Memphis Roots, Navy Grit, Hollywood Drive

A creative kid from Memphis taught himself to record raps in a closet, signed an indie deal in high school, and then made a decision everyone told him was unlikely: he joined the Navy to buy time, structure, and a ticket to the wider world. We sit down with Marteverick “Shears” to trace how standing watch in a windowless CIC in Japan sharpened his grit, why leadership choices like barracks access change morale, and how a rough start in San Diego—complete with an early DUI—forced a reset that ultimately saved his creative life.

The pivot came with a camera. He started shooting free to build a portfolio, priced modestly, reinvested in gear, and learned the business of saying yes to small gigs. Film school followed, where cinematography gave him the technical fluency to see a story in light and lenses, and directing unlocked something deeper: alignment. He found his voice not in bravado, but in nuance—masculinity, faith, fear, and the quiet ways trauma travels through families. That voice powers his first feature, Within Strength, set during the 2008 recession and rooted in Memphis neighborhoods that shaped him. It asks a hard question: what happens when men don’t heal? The South isn’t just cheaper than LA—it’s truer for this story, with textures you can’t fake on a backlot.

We talk funding strategy, from investor outreach to table reads and documenting the entire journey so the audience joins early. We swap lessons from the watchfloor and the film set: perseverance beats perfection, adaptability prevents endless “bounce backs,” and timing meets preparation in rooms where someone who knows you speaks your name. Along the way, we hit fatherhood, faith without clichés, and the practical blueprint for building a career after service without losing your soul to the hustle.

If you felt this conversation, follow, rate, and share it with someone who’s balancing duty and a dream. Subscribe for more real talk at the intersection of military grit and creative work, and tell us: what city should back Within Strength first?

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Transcript

Reunion And Name Origins

Gary Wise 0:28

Hello everyone, how you doing? Glad to be back at it once again. Wise Leadership Solutions is still sponsoring this podcast. We call Words from the Wise. And of course, the Vanguard High School Navy Junior ROTC out of Ocala, Florida. You know, today is another special event because I got the opportunity to bring a guy on the show that served with me on board the USS Ashland LSD 48 out of Sasebo, Japan. He's been doing a lot of things throughout his life. And I've always wanted to know kind of how he got to where he was today because I've been following him via the social media game since we we went different ways, like way back in 2018. So without further ado, let me bring him to the stage. Mr. Shears right here. How you doing, Mr. Shears?

Marteverick Shears 1:15

I'm doing good. I'm doing good. I'm blessed. No complaints on my end. How about yourself? I'm good, man. I'm good.

Gary Wise 1:20

Bro, I was I've been thinking like, what am I gonna call Shears on this show? Like, am I gonna say like Martiver Martiveric? Is that your first name? Is that how you say it?

Marteverick Shears 1:31

Well, no, so so Mark Marteverick, but I do get Martiverick a lot, but no, Martivick, like Maverick. Marteverick, okay, got it.

Gary Wise 1:38

And then I remember you used to go by Dijon or whatever it was back in the day. You know, your little rap, you had your rap career going that one night in Thailand video. I remember the first one I saw that video, I was like, oh no, these are all my sailors. What are they doing?

Marteverick Shears 1:55

I definitely remembered I had I and and and looking, I'm I'm glad we we played it pretty safe because I didn't I had no um no expectations of the video going or circulating around the ship like it did. Oh, it sure did.

Gary Wise 2:06

We were getting bro. So the teams gave me they're like, Hey, you seen that video of the shears they're like all right, so so do you go by Martevric or do you go by Dijon or are you going by Shears? What do you go by today, bro?

Marteverick Shears 2:20

You know what is so funny that you said that because I was sitting here thinking the same thing. I was like, Man, I said I used to call them CMC, and that's always the weird transition when you go out, you know what I mean? When you get out, and it's like, all right, well, what what do you call um the people who who once your leaders like what do you what do you call now that now that everything is more relaxed? But to answer your question, I'm nowadays I'm I'm leaning into the first name more more Teverick, and um, and it's funny because like you said, during that time when we were serving together, I of course going by Shears, you know what I mean? That's that's what I had to go by, but on the outside, I was leaning more into the Dejan. Now that's my middle name. And at the time now, uh not at the time, but when I when I'm leaning more into the stage name or the music, uh I lean more into the middle name, Dejon.

Gary Wise 3:03

All right, man. Well, definitely call me Gary, bro. Definitely, and you know, I went through a lot of time throughout my life when people started using my first name, especially in the military const uh context, it was weird to me, bro, because I'm like, Y'all don't know me like that. What you doing using my first name, right? Because I mean there's a different part of you you gotta you check into when you're in that military space, you know. So, what I made chief is when people started calling me Gary, and I'm just like, What? What? No, no, no, you ain't my cousin, you ain't my aunt, you ain't my uncle, like, but I had to recognize that it really was my who I am, and then it's also growing up, maturing, and recognizing that your first name is your business, your official name, right? As you move. Uh all right, man. Well, I'm man, I'm looking forward to getting into this, bro, because I don't know what you remember about me, but let me tell you what I remember about you, you bro. Yes, yes, okay. You used to clean the P Way outside my office quite often, right? That was like y'all birthing, y'all birthing where y'all slept at. The OS is like right down the P Way. So you would always be in that P Way right there by my office, and we would just have some of the funniest conversations, man, because we both liked a lot of the same music, and then you happened to come from, I believe, Tennessee, yes, right, Memphis area, and I'm a big fan of 3-6 mafia. I'm a big, I'm a big fan of A Ball, MJG, pretty much everybody from out of that area, and what's funny is I didn't grow up listening to that music. I I I mean, I grew up listening to like hip-hop and whatnot, but I didn't get turned on to the south to the military, okay, right? Because a lot of my friends was from like Texas and Tennessee or whatever it was, but we would just sit up there talking, and I think I would trip you out because you'd be like, This guy knows a lot of stuff.

Music Beginnings And Early Hustle

Marteverick Shears 4:47

I was I was just about to say that. So I was gonna let you know that you know, during that time, you know what I mean. I'm still in I was still in that junior sailor state. I was, you know, just hitting my third year and whatnot. So I kind of, you know, I had been, I think there was a CMC before you, before you got there. So, you know, you get you get um acclimated to the Navy, to the ranks, and you know, just how uh certain ranks and certain people interact with you. And one thing that I can say is when you came to the ship, you stood out to me being able to to have those conversations and to be able to what's the word I'm looking for, um to relate in a way. And that instantly that instantly became a way that we could relate, and it instantly even put me in a place to where it made me comfortable to be able to, you know, chop it up with you, and you know, so it really put that on a different dynamic.

Gary Wise 5:38

Yeah, no, no, we connected, bro, for sure, and we connected via social media probably pretty pretty quick because again, my thing about people, and I smell talent a mile away, man. The Navy trained me to do it, it's one of my God-given talents. I just I have this ability to recognize talent, and I smelt. I mean, you just you got it all over you, right? You just got all and I've been what I've been I've been watching, I wanted to see like all right, where's this guy gonna go, man? Because again, I saw that video that one night in Tyler, and I was like, not for nothing. That's a good song, bro. Like I'm gonna take apart the part where those are all my sailors, I'm not gonna worry about all that, yeah. Good song, and so I was really curious to see where you go, and I'm very proud of where you've gone, man. I've been watching you, and I saw that announcement you just made the other day about you presenting awards at that awards show out there. What that awards show gonna say for me?

Marteverick Shears 6:29

So it's the Emmy, so it'll it'll be the Emmy. I know that part, that part, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, and I got I guess blessed with the well. So I've I've been working. Um, I've been doing the Emmys, the Oscars, and a bunch of uh different events. I would say I think the last four years that I've been yeah out here in in the LA area. That's what you do, yeah, man. And so so yeah, so I'm so I'm I will be doing the winner circle uh for the Academy Awards, the Emmys.

Gary Wise 6:57

Good for you, man. All right, here we go. We're gonna get into it, bro. So you are you born in Memphis?

Marteverick Shears 7:03

Yes, born and raised in Memphis.

Gary Wise 7:04

Born and raised in Memphis, and growing up, was it do you have brothers and sisters, or was it just you and your mom?

Marteverick Shears 7:11

No, so yeah, uh, so yeah, I have um I'm the only boy and the oldest out of all girls out of five sisters, yeah.

Gary Wise 7:17

Okay, so you're the only boy, but oldest with five little sisters, yeah. Right. And do you remember like growing up? Like, how was the age? Was there a big age difference between you and your little sisters, or y'all kind of close in age?

Marteverick Shears 7:29

It was it was a big one. I think my oldest sister, uh, we were six years apart, so it was like every sister after that was is and when it gets to the point, I'll be forgetting ages, so so forgive me, but the yeah, the ages after that is was was very distant.

Gary Wise 7:44

Well, you know what I've learned in my experience when that kind of stuff happens is typically mom, like again, my mom when she had me, she was a teenager, right? Typically, mom has a baby that's like, Oh dang, I gotta figure this out, and then there's that there's a while before they figure out they decide they want to move on, have other children, children, whatever it is. So you get a unique experience because you get the first six of your lot you first six years of your life with just you and your mom, yeah. And then when the little ones come along, you also are a little bit older that you can also be a contributing force to that as well, right? Because it ain't like you're two or three, you're like six, seven, eight. You can actually go get things, help out with things. So, do you remember being put in that position a lot as a young one? But like you're kind of like stepping up as like not just like not like the dad, but just as a role model for your little sisters, no, for sure.

Marteverick Shears 8:32

And I and I and I can say I feel like that has been the whole experience, which has been a blessing. Um, I say it's always always funny because as my sisters were coming up, so my mom and dad got a divorce when I was six years old, so I was the only child with both of them that they had together. But then once they um you know started getting with other people, they started having you know uh kids. So my so my mom ended up having three girls, and my dad ended up having two. And I remember every time that they would have a baby, me, I'll be like, okay, I want a brother. I'm like just being wishing, or brother, brother, brother. And each time it was that there they were girls, and so I kind of had a chip on my shoulder growing up, like, man, I want to I want a brother. My first child is gonna be a son. That's what I'll I would always manifest. So even with having sisters, that put me in a in a position of being the the the sibling that everyone looks up to. I would guess so. I would think so. Um, and and how my sisters react to me, they do they do treat me as if you know I am someone that they look up to. So yeah, so I definitely definitely handled that growing up or held that.

Gary Wise 9:42

Yeah, I mean, think about it, bro. When you join the navy, you join the military, because you joined relatively right out of high school, I believe. Uh, that means your older sister was like 12, right? So that that's that's a big deal, right? Because then you're like doing big adult things. So, but let's get to that. When you're coming up in Memphis, you start doing music in high school, right?

Marteverick Shears 10:03

Yes, yeah. Earlier, really, to be honest with you, earlier than that. Yeah, I I started writing in elementary, figured out how to record my own music around eighth grade, middle school time. So right around eighth grade, middle school is when I actually started recording, and then I ended up getting signed to a little independent deal in high school out in Memphis.

Gary Wise 10:23

So, what was it about music that really drew you to it? Was it that was it the opportunity that it presented? Was it the was it the flavor of the music? Was it the energy of the of what your environment was? Like, what was it about music that because you're creative, you're a creative dude. I know that about you, right? You're just so you probably got this creative energy inside you that you gotta get it out somehow, and you probably as a young one, like, well, rap and music is like very common. Did you go? Did you do athletics and stuff too, or was you just purely into the arts?

Choosing The Navy Over Uncertainty

Marteverick Shears 10:55

That's the thing. I was never athletic, okay. And so, not being athletic, it it forced me to because I wanted to stand out, I wanted to stand out somewhere. Knowing that I was not good athletic-wise, but growing up, especially in the black community and whatnot, you see that I that's those are the kids that get that that get the the attention. If you if you can ball, if you do football, when you're coming up in school, those are the popular kids and whatnot. Um, so I didn't have that on my side, but one thing that I always had, I always had a a passion, like you say, for the creative space, for pop culture, for and not and even outside of music, it was well, music was the first love. Um, and I and I I kind of grew up in the Lil Bow Wow uh era, you know what I mean? Seeing like uh, you know, kids kind of come up. And once I like I was six and Lil Bow Wow was like 13, but but being six years old and seeing a young uh black kid grow up and and have the swagger, have the style, be able to have the voice and be able to have the platform uh that was outside of sports. I saw that and I'm like, hmm, I'm like, okay, well, maybe what he's doing is cool. Maybe you know, I like I like what he's doing. And so then I just kind of threw myself in that before I even knew I was good. But like I said, I just knew it was I it was um it was pulling me. Uh so like I said, as a kid, I was like, okay, well, I'll start writing little raps. And and and you know, of course, they didn't start off you know, fire or nothing. They was very, you know, elementary. But as I got older and whatnot, and then like I said, when I got in middle school, um, met a guy through church, and at church, he was doing Christian rap, and he had, you know, he had kind of um not perfected his crap, but kind of gotten to a point where he was known around the church and was dropping little mixtapes, Christian um Christian mixtapes. And so he and I we got connected, and he told me he was like, Yeah, all you need is a laptop and a microphone and this and this software, and you know, for Christmas, asked my mom, and you know, she went and invested in it, and so from there, just kind of taught myself how to record my music, how to layer my vocals, how to edit and you know, edit my vocals and whatnot. And so it just went from there.

Gary Wise 13:04

Nice man. I technology is a game changer, you know. Again, I I teach I teach high school now. I work with a bunch of kids, and they watch these videos a lot, they listen to the podcast, of course, former sailors, whatnot, but a lot of my students, and I'm always telling them, like, these cell phones in your pocket is access to the world, man. Like, you can do amazing things with a cell phone, a 2025. And when you think back on your age, back, you know, I'm a little about I'm thinking like early 2000s or even late 2000s, that was just beginning. Like you said, you need a laptop. Now you can do it all with an iPhone, yes, right? And and it's incredible, but you got to have the commitment, you got to have the heart, you got to have the really the desire. And and what most people don't have is you gotta you gotta finish what you start, right? Like if I say I'm gonna do this project, I'm gonna make this song, I'm gonna do it all the way to the best of my ability, you gotta get that song done. Yes, right. How many people start a song and never finish the song? Right? Here you were in middle school finishing songs, or like you said in high school, getting signed by an independent label, right? Which is scouting for talent. And back in them days, uh yeah, they looking for people because if they find that next one to pop, they're ahead of the curve, right?

Marteverick Shears 14:19

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And and and in that, and and in those same words, you know, when you say, I well, nowadays technology, right? We got phones, and and and and now it's to the point to where all of this equipment and all of the access to do all of this is cheaper. Um, it it is more obtainable compared to, you know, back then, mid-90s, early 2000s, mid-2000s, and all of that. Um and in that it's it's kind of like a it's kind of like a a pool pool. Yes, now it's more obtainable, and now it's cheaper, but guess what? Now is more people able to do it. So back then, where you was like, I well, never, you know, people are are out here looking for a specific thing, and if you got it, then you'll get an opportunity. Nowadays it's kind of like everybody got it. Not really, but I'm saying, but now everybody has an opportunity to put themselves out there, right? And um, and I and I and I think now with that, it when once I look back at the times that I've at the time that it has taken me to do it, like I started when I was in elementary, uh, started recording when I was in middle school, started, you know, uh got signed in high school. Now I'm about to be 32 and still finding myself on this grind, which is you know, it is what it is, it's just the grind. Um, and and it and the name of the game is to keep going, you know, and not giving up. But in times like this, I can truly say that that is the hardest part. The easiest part, but the hardest part. Easiest part because okay, now we got the equipment, we can get it done. But the hardest part is I well, now you're competing with especially with social media. You open the phone, now everybody has a platform, you know what I mean? So for sure, yeah. So so I I can say that's that's one of the things that that I'm battling with in this creative space, you know, still doing it, you know, now I bet a hundred percent, man.

Gary Wise 16:17

And I and I think that it's impressive. I I always reawaken myself when I realize how many people are in the freaking world, bro. Like, I live in this place called Ocala, Florida. Everyone thought it was a small town. Trust me, do you do not know everybody in this town, right? You might think you're out there, you might think you know the people, but it's so many people in the world. Like, as I talk to people that are out doing creative things, it's meant. Oh, it's so many people, bro. And so when you think about your marketplace or you think about the ears that can be what what I love this idea of making yourself easier to find for the people that don't even know they're looking for you yet, right? That's I heard that one, and I was like, ooh, that one right there, that's what got me doing this. Truth be told, right? I was like, I was out here trying to work my little business thing, doing my leadership solution stuff, networking a real life with people. And then I was like, I heard this guy on YouTube say, make yourself easier to find for the people that are looking for you. And it's incredible, people that are in Europe, people that are overseas that are like hitting me up and are like following this channel or whatever it is. And I'm just like, that's crazy. Yeah, and so uh you have this reality of the circles that you're moving in, but this digital ability, you could go worldwide, man. Really, you can't. And what matters is that your product is good and what you're saying is real and it's authentic. And because AI can't really change that, right? And that's where I had people. Well, I started making videos, right? Because I was doing business with some people and I wasn't really feeling them anyway. So I was already thinking about breaking ties, and they basically said, Gary, uh AI is gonna change thought leadership. So posting stuff don't really matter. I was like, Oh, you know what? You're right. Guess what? I can get up here on the con on these conversations with people, and we go we're gonna drop bars, like we're just gonna have these great conversations, and we're gonna have this really, really important things to share with each other because I know the conversations I have with people, and there's I I talk to quite to people that really inspire me, right? And then you chop it up, put it out there, and just who knows where it goes, right? And so that's I think that's one thing I would put to you. So, what made you then coming up through high school, why did you decide to up and join the military, bro?

Boot Camp To Japan Reality Check

Marteverick Shears 18:43

Okay, great question, great question. Because the military was was definitely never in my plans, and um and especially coming up with this with this dream and goal of being you know in in the entertainment industry. Um, but I I'll just be honest with you. And and and it's and it's kind of and I'm kind of living in this space now. So growing up with this dream of of being in the creative space hasn't been the easiest thing. For one, because growing up in Memphis, there was in my opinion, there was never many opportunities for someone who wanted to, you know, who wanted to come up in that creative space. We didn't, we didn't have productions and we didn't have um, you know, people shooting movies and this and that. So it was always a a far-fetched kind of idea. It was always like, oh, okay, well, have a backup plan type of thing. Now that I'm out here in California, I talk to people, people like every like a lot of people out here grew up around that, grew up around like right down the street. They filming, you know, TV shows and movies and such stuff, stuff like that. So where I was from, that was very irritating for me, especially having something on my spirit and something that that was so uh So strong in driving me. Um, but I did what I could do. So, like I said, I started recording, taught myself I would record, networked, got myself in a position where um I got signed to an independent deal, and and this was like around high school. So that deal didn't go, you know, we didn't blow up, we didn't, you know, do anything like that. So as I was getting closer to graduating, that thought in my head about okay, this is still a dream of yours. When you graduate, nothing is really going on out here. Where do you go? What do you do? And being somebody being in from Memphis and not, you know, really traveling much, you don't really have an idea. The only place that I had gone to was Florida, you know what I mean? So I just I in my head, I'm like, okay, I'm gonna move to Florida when I get out of, you know. And then I had a homeboy who came to me and he uh brought me this brochure for this college called Full Sale University. It's in uh Winter Park, Florida, and it's uh it's an entertainment school, film, music, games, uh, just the whole nine. Yeah, uh, he brought me the he brought me the brochure, and I instantly fell in love with it. I was instant, my my whole spirit was like, this is where you need to go. Brought it to my parents, and my parents were like, eh, we don't got the money for that. So you had to probably go somewhere down the street, University of Memphis. And so I always knew that I didn't just want to go to college just to say, hey, I went to college, got a degree, and still found myself stuck in Memphis. So um my granddad, he was old school army, you know what I mean. And so he would always preach to me, Oh, you need to join the army, son, you need to do this, you need to do that. But every time he would talk to me, he would he would tell me stories about how folks was getting abused in the army. Yeah, yeah, they used to hit us in the face with the butt of the gun. I'm like, all right, no, I don't want to do that. No, so it was going in one and I don't know. But I got to the point where you know, I you know, I just broke down, man, and I prayed to God, and I and I one day I just got so serious. I was like, God, I need you to show me what what it is that I need to do. Show me the direct because I was so lost. Um, and man, I and one day, and then you know it didn't it didn't happen the next day, it didn't happen the next week, but one day I was in the cafeteria in my high school and I looked up and saw a Navy recruiter in the cafeteria, you know what I mean? And something in my in my sphere was like, go talk to her. Um, got to chopping it up with her, and and she said one thing. She was like, Oh, yeah, yeah, we paid for college. All right. I'm like, all right, so that's that then, you know, she got to telling me the other stories, you know how the recruiters do, they tell you the military stories. Oh, yeah, I parted in in Germany. So anyway, I started calculating all of this stuff, and I'm like, all right, well, you know, maybe this can be my opportunity to, you know, because I always dreamed bigger, I always knew that it was it was a world bigger outside of Memphis, but like I said, I just I didn't grow up with those opportunities to travel, so it's like I knew it was out there, but I didn't know really know to the extent. Um, so I just kind of started calculating all that stuff in my head, and I was like, all right, well, I can get out of Memphis, I can travel the world, I can do this, do that, do that. Um, and it was just one of them things. I just took a leap on faith and and and did it. And and then, you know, when you met me, you know, out in Japan, and so when you saw that that sailor out there shooting the videos and whatnot, that was that inner grind still in me. And it was hard, man. It was it was hard, it was days, it was it was still so hard because like I said, you take this this kid who is just drip, just oh creative, oh, this is what I want to do, and then you put him in the military where it's like, all right, you know, this is your job, like well, that's cool, but this is the mission, right? So seven years of that, living this life and living like, oh, okay, this is my this is my obligation, this is what I do. I had to I had to dig deep within myself and keep that version that that creative version of myself still alive, and uh and and you know, taking oh, okay, well, I know how to record, you know. I you know, like I said in Memphis and middle school, I was recording in my closet. So, what do I do? I invest in equipment, I'm I'm in here, I'm in itchy go itchy one five one recording in the closet, you know what I mean?

Gary Wise 24:08

So, yeah, you know, the phone, you a young sailor, you got that money coming in, but I mean, I will tell you the creative ones when they come into service, they struggle, yes, they struggle, man. Because and it's not that I'm not creative, it's that I was so institutionalized. And look, I was bucked wild as a youngster, but it wasn't to be creative, it was just to be wild, right? It was just I wasn't trying to do anything really constructive, I was just being wild, you know, and a lot of my friends, and but we didn't have the technology or whatnot at the time. But then looking back throughout my career, the people that would struggle the most are the ones that we're always questioning like, why are we doing that? It doesn't make no sense, right? Because creative people are innovators and they're gonna struggle when you in this organization that doesn't care how innovative you can be. We're gonna go clean the deck, we're gonna go swab the deck, we're gonna go take the trash out. You know, it's just with very regimented what we're gonna do. Um, and so I I whenever I meet people that are creative and they're struggling, I always tell I always talk to them about that because I know that's what it is. If you you are doing something that goes against your genetic code, right? Your DNA tells you to be creative and you're in the space. But like you said, you there was a there was a means to an end, right? You had you wanted that money for college, you wanted those experiences that were gonna give you some more value in your music, in your structure, in your storytelling, right? You wanted you probably wanted to talk more about than just Memphis and have those to tell people I was in Thailand this one time, and this is what we did, and all that. So but before we get to all that, was your first airplane ride to boot camp?

Marteverick Shears 25:47

It was, it was. Uh why he didn't like he in Illinois.

Gary Wise 25:52

So many of us, that's just a true statement, bro. Like, so many of us, our first ever talking about an airplane. So, what did you think? Like, what did you think going to the airport, get on that airplane? Was that a trip?

Marteverick Shears 26:05

Um it was, it was. What was I thinking? You know, it was weird because I remember it hitting me that I'm 18 and this is my first time getting on a plane, you know, and I know it's people who are older, older than me who have never who have still never been on a plane, but I think at that time it was um it was just it was just it was uh not a not a sad feeling, but it was one of them it definitely hit me. I'm like, okay, why am I now, why am I 18 just now getting on a plane?

Gary Wise 26:41

Bruh, for me growing up, I was taught that wealthy people got on airplanes. That's what I was taught. I remember one time my dad had to fly with my grandpa from Arizona to Utah and they went on an airplane, and it was like this big deal, bro. Like they was like, we got to get the money for this plane ticket, they gotta go through all these things, and everybody was at because everybody in my family typically they would drive, it'd be an 18-hour drive, but the gas money was cheaper than the airplane ticket, right? And so it was, I remember thinking this was a thing that wealthy people did, and now it's just like it's just a it's like one of the main ways to travel. Yeah, but I think that was a generational change, and so here I can hear I can hear your story, but like I've been trying to get this music thing going, I've been trying to make these different things happening, and I'm just now getting on an airplane for the first time at 18 and and going to this going on this journey of God knows what's gonna happen next. Because I mean, so I I I can't I get all that, and when I got on the airplane, honestly, I was more worried about what happened when I got off the plane. I wasn't even afraid they'd be on the plane. I was just like, I'm going to boot camp, bro. This is about to be wild. Like, I don't know what to expect. There wasn't no good movies for Navy boot camp. Nah, nah. It's not right. You can watch like some Marine Corps stuff, or you could watch some military movie, but there wasn't nothing but no boot camp, right? And well, I I don't know what I was expecting, but when when you get off the plane, did you go to the boot camp with other people?

Marteverick Shears 28:09

I did, I did, and uh actually people that I I went with a couple of people that I went to school with.

Gary Wise 28:15

Okay, so that's cool. So you already had some people that you knew, so you guys were able to link up like in the airport and like walk through the terminal together. Because look, you know, we do that real quick, you know, us in the military. We we be out somewhere where we don't know nobody. We once we find out someone's a veteran or someone's in the military, we'll we'll click up real quick. All right, cool, man. We together, we'll figure this thing out. And so you get to the USO in Chicago, Great Lakes, and did you have to wait there to get on the bus to go to basic training? You remember that?

Marteverick Shears 28:44

Yeah, I did, I did, I did. Yep.

Gary Wise 28:46

All right, so just go back to boot camp and just for that period of time, did it meet your expectations, or were you completely caught off guard by what that experience was like?

Life Aboard Ship And Barracks Debate

Marteverick Shears 28:56

Definitely, or did you love it? I wasn't caught off guard because I had done my research, and so and and I guess the difference between you and I, when I was about to join, I had YouTube at my dispense. And so at that point, they were already kind of doing the behind the scenes videos of boot camp. So I had done my research and I had watched the videos and and um and had it been had had already been tone, they had already been told that it was nothing but a game, um, a mental game. So by the time I got there, I was already, I think my biggest thing was I kept getting told that of course, once you get to the military, if you have never uh paid attention before, and if you have never done you're gonna do it now. And I think that was I think in my head, that was the biggest thing. Okay, just make sure you listen, make sure you listen to what they say. Don't do anything that they didn't say, do don't do so. I think once I got that, and once I experienced the okay, how does it feel with somebody telling you what to do? Can you do everything? Once I realized that, I was good. I think that was yeah, that was the biggest thing for me.

Gary Wise 30:10

Yeah, that's good. A lot of people struggle with that, right? I mean, for me, I didn't struggle with that either. Like, I grew up in an in a place where I was used to listening to people, I had structure, and not only from mom, my dad, from my older friends, right? Like, I grew up in an environment that was militant, even though we weren't military, right? So I had no problem. And and then with the military, you just give you give respect immediately because of the rank, even if you don't really know that much about them. Now, once you learn whether you like them or don't like them, then that's a different conversation. But at first, you're just gonna respect because they have a whatever. Now, did you come in undesignated, or did you already have a job when you joined the service?

Marteverick Shears 30:47

No, I I had a job already, I came in OS.

Gary Wise 30:50

So you came in OS from the junk, yeah, yeah. Good for you, bro. I ain't mad at you for that. That's awesome. But you know, a lot of people come in undesignated and go OS, right? So I wasn't sure. And so you that means you graduate boot camp and you go to A school in Great Lakes, yes, yep. All right, so here we go. How was that for young uh young Shears, you know, Gurney Mills Mall with friends, money, lemos? Did you get a limo after boot camp? Uh no, I didn't get a limo. Nah, yeah, I didn't get a limo.

Marteverick Shears 31:24

No, we we at that time, you know, they had the we I just remember getting in the taxis, and they had like the cool little taxis with the with the speakers, the LED speakers and stuff. So I don't know that that felt more like a limo. Yeah, uh, yeah.

Gary Wise 31:37

I remember when I graduated boot camp, man, like 10 of us had no family. We got like a limo and it rode us all over the place for our first day of liberty, whatever. But I remember going to Gurney Mills Mall for the first time. I was just like, man, I'm in Chicago, you know, and Chicago is Chicago is a freaking it's an American hub, right? You got the Bulls, Michael Jordan, Kanye West, Twister, Crucial Conflict, right? For me growing up, Chicago was like Al Capone, you know, like it's this big city, and I I was from Utah. You're from Tennessee. Did Chicago meet your expectations when you got out and about?

Marteverick Shears 32:16

I ain't gonna lie, Chicago was rough. I and I I don't I don't want to talk bad about but I would just have to say Chicago. I think Chicago was one of the roughest places that I have been. I wanted to ask you when did you when did you go to boot camp? What month?

Gary Wise 32:30

So I okay, so the winter, right? So I went in March of 1997. Wow, so I missed I missed the majority of the winter.

Marteverick Shears 32:38

When did you go? I went January of 2013. So I left, so I was there from January to March. So it was just straight black flag weathered, like almost the whole time I was there until like write cold, cold, cold. Yeah, yeah.

Gary Wise 32:51

That is rough. That that yeah, that it takes a special kind of person to live in that environment, bro.

Marteverick Shears 32:59

Um, but but but Chicago itself, I think, you know, and maybe my whole perception was warped because you gotta think the whole experience of Chicago was nothing but boot camp A school. So I'm in there and and all of my experiences were just people just kind of like, you know, uh, you know, it's kind of throwing you around everywhere. And I never forget how you know you you go from boot camp, right?

Gary Wise 33:24

And it's like everything is oh get over here, yeah.

Marteverick Shears 33:27

And then it's like when you go to a school the first time, like literally as soon as I got off the off the little uh van going across the street, somebody came out and oh, like let me help you with your bags, yeah. And when I tell you that was the weirdest thing ever to me, like I'm like, oh, people are nice in the military. So that I think that was the biggest thing for me. But then I like said it was so rough for me in Chicago. People in Chicago were rough. I I came across some rude folks out there.

Gary Wise 33:56

I'm not it's a different energy, right? It's a different energy for sure. Again, you come from the south where people have people have a nice look in the south, they're nice till they're not, right? Let's be honest. But most for the most part, people are very respectful, they treat people well, and but Chicago's a big city, just like SoCal, South Southern California, right? I used to tell my sailors when they would come out when I was on I was stationed at 32nd Street for a long time and I was on a ship, and I would have these young first tour sailors, and I would tell them look, I don't know where y'all from originally, but that's really Southern California out those gates. Don't go out there acting a fool because they will they will teach you very quickly, you're not at home no more. Because you know, people come to the military thinking they're they're they're they're like they're like they're like they tough or like they extra they they extra braggandocious or whatever it is, yeah. And it's like cool, especially in Japan, right? And my first ship was in Japan too, so I can relate to that, right? I went to Japan, I was joining went to boot camp, three days of school, 30 days of family leave, and I was in Japan. And we was wild in Japan. We thought we was running things because ain't doing nothing to stop you. Exactly. Japanese gonna let you do whatever you're gonna do, right? And other Americans ain't trying to get in trouble or they're not on the spot. If you a first tour sailor in San Diego or Norfolk, Virginia, you go out of town and act, act a fool. Shoo, you might come okay, uh come across the right one. Oh, for sure.

Marteverick Shears 35:25

You might have problems for sure, for sure, for sure. I was impressed. I remember first time going out in San Diego being pressed about the color of my shirt. I said, Oh, I said, Oh, y'all still, y'all still doing that out yet? Like it's so high. I learned quick. I was like, okay, cool, cool. Yeah, we we in a mirror.

Gary Wise 35:42

That's funny. That's so real, though. That's so real though, because it's like, oh man, I yeah, first yeah. So okay, so you're in Chicago, you go through school. When do you find out you're going to Japan, bro?

Marteverick Shears 35:56

Man, I it that was a journey. So um, you know, of course, we do the A school. I was one of the sailors that I was on hold, I was on hold in A school, so it's it like so. My class graduated one month. I think I stayed like two months after that. And it took me like two months to to find out I was going to Japan. So by the time, yeah, so by the time, and and then it was it was rough for me because at the time I had I had a girlfriend back in Memphis, and the whole idea of oh, we'll you know, we're gonna after I get out of boot camp, we'll reunite move to where I am. And when I heard Japan, that the reality of that hit me. I was like, oh okay, well, you know, you know, so yeah, that was hard for me. I think that was the biggest thing on my mind at the time. Like, man, I'm about to lose this relationship.

Gary Wise 36:41

What you mean you didn't fly back home to Memphis to get married real quick? So you take away.

Marteverick Shears 36:45

Nah, nah, nah, nah, I didn't. And why I didn't? Uh well, no, because the young lady I was dating at the time, she was a grade younger under me, so she was still in school and trying to figure what she was what she was gonna do. So, nah, nah, they didn't work out like that.

Gary Wise 36:59

But how many people, bro, have you seen do something like that? Yeah, yeah, like so many people, bro. Like, I would talk to sailors and be like, look, don't go rushing to get married your first couple years in the service. Like, I get it, you don't want to be alone, I get it, you want to have a house, I get it, you want all these things, but that's a big commitment, dude. You don't just run home and get married on the weekend and come back with some paperwork, like she come with me to Japan.

Marteverick Shears 37:25

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, it's it's a lot in spending. You like so you think of somebody at you know 18, just getting out of high school, and at that moment, all of these you know decisions are are you know kind of being laid laid on you like that. Um yeah, yeah. And but but you know what? But I can say ultimately though, I I end up falling in that. I fall I end up falling in that category at the end of the day, anyway. And I and although I didn't get married right out of boot camp, you know, fresh 18, you know, I went to Japan single and whatnot. Um, but that Japan life pushed me to want to get married super soon after I left Japan. So oh yeah, so I so I ended up still kind of falling in that in that category. I get it, bro.

OS Life, Tortuga To Ashland

Gary Wise 38:13

I get it, man. Because again, my first tour, my first ship was in Japan, but different than y'all, I didn't have barracks rooms, I lived on the ship whole time, right? And so when I got over there to be y'all CMC, and I had already done a ship in Japan as a senior chief, so I had seen barracks already. Yeah, bro. I'm so glad I didn't have the barracks rooms, I might have been even worse. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like the structure of being on the ship for me was healthy, but we were also we were underway a lot, man. Like, I don't remember being in Saspo a whole bunch, like we did one year, we were gone from Saspo for 11 months out of 12 months. Yeah, we were getting it, we were super busy, and so it wasn't and it wasn't like that for us on Ash. So hey, when you when you landed over in Japan, did they pick you up at the airport or did you have to ride the bus down to the base? Do you remember that part?

Marteverick Shears 39:05

Yeah, I had to walk ride from uh Fukuoka to um to Sasbo, yeah.

Gary Wise 39:10

Okay, so here you are.

Marteverick Shears 39:11

Os Sr Shears. Are you are you an E1? I'm an E1. Well, was I wasn't planning, and that's the thing. I wasn't planning on. I was not planning on being I had gotten in, like you know how they tell you study your book and all of that. Uh the circumstances happening, I yeah, I end up coming in e1 still.

Gary Wise 39:28

Brother, I tell people I was an e0, like I was an undesignated fire and recruit. I had I was e nothing, yeah, right. So I get it, bro. Like I it wasn't my plan neither, you know. So you get there, was was the ship there when you got to Japan? You remember?

Marteverick Shears 39:45

Yeah, it was. It was.

Gary Wise 39:46

Well, what was your first thought? Okay, so will they did they come pick you up like a little bus station right there on base, or did you have to like wike hike hike yourself to the ship by yourself?

Marteverick Shears 39:56

Uh it was so weird because I ended up pulling up, it was late. It was, you know, how do you know going coming from America and then about to take a line? My first stop was Seoul, Korea. Then I had to take a flight from Seoul to Fukuoka, and you know, that was a whole hour drive. And so, and then it was on a weekday. So, I was I came first time sailor to the ship and having to wake up the next day and go to work, you know what I mean? So that was a lot, that was a lot for me. Um, so no, they they picked me up from I I forgot where they picked me up on base, but then took me. I had been I had been in contact with my uh with my sponsor at the time was uh he was Os2 Moore's. Um, so yeah, so uh we had been in contact with each other, and yeah, so he that's good, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Gary Wise 40:42

That's good, bro. Because I've heard some stories, man. I've and I would tell you as a CMC, I was like, we gotta have duty people there to make sure we don't miss nobody. But if someone was to tell me we missed a guy, I wouldn't be surprised. I'm like, well, we'll do better tomorrow, we'll do better next time, right? Well, we're gonna go find that guy and apologize. So did you go right to the ship? Because you don't get a barracks, or do they have a barracks room for you already?

Marteverick Shears 41:05

Nope. So, and it's funny to hear you say that you your whole time was on the ship. That was rough for me, even and because I was what I was on the ship for three months, and I was thinking about it the other day. I'm like, man, I'm like, I said they really that we really had to test, we really had to get the e swap pin to be able to um to you know to get our bearings room. So it it took me three months, and I had gone on my first uh patrol, you know, and it's funny to hear that you say that y'all were doing 11 whole months, and one thing I just thank God for is that I never had to not one year in the navy did I have to do uh a patrol or anything over three months, yeah.

Gary Wise 41:45

So just so you know, we didn't go 11 months straight, we did six, we did no notice to the Persian Gulf, gone for so we were underway for three weeks to go to Hong Kong, came back home six months later, right? And then was home for a month and got sent out again for another 10 months or another four months, which hit the 10 month mark, but by then it was a whole nother year. But it was just but you know how it is in Japan, bro. If something goes off, they go call us up. And they was calling. I was on the uh the Bellowwood, which is the same thing as the big deck amphib uh was. What was the big deck amphibian we were over there? Was that uh what was that? Uh the BHR. BHR, yeah, yeah. It was BHR. The same thing as BHR, uh, but they wanted the Marines, right? So we were the transportation to get the Marines there, and that was what it was really about. They wanted the Marines somewhere, so we were gonna take the Marines. And you know, it's funny as you brought up having to earn your barracks room. What one of the first things I did as the CMC for at Fort Ashland was stop that, right? And I started giving out barracks rooms to everybody immediately, right? Remember that? Yeah, okay. Everybody, and everyone was so mad at me, bro. Like, what are you doing? Say that Congress did not say they only got a barracks room if they got the qualifications, dog. That's your job to get them qualified. That's not the sailor deserves a barracks room, bro. I ain't gonna have empty rooms for no reason just because y'all hating on them, trying to make them on the reverse side. If you was dink, you sure would be on those nesteds for 18 to 20 hundred, not in that bedroom. No, for sure, for sure. You gotta walk around that horseshoe, right? You gotta walk all the way from the barracks to the ship and back.

Marteverick Shears 43:22

And and and I and I thank you for that. Because no, because as a junior sailor, that was rough, and then especially with the mindset of and it and this was a rough aspect of even being stationed in Japan compared to uh I feel like the sailors that instantly get stationed in America. You leave the home, you leave your mom and dad's home at 18. The idea is okay, well, if I'm joining the military and doing this man's, you know, this man transition joining the the military, then I want some type of adult, you know, I want to feel like an adult at some point, right? And getting to Japan, you realize and the reality of it is all right, nope, that's not like that. You got curfew at 12. Um, and at the time, you oh, you stand on the ship until you pass this test to get your e-swatch, and then you can get a bear. So that was rough for me because like I said, I I was I had had to do two patrols before I was even, you know, before I even qualified to get a bearish room, and and to come home to come back to Sassbo after a patrol and seeing all your shipmates pack up and and and go off the ship to their homes and somewhere comfortable, and you just sitting there like, oh well, this is where I say that was rough for me.

Orders To San Diego And LCS Shock

Gary Wise 44:34

Nah, man. And when I found out how many barracks rooms was empty, I lost my damn mind, bro. Like, I remember I said I was like, Hold up, you're telling me all those barracks rooms is empty, and they're essentially Ashland, and I got all these things living on a ship for what? Yeah, right, for what? And but just so you know, I didn't get there overnight, like I had to mature into being that person too. Because when I was a senior chief on the George Washington and master on the George Washington, I at first had that same mindset, like, well, I'm gonna leverage, I'm gonna leverage, but then as I got older, it's like, why am I leveraging against the sailor? I should be leveraging for the sailor. I would, and then what I learned, and this was the cheat code, me and the chiefs, me and like mass, me and Harmon, right? Or me and Sharon, we'll be in the we'd be in the chief's mess talking. And I was like, bro, how much more ruthless is it? We give them the barracks room than we give them EMI on top of the barracks room, so they can't be in the room that they got all their stuff in because they gotta be on the mess decks. Because you know, you don't really care about doing EMI on the Mestex when you sleep upstairs, like bro, it ain't that big of a deal. But when you got a nice barracks room with a PlayStation in it, and you got a whole closet and you got food and all that, you don't want to be delinquent, but the problem is people were not tracking their people's training and their readiness, and it was management, right? Yeah, and and yeah, and they were using the barracks room essentially as I would say the measuring tool for who who gets what. And again, we're not we're wasting the government's money if we're letting these rooms sit empty for no reason, yeah. You know, so so when you got to the to the ashland, what did you think about being an OS, right? An operations specialist. Yeah, because you that's in a it's a special place to work, right? You got the combat information center, you guys are involved in a lot of the amphibious operations, especially when we're out operational, when we got the marines embarked and we're doing things. I mean, I know when the when we're at home, it's kind of boring, to be honest. Like it's it's a lot of busy work, it's a lot of cleaning, and it's a lot of just getting through the day. But underway, I mean, y'all stay pretty busy, right? Did you like it?

Marteverick Shears 46:43

Um, I did. I did it that the the whole OS. So let me let me backtrack. I know you say when I first got to Japan, I got to the Ashland. So I actually got to the Tortuga when I first moved the Tortuga and we did the the whole swap. So it was a Tortuga first and then the Ashland. Um, so yeah, so showing up as as an OS, I know you were saying that you that you uh began as an undesignated, yeah. Like I said, I was blessed to to kind of get put up on game before. I had a homeboy who was a HM in the Navy. So he told me prior to he was like, Yeah, don't pick undesignated. You know, they they were like, Yeah, it's not it was like it's not what they it's not how they it's not like how they pitch it to be. And uh and so I I uh initially picked OS, and then you know, of course, you hear the oh oh yeah, you did good, choose your rate, choose your fate. So I came in as an OS already hearing that, and you know, of course, the um the advancement, you know, of course, going from my what from E1 to E5 is like almost perfect advancement. So I was hearing that. Um then when I got then when I got to the ship, you know, like you said, in port, uh, for OS is not much for us to do. And when I got there, um we had a senior chief, uh, if I'm not mistaken, his name was Senior Chief House. And uh Senior Chief House, he he he looked after, he looked after us, and how he was looking at it was like, look, if it's nothing for my guys to do here, I'ma send them home at 11, you know what I mean? And and oh, everybody hated it. Oh, everybody hated it so much. But it was literally, it was like, okay, we we pull up and we and all of our safe spaces was was uh spotless. So I think that was the thing. It was like, all right, well, while we're here, it's not much for us to do, but what we're gonna do is is keep our our spaces clean and whatnot. And so that was like the the the understanding, the like the thing that was understood as OS when I got there, like all right now we're gonna keep the spaces clean. And so as a division, we did that so well because it wasn't much for us to do. So with our senior chief, it was like, all right, well, ain't nothing for our guys to do. We're gonna get up, we're gonna we did our training, and all of that was able to get done by 11. So 11, we was out until you know, and it got to the point, you know, people was complaining a little bit, and so then it kind of got to the point we started staying a little bit longer. So in port, that was the that was the reality, and I love that. But then going out to see, of course, that's when you realize, okay, well, this is where the meat and potatoes, the bar of our rate really yeah a lie. And I loved it. Like I said, it was it was rough for me because of course being a creator and being there, I'm like, I was like, I this isn't this isn't what I typically want to do, yeah, today waking up. And as I look back, I'm like, man, I realized that that was there was a whole rate for that mass communication. So as I look back, I I tend to wonder if I had gone the route of mass communication, how would that have changed my outlook during the time that I was in? Would I have been, you know, would I have stayed in longer due to you know being in more of a creative, being in more of a media space uh compared to operations specialist? Um, but it was a very fulfilling job while I was out there. I could say I learned a lot. I can say I had so many, I went to so many different, especially after I left the ashland. I ended up going to an LCS. So even the yeah, so even I'm gonna ask you about that now, actually.

Gary Wise 50:08

All right, so you get to the end of the Ashland because you left Ashland.

Marteverick Shears 50:11

I were you at OS2 or OS three when you left I was always three, I was always leaving, leaving.

Gary Wise 50:18

I thought so, yeah. I remember when you were leaving and we were talking, we we would talk because you believed that we were talking about like I was sharing with you like places I lived in San Diego and like places to be worried about or like what to be careful of because you decided to take orders to it. Why did you decide to go to a ship in San Diego and not just get out in Japan? What was it about that?

Marteverick Shears 50:41

Well, so I at the time I had because I only had to do three years in Japan, and I had a contract for uh the you know the four years, but the 12-month extension, so five years overall.

Gary Wise 50:51

Oh, so you had a five-year contract?

Marteverick Shears 50:54

I had a five year contract.

Gary Wise 50:54

I know that okay, so you had to finish your other 18 months or whatever it was, somewhere, and that's when you okay. I'll I get that. So then did you want to go to Cali?

Marteverick Shears 51:04

Definitely want to go to Cali because I was sent to ABC school out there, and that was my first experience in California, San Diego. Um, got there instantly fell in love with it. I was like, I said, Oh, this is where I need to be, you know, just the whole wide man. It was like I gotta be here.

Gary Wise 51:21

Hey, San Diego's great, man. I love it. I lived in San Diego for like eight years, seven and a half years. Really? And you gotta pay a cost to get that sunshine tax, but it's a good, it's a great place to live for sure. To this day, it's still my favorite place.

Marteverick Shears 51:35

I'm I'm sorry, I was just saying to this day it's still my favorite place to be.

Gary Wise 51:38

Good. I'm glad. I mean, that's great, bro. That's that's what matters, is you get to live somewhere that you think is like a great place to be. And there's a lot of good reasons why for that. So you decide to go to go to Cali, go to the LCS. I mean, you couldn't have picked a more different platform or ship to go to next, right? And then the other thing is I tell people if you start your career off in Japan, and then anything stays tight, it's not gonna be the same because our op tempo is crazier overseas, right? Like our operational uh temp what the amount of things we're doing, like my ships I did in San Diego, nothing against them, but it felt like everyone was just taking it easy every day. Whereas in Japan, it was like we going from we going from underway to underway to underway to underway, and it was very it was I'm not gonna say stressful, but it was like energetic for sure. San Diego is just a different vibe, right? Because everyone's like, we're gonna get off, I'm gonna hit Balbo, I'm gonna go home, they get on the freeway, they can pass the gate, they forget they're in the military. Whereas in Japan, you in the military 24 hours a day, seven days a week, because anywhere you go, someone gonna bust you, they're gonna catch you, right? Just a different vibe. So, how was that landed in San Diego after being in Japan for three years? Was that too much freedom?

Marteverick Shears 52:51

It it and so it's funny that you asked that because it was definitely it was definitely too much. Or at the time, uh it was it was a a shell shock, kind of culture shock for one. Yeah, um, um, I think the first question I'm I'm wanting to go back to that first. Did you ask me what made me choose? You made me say what made me choose San Diego, right?

Gary Wise 53:10

When you said you went there for ABC school, and you just fell in love with it right away, yeah. And I get that, man.

DUI, Consequences, And Reset

Marteverick Shears 53:16

But but see, but the transition out there was not the transition that I had planned. So I had no I had no plans whatsoever to go to an LCS. I didn't even know what LCS was when I was picking my orders, and that and that, and that is the um just the reality sometimes of being a junior sailor. Um, I didn't, you know, I had no idea about any of the other ships outside of the ship that I was on because that was the only ship, you know, uh LSB. And all I knew was okay, I'm seeing all of these uh these places to be stationed. I know I want to be in San Diego. So what do I do? I pick everything San Diego, not knowing that okay, but this is this ship, this ship does this, this ship does this. Oh, this LCS right here, this is a new kind of this is a new class of ship, and when you choose it, oh, they're gonna get you. There is a volunteer type of ship. Oh, and when you choose it, you are gonna have to extend your contract because you're gonna have to go to all of these schools, and when you choose it, oh, then you find out that oh, they do the golden blue schedule, and it's a 70-man crew compared to the 300-man sum crew that you're coming from. Oh, and by the way, you're gonna go from six duty state duty sections to three duty sections. Yeah, so it's like, and I mean, I man, um, and it was it was such a it was such a shock to me. Like I said, junior sailor. First time ever picking orders, so I don't even know the process, but all I remember is being on the Ashland, and all of a sudden people started saying, Hey, congratulations, oh, it's free, congratulations. Then people started saying, they were like, So, what made you choose an LCS? So now all of this stuff is coming out, all of this information about what an LCS is, and I instantly just freak out. I called my grandma and I'm like, I'm almost in tears. I'm like, Oh, I think I just made the worst mistake of my life. They telling me I gotta extend, I gotta do this and do that. And my grandma, she was like, Well, have any of those other people been on the LCS? I was like, Nah, she's like, Okay, so you know, so how you gonna know? And then it even got to the point I was like, I, you know, I was asking the the the career counselor, I was like, Hey, so if if I want to drop these orders, what happens? They were like, Oh, well, yeah, you become needs of the navy. So it was all of that in my head as I was transitioning. So uh that's what made me ultimately go to. I was like, ah man, I'm I'm just kind of stuck in this, and that's what made me go to an LCS. And so you say, What was the what was it like pulling up in San Diego?

Gary Wise 55:47

Yeah, like I couldn't like going to I went to recruiting duty after after Japan, right? And it was that was wild in Tampa, Florida, Clearwater, Florida. I mean, it that was wild because I went from being DC three wise on USS Bellowwood and Saspo Japan to being DC three wise navy recruiter. Nobody watching where I'm living. I was I was outside, bro. Like it was wild in Tampa. It was, but I wasn't making no money because people forget third classes don't make no dang money, bro. Like, I didn't have enough money to pay my bills, let alone like really when my wife met me, I had a one-bedroom apartment with like a box spring and a mattress, a four-drawler dresser, and a TBV CR combo, and that was all I had in the whole apartment, bro. Like, I was broke because e4 pay is not that much to be living on your own. So when you went back to the states, were you back in the barracks again?

Marteverick Shears 56:46

So when I went back to the states, that's when everything, and that's and that's when life changed for me, man. So I went back, man. I I was eating I was e4 going back, I was up for the the next cycle, I was up for my E5. You know what I'm saying? You know how it is, OS oh 100. So in my head, I'm thinking, all right, I'm about to go to San Diego. I made my mistakes in Japan, da da da. You know, I you know, people know me out here. I'm like, okay, well, when I go there, it's just my time to just recreate myself. You know, I'm gonna go, you know, I I had my struggles out here in Japan. I wasn't the best sailor. I didn't feel like I was the best sailor I could have been. So I was like, all right, now I'm older, I've been got a little few years in game, I'm gonna do it different, you know, when I when I get to San Diego, I'm gonna make my E5, I'm gonna get me a place. And then I was then I was battling with the whole idea. I was 23, leaving Japan and going back. So when I got to San Diego, I was instantly put in a space to where I was around all of these other sailors who seemed to have it figured out. People got their apartments, people got cars, people, you know, they got their bills and stuff like that. And in Japan, we didn't have none of that. We couldn't drive if you were singles, sailor. We was in the bearish room. So I pulled up in Japan as at 23, feeling like I'm behind. I don't know how to buy a car, I don't know how to, I don't know how to shop for an apartment. So I went there with all of these ideas, like, okay, well, when I get out here, this is what's gonna happen. It didn't happen like that at all. Uh, you know, like you said earlier, we you know, you take a junior sailor from Japan who is basically sheltered, really sheltered. Um, and then you drop us off in San Diego, or it's like, all right, y'all do what y'all want to do. Man, I was in San Diego two months and I got a DUI. Crash my car, you'll crash my car right outside of uh 32nd Street at the church's chicken. I was coming across the Coronado Bridge, um, had been out drinking literally two weeks in San Diego. And my my thing then was literally, I just bought dude, just bought me a fresh at a fresh infinity um G37. Went out drinking, didn't know nothing about an Uber, didn't have no taxes out. So my I jumped behind the wheel and you know, and instantly crashed it. So I go out there thinking that I was going, you know, had ideas of oh, I'm gonna go be an E5, dah dah da. Man, I lost rank. I went to San Diego. I was in San Diego as an E3. You know what I'm saying?

Gary Wise 59:11

So hey, I'm just glad you didn't get hurt, bro, or no one else got hurt.

Marteverick Shears 59:14

That that too, that that too. And so you know, and at that time I count I count my blessings so much, man. Um because it was like two, it was like a month or so after that, it was a sailor that had been like day drinking, and uh he crossed the Coronado Bridge and messed around and drove off the bridge and on top of the motorcycle convention and ended up with a bunch of people. So I even looked at that and I'm like, man, like how that could have been, you know. So I do know, for sure.

Gary Wise 59:46

I do know, man. I do know. I would tell you that alcohol is one of our curses as sailors, military in general, not just Navy, but in particular, Navy. Yeah, and and I would tell you, like, I mean, we drink uh I was younger, we I used to drink like it was a sport, right? Like it was like we it was we had a point to prove. And so I I I'm not even surprised to hear you. I remember when you had the accent accents. I remember you posted about it and all that, once it was all said and done, um, and you going through all that. And I just remember thinking, like, damn, I'm glad he's okay, and that nothing bad happened, and that the trouble you'll get through it. But that was probably just God telling you, hey bro, you need to chill out, you need to uh you need to get right and figure these things out. And like, again, I when I look back on my career, I needed that structure of Japan. If they would have put me in my first ship in like San Diego, I would have probably thrown it all away quickly because I wouldn't I wouldn't have been ready for that at 19 years old, you know, 20 years old. So I appreciated having all the extra structure. The problem was, like you said, is when you come back from Japan, you had so many eyes on you, so much more structure. And then they just everyone expects you to be grown. And I had warrants for my arrest when I got back from Japan. I had no idea. I had from before the military, right? I found out I had warrants for my arrest in Utah when I tried to buy a car, and I found out my my credit was shot because I was just a wild teenager, right? And so I had no clue. I I'm a recruiter and I got warrants from what? Like, what are you telling me, bro? How do how do I not know this that I'm in the military? But there you go. They don't know in the states, everyone treats you kind of like an adult, contrast to Japan, where we're like, we're like on you everywhere you go. Like we they are really, really parenting you, and that's it's good and it's bad because they can come back to the states a little bit behind developmentally, and a little it's almost like getting out of jail, right? Like you've been locked up for a little bit, and now you're getting out, you're trying to figure it out. You don't really know how to do things. Um so you have the accident and you're at LCS, and you're probably still just barely getting onboarded, right?

Marteverick Shears 1:01:58

Because two weeks you still I hadn't even I hadn't even gotten to my command yet. Because you know the LCS is is different. They they they they have to put you in a like I forgot what they called it, but it's kind of like a pre boarding situation situation because you gotta go you gotta go through all these schools before you go to the actual ship.

Building A Creative Business In San Diego

Gary Wise 1:02:18

Yeah. So now where were you at in regards to your your creative journey at this point, too? Like, was your plan to go to San Diego and like also get connected with people in the creative space and start working on like because I remember at this time what I remember about you did you you were doing music and you were getting big in the film, like taking pictures and stuff, like you were getting very creative with that overseas, and you had all that gear you would purchase, you had to transport to San Diego or ship to San Diego or whatever that was, and then of course you had your network of people you had connected with that you were friends with that possibly might be in San Diego too. So, what was what was your plan there at the same time as planning to be a good sailor, as good of a sailor, or were you like, I'm gonna focus on being a good sailor more than worried about being a creative at this point?

Marteverick Shears 1:03:07

Um, so the no, the the the idea was to the idea was to go out there and and try to balance it, right? And I remember people talking talking crap to them, they were like, Oh, you think you're about to go out there and have time to you know do this and do that? You better be on the LCS. But uh, like I said, but but but what God has for you is for you. And due to me getting in that trouble, because it was up in the air for a minute, they didn't even know if they want they were gonna keep me in the LCS program, you know, young Sailor D UI. Um and you know, then they were they were threatening even, you know, deciding if they were gonna keep me in the navy or whatnot. But you know, I was first that was my first offense and whatnot. So, but it but it it made it put me in a waiting period for a minute because it was you know, like that threw me all the way off. So I had to go through the the the navy discipline, then I had to go through the civilian discipline, so it was just a bunch of waiting in that period. So it took me a minute before I even got to my ship. Um and in that waiting period, it it opened up the space for me to because remember, like I said, people tell me like, oh, you you're about to go to LCS, you're not about to have time to do nothing out there. But during that time, it gave me space to get a chance to explore, get a chance to network, get out here and see, you know, kind of get my bearings in California first. So I feel like those first few years wasn't really dedicated to the creative space because I was like, all right, I'm just trying to get back in good graces, trying to make sure that you know I'll be able to keep my career, da da da. Um but so I would say it it I didn't really start leaning into the creative space until 2018. So I got in San Diego 2016.

Gary Wise 1:04:51

Okay, so I understand then, bro. It sounds like you went to San Diego thinking you might really give the Navy an art a try, try to turn it because you was always good at the military, it just wasn't your passion, but it ain't hard, right? Like you know, like I know it ain't hard to be good in the military, especially like so. You could have gone, I mean, you had the potential to go as however far as you wanted to go, but it wasn't your passion. So, what changed to where you were like, you know what, I'm gonna exit stage left, I'm gonna leave the military behind, and I'm gonna go all in on me.

Marteverick Shears 1:05:28

So that was always the plan. I always looked at the military as a stepping stone, so I always knew that's what it was. And I and like I said, not and like I said, having just that creative energy in me, it all it always made being in the military uh an automatic, unhappy or or a definite thing in my head that I wasn't gonna stay. Now that transition from Japan to San Diego, you know, and I thank you. You know, you said that I was a good sailor. I felt like I was a good sailor, but I didn't feel like I was a great sailor because I didn't have that passion for it. So my idea was okay, well, let me just try to just push a little harder, even though I didn't plan on staying in, but I'm like, I well, now that I'm in in America, it should be a little bit more easier to live in this space. So I just I just planned on pushing a little harder, but it was always the it was always the idea that I was gonna get out. Now, as time went went forward of me being in the LCS and then going through all of the stuff that I went through trouble wise, it was the most definite thing. So so to answer that question, the the switch from that when I it was always okay, I know I'm getting out, but when it became a oh, I'm for sure getting out in the next few years. I think what pushed me was to go ahead and just get serious as far as starting my business. Because, like you said, in Japan, I had started buying the equipment and playing around doing the videos here and there, but in 2018, that's when I really sat down. I was like, Oh no, I'm gonna actually start putting a price to my videos and actually start a business with it.

Gary Wise 1:07:04

So okay. And so what was the first thing you did as a business? Do you remember? Like, was it because your short film has I felt like made you the most, probably the most I would energy around your name, just the things you did with that short film that you made. But up until before that, you were like doing like photo shoots for people, and you were doing like I mean, I was watching all this. Uh, do you remember what the first thing was you did officially as a business?

Marteverick Shears 1:07:35

Yeah, yeah. Um, so first thing I did started out on Facebook, and I realized that in you know, not in different cities that you go to, nine times out of ten, they'll have Facebook groups and whatnot that um that cater to local businesses and people who are looking for services and whatnot. And so when I got to San Diego, I found a Facebook group called Black San Diego, right? And it's uh it's a Facebook group that not all for black people, but it caters to like black businesses and people who are looking for like that culture, that culture and whatnot. So I joined that group and just kind of just started just lightly promoting myself. Like, hey, I'm you know, I'm a uh a new photographer out here, I'm in the military, um, I'm wanting to build my portfolio. So I started out doing just free projects, like, hey, if any anybody wants a photo shoot, dah, dah, dah. And so it started out like that, and literally from there, it just kind of started trickling into a word of mouth because you know, from from then I was able to start kind of building content and work, and I'm like, hey, this is what I do, this, you know, these uh photos, and then it turned to videos, you know. So then it became okay, I do photography and I do videos. Um, and you know, with the with the whole 10 p.m. in Thailand, I was already editing and kind of in that space. So I just kind of took all of that knowledge that I had already, and I was like, all right, this is what I'll do. So it started from doing free projects, then I started putting a price. I'm all right, I'll do it, I do it for $100 and $150, then $500. Then next thing you know, I'm I'm now I'm starting to invest in more equipment, and now I'm starting to kind of build the portfolio and and and you know, know what I'm doing more. So then I start to kind of raise the price and and and just um price my work how I felt it should have been priced at the time while also still in the Navy. So so yeah, so then that be just began that business became my safety net for when I got out, one of my safety nets for when I got out.

Gary Wise 1:09:35

And so then when you got out of the service, uh was your plan to go because you went to school right after you got out of the service, right? Did you go to school full time?

Marteverick Shears 1:09:44

I did, I did. Yep. Um so a first initial plan, like I said, when I joined, I saw the school in Florida, Full Sale University. And so that was the plan when I got out. I said, okay, I'm gonna get I'm gonna get out and I'm gonna move to Florida. Then I got introduced to their sister school, which is in LA, called the LA Film School. So kind of started doing research on both of them, kind of started asking that, asking myself that question, like, I where would you be better off as far as trying to tackle the entertainment industry? And I just ended up coming up with the the decision to stay out here in California, go to the LA Film School. So I got out in 2019, literally within two months of getting out, I I started started school.

Gary Wise 1:10:31

How were you able to use your GI Bill to pay for all that?

Marteverick Shears 1:10:34

I was, I was, I was that's awesome. Okay, and uh, I don't know if you're familiar with the not vet link solutions, but uh VRE, VRE. Okay, yeah, so the VRE program. So I ended up using that as well. So, you know, for for disabled veterans, veterans, yeah, yeah, yeah. So then I end up getting that as well after using uh my GI Bill.

Film School, Cinematography, And Purpose

Gary Wise 1:10:57

Good for you, man. And so I I think a lot of people don't really use the GI Bill like the way they're supposed to, right? A lot of people are like me. I plan on giving it to my boys or whatnot. Kind of that on my college while I was in the service, but my little cousin, I was talking to him, he just got out of the army and he was like, I want to go to college. I'm like, bro, why aren't you in college right now then? Oh well, I gotta get money. I'm like, bro, the GI Bill will give you money every month, dog. Yeah, you need to go to college while you get that done with so you can move on with your rest of your life. Yeah, because society says you need that little piece of education. Now, and he's not trying to do something technical because, like, what you were doing, you want to go learn these higher-level principles and learn these higher level things. What did you end up going to school for?

Marteverick Shears 1:11:41

Uh, so so yes, I went to the film school and uh I got my bachelor's in cinematography. Okay, yeah, so um, for anybody who doesn't know like cinematographers, so when we watch films or when we watch televisions, the cinematographers are the ones who basically set up the shot, the lights, the camera, does everything technical as far as the picture of the film goes.

Gary Wise 1:12:01

And so, why'd you choose to go cinematographer after the majority of your young younger it was all music, then you got into film? So, I mean, as far as why why cinematographer?

Marteverick Shears 1:12:13

Um, so the the switch from music to film, I can say as a black man, right? Remember, I was telling you coming up, all I saw was sports, you know, you know, in our culture, you know, black basketball, football, you were in there if you were good. Um, I saw a different path, and I was like, okay, well, let me do music, let me do the creative space. As I got older and as as the equipment and and things, you know, got more accessible. I started to feel like the music and rap started to fall in the same category as as um as sports, right? And so maybe um self-conscious me started to look at it like, oh, well, I'm being put in a box as a as a black man, oh as a rapper, you know. And then I started to feel it too, and people would be like, Oh, well, what do you do? And I'd be like, Oh, I do music. And they'd be like, Oh, well, what music do you do? What instrument do you play? And I'd be like, Um, I I rap. And so when I would say that, people be like, Oh, cool. You know, so I started to feel, and then getting out of then when you have talked those conversations about getting out of the military, you know how it is. Before you get out, you everybody has an opinion. You got some people who who think getting out of the military is just absurd, is just ludicrous. And I, you know, I and then you find yourself trying to explain to people your plan when, oh, so what you gonna do when you get out? Oh, well, I'm gonna do da da da. And so I started feeling self-conscious about telling people, oh, I'm gonna pursue music. Because I mean that was that was the goal to join the military and pursue the creative space. But when I when it would come out of my mouth, oh, I'm gonna rap at 20, you know, at 26, something years old, I I can say I started to feel away. Not saying it, you know, it was uh that not saying it was a validated feeling, but I did start to feel away. And in my head, I started to feel like, okay, well, what would I what could I do that has more of a solid foundation, I would feel, right? That I could tell somebody I can talk to, and somebody would would take me more serious than if I came and was like, oh, I'm gonna be a rapper, right? Um, growing up in the in that creative space, it was always a what do I do? I love rap, I love film, I love acting. I you know, when I was rapping, I picked, you know, picked up a camera, started directing the videos, put them together. So I'm like, okay, I'm living in this creative space where I love to do it all. I just love the whole process of creating and stuff. Yeah. So I had to have that real talk conversation with myself, like, okay, what is it? Like, if you're gonna go to school, if you're gonna use this GIB or have somebody pay for you to go to school, go to school for something that you know, don't have any regrets, don't go to school for music, and you know, uh, I really want to do film. So I had to have that talk with myself, and and and it just ultimately came out to being cinematography. I went to school for cinematography and was able to learn literally the whole aspect of how to create a film doing it. So I'm happy I did that. But as I was in school, I got the chance to actually write and direct my own short film. And once I stepped into the director's position position and you know, um put my films together, I realized I'm like, oh that that that fulfillment that I didn't have in the Navy. Remember, I was telling you, like, oh, I was good, but I wasn't great because it was the the purpose wasn't there. Right. When I did my films, I not felt like I was great, but I felt like, oh, this is you. Yeah, you know what I mean. You might not be the greatest, but you at least you feel great while doing this. You know what I mean? You can you can literally sit here and and and and break it down and explain piece by piece of of this whole process of how to make a film from pre-production to production to post-production, and to be able to sit back and look at it and be like, that's that's the finished, that's the finished product. That's when I realized, like, I yeah, this is this is me.

Gary Wise 1:16:20

They they call that being in alignment, right, with the energy, I think. That you know you know you on the right path, like God wants you to go that way when it feels that right. Yes, yes, and and it scares people, bro. Like, I what uh especially when it comes to getting out of the service or doing something different, because I remember when I joined the military, people had a lot of opinions. Oh, you gonna join the Navy? What you're gonna leave, you're gonna do this, that. And so then when I was retired from the service, I didn't catch a lot of energy from people because I didn't tell a lot of people to be honest with you, bro. I just was quietly dropping papers because I didn't want to hear it, right? But I remember thinking, like, I always was ahead of the game my whole career. Why am I gonna wait like everyone else to retire 30 years? Like, I'm gonna go, I got things to do, man. I got, you know, I I did my thing, I did my time, but gotta make a move. And if you had the things, if I had the things like what you had, I would have 100% supported you in doing that because you only live once, right? And tomorrow's not guaranteed. And why waste your time on this earth doing something you know is not fulfilling you uh when there's other things out there that are for you, right? Yes, and but it takes a lot of courage to step away from from the institution of like a for sure job field, a for sure potential career field, especially when everybody else in your network is like that's what they're doing, right? But it takes a lot of courage. So, and then you made your movie. Where are you at now on the journey? Because you said you start you you got out of the service in 2019. Yes. And so now it's six years later, yes, right? You have I think you had a lot of success. I mean, like you said, you're giving you presenting awards at the Emmys, you're moving in circles in California where people are involved in the creative space. Uh we we spoke a little bit a little bit about your idea for filming a movie back in uh in your home state, right? Which do you still consider Memphis home?

Marteverick Shears 1:18:24

I do, yeah, yeah, I do. I do.

Gary Wise 1:18:26

Yeah, yeah. Um, I mean it's it's a unique spot, right? I've I have been to Midlington, so I've been to I've been like to that area, like Beale Street and all that, but I've never really been, I never lived there, you know. I just visited it, but I will tell you that it's definitely got its own energy, it's got its own culture, it's got its own. Uh, what was that movie, old boy DJ? Was it a DJ?

Marteverick Shears 1:18:51

Hustling.

Director’s Voice And Short Films

Gary Wise 1:18:52

Yeah, right. They I think they probably did a good job capturing the energy of that time period, right? That time of the of the world, right? Uh in a certain part of the country. I love movies like that that show an authentic perspective of a community, uh, and kind of what people are going through, right? And you're you had a good idea because what you were telling me about the multi-generational and and the different things of decisions and consequences, and now you're a dad, right? So that's an extra layer of it, I'm sure. So, what is what is life looking like for you now, man? You know, graduated college, what's up with you now, man? Okay.

Marteverick Shears 1:19:33

Um, so I'm like I'm I'm in this transitional space, and it's so weird, and then it's so weird that we're talking about this now because I feel like I'm in in one of the most crucial parts in my life now, and I'm still trying to figure it out, right? Um, and it's so crazy because it's kind of it's it's kind of connecting to my prior fears prior to joining the Navy. I don't know if I mentioned it, but it, you know, I was saying before, as I was getting to my uh senior year in high school, the the whole idea was like, okay, you know, there's no blueprint to do what you want to do, to be in this creative space, right? Like it ain't no right or wrong way. It's really about okay, being in the right place, right time, who knows you. Not not real not really who you know, but who knows you and how they speak about you in a room, you know what I'm saying? Because that's where the opportunities come from. It's it's a constant in this creative field and in this industry, it's a constant trying to find the next the next gig. Because it's like you're only as good as your last uh project, you know what I'm saying? And that was a gut punch to learn after getting out of the service and after being in this space, because like I said, on the outside looking in, you know, we we see stuff on TV and it's like, okay, that person got it, gone. You know what I mean? He he good, you know what I'm saying? But the reality of it is it's like nah, you you just it's a constant, you know what I mean? And when you when you see these actors or celebrities that's like all like shock and stuff that's all over the place, doing this commercial and doing this and doing that, and then you start to realize, like, oh no, people out here just like trying to survive, trying to, you know, keep keep the income coming in. Um so I say that I'm in this crucial place because I'm I'm I'm tackling the the fear that even made me wanna that made me join the Navy in the first place. And that's the fear of being in this world and just kind of floating idly while trying to figure out, okay, what is it? What's the next move? Where do I go? And remember, I told you that time I when I was in high school, I broke down, I just prayed like God, I need you to show me what it is, what what route that that that I need to go. And I'm in that place right now. I literally just had to talk with him like a month ago, you know, just trying to see like all right, because like I said, I've I've been I graduated school in 20 uh 2023, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, 2023. So I'm looking at the time and I'm like, all right, man, you you've been out of school what going on two going on three years now. What have you done? As I look back, I can say, okay, well, I've done this, I've done that, you know. But I think the bigger picture for me is what are you gonna do overall, right? Yeah, I got the short films here and there, but I've been having these conversations with myself, like, all right, well, to be considered a real director in this film industry, you must tackle your first feature. You know what I'm saying? So right now, and I was telling you the other day, I've I've written the first draft of my feature script. Um and at this point, man, I'm just I'm just following my spirit. Because like I say, there's no right or wrong way. But what I'm feeling in my spirit is this story that I was telling you about called Within Strength. Um writing the script, figuring out, okay, how do we get the funding to get this to get this film made? You know what I mean? That's the uphill battle, you know what I'm saying?

Gary Wise 1:23:18

Bro, I bet I I would think like I was as you were talking, I was thinking like you need investors, or you need like crowdsource funds, or you need to do or do something like uh uh I think Ali Sadiq, right? Where he does his comedy routines and he does it all on YouTube for like an hour or two hours on YouTube, uh, do something like that to build the bus. But because I think that uh first copyright your script, right? First, copyright your script because if you got a fire script and fire story, that's gonna matter, right? And I'm telling you that from the perspective of a guy that doesn't really copyright anything yet, because ultimately I know I'm gonna keep creating more anyway, and people gonna jack your flow no matter what you do. But I would say if you're gonna create uh a buzz around something, you know, and again, you've been doing this, you create your social media presence around this idea of this of this movie and build that up, right? Make that be something big, and then start doing table reads with people so you can put it out there, start doing stuff where people get the energy from it, and then start figuring out how to market it where people might want to go ahead and invest in you. And and oh, by the way, email 50 Cent, bro, like hey Curtis Jackson, Mr. Jackson, sir, right? You're doing a lot of big things down in uh where's he at doing his big stuff?

Marteverick Shears 1:24:44

Um I don't know if it's Atlanta, no, no, it's like Mississippi or something like that, bro.

Gary Wise 1:24:49

Yes, like Baton Rouge, I feel like okay. I feel like he just bought out like Baton Rouge, and like he's opening up like a whole studio bank down in that section, right? And it's completely off the reservation, but that's the kind of person that I think would be interested in a storyline with what you're gonna bring to it, and you just gotta figure how to farm it out there and build that buzz and leverage stuff like this, leverage social media to start telling your story or do short films that will encapsulate pieces of what it could be, right? And uh figure out what the budget needs to look like because you know, you you also look at the people that got like Tubi, Tubi got some good content, bro. Like, I'm not gonna knock them, so who's funding those? Yes, Netflix is making. I say to be because you talk about the culture, right? I feel like Tubi is generating a lot, a lot of the movies in the culture, especially I'd say like black culture versus like maybe Netflix or versus like a Hulu, depending upon what your storyline is gonna be. But pretty little liars was on Hulu, that was pretty good, yeah, right. So depending upon what your market's gonna be for your film, that's the kind of people I think you want to reach out to and tell them, you know, here's who I am, here's what I'm doing. Yeah, and then bro, whenever you get that, whenever you get that, my only advice is document the entire ride.

Marteverick Shears 1:26:16

And you're you're literally saying everything, right? Somebody was actually telling me the same thing that you you literally the other day, like people want to see the process and whatnot.

Gary Wise 1:26:26

And yeah, no, they do, bro. They do what and and if you're smart, you you you capture that content and then you put that documentary out separate as an addition to your story, but following whatever happens with it. Because, bro, the first one, I mean your first short film did, I think, relatively well, right? I think it did good. I think I mean for coming where you came from and for doing what you did, I think it did good. Uh, what matters the most is that you get this done, right? That matters more than anything. It ain't gotta be no award-winning production. What dope is you get it done, right? And then you can always have a foundation to build on, right? It's wherever you want to go. It's just the beginning, yeah. Um, but and I think figuring out how you're gonna get it finance is gonna be critical, and but that's where I would focus my attention, or you go ahead and go out there and get them loans and invest yourself and see where it goes. But you know more, you would know more about that than I do.

Marteverick Shears 1:27:27

That's things right away, and that's the right or wrong way. And like you say, all of those are ways that could, you know, that that could make it happen, you know what I mean?

Feature Script, Funding, And Momentum

Gary Wise 1:27:36

Hey, I know it's lots of ways to get money, bro. It's lots of ways to get I got P I know people that I talk to that have million dollar days. Million dollar days, bro. Just depends on what you're doing to get your money, right? And they're they're in the creative space too, but they're creative about like working with people to help them solve problems, right? So maybe what you got to figure out is ways to get paid for the things that you already do really good, so you can finance the thing that's your passion project, yeah, right. That's another thing, but it's also like all right, sense of urgency. You know, you got you can't be complacent, you've got to have this perseverance mentality. Like I got this thing that I'm on right now called it's I didn't make I did not create this, I found this online, but it spoke to me because I was already putting it together. And I love when I find somebody else already did what I'm thinking, which means number one, I'm not crazy, and number two, it's a good idea because people out there, it's called perseverance, resilience, and adaptability, right? It's how to leverage those three things. Too many of us are worried about being resilient. The problem is that resiliency breeds complacency because you're too worried about bouncing back, right? I don't want to keep having to bounce back. I'm gonna duck, I'm gonna dive, I'm gonna move, I'm gonna hit back first, right? Like I don't want to be resilient all the time. I want to learn to adapt to the process and persevere. And I want to be the one walking up the hill steady, dragging that chain, pulling my squad up the hill to the point where if I ever have to be resilient, it's because I really got caught slipping, right? And so I think just figuring out how to get how to make sure you're making steady plans, steady path towards the goal. Yeah, and then what's that drop dead time of when you're gonna start, right? And you might be amazed who's gonna follow you, who's gonna support you, man. Um but but I would investors, I would say copyright script for sure. I'd say shop that for sure with people, and uh I would, I would, I would also say look at Memphis. Who in Memphis might have a vested interest in seeing something about Memphis, by Memphis, for Memphis, from Memphis, get produced in Memphis.

Marteverick Shears 1:29:53

And you know, it's so funny that you brought up uh Hustle and Flow, because you know that was uh directed by the director Craig Brewer. And that since that dropped when I was in fifth grade, right? Yeah that film alone inspired me so much to like I said, because growing up in Memphis, we never saw that. So finally seeing somebody bringing a film to Memphis and it blew up like it did, I've always said that that's something that I wanted to do. So to hear you say, yeah, so that's my plan actually to reach back. And then when you look at like just the cost of things and and like you were talking about with uh with Curtis Jackson being, you know, down south and you got Tyler Perry in Atlanta, now they now you're starting to hear those conversations about like, oh, well, Hollywood really isn't the the place to be like it used to, you know what I'm saying? Because now it's like with the um with being able to have the the social media, the equipment and and the and the ability, the ability to create and put stuff out on Tuvie and stuff like that, you don't have to be in California. You can be in Memphis, you can be down south, you know. So uh and and and that's even when it comes to getting um like permits and uh renting out spaces to shoot in LA, they skyrocketing. It's it's expensive to get a film shot in LA because they know this that's that's what happens out there. But going somewhere in Memphis, I'm sure I would be able to save way more money. You know what I'm saying? Going out there to shoot.

Gary Wise 1:31:21

And so I'm telling you what, so I was watching what what 54 I keep calling 50 cents, like I know the man. I don't know the man, but Curtis Jackson, Mr. Jackson, right? He's buying that whole area of Baton Rouge out because he's like, Look, I watched a documentary he did, and he's like, Look, they've got everything down there that I need to make large-scale, full-on productions at a quarter of the price. And even Atlanta's becoming too costly, right? Because people start to be, they get a little greedy, they get a little bit money hungry. But he's like, Look, I'm gonna create my own thing, and there you go. And so you just gotta figure out how can you leverage the sound of your voice, the sound of social media to get the attention of the right people that can that can help finance it, and make sure you got the right deal or the framework already set up because again, legally, you want to make sure you've got protections in there because it's your story, it's your idea, it's your creative stuff. But you do willingly recognize you need investors, you need some support, you need a little bit of principle to help you get this off the ground. And oh, by the way, for the right person, this is the beginning of a long-term relationship, right? It ain't because you're a creative, you've been a creative, it ain't gonna end. That's just the kickoff, that's just the jump off. And how do you tell that story? And then you also gotta look at the different niche markets you can go into because you've got a bunch of different ways you can go. You could keep telling, you know, the father-son stories, you could tell the Memphis stories, you could set you could tell the story that of a man that's gone through your experiences in life that no one else can tell but you, or you could tell stories, help people tell their own stories, right? There's a bunch of different ways you can go. You can go for the military genre, you could go a whole bunch. You already went with that with your short movie, it was kind of like the horror, the scary genre. You could do that again. That's always a good place to go because people like to have entertainment, right? I think of Antoine Fisher, right? I think that was a great movie that told a freaking phenomenal story of a human and it had a military aspect to it. How many people you met in the military that had banana stories, bro? You was like, bro, that's crazy what you went through. I I've met a lot, right? Yeah, I've met so many successful people that were in the military that was just working their plan, figuring it out while they were biding their time. And that's part of what I why I'm doing what I'm doing, because I'm leveraging all their all y'all's stories to help get my my voice out there. Yeah, I don't know where it's gonna go, don't know why I'm doing it. I just feel like it's what I'm supposed to do. Yeah, right. And and okay, God, I'll follow. Like I'll walk, I'll march right in the bump because I don't want to waste my time in the dirt. Yeah, and so I definitely think that that that should be a priority for you, bro. Like you should make it a priority to start building a bus. And I'm not saying relocate to Memphis, even though unfortunately you're gonna have to be there probably for a serious amount of time to make it happen. Um, but because but I also know you got your family and you gotta think about all those other things. Yeah, but if that's the story you want to tell first, out the gate, or next, I guess I should say, because what's got next has gotta be an important has got to be a priority too, because you still gotta keep the money coming in, you still gotta keep the lights on, you still gotta keep all those things going. And that's hard, man. That's why a lot of people that I that I that I listen to, that I pay attention to, like my job that I have right now, working with the kids in the school, I love that job, don't we wrong, it fills my cup, but it fills my cup so much that I have I have other I have extra to give to other things, right? Up until those other things then can replace that original thing. No doubt. But finding something that can fill your cup is gonna be something important. So whether it's getting a position on the standard photography team, right? Working in a in a film company, working somewhere local. I mean, because you're an entrepreneur, that's the other hard part you're gonna have is you you want to be on your own, on your own timeline, you don't want that to work with someone else, you know. Yeah, yeah. Well, you know what?

Memphis As Setting And Strategy

Marteverick Shears 1:35:24

So I so I I'm I've I've always been open to you know, either or. But as I am getting older, you know, um, and as I am like starting to just look more at um at just the whole idea of ownership and whatnot, because like I said, I've I've I've done the thing where I've I've worked for other people's companies and done this and done that, and nothing wrong with that at all, but it does come to a point in time where it's like, okay, well, I need to, I need to zone in and focus on my stuff. You know what I'm saying? And so that's that's where I am right now with this script. And man, I'm telling you, I'm I'm working like a madman because like I said, I'm looking up now and I'm like, man, it's been three years since graduation. And is now I'm like really asking those questions, like, all right, bro, what are you doing? Like, what what you know? God brought you out here for a reason, God put it on your spirit and you know, gave you the the skills and the talents to do this stuff. So it's like, okay, well, what are you gonna do with it?

Gary Wise 1:36:17

So the good news, the good news, man, is that means something's about to happen. The good news is when you're that unsettled, when there's something got you off your little square that much, where you're like, all right, what's something's about to happen? And it's just kind of it's just gotta be you gotta be ready for it when it comes and don't be afraid to jump, man. Timing plus preparation equals destiny, bro. Yeah, you just but I do think a part of this is you gotta start putting it out there in the universe. Like, I want to do this in Memphis, with Memphis, for Memphis, and strategically communicating to the people that might actually have a vested interest in seeing it be successful, right? For sure. And with your background, with your everything else you're bringing to the table, leveraging all your experience, leveraging all the reasons why that you're a good person to bet on, right? Yeah, and then also what that budget looks like and what you need to get and what's the return's gonna look like to the people, yeah. And then, you know, there you go. But I think uh something's gonna about to happen, bro.

Marteverick Shears 1:37:18

I got a feeling for you, man. Man, I I thank you for that, and and and and I need something to happen. And and it and it feels like that. It feels like, you know, kind of like okay, back it back to the wall. Um, and and even even when it comes to just things in my daily life, you know what I'm saying? Even like when we talk about like this walk with God, it's kind of like I well, it's forcing me to have to really dive deep within and do some soul searching. Like, okay, well, are you doing, am I doing everything that I'm supposed to be doing to like you say, to set myself up and to be prepared when that time comes, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, I do. Yeah, so yeah, so man, I'm I'm I'm going through all of that mentally.

Gary Wise 1:37:58

I do want to so today in church, I just opened, we just started doing a middle school ministry, and I'm doing that because my youngest my younger son is in sixth grade now. Okay, and so I wanted to step in and make sure he had a space to go to worship and make friends and and have a community so it would help reinforce him going through middle school because it's such a it's such a big, I would say, shift from elementary school, right? And and so doing that, I get the chance to work with these kids, but we had to talk about worship because I don't do that in the schools, right? So in church could have it. Today we're talking about understanding and understanding, understanding and what's God's understanding of us, and that God will always understand what we're going through, and he wants us to be good. But you have to remember that step one is a healthy fear of God, right? And it's not to be like, it's not like I want my, I don't want my boys to fear me, right? I got two sons. I don't want them to fear me, but I want them to worry so much about what I'm gonna do or say that they never have to worry about law enforcement because they're so worried about what I'm gonna think, but I'm gonna say that they'll never put themselves in the position you have to worry about somebody beyond that, right? And I remember getting in trouble one time when I was a teenager and them taking me away from my parents. I could not imagine them someone doing that to my kid, man, like taking my son away from me and like walking, ah I'd be hard, right? And so when I think about God, and when I was talking to the kids today, I'm like, look, you didn't understand. Well, we say fear of God, it's not about being afraid, it's about you're afraid to disappoint, you're afraid to make him sad that you failed to do your best, or you failed to walk with him, you failed to rely upon him when you were uneasy and to come with him with your concerns, your fears, your concerns, your whatever. And then, God, if this is for me, help me to figure this out so that we can do this. And how can I best lead people to you through this project, through this walk? Because if I really am walking. With God, then the goal is to bring people to God, bro. That's it. Like, period. Anything outside of that is unfortunately not gonna be in alignment with what God wants you to do, right? And so, how can I then be authentic and and and say what needs to be said and let people hear the truth? But then, by the way, give the credit to God. But like the reason why I'm able to do this, y'all, is because I went through this journey and I came to where I'm at today, and I'm gonna give that credit to God. And I think leveraging that message, leveraging that energy that you got from God and understand, knowing that He understands whatever you ever did wrong, really, He don't even care as long as you own it, as long as you as long as you come correct about it, as long as you don't keep doing the same damn thing over and over again, because that's crazy, right? You got to mature, you got to get wisdom, you got to get the things that you got to remember that people are watching you, for an example, and then how can I best use that platform to help people not only get through life, be relatable, right? Be relatable, but also and be be honest about my praise, right? Like I really believe in God and I really believe in Jesus Christ and that he died for my sins, but because he did that, I can always get right. Because I'm not none of us are perfect, yeah, right? None of us are perfect, but if I can get right, you can get right. And oh, by the way, when I share my stories, and I'll when I share a C story, or when I tell a story about once upon a time when I did something wild or whatever it was, it ain't really to gas it up, it's to show you that I went through something, but here I am today. And oh, by the way, this is what I learned. You don't gotta learn the same things, you can learn different things. I tell this to my sons all the time. Like, don't ever be afraid to come talk to me because I would like them to look to me like I look to God, right? Like, that's the love I would like to have with my own sons, is what I believe God has for me. And so just keep leaning into that, bro. Keep leaning into that, but then of course God helps those to help himself, right? So you gotta get out there and hustle, you gotta get out there and hustle, and you gotta get out there and share that energy with people, bro. Like, you gotta you need to start going on like platforms like YouTube and just making like hour-long content about why you need to make this film and why it's so special, and then just hashtag all the ones that matter and just keep doing it because you got to get the attention of the people that are looking for you, bro. Yeah, man, man. They're looking for you. I guarantee it. I guarantee it. Someone in Memphis right now looking for you to do something like the project you're gonna do. Yeah, they just don't know you, they just don't know you that you're looking for them too. And you gotta get up and start making, and that's free. It's free. Set up the phone to talk, yeah.

Marteverick Shears 1:42:51

I need it that, man. I I I thank you. I I seriously think because I'm telling you, man, it's it's literally. I find myself like, okay, you know what, what what do I do? What you know, but um, yeah, but no, seriously.

Gary Wise 1:43:03

I get it, bro. Hey man, cheers, bro. I appreciate your time. Thank you about we're about to land this thing, bro. We're gonna we'll we're gonna call it a day. I'm looking forward to seeing whatever you do next, though. And I got a feeling you're gonna do great things, man. I've been watching it for a long time. I've been very, very happy to watch your rise, man.

Marteverick Shears 1:43:20

Man, well, I thank you so much. Thank you for having me for one. I also want to thank you, like I said, for for the past, you know, for the leader that you were, um, for for even just showing me that love as far as um just hyping my work up on the ship. That that did a lot to me. That that that helped me a lot, and that that you know, and sometimes as a creator, we need that. We need uh for people to let us know, like, oh, what you're doing, that that's it, you know what you're doing, man.

Gary Wise 1:43:45

So no, I don't yeah, thank you. It was dope. All right, it was dope, bro. And I have I have no doubt you're gonna keep doing it. All right, here we go. I'm gonna ask you some questions. I don't want you to try to think too hard about them. Just try to go ahead and give me your best answer. So, what was your first, like, I'm really in the navy moment? Like, do you ever have that moment like I'm really in the dang navy now, man? What the heck?

Faith, Fatherhood, And Communication

Marteverick Shears 1:44:06

Yep. Um, first moment was being on the Tortuga. No, it was it was the Ashland by that time, but first first year, first few months at the ship in Sassin Boat. It was Thanksgiving, it was leading up to Thanksgiving. You know how I remember at the end of the year, they they would give everybody the opportunity to pick if we wanted to go to go home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or or New Year's, or whatever, whatever the schedule was. And so this first year, the options were all right, y'all want to go on Thanksgiving or Christmas. I chose Thanksgiving, it was a week leading up to Thanksgiving, and there was a tsunami, I think, out in the Philippines and whatnot. And literally, like three days before I went on leave, it was like, nope, we're about to go out to sea. So my first Thanksgiving uh was at sea. Had no idea, like you know what I mean. You you there and you just kind of going with the flow. You like, okay, when are we going back? Am I gonna be able to go home? It was it was just so much that that that first rude awakening was like, uh, okay, this is this is that.

Gary Wise 1:45:05

Yeah, that's a good one. That's a good one, bro. Nothing like missing a holiday that you're supposed to go home to your family on. That's like, oh man, I that's a good one. All right, next up. What do you see uh was one of the biggest leadership challenges people have in the world today? Because you've you've seen a whole bunch of different leaders now throughout your journey, throughout your walk. What do you see is one of the biggest leadership challenges out there in the world?

Marteverick Shears 1:45:33

Um biggest leadership challenge that I see is when you have the leaders who who who don't know how to balance. You know what I'm saying? You and you, of course, we come across the leaders who just kind of just take it too far. You know, they get they get a they get a sense of of authority, they get a sense of like I, and then it's kind of like I you you kind of you you don't even do it the right way. You you you don't make your people that's under you feel comfortable, you you you you you know, um and like I said, and and and coming across leaders like you who would sit down and and who would come down to our level and and and relate, you know, and and seem relatable, or or to sort of sit there and actually have a conversation with the younger guys or the people up under you compared to like I do this, do what I say, you know, go go on about your business. So yeah.

Gary Wise 1:46:22

Well, and I it sounds like to me you're saying that leaders need to focus on having those conversations and actually getting to know people. Yeah. And that's true. Communication is almost always in the top ones. All right, so how are you gonna use those skills then to best connect the best, like uh I would say, because I I have a lot of teenagers that I work with in my program, a lot of their parents um are are working with them, and teenagers are rough, bro. Like, it's weird to me. I got a 17-year-old son, he's a high school senior, you know, and I remember I whenever I meet people that have adult children, like, yo, what's it like having a kid that's an adult, bro? Like, because when you become a daddy or a parent, you don't really know what you're getting into. You just kind of take it one day at a time, right? You just kind of make it the best. So, how would you think you're gonna try your best to leverage that communication aspect throughout your walk as a parent?

Marteverick Shears 1:47:15

That's a great question. Um, oh, and that's that's a great question. I so man, just okay, you you know how I was back in the day. It was more like I do what I say because I say it. Or it was like, I you stay in a child's place, or you, you know, so I feel like as as adults, or how how the adult to kid contrast back in the day, and and don't get me wrong, I feel like we we we need a lot of those, um, a lot of those that foundation that we had back in the day, but I do I do start to see um a little more tip of the scale nowadays. I see it's not really much of a I do it, I say because I say do it, or stay in a child's place, or or oh, I'm an adult, you're a child type of thing. And what I try to do as a parent is I I try to remember that one day my son, my son just uh is five, he just started kindergarten. So I remember I try to remember that one day my son is gonna be an adult. As my every day that my son lives, he is getting older. So yeah, he's a child, and yet as a parent, there is a there is a level of authority, and as a like, you know, but I try to I try to have a different perspective. I try to have a a mature conversation with my son. If I tell my son to do something, instead of it just being like, oh, I do it because I say do it, depending on the situation, I might, you know, I'll I'll explain. I well daddy needs you to do this because such, such, such, such, instead of it just being a oh, he oh, because he said do it, if that makes sense.

Gary Wise 1:48:47

But you know what's dope? I mean, you're kind of like me in a sense that I we didn't have kids till I was a little bit older. Um, a lot of my friends had kids when they were very young, you know, in the military, 21, 22 years old, having babies. And my wife and I, we were married for a few years before we had our first son, and I was I was a chief petty officer before I had my first son. And I just I think that the way I parented my first son, definitely I'm different on my second son, because you you learn things and things change. And then as I got older, I learned different communication techniques that work better than like possibly, you know. I I believe in I believe in spanking. Don't go wrong, my son, if he gets spanked, I'll whoop him a little bit, you know. But it was never meant to hurt, it was always meant to correct. If I was never angry, I would never put my hand to my child because that's the wrong energy, right? That's like that's not their fault, probably that I'm angry. Um and I hear that through your tone that you just you you got that's again why I haven't picked children at the right time in life, that maturity kind of comes along with it, you know. But I'll tell you, as they get older, it can be a trip, bro. Like, especially when they when your son is on it to pick you up off the ground, it's something else.

Marteverick Shears 1:49:59

I'll tell you. Hey, hey, hey, and and that's and that's and you know what, and like I say, my son is five, so that is a thought of mine as and look, I thought my son is, I think my son is gonna be taller than me for sure. So I I tend to have those thoughts, like I well, my in my opinion, my son is great. My son is respectful, he's you know, he's he's never given me an issue, and I pray that he never does. But then those thoughts happen. Okay, well, what if you know the teenager changes and the energy changes as you get, you know, and now you know he's in a he's getting older, but now he's talking back to you. Now he's doing this and doing that. But then my thing is, I well, now at that age, how does it look? Me and my son at this age going now. I'm not able to just pull out a belt. Now I'm feeling like now I picture a situation like that, gets physical, like where it's like, all right, now we're throwing hands, and I'm like, I don't think I want that. I you know, I as a child, I never bucked up to my parents, I never was physically, you know, I got whoopings and spanking and stuff, but I never, my dad never had to like we never threw hands with each other, you know what I'm saying?

Rapid-Fire: Sea Stories And Lessons

Gary Wise 1:51:05

But but I would tell you, like, well, boys in particular, young men, is they're gonna push, and like I always wrestle with my son, and I always wanted to rough play. I teach him how to defend themselves, right? I use that rough play as a way to teach him how to how to block and how to move, and I put them in martial arts and all that, and and so they just playing around, but I think even he was like with the the first time my son picked me up. I think even he was like, I wonder if I can do it, and then he just did it. And I was like, Oh, hey, why are you gonna pick me up? What's wrong with you, bro? And I I remember uh so one time my son he did something one time, and I was like, I'm gonna have to wreck him if I do something. I can't do it. And I'm thinking like that. I'm like, bro, okay, because we're not the same, yeah, right? He grew up in a world that's completely different than the world I grew up in. Yeah, and I'm thankful for that because I worked my heart out to make sure he had a life that that it's hard not to judge him for it sometimes when you're like, bro, I never had what you got. So don't I I try not to be jealous because it's not their fault, they didn't ask for it. We just provided, right? But it's it is it is it does become kind of a mind twist, right? As you get older, especially if you start to feel like they're not appreciating it or whatever it is, like, bro, come on now. You gotta take you don't appreciate having a PlayStation in your bedroom, like what with a TV, like you gotta like whatever. But anyway, as they get older, you'll figure it out. Um but communication will be key, bro, for sure. All right, what's one piece of advice you would give to someone who's struggling, you know, like like when you were in the Navy, but you really wanted to be creating, right? What's a piece of advice you would give to someone that's going through something they're not doing what they really want to be doing?

Marteverick Shears 1:52:53

Um, I would say live in the present, live in the moment. Um, wherever you are at that moment, that's where you are supposed to be. So, and that's that was a big that was that's a big regret of mine as I look back and I look at I feel like when I was in Japan, I I I used I used that opportunity to the best of my abilities, but I look back and I and I look back at how I felt on the inside. I look back at how me not really wanting to be there, me wanting to be creative, but I but I couldn't have that, that drove me to drinking. So yeah, I I I made the best out of it, but there were things on the inside where I felt like I rushed. You asked me, okay, well, what made you leave after three years ago? Maybe if I had been more present and and and took that location like Japan that I was in, and I I look back and I'm like, it's just a few things I would have done different, but I would have enjoyed it more because, like I said, at the end of the day, I still end up being where I wanted to be. Yep, you know what I'm saying?

Gary Wise 1:53:53

No, no, I I think you're right on track, bro, to be honest with you. I think that you had to go through your go-through. That's just how it is, right? Okay, uh, how how hard was it for you to transition out of the service? Like now, as a veteran, going through the process, what what advice would you give for someone who's gonna transition under the other side, right? Any advice for them there?

Marteverick Shears 1:54:16

Um, to be 100% real with you, I didn't feel like it was hard at all. Uh, because like I said, I was I was anticipating it, and I was anticipating it so much, and I I it was it was so strong in my spirit that I did the work prior to um getting out. Uh I had an idea for how I wanted how I was gonna want to make money. Uh you know, like I said, I started the business, I knew I was gonna go to school. I I had already been coached on getting all of my medical stuff together to get my disability. So once I got out, I went to TAPS uh like twice. You know what I'm saying? I was blessed to be able to go. My my command sent me twice. So I was so nervous, and then I had my my my son was about to be born, so I just had so much that I was anxious about that it just forced me to just kind of think ahead and do my best to set myself up. Good. I got out.

Gary Wise 1:55:04

I think that not everybody cares that much about preparing, right? And like you, I also I didn't really have too much of a hard time because I did the work, I took the time. And I'm not surprised to hear you say any of this, bro, because I that's just who you are, man. But I will tell you that going through all that though, the problem is as you do open up those cans of worms to let those demons out, putting them jokers back in the box can be a they can be hell, it can be hell, right? Because I mean, look, it doesn't, it's not natural some of the things that we that we did there that we do in the military, right? You don't just regular people don't do the things that we would do to medicate or to to put away the pain or to handle the stress of the day or whatever it was, right? And so what I tell people is as you're getting ready to retire, start putting that work in. But as you unbox that, that that as you open up that box, get ready. Because if you do, if you don't do it right, you're gonna pay for it. And if you do it right, it's gonna there's a price to be paid there too, because you put it off already for a long time, yeah, and now it's coming. All right, so now these questions ain't as deep, right? These are a little bit more fun. We're underway, it's the ship, it's Saturday night. Are you looking forward to the pizza or the wings?

Marteverick Shears 1:56:24

Oh, ooh, that oh, wings, wings, wings. I feel like the wings it yeah.

Gary Wise 1:56:33

All right, I mean, I don't know about you, but for me, pizza and wings now is always something to look forward to on this ship.

Marteverick Shears 1:56:39

No, look, look, I look, I was more I was more of the stake. I loved it when we had the steak and stuff, but no, but pizza wings was always good. All right, all right.

Gary Wise 1:56:47

I got two places you can go. You want the birthing cleaner or the working party?

Marteverick Shears 1:56:55

Birthing cleaner for sure. Birthing cleaner for sure. For sure. I got you. Remember those working parties on the Ashland though? The working part, but then as I look back, I'm like, but the working parties were lit because everybody was out there, so it's kind of like you were all right, we're gonna watch a movie.

Gary Wise 1:57:14

Would you rather watch a De Niro movie or a Pacino movie? Ooh. De Niro. Okay. Uh what was your favorite duty station when you were in the military? San Diego. Okay. All right. What was your favorite Liberty Port? Uh Thailand. Thailand. I have a manager for that. I grew up out there too. I get it. All right. Uh, what was the hardest qualification you ever achieved when you were in the service?

Marteverick Shears 1:57:49

Huh. Oh man. Ah. When I went, when I went to, I'm trying, I'm drawing a blank on the name, but it was when for the LCS. Uh it wasn't air traffic control, but it was it was I'm drawing a blank. But it was like air traffic control school for planes and stuff like that. I'm drawing a blank.

Gary Wise 1:58:12

Was it uh I know what you're talking about, Aztec or something like that?

Marteverick Shears 1:58:15

Aztec, yes. That was oh, that was the hardest school. Oh my you say qualification, so that's under qualification. That was the hardest.

Gary Wise 1:58:22

That worked, yeah.

Marteverick Shears 1:58:22

Oh my god that was rough.

Gary Wise 1:58:24

That was rough one. Okay, all right. Uh, if you had the chance to do it again, would you go overseas or stateside?

Marteverick Shears 1:58:34

Overseas.

Gary Wise 1:58:35

Overseas. A lot of us. That's why I did so much time overseas, bro. Cause not for nothing. I I I like that comfortability of all that stability and all that eventually, once I stop fighting it. All right, what was what's your favorite movie series? Oh, that's a good one.

Marteverick Shears 1:58:55

Movie series, yeah.

Gary Wise 1:58:56

Cause you know nowadays it ain't just trilogies or sequels, this damn series, yeah.

Marteverick Shears 1:59:02

Uh man, I would say back to the future.

Gary Wise 1:59:10

Love it, bro. That's in my top five for sure. Back to the future. I still remember watching Back to the Future 2 in the drive-in theater with my parents, and they showed at the end of the movie, they showed the the first ever cutscene for the next movie, back to the future three. I about lost my damn mind in that movie. Back to the future, been doing cutscenes before Marvel ever got to the game.

Marteverick Shears 1:59:35

You know what I'm saying? I know that had to be an experience then for sure.

Gary Wise 1:59:39

Bro, it was huge, man. You couldn't believe it. Especially after Back to the Future 2 was like hoverboards and all that. That was crazy. And then now Leon, Cowboys and India stuff. What? Crazy. All right. Um independent or on a team?

Marteverick Shears 1:59:58

On a team for sure.

Gary Wise 2:00:00

Okay. Uh if you have a personal leadership philosophy, is it gonna be your philosophy about focus on the present?

Marteverick Shears 2:00:14

I would say um separate your head from your heart.

Gary Wise 2:00:22

Okay. Separate your head from your heart.

Marteverick Shears 2:00:25

Yeah. And and just just dive in. I feel like, you know, in life, it's it's especially and just say for instance in in my field, right? You have to have uh thick skin, right? And and I feel like in a world where we live in, first of all, that's hard anyway. And especially as a creator, when we are doing when we're working on something and we if we have a baby or something that we're really passionate about, uh we is it's it's a thing to remember that everybody is not gonna feel the same way. I think even in the Navy, you might be feeling like you busting your ass and doing good, and then you might get, you know, your chief might come in and might criticize something that you've done, you know what I mean? And so at that moment, like, no, don't take it personal, don't don't get butthurt, don't you know, don't, don't let that deter you or you know knock you off your balance, but just take it, you know, take it for what it is, learn from it, listen or whatever, and see how you can apply that better. But I feel like if we are too wrapped in our emotions, I feel like we can't um leave that space to really take in what we need to, you know what I'm saying?

Gary Wise 2:01:30

Yeah, not everything gotta be personal for sure, yeah. Right? Not everything gotta be personal, and don't let don't take everything personally for sure. And I to your point, I like to take things and make them real logical, real quick, and then once I got two logical choices, then I'll choose in my heart. But I I'll I'll get the best choices, the clarity I need using my head and use men lie, women lie, numbers don't, right? So even though we all know nowadays that numbers can be rigged. Yes, that is true. We know that's what he was, that's what my man was telling us back then. Jay-Z was telling us then. Yeah, men lie, women lie, numbers don't. So okay, he's gonna show the world that he can make the numbers work. Yeah, that's it. Free game. Pick it up, pick it up. All right, so in the Navy and the Chiefs mess, we have deck plate leadership, institutional technical expertise, professionalism, character, loyalty, active communication, or a sense of heritage. Out of those things that I just listed off, which one of those resonates with you the most?

Marteverick Shears 2:02:35

That was a lot. Uh same again? Yeah, give you say one more time.

Gary Wise 2:02:39

All right, deck plate leadership, so it's like leading from the front, institutional technical expertise. It means knowing the craft plus understanding why you do the craft, professionalism, character, loyalty, active communication, or a sense of heritage, or like never forgetting where you come from.

Marteverick Shears 2:02:58

You say I can only choose one, yeah.

Gary Wise 2:03:00

Choose one of those.

Marteverick Shears 2:03:04

I would say I think I would say character. Yeah, yeah, character.

Gary Wise 2:03:09

Yeah, right. If you don't stand for something, you'll follow for anything, bro. Right, it's just that simple. All right, would you rather lead or follow?

Marteverick Shears 2:03:23

Off top of the head, I would say lead.

Gary Wise 2:03:28

I'm not surprised. You should you should want to. You should want to lead. That's okay. All right, man. That's it. Do you have any other things you'd like to talk about before we wrap it up?

Marteverick Shears 2:03:38

Oh man, um, nothing much to talk about. Uh, would it be cool to kind of promote my film? I know you because now you got me wanting to like to talk about it and like you know, just out there as the people here, but no, so just let you because I know we were talking about it. Uh, but like I said, I'm I'm I'm working on a feature film right now called Within Strength, and it is um it's a story about uh masculinity, trauma, and legacy, and it's about like what we inherit and what we pass down, and not only through blood, but through silence, choices, and fear. And it's about a father terrified of failing his son, and a son slowly becoming the man his father never wanted to be. And the film is gonna ultimately ask the question you know, what happens when men don't heal? You know what I mean? So it's uh it's it's heavy and it's a heavy veteran, military veteran story, father and son story, and mental health uh type story.

Gary Wise 2:04:30

Okay, and why is it important for you that the that the the film is set back home in Tennessee?

Marteverick Shears 2:04:37

Um, well, because as I am as I was writing the film, I realized that this film was basically all of me. I and I took different aspects of my life, and I even took aspects from the time that I was in Japan and my shipmates that I was on the on the ship with. Um, but what makes it important to shoot it in Memphis is because as I'm writing the film, a lot of the places are locations that I pick being in Memphis. So is that, and it's just the whole aspect of I feel like the South Um, of course, has a different feel from what we're you know, like if you once once you get in the industry and once you look up, you realize that half of the stuff that is is shot and put out is set or is or is shot in LA, even if it's set in another state or city, a lot of stuff is shot in LA. So when you look at a lot of the the films and whatnot, the landscape, it kind of feels like, oh, I've seen this before, you know what I'm saying? But like you say, I don't know if you've seen centers, right? But you take that, like they go, they go down to uh Louisiana and shoot, and it's just a different feel, like that southern feel. So with this being my first um feature film, I'm like, okay, I want I want to I want it to feel different. I want you know, the first first two films were set and uh shot in California. So I'm like, okay, I want something different, I want a different feel, that Southern field. And like I said, once it comes to the whole point of like budget and and and just how much it will cost to to make something like that happen will be cheaper out there.

Gary Wise 2:06:07

And I'm sure it's gonna be therapeutic too, bro. Just to be out there doing it, like what you what you always wanted to be doing, creating in your hometown, in those areas that you got connections to, such a connection to that you wrote them into the storyline, right? You're so connected to these particular areas that they landed in your script as you're trying to tell the story of a father and a son and mental health. I mean, so many good things there, bro. That I think that it's definitely gonna resonate with the people. Uh, I think it's gonna resonate with a lot of different people. It's just you got to figure out the best way to to share it with the with the world. What's the name of the story again?

Marteverick Shears 2:06:43

Uh, within strength. So a playoff of a playoff of the uh off of strength within strength within strength.

Gary Wise 2:06:50

Yeah, because look, I mean, unfortunately, a lot of men they they they try so hard to be strong all the time, but they forget that it takes a lot to be that strong.

Marteverick Shears 2:07:00

Yeah, especially especially for military veterans, and then that's one thing it it it I play heavy into because the the film takes place in 2008, you know, during the time of the recession and whatnot, and especially during a time where therapy wasn't. I feel like in 2020, therapy wasn't talked about as much as it is now. It will, you know, it was more like okay, you say you going to therapy. Some people might look at you like you like you got issues or like you crazy or something like that. Uh, so yeah, so so definitely good man.

Gary Wise 2:07:29

I I uh I look forward to seeing you do more things to big up the movie, bro, to big up the project because you gotta get in front of the people that are looking for you. For sure. All right, man. Hey, I appreciate it, bro. You take it, you take care of yourself, okay?

Marteverick Shears 2:07:43

For sure, you do too, man. And thank you so much for having me again. And uh, I like I said, I love what you got going on, man, with this podcast.

Gary Wise 2:07:49

All right, thank you, bro. I appreciate you sharing the time, the energy, everything. I'm a fan. We're gonna do this again after it comes out, bro.

Marteverick Shears 2:07:56

For sure. All right, I'm looking forward to it. All right, man.

Gary Wise 2:08:01

Peace.