Speaker 1: This is he said, ayadjo with Eric Winter and Rodlin fantab.
Speaker 2: Yeah, menidos, he said, a ja vejo. I am so
Speaker 2: happy about this episode, Eric Winter. We have good friends
Speaker 2: Selena Rinhill and her amazing talented husband, Dan Levi Dagerman.
Speaker 2: You know, they are the owners of Two Hands Productions,
Speaker 2: and they have a film it's out right now.
Speaker 3: And let me tell you something.
Speaker 2: He has won a bunch of awards and has one
Speaker 2: hundred percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That is unbelievable. I
Speaker 2: am such a big fan of Selena. Guys, she is
Speaker 2: a Mexican. She moved here to the States married to
Speaker 2: a green girl. Their company ours is two for the
Speaker 2: Road is two Hands. We have a lot of similarities.
Speaker 2: She is a trailblazer. This girl is next level, incredibly smart,
Speaker 2: and they are a couple.
Speaker 3: They director, yeah, they're both.
Speaker 2: They direct, they produce, they write, they edit, they do
Speaker 2: it all. And the movies are so well done and
Speaker 2: so fantastic. And the one that is out now, we're
Speaker 2: going to be talking about it. You want to talk you.
Speaker 3: Me and her?
Speaker 2: You me.
Speaker 3: I can't wait to discuss it.
Speaker 4: They have an amazing story about how this film came about,
Speaker 4: let's let's just bring them and let's start talking with them.
Speaker 3: Oh it's like deja vu? Oh my god, Shall we
Speaker 3: tell people what happened?
Speaker 4: I almost feel like we should share this story. It's
Speaker 4: just kind of a funny. Not funny, guys.
Speaker 2: I know, we had Selena and then come over to
Speaker 2: here to the podcast from We were so excited we
Speaker 2: were gonna have somebody in person. It was the studio
Speaker 2: in studio, we talked for like an hour. We had
Speaker 2: such a laugh, We covered everything. It was one of
Speaker 2: my favorite favorite episodes ever. Then I get a text
Speaker 2: from our producers saying there.
Speaker 3: Is a problem.
Speaker 2: There's a and I'm going I don't care, then fix
Speaker 2: it and they're like no, we're trying to do everything.
Speaker 2: And they're like, no, I don't think you understand it.
Speaker 2: We have done everything. It doesn't work. I'm going to
Speaker 2: I don't think you understand me.
Speaker 3: Her whole day was ruined.
Speaker 4: It was like it was like calling somebody about a
Speaker 4: breakup and you're just hoping the breakup's gonna go like smooth.
Speaker 4: And I said, well, it's not gonna get any better.
Speaker 4: You just gotta let them know. So we have to
Speaker 4: redo this can magically appear that we have audio and
Speaker 4: then all this, Oh.
Speaker 3: My god, guys. I was so embarrassed.
Speaker 2: And I was texting with Selena back and forth because
Speaker 2: they were flying going to a screening that I did
Speaker 2: from my movie, and there their flight got delayed and
Speaker 2: we're going back and forth and everything is wonderful, and
Speaker 2: she's asking me when is the episode gonna come out?
Speaker 2: And I'm going I'm about to answer, I get the TEGs.
Speaker 2: My heart dropped. I was like, I'm gonna cry. So
Speaker 2: I'm telling Eric, Eric, the episode doesn't work. There's a
Speaker 2: problem with the sound, and he's I didn't tell her.
Speaker 2: I'm going, no, you tell her that.
Speaker 4: I'm telling the pros, well, listen, cham welcome back again.
Speaker 3: We we really.
Speaker 1: And I just want to say to you, it's so
Speaker 1: funny because that dynamic that you just described is me
Speaker 1: and Dan all the time. Fix it. I'm gonna person
Speaker 1: and they're gonna sure it out and it doesn't work
Speaker 1: like that.
Speaker 2: I was so fun with the producers, going this is embarrassing,
Speaker 2: and they're like, Russ, it happens all the time. I'm
Speaker 2: sure they're gonna understand now, and I don't understand it.
Speaker 3: Was like the worst breakup phone call. I mean, it
Speaker 3: wasn't a breakup, obviously.
Speaker 2: It was together and you were so grateful. So I
Speaker 2: ended up saying, Selena, I have a problem. So I
Speaker 2: told her, and you were so fantastic saying, you know what,
Speaker 2: it's okay, We'll do it again.
Speaker 3: I understand and we'll create. Thank you for that. Thank
Speaker 3: you for that, because if you listening to uh It's
Speaker 3: it's so great.
Speaker 4: We got our press box for you, me and her
Speaker 4: in the mail, which was so incredible. I just posted
Speaker 4: about the you know, the trailer for this movie that
Speaker 4: we both love. We we saw at the premiere, which
Speaker 4: was a festival premiere.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 3: First off, I just want you guys to dive right.
Speaker 4: In to the origin story of this movie because to me,
Speaker 4: it is one of the most fascinating origin stories and
Speaker 4: I think one of the main reasons everybody should see
Speaker 4: this movie because it's based on real events.
Speaker 3: Yeah, thank you us about that.
Speaker 1: So well. Me and Dan went on a trip to Vegas.
Speaker 1: It was one of the first trips that we had
Speaker 1: taken without our son after we had had a kid.
Speaker 1: And we were at this club in Las Vegas and
Speaker 1: this woman who was very beautiful, started hitting on me,
Speaker 1: which is something that had never really happened to me
Speaker 1: because I hadn't really been hit on by a woman.
Speaker 1: But what I realized was that I found myself attracted
Speaker 1: to her, and I found myself very curious about her,
Speaker 1: and so she really wanted to kiss me. So I
Speaker 1: asked Stan. I was like, I kind of want to
Speaker 1: kiss her too, like is that okay? And he was like, uh, yeah,
Speaker 1: that's okay, and.
Speaker 6: I was like okay, well, don't hesitate or anything. So anyway,
Speaker 6: we shared this like very beautiful kiss and then this
Speaker 6: woman was like, you know, well I would really love
Speaker 6: to see you later.
Speaker 1: Can I get your phone number? And I was like, oh, okay,
Speaker 1: I don't know. So then I asked it.
Speaker 7: I was like, hey, give her my phone number, like
Speaker 7: she kind of wants to see me later, and he
Speaker 7: was like, yeah, give her your phone number. I was
Speaker 7: like okay, So I gave her my phone number and
Speaker 7: then we spent like the next forty eight hours in
Speaker 7: Vegas just talking about like what was allowed, what wasn't,
Speaker 7: what would make me feel safe, what would make him feel.
Speaker 1: Safe, Like what are safe? Woard would be like all
Speaker 1: these different things and we were laughing so much. We
Speaker 1: were feeling so connected over this, like and sure that
Speaker 1: we could maybe go on. And this bitch never texted me.
Speaker 1: I was ghosted, which made me feel like I was
Speaker 1: in high school again. It's been a minute since I'm
Speaker 1: ghosted by someone because I've been married for ten years anyway,
Speaker 1: so I uh. But by the time we were leaving Vegas,
Speaker 1: we were actually already outlining the script because we were like, Wow,
Speaker 1: that up like a lot of stuff for us, and
Speaker 1: we feel like it's so interesting and there's so many
Speaker 1: dynamics to kind of explore in what this means and
Speaker 1: what it brings up and and what it is to
Speaker 1: be in a long term committed marriage and keep a
Speaker 1: spark and all these other things.
Speaker 4: I want to back up for one second, Dan, what
Speaker 4: was going through your mind? Was it like, let me
Speaker 4: just make sure my wife is happy or that, and
Speaker 4: what's in it for me?
Speaker 8: Yeah?
Speaker 5: Well that behind with you know, there's a male fantasy
Speaker 5: and that maybe I share a little bit of, so
Speaker 5: you know, there was there there. There are those two
Speaker 5: things going on. And what's so interesting is when this
Speaker 5: print was presented to us and Selena was interested, there's
Speaker 5: almost like this relationship loophole if you're both on board.
Speaker 5: So there. So it's this fantasy, it's this fantasy dynamic
Speaker 5: that was at play, and it was really interesting.
Speaker 1: Well, and the other thing I will say about Dan,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna give him credit here, is that if he
Speaker 1: had been pushy at all, like even like one inch,
Speaker 1: if he had been like, dude, I would do it.
Speaker 1: I don't want to do it anymore, back off. But
Speaker 1: because he was so good at like walking the line
Speaker 1: of like, honey, whatever you need, well, whatever you feel, well,
Speaker 1: what would feel good to you? And I was like,
Speaker 1: oh fun, no good to me.
Speaker 3: You know, well played, well played. Flipped the table here.
Speaker 4: What if the woman had approached Dan and said, hey,
Speaker 4: I'm into you, babe.
Speaker 3: Are you cool with the three of us?
Speaker 8: No?
Speaker 3: Come on, come on? Oh my so I mean, let
Speaker 3: me ask Eric.
Speaker 2: So Eric, we are at a club and this beautiful
Speaker 2: woman comes over and says like, oh my god, you're
Speaker 2: so pretty, and I'm going, oh my god, thank you.
Speaker 2: And she's like I really want to kiss you. And
Speaker 2: I look at you and I go, Eric, what do
Speaker 2: I do?
Speaker 3: And we kiss? And then she said they didn't kiss.
Speaker 3: They didn't kiss yes, they did, Yes they did. Oh
Speaker 3: you did? You did? Kiss?
Speaker 2: So they kissed, and then she asked for my number,
Speaker 2: and she goes, what, I want to see you later.
Speaker 3: I don't care. Your husband can come.
Speaker 2: And I go to you and I say, Eric, this
Speaker 2: really hot chick wants to hang out with us, but
Speaker 2: she likes me first.
Speaker 3: Here's what I know.
Speaker 4: In this fantasy world, I would have grabbed the popcorn
Speaker 4: out the gate, because I don't see a world in
Speaker 4: which this one would have engaged in the kiss. It
Speaker 4: would have been so fun to watch how awkward she
Speaker 4: would have been in that situation.
Speaker 3: I don't think.
Speaker 4: I imagine Selena, you probably played it with a bit.
Speaker 3: More swag and cool.
Speaker 4: I think, I don't know, you would have had panic
Speaker 4: on your face of what's happening right now?
Speaker 3: What is this woman doing?
Speaker 2: Eric?
Speaker 3: Oh my god, get me. I don't know what to do.
Speaker 3: It would have been a totally I just more shocked.
Speaker 3: I think if you were fully in I don't know,
Speaker 3: but you think you would have been fully I have
Speaker 3: no idea.
Speaker 2: I've never been in that situation. I have no idea.
Speaker 3: I'm actually maybe she's gorgeous. You know what's going to happen.
Speaker 4: One of our listeners is going to have heard this
Speaker 4: and they we're gonna be out somewhere and some chick's
Speaker 4: gonna make a move on her, and.
Speaker 3: We're gonna find out. Maybe that will be your sequel,
Speaker 3: that you me her sequel.
Speaker 2: Anyway, So you guys, okay, so the girl, that's funny.
Speaker 2: So the girl ghosted you guys, you're flying. You're already
Speaker 2: thinking about, oh my god, this is a movie. You
Speaker 2: start writing right, and I want everybody to know Selena
Speaker 2: stars she You guys co wrote it together.
Speaker 1: So yes, we we kind of do. I wrote it,
Speaker 1: but we outlined together. He goes through everything I write,
Speaker 1: he adds his own.
Speaker 3: We're very like a team exactly. And this couple guys,
Speaker 3: so they shoot it.
Speaker 2: They go to Mexico, they shoot this beautiful movie and
Speaker 2: then he directed it, and then you edit the movie
Speaker 2: as well.
Speaker 3: Correct that.
Speaker 1: Well, we had editors.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I did a first crazy cut past like that
Speaker 5: was done ten days after production.
Speaker 8: That got us in a huge fight.
Speaker 1: Mainly it's well, i'll tell you why. I'll tell you why.
Speaker 1: So he's we're cutting the movie because he's trying to
Speaker 1: understand what the movie's like. Because we first we shot
Speaker 1: in La and then we were shooting in Mexico. So
Speaker 1: what he was trying to do was understand what did
Speaker 1: we get in La, so that he knows what he wants.
Speaker 8: To like matching the look.
Speaker 1: Okay, but here's what he did. Here's what he did.
Speaker 3: Okay.
Speaker 1: That was so much more from the male perspective, and
Speaker 1: so then it was like all these introspective moments with
Speaker 1: like the male and like how hard it is for him,
Speaker 1: and I'm like, wait a minute, I love and this
Speaker 1: movie is like it is a dual protagonist movie. I
Speaker 1: will say that we wanted that, but it's like a
Speaker 1: little more female skewed and.
Speaker 5: If you hold on a shot just like a little longer,
Speaker 5: that changes everything.
Speaker 4: Of course, yeah, we've seen this, and you guys did
Speaker 4: a beautiful job of telling the story because it's it's
Speaker 4: so funny and interesting and complex all at the same time.
Speaker 3: Because it's true like.
Speaker 4: If you were ever in that situation, we just imagined
Speaker 4: it talking about it, but it would not be the
Speaker 4: same way for everybody being in this situation, for sure.
Speaker 2: It's it's tricky and like with this cost already, if
Speaker 2: it would have happened to Dan. It would have been
Speaker 2: a completely different dynamic. It would have been a completely
Speaker 2: different movie. Imagine happening to that. Okay, let's write about
Speaker 2: that experience and about how a woman in a loving,
Speaker 2: respectful relationship will freak out and say, absolutely enough.
Speaker 4: Some girls hitting on me on the dance floor and
Speaker 4: even started to lean in. This one would have had
Speaker 4: like a hand in the back of the head where
Speaker 4: then probably to me, probably to hit me.
Speaker 3: I said, I didn't do anything on meose.
Speaker 2: Because she's very disrespectful. Listen, I'll never forget that. We're
Speaker 2: at a and I'm listening. I'm not like the jealous type,
Speaker 2: but like I, well am I not? Well, I'm not anyway,
Speaker 2: So were I never forget where in the Atlanta and
Speaker 2: we're with some friends healthy jealous, that's healthy jealous. So
Speaker 2: we're at this restaurant, both are and I just don't
Speaker 2: like disrespect.
Speaker 3: This is the problem with me.
Speaker 2: If a girl is looking at him because he's not myering,
Speaker 2: oh my god, he's hot, he's a good looking guy
Speaker 2: or whatever. But I acknowledge and knowledges me right. Like
Speaker 2: we went to Disney and this woman came over. He
Speaker 2: was at a ride. I was waiting outside. She came over,
Speaker 2: Can I take a picture with yourself? Of course, I'm
Speaker 2: not gonna love you so much. And then at the
Speaker 2: end she goes and I love your husband too, And
Speaker 2: I go, oh my god, he's having he's with the kids,
Speaker 2: doing this right, But I didn't do it. Then like
Speaker 2: an hour later, she wants a picture with him now
Speaker 2: and she comes over to me and I said, oh
Speaker 2: my god, do you mind I you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: That's a classy lady. That was That's classic. So I
Speaker 2: was like, oh, of course I'll take the picture myself.
Speaker 2: What I don't like is the disrespect that they just
Speaker 2: act like, you know, you're not even there, and they're
Speaker 2: being flirt flirty and trying it on and completely dismissed
Speaker 2: that they dismiss you.
Speaker 3: I can't start.
Speaker 2: I have a big issue with this year all the time.
Speaker 2: But it doesn't by the way, with the guy girls,
Speaker 2: it doesn't don't be.
Speaker 3: Taggy, don't be tagging.
Speaker 2: Wait at a restaurant and this girl there's there's two
Speaker 2: girls having dinner. It's a bunch of us, right, and
Speaker 2: and I see the girl looking at him and just
Speaker 2: but like just nasty, right, like she was just being disrespectful.
Speaker 3: He doesn't even know what's happening.
Speaker 2: And the girl keeps looking and I'm looking right at her,
Speaker 2: and she just like, I'm not there, and I'm going
Speaker 2: I'm gonna see how long this is gonna play out?
Speaker 2: So nobody I don't say anything, nobody knows anything. And
Speaker 2: then there's for a moment, I look at her right
Speaker 2: and I go.
Speaker 3: What did I say? I said, you got a problem?
Speaker 3: You have problem? What are you looking at?
Speaker 2: Everybody like the entire table because they did.
Speaker 3: They didn't know that this whole thing was played out right.
Speaker 3: All our friends are like, oh my god, what's going on?
Speaker 2: I said, no, I wanted to say something, you know,
Speaker 2: And the girl got so uncomfortable and freaked out.
Speaker 4: Everybody in the restaurant got company. What we probably give you,
Speaker 4: guys a great sequel to this movie. And he's like, Ross,
Speaker 4: what are you doing?
Speaker 3: What are you doing?
Speaker 2: And I'm going, I don't like disrespects. If see what
Speaker 2: If she finds you cute, it's fine, I would love it.
Speaker 2: If she goes, no, your husband is hot, I'll be like, yeah,
Speaker 2: he is, you know, I just don't like it.
Speaker 4: I don't like if a guy disrespects me. She's like, Babe, babe,
Speaker 4: don't ever react, don't ever react.
Speaker 3: It's okay. I mean, it's fine, I got this.
Speaker 4: Don't worry all right.
Speaker 3: Back to the movie. We're trying to work on your sequel. Yes,
Speaker 3: I love it, so the movie.
Speaker 4: What I want to also talk about is, because I
Speaker 4: think we get asked this a lot. How do you
Speaker 4: get in this business? How do you start something? How
Speaker 4: do you become a writer, how do you become an actor?
Speaker 4: How do you become a director? I mean, there's so
Speaker 4: many things people don't understand what it takes to make
Speaker 4: a movie, to put something together.
Speaker 3: Share a bit.
Speaker 4: I mean, you both come from an extensive background with
Speaker 4: studying film and studying all that, and you guys met together,
Speaker 4: I know.
Speaker 3: In school.
Speaker 4: So even with all the talents and all the knowledge,
Speaker 4: it's still not easy. There's no there's no linear path
Speaker 4: to success. Tell us a little bit the journey for
Speaker 4: this movie.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I'm gonna let's sland that ticket because I have
Speaker 5: to grab something important.
Speaker 1: So yeah, no, I would say, I mean, I think
Speaker 1: so much of what it takes or what it's taken
Speaker 1: for us is just really be thinking outside the box.
Speaker 1: Because I think it's almost like, strangely, not enough to
Speaker 1: have a good story. It's not enough to be a
Speaker 1: good actor, it's not enough to be a good writer.
Speaker 1: It's like that's how it's felt for me. That doesn't
Speaker 1: mean that there isn't another journey for someone else, but
Speaker 1: I think that so much of what it's taken for
Speaker 1: us is to like really really think outside the box
Speaker 1: and be like, how do we find our audience, how
Speaker 1: do we do things that are innovative, how do we
Speaker 1: become like a marketing machine besides making the movie, Like,
Speaker 1: we partnered with this new platform called attend, and our
Speaker 1: movie is going to come to two hundred and fifty
Speaker 1: theaters nationwide. Wow, which is enormous.
Speaker 3: Yeah, which is huge.
Speaker 4: People don't understand that's huge for an independent movie just
Speaker 4: coming out.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and our move to our movie was done for
Speaker 1: a little under a million dollars. Okay, we usually would
Speaker 1: be in theaters is between twenty and one hundred million.
Speaker 1: That's like what you're watching in theaters so and eighty
Speaker 1: to ninety percent of everything you see in theaters is
Speaker 1: owned by the studios. So for an independent film to
Speaker 1: really get a shot at a theatrical is like slim
Speaker 1: to none. You usually have to four wall, you go
Speaker 1: to LA and New York, you last one week, you die.
Speaker 1: So this is like enormous, But what it took to
Speaker 1: get here was also enormous because it was like, first
Speaker 1: of all, Dan messaged the ex president of the National
Speaker 1: Association of Theater Owners on LinkedIn okaysage message, whole message
Speaker 1: and basically saw that he was building something. So it
Speaker 1: took a Dan being informed that he was building something
Speaker 1: b him sending that message, which I think a lot
Speaker 1: of people would be like why would I send this message.
Speaker 1: I'm not going to get a response, you know. Then
Speaker 1: it took a lot of follow up. So like first
Speaker 1: we had a call with them. They were like, oh
Speaker 1: my god, you guys are so fun and enthusiastic. Keep
Speaker 1: us posting. And we were like, okay, I'll keep you out.
Speaker 1: And then we followed up again, and then we followed
Speaker 1: up again, and then and then we finally they were like,
Speaker 1: you know, we really if we don't really like watching
Speaker 1: movies and links, we need to see movies in theaters.
Speaker 1: So we rented out a theater. We were like, you
Speaker 1: tell us the day and the time, we'll rent out
Speaker 1: the theater, we will be there. So then we show
Speaker 1: it to them in theaters and they go, wow, we're
Speaker 1: really surprised. This is like a very thoughtful, good film.
Speaker 1: They're like, all right, well, stay in touch. Anyway, this
Speaker 1: was literally like a six month process, and it all
Speaker 1: came down to like this one lunch. We just kept
Speaker 1: following up and following up. But we had other deals
Speaker 1: on the table, but they weren't good deals.
Speaker 8: And we really.
Speaker 1: Believe that this movie deserved more, and we had put
Speaker 1: so much of ourselves into it. It was so personal
Speaker 1: and we cared so much about what we're trying to
Speaker 1: say because it's not just about a threesome. It's about
Speaker 1: the dynamics of a long term, committed relationship. It's about
Speaker 1: how we stop seeing each other, how we start taking
Speaker 1: each other for granted, about how sometimes we're not curious
Speaker 1: about the other person and therefore we don't know how
Speaker 1: they're growing or how they're changing, and that disconnect is
Speaker 1: the end of a marriage. And so we really wanted
Speaker 1: to talk about all of that. Anyway, long story short,
Speaker 1: we go to this lunch. This is my proudest moment
Speaker 1: of my life. So we're at this lunch and they're
Speaker 1: basically talking about how they're raising money to do this thing,
Speaker 1: and they're starting their beta phase in like the next year,
Speaker 1: where they're going to choose fifteen movies to kind of
Speaker 1: launch this platform with. But they already have their chech partners,
Speaker 1: they already know what they're building. They're already really excited
Speaker 1: about this whole thing. And I go, well, what if
Speaker 1: you had an alpha test? And they're like okay, Like
Speaker 1: well what do you mean? And I'm like, well, what
Speaker 1: if you actually used a movie like that actually helps
Speaker 1: you build the tools that you're doing for the platform,
Speaker 1: So it's like you're getting information as you're doing it
Speaker 1: with an alpha And they were like, Okay, well I
Speaker 1: guess that's an interesting idea. And I was like, well
Speaker 1: I think it should be with our movie. Wow, And
Speaker 1: they were like real ballsy I am. Anyway, they were
Speaker 1: like so they go, well, if we're gonna do an
Speaker 1: alpha test, why would we do it with you guys? Like,
Speaker 1: you know, no offense, You guys have a great movie.
Speaker 1: But like we're talking to like really famous people, like
Speaker 1: we have all these relationships, like we're you know, I
Speaker 1: just don't know why we would choose you guys as
Speaker 1: the first thing we put out and we were like,
Speaker 1: I was like, you know, everything you're saying is that
Speaker 1: the audience wants more independent films. If you choose someone
Speaker 1: like Scarlett Johansson or whoever, right, some famous filmmaker, people
Speaker 1: are always going to come back and go, well, yeah,
Speaker 1: it worked because of Scarlett Johansson, right, people showed up
Speaker 1: for her. But if you choose us and we're nobody,
Speaker 1: which we will be, we will be big deals very soon.
Speaker 3: Yes, yes you will.
Speaker 1: If you choose us then and it works, then you're
Speaker 1: proving your point, which is that a good independent film
Speaker 1: can actually find its audience. And you're also never going
Speaker 1: to meet two people who are going to work harder
Speaker 1: to make this. And they literally looked at me, and
Speaker 1: they literally looked at me like in that table, like
Speaker 1: in the lunch they looked at each other and then
Speaker 1: looked at me and went, Okay, oh my.
Speaker 2: God, amazing, Oh my god, Selena is so inspiring to
Speaker 2: hear that isn't because we're have a production company as
Speaker 2: well as you know, I'm directing now, I have aspiration,
Speaker 2: so continue directing and stories like that. What you guys
Speaker 2: are living at the moment is that you walk in
Speaker 2: testaments of the way it should be done. You know,
Speaker 2: It's it's a longer journey. It's it's more. It takes
Speaker 2: a lot of thinking outside the box. It's a lot
Speaker 2: of betting on yourself and what you can bring to
Speaker 2: the table. And when when when your vision is so
Speaker 2: crystal clear and you sit down with people that are clear,
Speaker 2: that a position of power. But when listen, when you
Speaker 2: taste that honey, and when you go into those meetings
Speaker 2: and you have that twinkle in your eye and that
Speaker 2: desire that they I'm sure they haven't seen for a
Speaker 2: long time, you know what I mean, A young couple
Speaker 2: putting things together, talking the talk, walking the walk, you know,
Speaker 2: and and it's probably incredibly refreshing to them. It's amusing,
Speaker 2: you know, but it's refreshing. And and it took that
Speaker 2: that energy you know, magnetic.
Speaker 3: That's how I see you. I see you.
Speaker 2: You're so magnetic in terms of the way you sell things,
Speaker 2: the way you speak, and just knowing that it's a
Speaker 2: couple doing it together that went to school with a
Speaker 2: common goal. It's incredible. It's incredible to hear you, guys speak.
Speaker 2: It's incredible to hear you, guys, and tell the story,
Speaker 2: because it's like it is going to be such a
Speaker 2: it's like a playbook for all the younger ones.
Speaker 3: You know that I'm behind us saying it's possible.
Speaker 4: Exactly what I say, let's talk about the playbook that
Speaker 4: I was going to just say that. It's a great
Speaker 4: segue into it, because again going back to what a
Speaker 4: lot of our listeners ask for is help.
Speaker 3: How do we get how do we succeed?
Speaker 4: How do we you know, chalk, you strike out the
Speaker 4: first goal and get to the next goal, and you
Speaker 4: have a little bit of a playbook there you've written.
Speaker 3: Talk to us about that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so this is the book is called Be the Train,
Speaker 1: The mindset and Tools you need to make your first
Speaker 1: feature film. But I really think that it's actually a
Speaker 1: book about any creative field. And I think so much
Speaker 1: of what I focus on is kind of like the
Speaker 1: mindset you need to empower yourself to keep pushing forward.
Speaker 1: I think there's so much we've been told about, like
Speaker 1: waiting for the train, waiting for the opportunity, waiting to
Speaker 1: get discovered. If you just go to class and you
Speaker 1: work on your thing, someone's going to come and they're
Speaker 1: going to see you and then it's all going to happen.
Speaker 1: And that has just not been my experience. And I
Speaker 1: am so happy for the people who get to live
Speaker 1: through that route, but mine has been much tougher, and
Speaker 1: I've had to fight every step of the way, and
Speaker 1: I have had to write my own roles, and we
Speaker 1: have had to make our own movies, and we have
Speaker 1: had to figure out our own marketing campaign.
Speaker 3: I mean we literally our.
Speaker 1: Own We've had to figure out We've had to get
Speaker 1: our own investors, like we've had to make ceratives. It's
Speaker 1: like you have to be almost like a business person.
Speaker 3: It is a business, like you guys are the brand.
Speaker 3: You're building your own business.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I literally, I mean I have a whole chapter
Speaker 1: here on cold emails because I have gotten so much
Speaker 1: through cold emails, just like really thoughtful, strategic researched cold emails.
Speaker 1: We got twenty brand partners for the marketing campaign of
Speaker 1: this movie, Like once the movie was finished, none of
Speaker 1: these brands are in the movie, And we got twenty
Speaker 1: brands to come on in the aftermath to help us.
Speaker 1: And literally I did the math and I got around
Speaker 1: one hundred thousand dollars worth of in kind from these
Speaker 1: twenty brands, which is insane.
Speaker 2: That's insane. I'm gonna get into your minds for a second.
Speaker 3: How do you deal?
Speaker 2: And I'm sure you talk about it in the book
Speaker 2: which I'm about to start reading. And Male Robbins, I
Speaker 2: want to say, these guys and everybody that loves emotional intelligence,
Speaker 2: you know, and and self talk. And she's one of
Speaker 2: the best motivational speakers.
Speaker 3: It's a brilliant mind.
Speaker 2: And she read the book and she has a commos
Speaker 2: quote quote unquote, which is a really an incredible accomplishment
Speaker 2: that you have somebody at that caliber. You know, that
Speaker 2: is so smart, you know, saying guys, you need you
Speaker 2: need to read this. You know it's very valuable, it's great.
Speaker 2: But how do you guys approach because as creative people,
Speaker 2: you know, we put together all these ideas, you know
Speaker 2: TV shows, you know we have this and we have
Speaker 2: You've seen my stuff, I've seen your stuff, Selena.
Speaker 3: Rather you'll get you let me look at your deck.
Speaker 3: Oh my god. And to us, the.
Speaker 2: Creator is undeniable, right you read it, You're behind it,
Speaker 2: you see it.
Speaker 3: It's like everybody's gonna get it.
Speaker 2: This is a no brainer, and then it's time for
Speaker 2: you to hit the market and then you go and
Speaker 2: you start pitching. Yeah, And because it's so subjective, you know,
Speaker 2: what you think is brilliant, somebody else might go, I
Speaker 2: didn't get it. And it happens every single day to
Speaker 2: people that are trying to create content like us, and
Speaker 2: it is very deflating, you know, when you go into
Speaker 2: a room and you have something that you have worked
Speaker 2: so hard and put so much airport and thought into
Speaker 2: it and they read it and they just, oh, we
Speaker 2: just didn't respond or we don't think it's our mandate,
Speaker 2: or we have heard this so many times before, you know,
Speaker 2: and it's the constant no that is so easy for
Speaker 2: them for them to say, and it's crushing because you
Speaker 2: leave that room or you hang up that phone going
Speaker 2: am I wrong?
Speaker 8: Yeah?
Speaker 2: You know, like I thought this was a slam dunk.
Speaker 2: Is like I think it's timely, I think is smart.
Speaker 2: I think is what people want to consume.
Speaker 3: And then you have.
Speaker 2: Somebody saying no, no, thank you. How do you guys?
Speaker 2: It's crushing. How do you guys deal with that? And
Speaker 2: just go Okay, let's go back to the drawing board next,
Speaker 2: let's move on.
Speaker 5: I think one thing we do is we have a
Speaker 5: really diverse slate of a lot of different projects. So
Speaker 5: instead of having all our eggs in one basket, we
Speaker 5: look at it as like a chessboard. So we're moving
Speaker 5: things as far as we can with the different ones,
Speaker 5: and then we also have our personal project where we're
Speaker 5: just the train, and those are the ones we've succeeded
Speaker 5: at the most so far. We've got our slates, so
Speaker 5: shout out our.
Speaker 8: Slate of amazing projects.
Speaker 5: But you know, we're pitching those and then we're figuring
Speaker 5: out what we're going to make next, proactively doing that well.
Speaker 1: And I think also, so I think, yes, that's all true,
Speaker 1: And I think that like obviously our independent ones have
Speaker 1: been smaller budget than some of our other ones. Right,
Speaker 1: it's harder to get more money, so like so, but
Speaker 1: when you have something that requires less money, kind of
Speaker 1: easier to just at least keep it moving while you're
Speaker 1: trying to get the bigger stuff going.
Speaker 5: One thing Selena talks about in her book a Lot
Speaker 5: is working with what's around you. Because if you're working
Speaker 5: with what's around you, you inherently have built in production design,
Speaker 5: you have you know, locations, you can work with your
Speaker 5: friends and it all feels very organic to the story
Speaker 5: and process.
Speaker 8: So that's a great way to get started.
Speaker 1: And then also Roslyn like we get super sad sometimes
Speaker 1: not like there's no denying, Like it is tough. It
Speaker 1: is tough out there, and you put your heart out.
Speaker 1: I mean, we just did a video right now, by
Speaker 1: the way with the skin Deep, this very very intent
Speaker 1: you're gonna watch it. You're gonna text me and be like,
Speaker 1: are you guys okay? But which in a very very
Speaker 1: vulnerable conversation about the inner dynamics of our marriage that
Speaker 1: are tough, and they're things that I think are really
Speaker 1: important to speak about, and things that are also spoken
Speaker 1: about in the movie. And we put our like heart
Speaker 1: like just on the line, you know, and this guy
Speaker 1: comments divorce in three years, Oh my.
Speaker 9: God, And that's just the world. Like anyway, the point
Speaker 9: is like there's you know, there is a reality of
Speaker 9: just like the more vulnerable you are, the more haters
Speaker 9: you're gonna get because people are very uncomfortable with the
Speaker 9: fact that you're being vulnerable. People get very uncomfortable with honesty.
Speaker 9: People get very uncomfortable with like how come.
Speaker 1: You feel comfortable saying your truth when I don't feel
Speaker 1: comfortable even telling my mother about this thing I did
Speaker 1: last week, you know what I'm saying. So there's a
Speaker 1: lot of that, and there's gonna be friction, and I
Speaker 1: think that's really tough, and I think it's really tough
Speaker 1: to get knows and I think it's really valid to
Speaker 1: be like today, I'm just gonna feel bad, Like I'm
Speaker 1: just gonna feel bad today and then tomorrow I'm gonna
Speaker 1: wake up and figure out what I do about it
Speaker 1: to keep moving forward.
Speaker 4: But yeah, it's that's every aspect of being a creative.
Speaker 4: I don't care if you're on the acting side, directing, writing,
Speaker 4: when you're putting something out there that's so subjective, right,
Speaker 4: like anybody could love it, anybody could hate it. There's
Speaker 4: no rhyme or reason why somebody wins an Oscar and
Speaker 4: somebody doesn't, or somebody gets nominated, and there's hundreds of
Speaker 4: others that deserve to be nominated.
Speaker 3: It's all opinion based.
Speaker 4: And that's one of the most difficult things that I
Speaker 4: even tell Like my daughter who had times she's like
Speaker 4: I think I want to go into your business. I'm like, no,
Speaker 4: you don't, please you don't want to go into our
Speaker 4: business is that if you can in any anything, it's hard.
Speaker 4: Being a professional athlete is hard. Being a CEO of
Speaker 4: a company is hard. But if you work hard, there's
Speaker 4: often a result that will prove your work right.
Speaker 3: Being a creative, I don't care how would you work.
Speaker 4: I don't care how many hours you put in, with
Speaker 4: the time, the effort, I don't care if you're sweating.
Speaker 3: I don't give me what you've done.
Speaker 4: There's no guaranteed proof of your work because somebody else
Speaker 4: could say I don't like it. It's not for me,
Speaker 4: And it's something that we all have to accept. That's
Speaker 4: part of being in this business. But I think what's important,
Speaker 4: like in going back to your book, is you got
Speaker 4: to just keep the train moving.
Speaker 3: You got to jump on.
Speaker 4: You got to believe in your business, whatever it is,
Speaker 4: whether it's just an actor, whether it's a full production company,
Speaker 4: whether it's a writer or.
Speaker 3: Whatever, it's your business.
Speaker 4: And I like something you spoke about even before, which
Speaker 4: is people need to believe your business is real and
Speaker 4: it's moving no matter what it's like. We're making this
Speaker 4: so you're welcome to come in and jump on the
Speaker 4: train and be involved. And if it's not for you,
Speaker 4: it's not for you. But we're making this happen. And
Speaker 4: I think that's so important in honestly, in all aspects
Speaker 4: of business in general, not just ours. It's just you
Speaker 4: have to show people I'm all in. This is going
Speaker 4: to happen with or without you. So it's up to
Speaker 4: you if you want to miss.
Speaker 3: I'm going to tell you something.
Speaker 2: The title of your book has affected me so deeply,
Speaker 2: Selena and people that have followed.
Speaker 3: My career. I've been going at this for almost thirty years.
Speaker 2: It's been pretty consistent, you know, I have worked consistently
Speaker 2: for so long.
Speaker 3: But it doesn't mean that that is it's.
Speaker 2: Been easy easy, you know. I am, I am, I
Speaker 2: look the way I look. I have an accent. So
Speaker 2: it's been up and down and and people often see
Speaker 2: me and they go, you inspire me, Oh my god,
Speaker 2: how do you do it? And and it's crazy you
Speaker 2: know that you're still going at it and successfully, and I.
Speaker 3: Go, it's it's a trip. It's a trip.
Speaker 2: And since you showed me your book, because we've been
Speaker 2: talking about it for a bit, right, and I have
Speaker 2: the word train. I'm not kidding you what I'm telling
Speaker 2: you that I visualize myself as a literal train. Oh,
Speaker 2: I show to you and I just go, I'm a train,
Speaker 2: you know, like I swaw to you and I just
Speaker 2: I'm a train. Either you jump in or you don't.
Speaker 2: It's that simple. And I'm in the middle. And I
Speaker 2: know you guys relate because you know, I directed my
Speaker 2: movie and I'm now in the process of getting distribution,
Speaker 2: which is brutal, you know. And I'm trying to do
Speaker 2: all these things to think outside the box. And how
Speaker 2: am I going to do in music videos with the
Speaker 2: leading ladies, And I'm doing all this stuff that usually
Speaker 2: people don't do is called it costs a lot of effort, time, money,
Speaker 2: you know, because I'm betting on me. Yeah, it's a
Speaker 2: lot of people doubting is it necessary? Is it necessary?
Speaker 2: And I said, listen, I don't know what I'm doing,
Speaker 2: but I do know what I'm doing. Yeah, And I'm
Speaker 2: a train. I'm a train, you know, And I'm not
Speaker 2: going to stop. Either you jump or you don't. And
Speaker 2: and the way that that my cast views me and
Speaker 2: they're like, oh my god, you're crazy, but let's do it. Yeah,
Speaker 2: Oh my god, you inspire you inspire me. You're out
Speaker 2: of your mind.
Speaker 3: What do we have to do. I'm gonna use sing.
Speaker 2: This is gonna have a girl right now recording a
Speaker 2: song and she's like, well, I don't even sing, oh
Speaker 2: you sing, Just go and do it.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna make you sing. So so thank you for that.
Speaker 2: Thank you for that, because I swear to you, I
Speaker 2: I literally I have become a train.
Speaker 1: Well, thank you. That literally made me cry. And I'm
Speaker 1: having kind of like an anxious day today because our
Speaker 1: movie is out.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the movie's out. It's a huge accomplishment, two hundred
Speaker 2: and fifty theaters, I'm assuming guys. So after you do
Speaker 2: the theatrical play, then is you the goal is is
Speaker 2: going to go to a streamer?
Speaker 1: Yes, so we're in conversation with streaming platforms right now.
Speaker 3: Perfect.
Speaker 8: So that's yeah.
Speaker 1: But I want to say you are a huge inspiration,
Speaker 1: and you are a train, and you've always been a
Speaker 1: train and I've known you. That's something I've always felt
Speaker 1: about you. And just so you know, one of the
Speaker 1: chapters in my book is actually called Surround Yourself with
Speaker 1: Other Trains, because I think it's so important when you
Speaker 1: are the train. And now I'm getting really emotional, but
Speaker 1: it's actually really hard because most people are going to
Speaker 1: think you're crazy. That's what it feels like to be
Speaker 1: a trained So you have to be surrounded by other trains.
Speaker 1: You have to be surrounded by other trains who understand
Speaker 1: what it takes to put yourself out there constantly, even
Speaker 1: when things get hard, to keep pushing forward, to keep
Speaker 1: doing things, even if we don't know what we're doing.
Speaker 1: We obviously don't always know what we're doing. It's like
Speaker 1: being creative is insane. It's like an insane process, but
Speaker 1: it's also so exciting and it brings so much joy
Speaker 1: to be in that process of figuring it out and
Speaker 1: figuring out who your audience is and what works and
Speaker 1: what doesn't work, and you're learning and growing. And I
Speaker 1: think that that's so valuable in life. And I think
Speaker 1: that when you surround yourself with other people like that,
Speaker 1: you level each other up, you inspire each other correct.
Speaker 2: It's like when you get to do scenes with people
Speaker 2: that are really really great actors, it elevates you. Yeah,
Speaker 2: that's why you have like average actors doing surprising everybody
Speaker 2: with fantastic work. And what you have to look is
Speaker 2: who's around them, who's acting with them. It elevates you,
Speaker 2: you know, and that's what we have to aim in life.
Speaker 3: This is amazing.
Speaker 2: I love I love you guys, and I wish you
Speaker 2: incredible success and very important people that love independent filmmaking,
Speaker 2: that appreciate the work that it takes to do to
Speaker 2: be an independent filmmaker. Go support you know, check your
Speaker 2: your listenings, check what the movie is playing. It's it's nationwide, right,
Speaker 2: two hundred and fifteen nationwide, So I'm sure.
Speaker 5: There's a theater.
Speaker 4: I'm telling you people, please trust us on this one.
Speaker 4: We've seen it. Jump on this train, you me and
Speaker 4: her in theaters now, you don't want to miss it.
Speaker 2: And you know what's cool about it when you leave
Speaker 2: a theater and there's conversation, because it's gonna make you
Speaker 2: think a lot, especially marry couples or just couples that
Speaker 2: they go in and they're going to leave the theater now,
Speaker 2: go to dinner, go have a drink and talk about
Speaker 2: what you just saw and what would be your reaction
Speaker 2: if it happened to you.
Speaker 1: Yeah, thank you guys so much, love, thank you so
Speaker 1: much for having us and for making the time to
Speaker 1: do take you.
Speaker 3: I'm sorry about that.
Speaker 2: It was such a good episode, but this one is
Speaker 2: a great episode.
Speaker 1: Took bye bye, Well.
Speaker 4: That was still a great, great to redo episode. Yes, yes,
Speaker 4: awesome couple, just powerhouses and and you know again we
Speaker 4: get asked a lot, so this is a perfect episode
Speaker 4: to help answer those questions about being in this business.
Speaker 4: How do you do it? How do you go about it?
Speaker 4: And it's really just be your own train and believe
Speaker 4: in yourself and do whatever it takes, you know, send
Speaker 4: those cold emails, reach out to whoever can help.
Speaker 3: Just try.
Speaker 4: You gotta try, try and try again. And they're a
Speaker 4: great example of that, so wish them all the success.
Speaker 3: Yes, all right, love you, thanks for listening. Don't forget
Speaker 3: to write us a review and tell us what you think.
Speaker 2: If you want to follow us on Instagram, check us
Speaker 2: out at he said, is that email Eric and Ross
Speaker 2: at iHeartRadio dot com. He said, is part of iHeart
Speaker 2: Radio's Mike Will Do That podcast network.
Speaker 3: See you next time.
Speaker 1: Bye,