Let's Talk About... The Things Entertainment Attorneys Can't Help You With and What It Means to Really Follow Your Dreams
I'm still in shock: We Attended the National Medal of the Arts & the National Humanities Medal Reception at the White House 🤯 Plus: check out the indie film HEIGHTENED and BEHIND BULLETPROOF GLASS.
I wanted to quit making my film more times than I can count: I’m so glad I didn’t give up.
I’m writing this week’s post at another airport and on another airplane back to LA. Which one? I can’t quite recall, but I’m doing so in order to not fall behind on my posting schedule for this Substack so if this one is a little more aspirational forgive me: I’ve got a massive case of the feels right now.
There’s literally so much to do when it comes to launching your film (as much, if not more, than when you’re filming it!) and I’m trying to do it all: the email marketing, the PR, the ads, the file delivery, the theatrical run, the social media, the logistics, all while running a business AND delivering the scripts I’ve been hired to write on time.
Sometimes it all feels impossible.
At many points during this process it’s felt impossible and I’ve questioned myself every step of the way. Am I falling victim to my own hubris? Is this idea too wild? Will people connect with it? Will I ever work again? Will we die destitute and alone, destined to be failures, clinging to a dream that we should have given up on long ago?
Coping with the stress of wondering whether this is going to pay off is overwhelming, which is why I remind myself to celebrate small victories.
But what my husband and I did this week doesn’t feel like a small victory: it feels like a large one. And I am still a little lost in the haze of this past Monday evening but I wanted to share it here on this Substack because the whole point of the ceremony we attended was to honor those who dared in the arts and humanities.
We were invited back to the White House to honor the recipients of the National Medal of the Arts and the National Humanities Medal. It was incredible. When we left I told my husband that I felt like Cinderella returning from the ball and going back to normal life.
And while we were not recipients of the medal, our invitation made it very clear that we were in that room because we didn’t give up on this dream we chased for almost two decades and created something to help serve the most historically underserved demographic in our country and did so in a way that not only entertained, but unified people and helped forge a new path forward (these are not my words).
During the ceremony, much of the talk was focused on how hard it is to create art and I couldn’t help but think of all the times I wanted to give up and quit. But something in my heart, in my soul, told me that I could not. That this movie had to be made. I could not not make it. Regardless of the risk personally, professionally, financially, it had to be done. And I’m so grateful to my husband Alexander (who is also my producing partner) that he wouldn’t let either of us give up, even when I was ready to walk the whole thing back.
And like many of you who are filmmakers, I listened to that voice inside of me but doubted it the entire time. I wish that when I was younger, I had listened to it more often instead of stifling it. That I would recognize when people didn’t have my best interests in mind and I could let them go sooner out of my life. That I would have realized sooner, that like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, the power was inside me the whole time. I’m trying to honor that voice more not by quieting it, but letting it grow louder.
And I hope that by following my journey, the folks reading this are inspired to keep going and that this Substack is a light in what is surely a fog of darkness and doubt.
When I was first starting out I heard the same piece of advice many of you have probably heard before: if you can do anything else with your life and be happy then do it, because this journey is not for the faint of heart.
Clearly you are not faint of heart and I urge you to keep going in your journey no matter where you are.
I was particularly moved by the speeches President Biden and Speaker Shelly Lowe, Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, gave and will paraphrase some of what they said here and then we’ll move into our regularly scheduled programming:
To despair is not our task in the arts. Artists must examine the past and show us the way forward.
We need artists to remind us that the world is expansive and we are not alone.
The artists are:
The truth tellers
The bridge builders
The change makers
And our voices are needed now more than ever.
So please… follow your passion and don’t give up. It’s going to take a LOT longer than you thought it would and be ten times harder than you think it is, but the end result will be so worth it.
I can’t think of a better segue into this week’s highlighted projects because BOTH of these artists didn’t give up on their dreams and brought their projects out into the world.
So let’s celebrate and support…
Behind Bulletproof Glass by Linda Rönn
I’ve known Swedish-American writer Linda Ronn for a few years now and I’m very proud of her for finishing and publishing her book, Behind Bulletproof Glass, now available on Amazon.
Linda details a heart-wrenching personal and very timely experience in her book. While this Substack is usually dedicated to the promotion of films, I’m bending my own rule because the Substack is called Marketing & PR for Indie Films, Creatives and Small Businesses and this qualifies as the work and journeys we go through to get our projects made. Linda went through a lot to get here and I honor her journey and her bravery in sharing her story.
So please support Linda and click here to get a copy of the book.
Be Sure to Check out HEIGHTENED, Now Streaming
Following a mental breakdown, a social anxiety and OCD riddled young woman must return home to Maine for treatment. After she is unwillingly thrust into nature, she finds unexpected solace in the company of a neurotic Park Ranger, dealing with issues of his own.
'Heightened' deals with de-stigmatizing mental health and the film won 'Best First Feature' at Naples International Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best Indie Narrative at Coronado Island Film Festival.
As always if you have an indie film you’d like me to promote, click here to submit your materials. I do not promote crowdfunding campaigns but I also never charge to plug your film! This support matters and I hope you’ll spread the love around.
So now let’s talk about…
The Things Entertainment Attorneys Can't Help You With
The title for this week’s newsletter wasn’t meant to be a joke but re-reading it made me laugh because there’s quite a FEW things entertainment attorneys can’t help you with. But I wanted to dedicate this week’s newsletter to the hard lines most distributors draw when dealing with filmmakers in the hopes that my experience can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars (and a ton of time and heartache).
Let’s dive in.
(PS - if you’re not a paid subscriber yet, why not???? The insights in this Substack are invaluable and it’s $5/month or $50/year and could really save you time and money! It’s like getting my insights for less than a cup of coffee a month! Seriously! This stuff is gold!)