Balance
It’s customary in film production to work 12+ hours every day, 5-6 days a week. But not on my productions. Most days are scheduled for 8 hours, with the expectation that it might run to 10 hours if we fall behind schedule during the day (it happens). Occasionally, we may even work less. Sometimes, due to location or talent availability, an occasional 12+ hour day is necessary and unavoidable. But that’s the exception, not the rule.
In fact, if we work 50 hours in a rolling 5-day period, everyone gets at least 50 consecutive hours of rest before being called back to work again. It’s my “50/5/50” rule — because there’s more to life than just hard work. I want you to be able to spend time with your friends and family, catch up on any missed sleep, and just enjoy life outside of work too.
Innovation
I’m excited to try and experiment with new and emerging technology — as well as design and develop our own. History has proven time and time again that when films push the boundaries of technology and experiment with new forms of art and storytelling, they’re often hugely successful. I want to be a leader in the film industry — not just do more of the same.
Passive Income Potential for All
I believe that a corporation should serve its employees and independent contractors, not the other way around. A business should be a vehicle designed to enrich the lives of those involved in running it, creating its products, and delivering its services. That’s why I’ve created a new and innovative compensation plan that has the potential for lifetime passive income for each and every person who contributed in some way, big or small, toward making the film a financial success.
If you worked on a film that became a blockbuster hit, you should share in that financial success. And no, I’m not talking about “net profit” that’s subject to abuse by creative accounting. I’m talking about a gross percentage of every dollar, starting with the first dollar, for the life of the film — regardless of what medium it’s released in or method of distribution it uses, now known or anything yet to be invented in the future. Guaranteed.
Diversity and Inclusion
They’re trendy buzz words in Hollywood these days, but I’ve been practicing diversity and inclusion since my very first film. I honestly don’t care about your race, gender identity, or anything else — all I care about is if you’re right for the job. Well, that and if you’re a nice person. Because I only bring good-hearted, kind, and fun-to-work-with people onto my projects. What I value and look for is your attitude, work ethic, creativity, collaboration and communication skills, and other unique talents and skills you bring to the team. Someone with the right energy and vibe — so my sets are always a fun, safe, collaborative, and magic-generating place to work and co-create.
I also sometimes hire people with little or no previous credits or experience, too. If that’s you, you’ll probably start out as an assistant or background actor. But I’m also curious to know what you’re interested in potentially doing one day; what positions or opportunities you want to grow into. If you prove you’re reliable, hard working, and trustworthy in the less-glamorous positions, I’ll absolutely keep you in mind for bigger opportunities aligned with your desired career goals in my future projects.
Story is King
When selecting a script to produce into a feature film, I look for these things:
- Is this story timeless? Is it relatable, enjoyable, and meaningful to potential audiences around the world, both today and well into the future?
- Does the story take place in a unique “world”, that audiences have never seen before or never from this perspective before?
- Does the story have a positive message, something that uplifts, inspires, empowers, heals, encourages, or connects people together? Does it reveal some nugget of truth, wisdom, or insight that audiences can keep with them and benefit from, long after the movie has ended?
I favor stories that are character-driven, follow the hero’s journey three act structure, and are highly entertaining and fun overall.
My “brand” (what I most commonly prefer to create) are sci-fi/fantasy comedies with a positive message. Something with heart, that provides imagination and fantasy escape, all with relatable characters and a personally relevant and satisfying emotional journey.