You are going to start seeing a theme in the people attached to my movie: Quality first, buzz second.
In Hollywood, very few people know or care about actual quality. Something being objectively good does't matter if it's not hot. All that matters is perceived buzz. If someone is seen as being big time or hot or important at the moment, than everyone wants to be associated with them.
For instance, after the THR piece ran yesterday, every call that hadn't been returned to every producer from everyone all over Hollywood was returned by noon. And then some. The whole system is essentially a heat seeking missile.
That's not how I work. I have a very good eye for talent and trust my own judgment. I have spent every moment of the last five years that I wasn't drinking and fucking working on my website, my movie, my book, and also learning the business behind the art--in essence, ALL aspects of art. I know my shit, because I took the time to study it. Because of this, I am willing to actually look past the buzz and into the substance of a subject.
That's why I passed on big name directors and took Bob Gosse. On the surface, he isn't the obvious choice, and he damn sure doesn't have any buzz. But if you take the time and study the situation you see that he's the man for the job.
That's also why I decided to go indie instead of going with a major studio. Because I looked past the surface bullshit and into the depth of the subject and realized--I didn't need them, and they only destroyed value.
That's also why we are passing over some name actors and looking more at lesser known, but more appropriate, actors for the movie. I don't care how much "buzz" he brings, Dane Cook could not be more wrong for my movie and will not be in it.
On the other hand, this can all be contrasted to Joseph Middleton. He is a big name with a lot of buzz, but when you look behind it you see that he has buzz for a reason--he's really fucking good at his job.
This takes us to Max Wong and Karen Firestone. On paper, they don't seem like the right choice--their rep is that they do female themed/girl sports movies, they don't get a lot of movies made, and their names don't carry much weight in the trades--but once you look past the bullshit buzz and into the substance and start to consider actual quality first and what I need on my project, it makes sense.
Over my past four+ years of me dealing with Hollywood, Max and Karen have been along for the ride the entire time. Max Wong was actually the first Hollywood person to find my site, in late 2002. Since that day, she has been my teacher and guide through the crazy, fucked up world of Hollywood. You can read their bios below and see that Max and Karen have spent years in the system and understand it from the inside out. But even though they came up in the system, they see it's flaws and aren't hack suits who only care about money. They actually want to make great art (most people in Hollywood are like this, its just that the suits are the highest on the food chain and fuck everything up).
Beyond that, they have excellent creative sensibilities that compliment and augment mine. Max is one of those girls who is super trendy and hip, but not a hipster. She has her own style and her own ideas on lots of things, but she does what all great editor/producers do--she helps me make my creative work better by working within the confines of my ability, but still adding something. She doesn't try to get me to write a romantic comedy, she just adds that touch that comes with experience--that line here, the idea there--that makes all the difference.
And most importantly--Max and Karen are good people. Just on a basic, human level, they are good, honest, moral people. I can trust them to have my back. You have NO IDEA how rare that is in Hollywood.
At almost any point over the past few years, I could have cut Max and Karen loose and picked up any number of big name people to join with me--dozens of big time producers (e.g., half the producers of American Pie have emailed me over the past four years), every agency, a dozen management companies, any number of studios--they have all come to me wanting to "work with me" on my projects. I turned them all down, because I didn't think they were as good for me and my projects as Max and Karen.
NOTE: This is not to say they are perfect producers for all situations. If I had chosen to make this a studio movie and needed a big, powerful producer to help lend me weight and protect me from the studio, then they would not be the right choice. I'd have to get a Bruckheimer, James Brooks type. But for a scrappy upstart who needs experienced people who are willing to go the indie route and can lend experience and creative insight, they are perfect.
Here are their bios:
Max Wong
Max Wong began her career as the Story Editor for Limelight Productions developing feature films and special projects, most notably THE SPECIALIST, CONEHEADS and the animated series REBOOT. In 1993 she developed THE LAST SEDUCTION with Jonathan Shestack, who was then the head of Limelight's film division.
Wong left Limelight in 1994 with Shestack to form Jonathan Shestack Productions. For eight months she developed and set up an eclectic slate of film and television projects including: IRON HORSEMAN at Warner Brothers; APOGEE at Universal; REVOLUTION OF THE DEAF at Disney; DOCTOR, LAWYER, INDIAN CHIEF at New Line; and GRAMPS at NBC.
From 1995-2000 Wong worked as a development and production executive for Beacon Pictures where she oversaw a slate of over 20 feature projects. She was the executive in charge of production on the smash hit AIR FORCE ONE, starring Harrison Ford. Her other projects included FAMILY MAN starring Nic Cage, directed by Brett Ratner; and the teen comedy BRING IT ON starring Kirsten Dunst and Eliza Dushku which she also exec-produced.
In 2001 she produced TUCK EVERLASTING, an adaptation of the famous children's novel by Natalie Babbitt, directed by Jay Russell (MY DOG SKIP) and starring Alexis Bledel and Oscar winners Sissy Spacek, William Hurt and Ben Kingsley for Disney.
In September 2000, Wong left Beacon to form Pink Slip Pictures with producer Karen Firestone. Since that time they have set up 9 feature and television projects including THE CASE OF THE HALLOWEEN HANGMAN, a girl detective mystery set up at Paramount; THE CROSSING, a kidnapping thriller set in Mexico for Screen Gems; and THE TUCKER MAX SHOW at Sony Television/Comedy Central. Their sports comedy ALL YOU'VE GOT premiered on MTV on June 3 2006.
Wong has degrees in Film Production, French, and Still Photography from the University of Southern California.
Karen Firestone
Karen Firestone graduated from USC with a degree in Business. In 1991, she was admitted into the prestigious International Creative Management Training Program where she worked first for talent agent Martha Luttrell and then for agency president Jim Wiatt who was responsible for running ICM as well as agenting stars such as Eddie Murphy and Melanie Griffith.
After three years at the agency, Firestone moved to New York City. Film producer Steven Haft (THE DEAD POETS SOCIETY) immediately offered her the job of running his company Haft Entertainment. She oversaw production on Touchstone Pictures' LAST DANCE starring Sharon Stone and directed by Bruce Beresford (DRIVING MISS DAISY). She was instrumental in the development of EMMA which was set up at Miramax. EMMA was the breakout film for Gwyneth Paltrow and was filmed on a tight 8 million dollar budget. And, through her extensive publishing contacts, she optioned and developed Robert Cormier's acclaimed children's novel THE BUMBLEBEE FLIES ANYWAY. The film, which she associate produced for Shooting Gallery, starred Elijah Wood.
In 1997, Firestone moved back to Los Angeles to run the L.A. arm of Spike Lee's company, 40 Acres And A Mule, with producer Sam Kitt. She developed numerous film and television projects for Lee to produce including two #1 movies: the critically acclaimed LOVE AND BASKETBALL starring Omar Epps for New Line Pictures; and THE BEST MAN, a top grossing movie for Universal starring Taye Diggs and Terrence Howard.
After almost three years, Firestone left 40 Acres to set up her own producing shingle, Pink Slip Pictures, with producer Max Wong. Firestone and Wong have numerous feature projects in various stages of development and production including, THE CROSSING, a thriller set in Mexico, that is set up at Screen Gems; A SWELL PARTY: KAUFMAN AND HART IN HOLLYWOOD; EVERY GOODBYE with Susan Seidelman attached to direct and THE ANANTOMIST, based on the best selling novel, which is set up at HBO.
Firestone and Wong recently optioned the rights to LADY ICE, a 1973 jewel heist movie that starred Robert Duvall and Donald Sutherland, that they are updating as a comedy.
Their sports comedy ALL YOU'VE GOT premiered on MTV on June 3rd, 2006.
NOTE: I left the other producer, Aaron Ray, out of the discussion on purpose because Aaron is like the Worldwide Wes of Hollywood: I don't even know all the stuff he's done. Just the things I DO know about blow my mind. He knows everyone, is everywhere, has had a hand in everything (there are a lot of guys in Hollywood like that, and he's one of the big ones).
I will say this about Aaron: I am a smart motherfucker, but he's got me beat by a large margin, and I am lucky to be working with him. If I am going to accomplish what I want to accomplish, it will in large part be due to him and the other people at The Collective.
It all feeds into the theme: I don't care what the rep is. I want the real goods. The people who really deliver, not the people that Hollywood thinks are hot. How much buzz did John Travolta have before PULP FICTION? How much buzz did Vince Vaughn have before SWINGERS? Putting quality first means looking past the transitory nature of buzz, but IF you put quality first, then you'll get the movie right. And if the movie is right, the buzz will come on its own.
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