The Heart Of Show Business With Alexia Melocchi
Step into the bold and unfiltered world of show business with Alexia Melocchi—PGA producer, international distributor, author, and 30-year Hollywood insider.
This is your backstage pass to the mindset, tactics, and truth behind how Hollywood really works. Through raw and inspiring conversations with A-list creators, business leaders, and global thought shapers, you'll discover the real strategies that lead to lasting success—on and off the screen.
From insider tips to soulful storytelling, each episode is a masterclass in making your mark—not just in showbiz, but in every area of life.
The Heart Of Show Business With Alexia Melocchi
The Making of Queen's Jewels: Adventure, Friendship, and Creative Vision
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Linda Duncombe and Joshua Friedman share their creative journey bringing the family adventure film "Queen's Jewels" from concept to completion, revealing how their friendship evolved into a filmmaking partnership.
• Joshua created a short film as a proof-of-concept that helped attract investors while working on the feature screenplay
• Linda initially reviewed financials as a friend before officially joining as executive producer
• The story draws inspiration from the historical 1715 Spanish treasure fleet while adding fictional elements
• The film combines Florida and Dominican Republic locations to maintain authenticity while managing production costs
• The team prioritized casting actors who embodied characters rather than pursuing big names
• Weather challenges during filming forced creative problem-solving that ultimately improved certain scenes
• Both filmmakers emphasize the importance of trusting your instincts and challenging conventional industry wisdom
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https://www.thequeensjewelsmovie.com
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Meet Linda & Joshua
Speaker 1Welcome to the heart of show business . I am your host , alexia Melocchi . I believe in great storytelling and that every successful artist has a deep desire to express something from the heart to create a ripple effect in our society . Emotion and entertainment are closely tied together . Emotion and entertainment are closely tied together . My guests and I want to give you insider access to how the film , television and music industry works . We will cover dreams come true , the road less traveled journey beginnings and a lot of insight and inspiration in between .
Speaker 1I am a successful film and television entrepreneur who came to America as a teenager to pursue my show business dreams . Are you ready for some unfiltered real talk with entertainment visionaries from all over the world ? Then let's roll . Sound and action . Well , hello everyone to the Heart of Show Business podcast . It's been a minute .
Speaker 1As you all know , I've been quite busy , but when something truly special is pitched to me in this case it's an upcoming family film that I'm really excited to go to the premiere and attend myself I had to say yes . I cannot say no . I have here two incredible , heart-centered humans because I read a little bit about them so I can make an informed decision about that . But when you listen to the podcast , you're going to figure it out by yourself . Linda Duncombe , who is executive producer and producer of this movie , and Joshua Friedman , who's a writer , director , producer .
Speaker 1We're talking about the Queen's Jewels movie , which was recently shot , I believe , in Florida . We're going to talk about the journey from script to screen and get all the fun insight about why people need to keep track of this film , why do they need to see it when it comes out , and I just want people to get inspired because I just love it when people every movie that gets made people is a miracle . So we're here to talk about the making of a miracle . Linda and Joshua , welcome to my show , thank you .
Speaker 2Thank you so much . It's great to be here . Thank you for having us .
Speaker 1Oh , it's so wonderful to have you . So first thing that I have to ask is how did the two of you meet ? Because you know you've got to find the right people for a project when magic starts happening . So I want to know what magical wand was responsible for this synergy between the two of you .
From Friends to Film Partners
Speaker 2Well , it's such a wonderful question to start off and thanks again for this opportunity . Josh and I are both implants into Los Angeles the accent you can hear is an australian one and I'm very grateful for josh and his family , which are basically my american family . I think of him as my little brother and and love him very , very dearly and we had a mutual contact , put us together many , many years ago and we clicked instantly and which I found a little hard in Los Angeles to make friends . It's very tribal and people are kind of very established and what I found when I met Josh and we kind of introduced ourselves to each other's friends was just this wonderful network of like-minded people in Los Angeles to fulfil dreams . And we've just been very lucky ever since , but just very fortunate , to be two implants into Los Angeles , right place , right time , and now he can't get rid of me , sure .
Speaker 3We're stuck . We are , but we like it . It's not a bad stuck , it's the perfect kind of stuck . I think people you know , especially now after they've gotten the chance to work with both of us , they're a little impressed , which I'm flattered by how well we're able to bring our personability and friendship into like our workflow , which I think makes the films a lot smoother and makes the crew happier . And yeah , I mean honestly I'm lucky to have found such a wonderful person and somebody that is literally my big sister to do this with . Like that's a privilege in itself .
Speaker 1That is such a wonderful synergy . I love that . So when you guys met , did you had you already done your short to Joshua and you showed it to Linda , or was it something that you guys did together as well ? So tell me a little bit about the journey , because , of course , I want to know how many years it took you . We all hear it's my first , probably when this happened , but how did this thing come about ?
Speaker 3when , when you are pitching it to Linda , so the short film to answer your question was done and I had been working on . The short film to answer your question was done and I had been working on the short film . It was probably like I don't know , a year and a half a year and a half like , if you're including , like some of the film festivals . But while I was making the short film , like it was going to film festivals and it was kind of getting a lot of positive feedback and awards , I already knew that the short film was going to be a feature film . So I was writing the script for the feature film while the short film was kind of like happening .
Speaker 3So if you were to watch the short film you'll be like , hey , what ? Like it's a cliffhanger for a reason , because I wanted to kind of get the investors and anybody that could be paying attention to what I'm trying to do to take an interest , and that worked . It did work .
The Journey of Queen's Jewels
Speaker 3So there was a little bit of a and that worked , linda , with a couple of producers that I had met and I just truly didn't feel like they were the right fit . I mean , there's no harm , no foul it , just like I could just tell that it wasn't really gonna be the dynamic I was looking for at this point we were friends .
Speaker 2We were oh , yeah , yeah . So we were friends and I was , I was like she was always , always , always um , you know , being like wow that's incredible .
Speaker 3I mean she helped me navigate the strike as well the writer's strike because as an independent I had a little bit more privilege to be able to go out and make a movie . But that doesn't mean that the actors that you want to work with they might have yeah , you might have the opportunity to do it , but they might not want to because of their standpoints . So , yeah , linda was always the biggest cheerleader and I had started to work with a new production company and around I don't know a few months in the script is kind of getting tightened up . It's pretty looking good to like start doing this . One of the producers actually said , like hey , do you think Linda would be interested in being an executive producer Because of her financial background and she's very well regarded in the industry ? And I was like absolutely not . I was like no way , there's no way that I'm going to ruin that friendship . Like you know , she's got her lane , I've got mine . And you know , I just didn't . I just didn't think it was the right fit . You know , I just didn't , I just didn't think it was the right fit .
Speaker 3And then , coincidentally enough , like not too long after this conversation , she had actually offered , just being the kind person that she is to review some of the financials just to make sure that , like I , was taken care of and making sure it's all looking good .
Speaker 3And she had some incredible insight she brought forth . Like her , you know , she's obviously well-renowned in the industry the industry , you know bank to the stars . She had been doing this for quite some time , so she's worked on billion dollar budgets and this and that . So , um , I I at one point I like looked at her and I was like I can't believe I'm going to say this , but , like you know , would you have an interest in in doing this with me ? And she was like , oh my god , yeah , let's do it . And then I was like , oh my gosh , now here we are and it's been a really great roller coaster since . And in fact , like , looking back now , I am like if I didn't ask that question , like I don't know where I'd be . Like you know what I mean . Like you don't like , like there's no way I could have done this on my own , and doing it with her just makes it that much better .
Speaker 1Oh , what a wonderful story . And it's so non Hollywood , right , because I mean there's nobody with an agenda . I get asked for money every single day . And then you're like the audacity , you know people are going it . And then when people say , well , why don't you ask your friend Sheep owners isn't us , and people are going it . And then when people say , well , why don't you ask your friend ship owners this and that ? And I'm like I'm never gonna do that because I do not want to ruin the friendship if they see something . And then they come to me and they say , oh , this is interesting , then that's great because , exactly the same thing , you want to keep your friends close because ultimately , those are the people that you trust that you're going to be on set .
Speaker 1Everything can go wrong , as we all know , in a movie things can just go wrong like you're like in post and you're like picture lock . Everything can go wrong . And so to have those people that you can actually openly have conversation and saying how do we tackle this issue , this is so important . So I love Joshua , because that
Staying True to the Story
Speaker 1shows , like a strong sense of ethics , the fact that you value the relationship more . You did believe in your craft , you did believe in your storytelling and in the value of your story , but you , you also believed in the friendship , first and foremost , which is yeah which is really wonderful , yeah yeah , and I love .
Speaker 1honestly , I love that you chose to highlight the place that you grew up , because you are a Florida guy and I guess you filmed it in Florida . It looks like Florida . You kept it true to the story , right , you didn't go in another project .
Speaker 3A couple of things .
Speaker 3So I actually grew up in Connecticut and my family moved to Florida like 15 years ago or something , so it's become home for me , but the town you know has incredible significance for my family but also for the story that we're trying to tell .
Speaker 3So , yeah , the story is essentially like if you were to Google , like 1715 Spanish fleet , you can get a whole like history lesson on what had happened with the queen and the king . And you know she wanted a baby and or , excuse me , he needed an heir . And she was like I'm not giving it to you until you give me all this money , and it was a whole thing and there were 12 ships in that , in that storyline in history , uh , storyline in history . So I basically took that storyline and , because they've actually found a lot of this treasure , um , I created a new element to the truth , which was , uh , a 13th ship . So that way , like , if anybody does Google this treasure , they'll realize that it's , it does exist and it's real . But the story that I took has a fictional element that , you know , is the art of storytelling .
Speaker 2So , um , and , I think , to um , to give more flavor to that . So this 13th ship doesn't go down with all the other ships and so it makes itself without giving too much of the story . It gets to the Bahamas and so the story is filmed in the Dominican Republic , florida , and a little B-roll in the Bahamas . And we went to the Dominican Republic because Josh wanted to stay true to the story . So I appreciate you calling that out , thank you , and the waters is the same . The things that we wanted to do and use natural landscape actually had some better opportunities in the DR than it did in the Bahamas , but we were very adamant about staying true to the look and feel of the story . And the DR had a very attractive tax credit and that's why we wanted to make sure we were being smart financially but also staying true to the story .
Speaker 3And funnily , enough , sorry to just really quick . If you were to watch the short film pretty closely , you might recognize some of the locations that are in the feature film coming out . I actually use some of the same places and some of the relationships that I had when I made the short film , which was really fun for me to do because I got to go out into the world and then bring it back , like I made that promise to like them , like look at what I'm trying to achieve . They believed in me the first time and then they got to see me bring it home , which was really fun .
Speaker 2And that's where we thought about the importance of staying true to the story and making sure that financial decisions weren't compromising it . So , for example , being in Vero Beach , it would have been cheaper to be in somewhere like Miami , where they all are located the Talonys but we brought them down to Vero Beach because we wanted to stay true to that landscape and make sure we were in the local businesses , like . All of that stuff is real and that was really important to Josh and myself because it does speak to our character . But also we wanted to support local business and local businesses in the US .
Speaker 1That is so fantastic . Well , first of all , I'm a huge advocate of short to feature storytelling . I mean , a lot of the films that we have produced from directors we represent were shorts that they were turning to feature . It's the best way to do a proof of concept . I mean , pitch decks are great , but I always say there's a way that you can tell a story even in five minutes , but just show what you can do as a filmmaker , as a storyteller , because ultimately it's about the storyteller , right , it's the angle of how somebody films and the way of telling the story .
Speaker 1So I love that you did your research , because everybody's trying to follow the trends also like , oh , let's make a horror , let's make this and that , but you know you choose to do family , fair , um , wholesome , fair , intriguing , you know , and to me that was bless you , that was that was really important . And also that you did maintain filming in some of the florida locations when we were putting together our film . Um , you know , we were looking at Australia of all places because of the producers , offset and fool's gold . Yeah , obviously this is a big 40 million dollar film . It's in a different budget level but and there was a part of me as much as I want to film in Australia that everybody says come yeah and I love doing that , but I'm like I want to stay in the US , I want to try to do something .
Speaker 1So we were also looking in the DR and doing things in Florida , but , as we all know , you got to guarantee your money to your investors and the tax credits are so important . Yeah , I also love the idea , joshua , that you did . I like your casting choices . I like the fact that you did not go . Oh , I'm going to fall into the trap . Give me names , and that's the only way to guarantee . Obviously , you do have actors from the CW and from top shows . You don't have like completely unknown people , but you are giving opportunities to sort of like the younger generation that needs a break , like everybody does . Was there a moment where you thought of compromising ? Or did you always want to do that type of casting the way you did it ? Or where you're just aiming ? Oh , I wanted Tom Cruise and he didn't come , and so I went . This .
Speaker 3I think that's a great question . I can talk a little bit of like the business to it and then also my personal reasons . I feel like ,
Casting Vision and Challenges
Speaker 3from the business side , um working with producers , um like they are looking at those things , they are looking at the pull that it can have , and I feel like when options were presented to me , um , not by linda but by other , you know , members of the team , um I , if I didn't think it was a good fit , I wouldn't entertain it , but not in a disrespectful way . It just didn't match the vision of the story . I , um , I knew the budget that we had to work with , I understood the vision for the creative idea of who this person could be , and so there's always a balance there from the business side . Personally , when it came to actually casting , so Carson this is Carson's plays , bo , who's the lead character , and I don't know . Like just as much as you know you're talking about the actors saying that there's a new generation , like it's also for me . So it's it's like I'm hopefully the next generation of directors coming in , so to be able to bring in some of these actors that um could be giving an opportunity , like Carson , to be a lead in a feature film , like that's something that I get to carry with me forever with him , like we got to share that experience and , um , so sentimentally , like that's important . Um , there are some actors like uh , so Michael Bailing , who played um Orion in the film , um , super talented . I think the world's going to be really pleased when they see the character he brought forth . It's not something you've ever seen him do before on All American and some of the other shows that he's been in .
Speaker 3But I knew when I was writing this story that he was the one that I wanted for the role . I just knew that he could do it and I really want to go after him . But to really make this point , I worked with a producing team before Linda and the other team and they were like you'll never get Michael Baling , like , don't even try . I'm like we're not even going to try . Like I really want this guy , I think he can do it . They're like no , and they completely dismissed , dismissed me , um , and I didn't like that . I felt like they were trying to tell me like this is how the industry is , and I didn't like that . They weren't even going to try .
Speaker 3Um , and when I met with Michael the first time in person . You know , I told him I was like I've been chasing you for like two and a half years . This is so fun for me to get to have the opportunity to talk with you and I mean I feel like we hit it off and now he's a good friend , just like the other cast members and yeah . So I mean , each actor has their own little kind of origin story . But , yes , it's a balance between the business of like what's needed , but also staying true to the creative integrity of who these people are and in my mind and bringing them to the screen .
Speaker 1That is such a fantastic story and I love that . You had the meetings with the actors . You know every film we have cast ourselves and even some of the directors say have a meeting , don't even go through the audition process . I mean , of course you want to go through some of that , but when there's people that you really want to work with , have the meeting and have them get to know you as a filmmaker and you know , feel , feel the passion behind what's on the page , can I ask you how many days it took you to film the movie from start to finish , like principal photography meaning .
Speaker 3Principal photography was actually like 20 .
Speaker 221 days 21 days Four in Florida and the remaining days in the Dominican Republic . B-roll didn't require any of the cast . It was done thereafter .
Speaker 1That's fantastic . Okay , good , so you kept things on schedule and on time , I'm sure he's happy about it .
Speaker 2We were able to really work together as a team because there were , like some storms and whatnot we had to deal with in the DR , which you know wasn't aligned to the kind of like things we wanted to film that day , and we were able to factor that into our plan and our principal photography and still not lose any days , and it was really important for us .
Speaker 2You know , while we had a buffer at the beginning and a buffer at the end , if we did need additional days for principal photography , we knew our cast and some of our crew had commitments thereafter , whether it was professionally or personally , and it was really important for us to make sure that we honoured those days . We said it would be because we knew that we wanted to be supportive of their life , not just the movie , and I think when Josh talks about friendships that have been made , hopefully , if you ask the cast , who are so talented and you'll get to meet them at the premiere , which is fabulous they're going to tell you that we were very focused on making sure , as humans , they were happy , because that brings their best work anyway , but we just want to make sure they were enjoying the experience as much as we were oh , that's so beautiful .
Speaker 1So what would you want ? I mean , obviously , everybody's aiming at having something come out into the theaters , right , and , and it's such a challenge , it's such an uphill battle , as we know um , what do you want the audience to take away when they see your film ? Like , what , what , what is your hope that they're gonna be feeling , or , you know , drawn to when they see your film ?
Speaker 2and it's for both of you , I guess , because it is a team effort I'm gonna jump in first because I'm gonna um lead to something that I hope he says . So I want people to see this as a family film . We actively went about not wanting to make any political or religious statements . We just want people to enjoy the film for pure entertainment , like it's just a movie that you walk away and you feel good about , like you're cheering for the good guys in the film and they're strong characters and they really bring Josh's script to life and he did a fantastic job as the director and I'm hoping , and we showed a screening at the end of last year and you know , one of the more common questions asked was oh my gosh , this is a fantastic story . Is it going to have a sequel ?
Speaker 3And .
Speaker 2I'm like oh my gosh , I would love a sequel , Josh . What do you think A sequel ? I would love a sequel , josh . What do ?
Speaker 3you think A sequel ? I'm very , very open to a sequel . I think a little . In truth , that little piece of me is so badly ready to get the juices flowing . You know what I mean With something new . But I can't deny the chemistry of this cast and the idea of making a second one . But if I was to outside of the sequel , I think I just really wanted to make a film kind of similar to what Linda was saying . That is about escape . I want people to be able to watch something and just enjoy it . It's for you to go somewhere when you're just at home . It's just to be . I made it to be entertainment . I'm not trying to win an Oscar yet , although it's beautiful .
Speaker 2Yeah , I mean , it really is beautiful , it's a great film .
Speaker 3I just you know it's for everybody and I hope that people find joy
The Film's Dark Moments
Speaker 3in getting to see something that is , you know , fun .
Speaker 1That is so great and of course , I'm going to have to ask you if you were to pitch it with comms . I'm curious to see . I have my ideas as to what it would be like , but what would your comms be like if somebody were to go ? What are ?
Speaker 2the comms . I mean I say the film is like Indiana Jones on water . It's a very fun adventure where you're just you're rooting for the good guys , like you want them to win , and there's strong male characters , strong female characters , like you know . There's a local vibe with one of the characters , the one that Michael Bailey plays , like it's a film where it's one of the proven formulas around filmmaking , where you do get to escape and you are cheering for the good guys and you walk away going . That makes me feel really good about something you know . So you know , with some of the conversations we've had around styles and distribution , where we've had to sign some NDAs , you know they go into like one sentence what's the movie ? I said a movie that's going to make you happy . Think Indiana Jones on water .
Speaker 3That's how I kind of describe it when I'm in the . You know the elevator pitch .
Speaker 3Yeah , I would say , um , I hear a lot , um , and I saw it too , but um , it's , there's a show on Netflix , it's called Outer Banks yeah , and that's , that's what I was thinking , yeah yeah , and I actually started to watch the show and then I actually had to stop watching the show because I didn't want people , I didn't want to like get it all mixed up when I was like writing things , um .
Speaker 3So now I have made the film and I got to watch the show and I think it's a great show . But it is very similar but it's very different at the same time . And what I like about the difference is but similarity is their story is based off of a completely fictional treasure , whereas ours is like it actually was inspired by , like me being at the beach and , you know , learning about the history and so , but yeah , it seemed kind of like demographic , a little bit different storyline , but kind of , you know , same . I mean , obviously it's the same theme for sure . I mean , if I had the opportunity to make a show , who knows where I'd go with this story . But we know we only have an hour and a half and they've got , you know , episodes .
Speaker 1So yeah , I don't think it's . I think it's great when you said that , because I don't think there is there is anything that you can say . I think there's something good about doing things that are slightly similar to something else , because then you're already showing that there is proven success . I mean , I can't blame the studios , because sometimes people complain it's like what well they are , because sometimes they have a proven audience . Maybe it was from 20 years ago , but it was still a proven audience .
Speaker 1So there's nothing wrong with trying to do something that is mainstream , that people are going to get and and , as we all know , family movies live on forever , which is a very smart choice . If you ask me , and from a financial standpoint , to try to do something like that versus following what the current trends are , is there and this is a moment . I always love to ask this question , but it's like was there is a moment for both ? I always love to ask this question , but it's like was there a dark moment in the journey ? And you can , you can answer that separately , whatever you know your oldest lost moment that you have , even in screenplays , where something goes wrong , whether you're filming , whether in the finance process , whether in the creative process , and what kind of mindset trick did you use to get yourself out and keep going ?
Speaker 2I can start you go . Yeah , it is such a good question . I do think my banking background and working in multiple countries in roles that I've had previous really allowed me to bring a skill set to the film and I was on set for the whole of the principal photography . And there was a day we were in the DR and it was the most horrendous storm . We're all in our trailers . It's thunder , it's lightning , and I'm trying to have a conversation with some of the producers about some of the things that we were going to be doing in Florida and it was a major scene that we were going , that they were saying we couldn't do and and we were like seven days out it was a critical part in the movie I don't want to spoil it for you and they were like Linda , not only can we not do this , but you have to go tell Josh and and I'm like it's like six days out , like this is madness .
Speaker 2And I remember like I'm literally standing under a tree and there's thunder and lightning and I'm like I'm actually safe under this tree physically , like I got to get into that trailer and it was a very strained conversation and I walked away thinking the person who I absolutely love as my little brother . I'm about to tell him something that is going to upset him , and rightfully so . And one , I didn't love being put in that position . But two , I was the best person to tell him . I just didn't want to be the one to have to deliver that message . And because of how much I personally like , loved him , but how much I professionally respect him and we were in the DR filming Like we were doing really long days it was six-day weeks there was a lot of pressure on him and he was handling it so beautifully I didn't want to bring something that was going to distract him , but it had to be dealt with and I did . I sat him down and we had a really again like a very open , transparent conversation . That's how Josh and I always communicate . But it was hard .
Speaker 2And actually how this scene plays out as I'm thinking about it in my head and this is not why I started to show this story but where this scene actually went was me giving an idea to Josh . This is how open he is in the creative process . Maybe , if you think about this , because I saw this other scene being filmed and I think it's got a really nice connection Josh goes . I really like that idea . This is why he's so respected , like on the set , with the crew and the cast , because he's so open and he's very collaborative . You know , he knows he's the director , he knows he's the writer , he wants to hear people's perspectives .
Speaker 2And how this scene changed started with me having to give him devastating news and then , as we were speaking about it , because he was so open to it , I started to ideate . This idea came to me and we changed the scene and that that what was so , so hard became a golden nugget , and that that talks to his character , but also talks to how you know , like when there a problem , we were able to pivot the plane in the air , and that's a credit to you .
Speaker 3Thank you , it's really nice .
Speaker 1From heart to golden nugget . I love that .
Speaker 2And at the premiere I'll come up quietly and I'll show you the scene and you go . Oh my gosh , it's so . He did such a good job . How things were being played out , it was phenomenal . He did such a great job .
Speaker 1Joshua , how are you going to live up to that response ?
Speaker 3The hardest , darkest moment was when she had to tell me that news . No , I can come up with something else . There was a day it was actually pre-storm , both , coincidentally , weather related , and it was our last day being able to film in a certain location . But because we were like we were shooting six day weeks and really long days , I had to get this one scene , and without the scene , the story just doesn't connect . So the with the storm coming in and it getting darker , um , I started to get really nervous because , like , the lighting looked a lot different . It's supposed to be midday , but now it's looking like really dark .
Speaker 3And I'm asking , like the team , like the you know , the visual effects supervisor , like hey , can we fix this later ? Like what are we going to be able to do ? Um , and as soon , like you know , everyone's starting to get a little chaotic . You know what I mean . There's nothing I can do as the director . I feel like I did my best to keep everybody calm over this , but , like , tensions are building , but , like the storm , like you can actually see it coming this way . So we got like one or two shots off and then there comes the rain , just like completely downpouring , and I just like I felt like I was being rained on . You know , like , are you kidding me ? Like we just started , we finally got everything set up and now , like I can't do this , and I , you know , with Linda and some of you know people are your friends as well , they're your crew members , Of course . They're my friends too , you know , we , we got back to the hotel and we had a chat and you know , it was just being able to have the team and having Linda to be able to talk things through , to be like , hey , like I understand that this sucks and like I didn't get it , but like what are we going to do to get it ?
Speaker 3And it just meant more communicating to the team . We were able to go back to the same place at a different time , even though the other place , like at first , they were like you're never going to be able to get this again . It was like a state park , it was a whole thing . You needed a permit , but we just , like you know , with patience and with calmness , and being able to talk it through with reason was really good for us , because we were able to go back and get what we needed and I thought it was like the end , all be all . I was like why am I even making a movie now ? What is the point ?
Speaker 1You had this little director drama moment why am I even doing this ? What's the point ? But you made it and then , like I said , every movie is a miracle , you know , and congratulations for having manifested the right partners , the right team at the right time and staying true to yourself and your storytelling . You know having having a , you know , a purpose that is bigger than yourself as far as what type of audience you want to enjoy the film you know . So that's highly commendable and , in parting ways , and in wrapping up the podcast , is there any word of advice that you would like to give ?
Wisdom for Aspiring Filmmakers
Speaker 1Could be a life mantra . It could be something your mom told you or your dad told you when you grew up . That stays with you and you want to pass that on to an inspiring filmmaker , writer , author , producer , whatever creative endeavor they have . Is it something you want to tell them to keep them going with their dream ?
Speaker 3I like this question too .
Speaker 3I feel like for any aspiring filmmaker or really just in business , because people tell you this is the way , that doesn't always mean that that's the way , like you will know in your heart of hearts , if you're a creative , especially if it's the right choice for you and if you don't feel it , I wouldn't go towards it .
Speaker 3It's okay to be fearful , it's okay to be like a little tentative and and cautious , but if like , if it doesn't feel right , you can always say no . And I think that if we didn't think on our feet and if we didn't follow , like , what was true , this film would not be what it is . And I think that that's just a testament to anybody , whoever does make movies or is in the creative business . Like there is like a line , or like you know , I want to say a line , I guess , where you're , like you know , I'm going to say like this isn't for me . You have to be able to know when it's working and when it's not , and when things are going in the right , the right track . So listen to yourself is my takeaway for sure .
Speaker 2Yeah to yourself is my takeaway for sure . Yeah , um , hey , and we had a lot of opportunities where , um , we could have followed the path most walked and it would have been a mistake for us . It's great , great advice . Um , I I would say that , um , I grew up in a family that was very loving and very happy , but it was government housing . We had no money and I would say to anybody who has a dream , follow it .
Speaker 2And when you're told no , or that's not normal or whatever it is , or that's not what you get to do , I would challenge that . It's a little bit similar to the thinking that Josh had on his advice , and I would not lose the curiosity of a child . So when someone says to me I can't do something and I don't understand it , I ask why ? Like , I truly want to understand why , and if I had done what people had said that I should have done , I would not be living in America living my dreams , and I take that as the gift that it is . I feel very privileged to do it , and it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of self-belief , but don't let someone tell you what you can and can't be in life .
Speaker 1Go you , what you can and can't be in life , go , go for it . Oh , I love that . I love that . That is so true . And I always say you know , and somebody said that I'm gonna steal their line , and I don't even know who it is that said it but somebody said that every no that you get is just bringing you one step closer to a yes , and so look at it as the end , all like you said , because there will eventually be a yes . So go great . I got another no out of the way , right .
Speaker 1So , getting closer to the yes and staying true to yourself , and when there is a will , there is a way , like all those things that they passed on , I think , even our parents and our grandparents' wisdom from the old ways . I think they stay relevant and they're timeless and I believe it applies in every area of life . So it's been such a pleasure having you on my show . I can't wait to come and see the movie I think in two weeks , not even and uh , I will , will , will promote it and uh , yeah , I wish you nothing but success to both of you and and continue to produce and make great work and staying true to yourself and for any of you who have listened to this episodes . If you have questions , please drop them in the DMs on the YouTube channel . On my Instagram , please follow the movie . I will drop in all the social links to the movie , subscribe , rate and review . If you enjoy this podcast , I don't need to say it again to any of you listening this is has no sponsors , it's self-financed , just because I love bringing people like joshua and linda on the show so that you , too , can go after your own dream , and thank you , linda and joshua , for coming on thank you , thank you , and I know we're a little casually dressed today , but it's because we're doing some charity work for Habitat for Humanity .
Speaker 2So thank you for allowing us to do this . You've just been wonderful to accommodate it . Thank you , so so much for the opportunity .
Speaker 1You're so very welcome , and this is the heart of show business over and out . Thank you for listening to this week's episode of the Heart of Show Business . If you enjoyed it , please share it with a friend . You can also subscribe , rate and review the show on your favorite podcast player . If you have any questions or comments or feedback for us , you can reach me directly at theheartofshowbusinesscom .