Where There Is a Will There Is a Way: Finding a Way to Make Your Movie

I am off to NYC tomorrow to visit my business partner and see him in pre-production on the set of our first movie and our first company producing credit.

I can’t believe this! It seems as if we have been building to this day for forever.  But in reality it’s only been three and a half years since we launched Tom Sawyer Entertainment.

And, yes, while it’s been a tough couple years between the two strikes and the recession, we survived and are making our first movie to boot!

In fact, I was recently speaking to an executive and telling him about our movie.  And he said the  nicest comment to me — whether it is true who knows but it certainly made me feel great:

He said that it took Scott Rudin four years to get his first movie made, and as it took us only three and a half we should be really proud!

The lesson to be learned here is not to give up hope when everyone is telling you no on your script and saying things like “well, in this economy…”  Movies can and do get made even in bad economic climates.

And sure there are considerations to keep in mind that will affect your film. Indeed, we went from a larger budget to a much smaller one in order to move forward.

But to be honest, we are now at a budget level that makes the most sense financially and will ensure the most lucrative backend for everyone.

In fact, we have an amazing cast, and I believe the reason we got our cast is because everyone knows there was no money in the budget for any egos.  Instead people are working on the film because of their love for the project thanks to the quality of the script and the people involved.

It just shows you that, if you have a fantastic script and are determined to make your movie, you can find the money and make it!

Production starts next week — keep your fingers crossed!

Boldly going somewhere: A friend’s story on taking a chance on himself … even in this economy.

People are losing jobs at an alarming rate. GM has gone into bankruptcy and so has Iceland.  WMA has let go of 100 people, most of them agents and a lot of them my close friends.  It’s enough to make your head spin.

However, today’s blog is about betting on yourself — even at the most unlikely time.  A good friend of mine who was an agent at one of the big three agencies recently quit his job to launch his own company.

In other words, when everyone is desperately trying to keep his/her job or find a new one, he said thanks but no thanks to a guaranteed salary and expense account, and fearlessly jumped off the cliff and started his own business.

Now my friend is very good at what he does and very smart. And if he looked at all the numbers and thought there was a way for him to carve out his own niche in this crazy marketplace then I know without a doubt he will succeed.

Which just goes to show that, if you believe in yourself enough, it’s always worth betting on yourself. And, yes, it might be scary and uncertain and crazy but also exhilarating, challenging and very rewarding (I say this from the experience of having started four companies).

And, yes, while it might be a scary time to launch your own business — it is also the best time.  Because studies have shown that, if you can make a business succeed during a recession, you will have built a strong, sound business that will truly flourish when the economy recovers.

So if you suddenly find yourself without a job or just even hating the job you are in now, this might be the perfect time to bet on yourself and go out on your own!