BPS 045: How People Around You Can Hurt Your Screenwriting Dreams

Alex Ferrari 0:00
Welcome to the bulletproof screenplay podcast episode number 45. right until it becomes as natural as breathing, right until not writing makes you anxious, anonymous. Broadcasting from a dark windowless room in Hollywood when we really should be working on that next draft, it's the bulletproof screenplay podcast showing you the craft and business of screenwriting while teaching you how to make your screenplay bulletproof. And here's your host, Alex Ferrari. Welcome. Welcome to another episode of The Bulletproof screenplay podcast. I am your humble host, Alex Ferrari. Now today's show is sponsored by bulletproof script coverage. Now, unlike other script coverage services, bulletproof script coverage actually focuses on the kind of project you are and the goals of the project you are. So we actually break it down by three categories micro budget, indie film, market and studio film. There's no reason to get coverage from a reader that used to reading tentpole movies when your movies gonna be done for $100,000 and we want you to focus on that at bulletproof script coverage. Our readers have worked with Marvel Studios CAA, WM E, NBC, HBO, Disney, Scott free Warner Brothers, the blacklist and many many more. So if you need your screenplay or TV script covered by professional readers, head on over to cover my screenplay.com and today's show is also sponsored by indie film hustle TV, the world's first streaming service dedicated to filmmakers, screenwriters, and content creators. If you want access to filmmaking documentaries feature films about filmmaking, interviews with some of the top screenwriters and filmmakers in Hollywood, as well as educational online courses all in one place. ifH TV is for you. Just head over to indie film hustle.tv. Now today's episode is a really quick one, I wanted to kind of put together this small episode, I thought it was something that needed to be said. And I know a lot of the tribe listening, haven't thought about this because of many reasons. So I heard a quote the other day that made so so so much sense that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. And I wanted to tell you stories about what happened with me and and the people I used to hang out with back in the day. A lot of times when filmmakers are hanging out or have a group of people around them, a lot of times you are the

the most advanced, the most driven the most the biggest hustler out of your group. And that, to me, is the worst place to be. Because you don't grow, you don't become better at what you do. You need to find people who are better than you, who will challenge you who will make you take your game up to another level. And that's the that's the positive way of looking at this, I'm not gonna talk about the negative way as well. Now, if you're hanging around five losers, and five guys or girls who are bringing you down, who are negative towards everything you do, you're never gonna get out of the out of the box, man, you're never going to get out and never get, you're never going to start the race, how you even get to get to the track, you need to find people around you, who are not only going to inspire you to be better, people who are going to support you and push you to grow as a artist, as a filmmaker, as an entrepreneur, which is all well you have to be in in order to make it and in the business today, those three things very, very, very much so. And when I was coming up, I you know, when I was in high school, I hung around with you know, good people, good friends, but they really weren't helping me move forward. A lot of times, some friends were some friends weren't. And same thing happened when I was in college. And when I got out of college, I didn't have anybody around me that was really, you know, in a different place. It was that at a higher level, let's say in, in the business somewhere, someone who would push me to be better than who I was. I was always pushing myself. I was always hustling myself. And I'll tell you what, when I was in, in Florida, you know a lot of ways and not always and I'm not trying to be cocky or anything like that, but a lot of ways. I was the big fish in a small pond, you know, and a group of friends that were around me, you know, were excellent. And some of them really did push me, but others didn't. And it wasn't their fault. It wasn't my fault. It was just the nature of where we were we were in a smaller town. In the film business was just not as you know, prolific. And then occasionally I would meet people like Egon Stefan Jr. who definitely pushed me To go a little bit farther, there was where, where he had been in the business for so long, and he taught me a lot about, about cameras about lenses and so on. But when I got to Los Angeles, that's when things changed for me. Because in LA, you know, you have to take your game up a notch, in order to survive, you know, you, you have to be, you're being pushed left and right, when you're meeting and working with people, a lot of these people have been in the business a lot longer than you have a lot of people have been, have much more experienced than you did, then you had. So when I got here, every single job I did, in a lot of ways, these clients were pushing me, these filmmakers were pushing me harder and harder. And that was, I mean, I grew within the first two years here, more than probably in the 10 years that I was in Florida, purely because of the nature of Los Angeles. Now, you could do that maybe in Atlanta, you could do that. And in New York, you could do that in many other big cities and a lot of other areas around the world that have a big film communities. But for me, it was LA. And I just, I just wanted to kind of put that message out there. Because I think you guys need to reevaluate people who around you and don't tell me about your I live with my mom, that doesn't count. I'm talking about friends. You know, I'm talking about people who are, you know, are in your business, we're trying to help you now, again, family, friends, if they're not helping you, if they're bringing you down, that might be something you need to reevaluate in your own life. I've had to do that many times with family. And it's not always very pleasant. But I know for me, it works. And it helped me move to where I need to go, especially early on in my career. So look around you and see who is around you, who are you spending the most time with? Who what is the average of the five people you spend the most time with? Are you hanging out playing Halo all the time, or drinking all the time or going on, and not really getting, you know, not writing, not doing what you need to do to get to that next level to get to that next place in your career, in your life, in your dream on your journey, you know, you've got to kind of grow. And when you're growing, you need those people around you. That's why I love masterminds. masterminds are when you get a group of people, you know, hopefully people who are farther along than you are, so they can guide you push you keep you accountable. That's why mentors are so important. Finding a mentor that can push you that can keep you accountable, and get you to that next place. It's kind of like having a personal trainer, you know, when you have a personal trainer, they're going to push you farther than you think you can go. And that's the kind of people you need around you. You know, I'm blessed because I get to talk to these people all the time, I get to have them on on my show, I get to talk to them. And they're not pushing me, but they are they are pushing me whether they know it or not just by me talking to them. I see where they are, I see the path they've walked in their journey. And it inspires me to move forward and inspires me to become better at what I'm doing. You know, and I, you know, who are you listening to on your on your way home or on your commute every day? Obviously, hopefully me. But if you know, but what podcasts you listen to what audio books are you listening to? You know, what are you doing to take your self to the next place to take you that next step further on that journey. And I think it all starts with the people you spend the most time with. And really you need to evaluate that in in 2019. And I hope this message gets out to you guys. And I mean it from a good place. And I want you guys to I don't want you to break up with your girlfriend or your boyfriend. I don't want you to leave your parents, because I said so I want you just to be really truthful and honest with yourself and find out hey, what what are these people doing for my life? Are they helping me? Or are they hurting me? Or are they just even worse, not doing a thing? They're negating they're just like, they're just they're just black. And they're not doing anything for me you if you want to make it to the next level. If you want to take your filmmaking journey farther down that path, get those skills up to push you farther than you were before. Then you've got to surround yourself with people who are better than you in those specific areas of life. Whether it's entrepreneurship, business, filmmaking, losing weight, getting healthy, meditation, spirituality, whatever it is, find those people ask the universe For those people to come into your life, and I promise you, they will. And slowly but surely you start just just releasing and letting go of the negative energy, letting go of those negative people letting go of those people who are not helping you, people who just want to stay at home, and do nothing, when you really want to get something done. And I know that is really helpful in smaller towns around the country and around the world. Places where the film business is not spewing out of every corner, like it is here in LA. But you really need to do this guys. And I, again, hope that this message reaches you guys at a good time in your life. And also, I don't care how old you are, you could be 20 or you could be 60. And if you're still surrounded by the wrong people, they're not going to move you forward to where you want to be in your life. Alright guys, better your situation better your chances on this turbulent filmmaker filmmaking path that you've decided to walk down in whatever avenue you decide to walk down in this business. I really do hope nothing but the best for you guys, and wish you nothing but the best. So thank you again for listening.

And that is the end of another episode of The Bulletproof screenplay podcast. As always keep on writing no matter what. I'll talk to you soon.