Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Cut the Tie podcast. I am your host, Thomas Helfrich. I'm on a mission to help you cut the tie to whatever it is holding you back from success, and that success is how you define it. And today I'm joined by the maestro himself, Rick Maestro Holcomb. How are you doing?

Speaker 2: 0:15

I'm blessed. I'm blessed man. I'm happy to be here, I'm happy to keep going.

Speaker 1: 0:19

I don't look like what I've been through, so I got gotta give god the praise really yeah, that's a, that's a good person to thank, or a thing or entity, or however you think of god. It's a good, it's a good direction, but you're light. Yeah, um, I believe so do you. Uh, you want to take a minute?

Speaker 2: 0:34

take, uh, introduce yourself and what it is you do um, I do a myriad of things, but most people know me as a videographer, a freelance videographer. Um, I won 2019 Atlanta Hip Hop Awards underground version of the Hip Hop Awards. I won that in 2019, but I've been nominated four times. I only won once. But I'm also an amateur filmmaker. I put out two short films and I start production on my third, which I think will be my best one, in July. You know what I'm saying. I do all the casting, I raise the money for it and I think this is going to be the one that I'm actually going to be able to submit to festivals. The last two were kind of like practice and didn't really have no money behind them, but this third one I wrote it. It's called the Sign.

Speaker 2: 1:17

You start production that on July and then next year I want to start writing my first full length feature film. It's going to be a horror film and it's something that's never been done. So, yeah, I'm a videographer, but I'm also going into that filmmaker lane. You know what I'm saying. I mean, I've got a passion for movies. I love movies. I talk about movies on my YouTube show. So I was like, let me try to create some movies and get my ideas out to the world. So that's kind of where.

Speaker 1: 1:40

I am now. I love that you're a storyteller too. It sounds like and the uh.

Speaker 1: 1:46

I met this kid at this uh entrepreneurial, uh reality show called the blocks and he was there supporting his mom and he had like 600,000 followers on YouTube and I was like what are you doing? He's like I actually go through and explain why movies are scary in certain scenes. And he and he had like yeah's like, he's like I just like I like to go and say this is why this scene is scary. And they go and he replays it and explains it and it's very simple. Oh, he's like it just fascinates me why that certain things scare you. And he and I was like man, what a beautiful youtube idea.

Speaker 1: 2:19

Some people, that's original, that's a rich, it is, and it's like it's very simple. But it's like you know, he had been doing it for six months and had like 600 000 followers and had like 40 million views already, because he's making money, like really good money on this like and I'm like wow, maybe I so over thought what I should do on youtube anyway. Well, we'll take that one offline. I'm because you've had a channel for a few years now as well, and you're like yeah, um, you know there's that's. I always ask this question, and you know and the in the bulk of the shows about your, your journey and what you had to do to get there, but I always ask why do people pick you though? So it's a very competitive the space you're in, what's your, what's your differentiator, what makes you unique?

Speaker 2: 3:00

um, for what my customers tell me, or my clients. They usually used to say, uh, it's more of the fact that, um, I just do what I say I'm gonna do. And actually when I won the award, that's what I said at the speech. I was like I'm not really the best videographer in Atlanta, but I'm the most consistent and I do what I say I'm gonna do. Like, if I say I'm gonna have it done in 48 hours, it's always done in 48 hours.

Speaker 2: 3:20

If I say I meet you here at one o'clock, I'm going to be there probably at like 1230. You know what I'm saying and they love the fact that I just keep my word about everything, even if it's something going to be messed up. I tell them like, look, this probably got messed up, so it might take me longer. It's about transparency and I feel like a lot of other creatives or some other people are not being as transparent with the clients and not giving them the information, are not being as transparent with the clients and not giving them the wrong information, and I tend to just tell them the good and the bad, so they just stay cool with it.

Speaker 1: 3:50

Was that a conscious business decision to distinguish that? Or was it just who you are?

Speaker 2: 3:54

No, not just who I am. I grew up in church so my mother was really hard on us about lying. You know what I'm saying. I grew up. She's like one thing you don't do is lie. You feel me. So she instilled that into me. So I just I've always just kept it honest with my clients and, um, kept it fair. It was just who I who I really am.

Speaker 1: 4:13

That's a. It's a good practice. It's hard to do in life, for sure. So sometimes you're like man, I could just stretch just a little bit. But you're like, nope, gotta be it of yet, and that's yeah right so how do you define success?

Speaker 2: 4:24

um, it's not even based on money. To me, you know, I'm saying, of course, the more money you make doing something you love is cool, but it's it's about being able to have the freedom to just do what do, what you love. Like, um, like, with this movie, I'm probably not gonna make, I might not make no money off of it, but it's the journey, you know I'm saying that. Well, me and the cast go to what I go through with the people at the locations and the, the joy I get when people see my movie and they tell me, like yo, this gave me inspiration. You know what I'm saying. This motivated me. That's the reward for me. That's how I look at success. If I'm able to give somebody a good feeling or give them some good entertainment, that's a reward. You know what I'm saying for that's a war.

Speaker 1: 5:05

You know what I'm saying? For me, yes, and a little. The definition of success it definitely changes with season of life and it could be, you know, yeah, there's money, there's life, there's faith, there's health, there's just freedom of creation, there's captaining, your calendar, it could be all that Right. The fact is, you refined it and then that's the important piece, you're not chasing someone else's definition of success, you're chasing yours. In your own journey to achieve that success. What's been the biggest metaphoric tie you've had to cut to get?

Speaker 2: 5:31

there. The hardest part was cutting off a lot of friends from Indianapolis, indiana, where I'm from, and I don't even want to say I cut them off because I will swing back around to them. I've been very, very busy so I don't have as much time for idle conversations as I used to or idle hanging out. I don't really have time to go to clubs because I'm really focused on trying to create the best project, even you know what I'm saying at every level. You know what I'm saying. I'm constantly in competition with myself to make stuff better than I made it last time.

Speaker 1: 6:05

So I just cut the tie to people who I've been on through this. It's not that they're they were bad or they're not a good group, but they're not aligned to entrepreneurship and the mindset and they're not the group you need to surround yourself in this moment to find success. Yeah, maybe because there's complacency, maybe because you're not going to get the honest feedback you're going to need, or they're not on a path where you can attach to the growth or the journey they've been on. And that's a very hard decision because it's time you're going to pull away. It means you're going to feel more alone. Yeah, it's not lonely, but more alone, more disconnected.

Speaker 1: 6:40

And I have a men's group that I'll talk about later. But, like for that reason, because that's there's this, I call it entanglement. It's around, it's the people around you that you see at church. It's the people around you that you, that love you and they're close, but they can't really be fully honest with you sometimes. Exactly right, your kids play. I don't want to be mad at me if I tell them this or I don't want to be awkward at church if I do that, but what I found is men in particular need this group that sits outside, that tells you how it is and also can debate and talk but also can kind of have a business bond with it. And that's hard to find it in a very central circle and it sounds like you and many other hunter men that I've interviewed have the same.

Speaker 2: 7:20

Well, yeah, it's kind of hard to find. I did have a point in my life where I was very, very lonely because I came here to Atlanta and I'm really just me, you feel me. I came down here to chase my dreams no family, no friends, just me and my goals. And I was like man, I kind of miss my friends. But I really don't have time to go back and I want to get new friends that can, because I'm running things by them that I'm trying to do, but they can't give me no advice or they can't give me no feedback.

Speaker 2: 7:46

So you know, iron sharpens iron. So I'm like man, I need, I need the people. That's kind of going where I'm going to help me learn. So I start picking up mentors here at Atlanta. I have like four mentors and they really been my closest thing as like a group of support. You know what I'm saying. So I look to them when I'm stuck or I can't get something done or I'm trying to finance something. So it's I think it's about. I still love my friends, but I'm trying to make new friends in different spaces, if that makes sense.

Speaker 1: 8:13

Yeah, there's friends from the past and the friends of the future, and friends come and go. Iron sharpens. Iron is very true, that's a great, great, uh, great verse. Um. So do you remember the moment when you knew you're gonna have to kind of cut that time?

Speaker 2: 8:27

yeah, yeah, I knew, uh, and it was actually two of my longtime friends. I've been friends with them, uh, one for like 20 years, almost one like 10 years and I just felt like, um, the stuff they were doing with their life was not conducive to where I was going. So it was like it was like our paths were just life, paths were just separated, and I knew it was like it's going to come a time where I'm like I don't really feel a need to kind of keep up with you in that world that you're doing, and I really don't think you understand at all or even care what I'm trying to do. So I knew it, it was like a pit in my stomach and I knew it would hurt me anytime I hurt them. But it, uh, it just I just had to do it.

Speaker 1: 9:08

I remember the. You know, you start seeing the routines of every week. We hang out and we drink at someone's house or go do this, or it's the same thing every, and it's like I want more than that. Yeah, I want to chase more than that. I don't want to blink. And now I'm 70 and and just kind of, you know, I'm with you, I get that. Uh, and if those who are out there listening to their entrepreneurs to already be like, yep, I get it, or they're about the, they're feeling that it's okay, um, the ones who really care and love you and your friends will do their best to support you or understand it, cause they they actually get you a little bit more Right and the ones that are resentful or jealous or truly were just apathetic to you.

Speaker 2: 10:01

it was just proximity Friendships will whole time constantly creating. So a lot of people ask me questions and I tell them that they start on a journey. I ask them about their support system. I was like, do you have any kind of support system? Because it's not, it's just going to be you and you got to just do it on your own. And usually they really don't have a support system and I was like this is going to be hard but you can do it. You feel me. You just going to have to break away and go on. But a lot of my notice give up within a year. That's what I've noticed. A lot of people that I've mentored and actually put them in rooms with other people to take them to the next level. I gave them studio to go. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 10:35

it will in the, in the creative world, artist world too but you know the table stakes are talent yeah, let's start there and the expectation of instant gratification and I'm talented. But listen, when you get put in a room with 100 other talented, it's network, it's business sense, it's brand's originality, it's some kind of distinguisher that you think you're special because your group around you doesn't have it. But when you get around another group, you're going to see you sound and look a lot like everybody else, and so you don't have to be the best, but you've got to be different and memorable and marketable. So those are the elements that are 95% of success. You don't lock the door, so you got to at least be there. So the passionate stuff, you know, the 190 stayed out right. Yeah, all right, you know, it's just like you said, it's longevity plus a bunch of other stuff you got to learn. And if you know it all already in 20s, good for you. But you're not going to learn. So, and if you know it all already, in 20s.

Speaker 2: 12:17

Good for you, but you're not gonna learn anymore, I guess. So exactly, and you know, atlanta is very competitive.

Speaker 1: 12:20

Like I tell people, I'm like I'm competing with the best guys with cameras like the best people, hollywood studios that have come here to say that's better to film here because it's less expensive, more friendly and lots of great shots to see.

Speaker 2: 12:33

Even with this short film I'm about to do. I know I saw my competition. That's why I didn't submit them last two, cause I saw my competition. I was like Whoa.

Speaker 1: 12:41

I wouldn't have buried myself on that one.

Speaker 2: 12:44

Theirs was way better, way better, and I was like, okay, I got us, cause I'm competing, like and that's where I tell people I was like, if some of the greatest people, the hungriest people in the world, you can't just slack off, you got to go hard, you got to put your all into it and just sacrifice.

Speaker 1: 13:00

So you're a, you have an advantage. You have humility to say that's better, and then the drive to say I can do better and I'm going to be better than that. Exactly, you don't have that. You're screwed, screwed, it was 100% screwed. You're like, ah, I'll make all these entitled excuses of why I didn't get it. I'm like, yeah, well, you'll not get it ever. Tell me about them. You got your success, you got the journey you're on. You say, oh my God, I got to do these things to make it. And then you identify the moments. But there's the how, because the how is when you get it done. So what were the first kind?

Speaker 2: 13:39

um, well, I'm a libra, um, I'm very honest, but some people say I'm too honest and I'm too blunt, so I don't even. Uh, I think I just kind of just faded. I faded away. I kind of felt like some people I give closure, I had gave close to, but others I just kind of just faded away. I just kind of stopped answering my phone, I kind of stopped answering the text and I kind of just disappeared because it was too hard for me to just say those words to certain individuals. Other people weren't that close maybe you know I'm saying so, it wasn't, but I just I was like I kind of told them I'm really focused and then I just kind of just faded to black and just kind of faded out their life and, um, I didn't really know any other way to do it.

Speaker 1: 14:21

That's just how it happened yeah, it's, and what's been the impact since then?

Speaker 2: 14:27

um, well, uh, one of them, uh, when my father died, um, I think they might have held a grudge because they didn't show up to the funeral and they were actually kind of close with my father and I was like, is that a way to get back at me? I't know, but it is what probably got more than it does anything about you. So I was like that's kind of messed up, but at the end of the day, I'm used to it. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2: 14:53

I really feel like the things I'm doing and the people I'm helping is worth whatever casualties or sacrifices I have to make because I have a bigger goal, whatever casualties or sacrifices I have to make because I have a bigger goal. I don't feel like I was just put here just to be what you want me to be or whatever box you want me to be in and stay in. I was like, no, I'm put here for a lot more. I have a real purpose and I think it came from God. So I got to do it and I just I just wish them, wish them the best, and I'm pretty sure they're doing fine, but I got to do what I got to do.

Speaker 1: 15:22

Yeah, it's a long life if you want it to be right and there's no reason. You know everyone's an NPC unless you do something about it. So you can say an NPC non-player character of a video game, so you got video games and all you probably shouldn't. If you're trying to be focused, but an NPC. If you've seen the movie Free Guy, it trying to be focused, but an npc. If you've seen the movie free guy, it's by ryan reynolds, yeah, and he realized I'm more than this. That's such it's. It's a metaphor for life like, well then, do more, don't let the role. Don't let the role be what people said it should be go define your own, and that's crazy.

Speaker 2: 15:55

You said video games because I was a huge video game player. Like I used to love video games, but probably about 15 years ago, 20, 20 years ago, I stopped because I was like I knew once I get a video game, it's going to take up all my time because I love it, like I love video games. And to this day I tell my daughter's mother I was like I can't wait till one day I have time to play video games again. But I put in my 10,000 hours of videography. You know what I'm saying. I've mastered Adobe Premiere, I mastered Photoshop. 10,000 hours with videography. You know what I'm saying? I've mastered Adobe Premiere, I mastered Photoshop. These are hours of my life that I beat that and I wasn't playing video games. And I used to play video games with my friends. They still play video games, I just don't have the time.

Speaker 2: 16:31

But, I've been learning camera. You know what I'm saying. I've been learning lighting. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 16:38

Right the craft. Uh, you know, you can learn. You can learn to unlock that next skim and call of duty. Or you can learn you know what side lighting does and a great backlight to build a studio, which is what I the training screen, like I'm really had to learn all this on my own like hands-on.

Speaker 2: 16:52

a lot, of, a lot of youtube videos, constant on graphics and layers, and I buy royalty-free instrumentals. It's a whole thing to be mentioning epic greats, to even be nominated along Some of the people in Atlanta. I've been nominated because I wasn't playing video games, I was actually in the studio hours. You know what I'm saying? No girlfriend, no relationship, nothing, just focused. And that's what I think, that's what it takes.

Speaker 1: 17:17

Yeah, married to the work and I appreciate, by the way, the green screen.

Speaker 2: 17:24

I just said screw it, I'm just going to build a studio and backlight it right.

Speaker 1: 17:26

I said I built my own studio at home and just got the lighting right, so I was. That was much easier.

Speaker 1: 17:32

It's just so you said the green screen was a little too difficult for you with the lighting, or too hard to control lighting with just with any, unless you have a dark, like I have rooms with windows, so I said I'll control the lighting with or without sun anyways. It was not. The thing you actually. You did too is because you're learning from youtube. You learn how to make youtube work for you and so, as you monetize, you start creating things, people start then helps with your own brand authority to go reshare that information, what you learned. It just helps the whole, it's the whole piece, cause then you're not consuming, you're a creator, and that's that's even better. And then now you have a, you have also have a format to try, try out new scenes and check this, like this lighting effect in the scene which also promotes a show that's really showing about the light Anyway. So I think it's intertwined. You already know it's reciprocal. You feel me. It is what it is. I mean it's more fun too. What are you most grateful for?

Speaker 2: 18:30

Really just being able to create whenever I want. You feel me, I put myself in a position where whatever idea I have, I can make right then, like I have, because I used to be an artist. I came to Atlanta as the artist. I was a rapper. I had two songs on the radio back home. They said I got to move to a bigger market and I was like well, I'm kind of getting older and I want to do other things. I was like I do music for four years and then I branch off into camera work, which is what I did, but I still have my recording equipment. You know what I'm saying. So I can make an album anytime I want, because I also know how to make beats. I can film a show for my YouTube channel anytime I want. It's like I can, you know Photoshop and make stuff. So it's like I love, I'm so grateful that I can just create. You feel me and of course I'm expelling.

Speaker 2: 19:14

So I used to go to jail a lot when I was in my 20s and every time I was locked up I used to be so mad that I couldn't create. You know what I'm saying. I couldn't make things to give to people. I would write rhymes and I would kind of rap them to the people on the block or whatever in the cell. But it's not the same, because I was performing on stages.

Speaker 2: 19:30

I used to travel around Indiana performing. I performed on 30 different venues in Indianapolis and about 20 here in Atlanta. So I used to get a feel of being on stage, bouncing back with the crowd, that you know what I'm saying and that's what I love. That right there interacting, even when I would like go sit outside and sell my CDs, people listening, like oh yeah, that's what I'm grateful for, to be able to have that anytime I want. You know what I'm saying? It's just, it's freedom and it makes life more of an adventure for me. It's more fun, like I can literally just just get my camera, get on the train and go downtown atlanta, just take pictures of buildings. That's, to me, is just freedom. You know I'm saying, and that's just something, small things like that is what I'm grateful for. Just love that anytime I want absolutely love it.

Speaker 1: 20:13

Let's say, uh, this someone who's you 10, 20 years ago. What's the what's the lesson and the advice you give them?

Speaker 2: 20:21

So if that was me 20 years, I would tell them this is probably going to take longer than you think I gave myself. I thought when I first started I thought I would make noise way faster than I did, but it took a lot longer to get recognition here in Atlanta. It was hard. When I came to Atlanta I was like, oh yeah, I'm fine, I jump into the game, I do my music, I do my camera no-transcript, you feel me? So I tell them like, look, this just might take longer than you think it might.

Speaker 1: 21:22

It will A hundred percent will hit that mic. It will 100 will. Yeah, if you're, uh, your estimates are based on zero sleep and they're based on unreality of life. Um, you know, you sprayed an ankle. You're out for two weeks on something like the shit happens in life. Um, if there was a question, maybe actually let me do that for you. I, I'd actually like to. Who gives you inspiration today? What gives me inspiration?

Speaker 2: 21:44

today. Uh, my daughter who? Yeah, yeah, your daughter. Yeah, I think my daughter gives me a lot of inspiration. She's also the reason I'm trying to um, I'm actually trying to purchase a retail space to uh, open up a business. I don't want to say too much, but it's going to be named after her. You know, say actually me and her, uh, her mother, are going in on together with some other people, um, and we probably purchased a retail space. Then it's going to be named after her. But uh, yeah, she's just my inspiration. Um, she's already. She's only two, but I can tell she's already creative. She loves music, she loved the dance, she talks a lot. So I don't know what she's going to do with that. She might do a podcast or something like you, or YouTube show or something like me. But, yeah, she's definitely my inspiration.

Speaker 2: 22:26

And as far as in the film world, of course, my inspiration is Tyler Perry. You know what I'm saying? I really look up to Tyler Perry. I used to bug them about hiring me. I went up to the studio three times. I would send them my resume and then I would wait, and then I would go up there and be like did y'all get it? And they'd be like we'll let you know, and then I'd do it again and go up there. And then the last time is like, look, we will let you know, but they never called me. I wanted to work at Tyler Perry's studio so bad, but he's my inspiration. I just I didn't get the job with him and at first I kind of got discouraged and I was like, nah, I'm going to just make my movies, I'm not going to cause I really want to work with him. I was like, well, I can't get in the door right now, so I can just go make my own movies and see where that leads me.

Speaker 1: 23:08

So no reason, you just can't become the next Tyler Perry.

Speaker 2: 23:11

That's what I thought, that's what somebody told me. They was like you don't got to work for Tyler Perry, just be your own thing.

Speaker 1: 23:15

And I was like, yeah, and that's when Tyler Perry, when she can work with him.

Speaker 2: 23:26

You got to bring up what's the best business advice you've ever gotten Learn to recognize the opportunity where there's no money attached to it.

Speaker 2: 23:30

You feel me Like when I first got my camera, people was trying to get me to film stuff and I remember saying that Like they're not offering me enough money. And then some friend of mine he goes by Spider-Man, he's a, he's a rapper, but he does marketing, does a lot of things, he got his hand in a lot of pots but he's like look, sometimes you should just go you know what I'm saying Just to be in that room to talk to those people, whether they pay you or not. And after he told me that I started showing up everywhere with my camera for free. I just started showing up to any kind of like a prestigious event where I felt like it was marketed well and a lot of people would be there. I would just go and just show up and film everything and then tag everybody that was there and that's how I started to build a name for myself. I did so many free events. It's ridiculous.

Speaker 1: 24:14

At some point you got to pay what you're worth, pay yourself and know your value. But that's just marketing. To me, that's just a cost, right and like you know, if someone goes, hey, can you show up here to go film something specifically, yes, you need to pay me, but if they're bent and like, oh, I'd love to promote it for you, that becomes more collaborative in nature. I think that's a really. You got to know your worth. You can't give it away. But it's okay to go do some free stuff to get known and get a community. What's up? What's the most most? I'm a professional podcast.

Speaker 2: 24:40

That's why I mum, why a mumple your must read book Must read book I would say Guerrilla Marketing by J Conrad Levinson, or another book called Generating Multiple Screens of Income. I forgot who wrote that one, but I think those two books really they really helped me out in the beginning. I ran a t-shirt shop a brick and mortar t-shirt shop for four years and them books showed me a lot of different ways about marketing when you don't have that much money. And it was like to me reading all those books. It was like I couldn't believe all the answers were right there. I'm like this is valuable, this is like gold. And I got them when I was living in a motel. I worked at a recycling plant and they only paid me $8 an hour. But they will, let us keep stuff we found. So a lot of recycled books came through there, a lot of recycled video games, a lot of recycled women's purses. So I would go sell the purses in front of the liquor store. I would get some of the books, I would try to sell them. I would get the toys, the PlayStations that people donated. I would sell them.

Speaker 2: 25:43

I found these two books Guerrilla Marketing and Generating Multiple Sources of Income from their Recycling. I read them and I was like this is going to be the key for me to start my business with hardly no money. It really shows you how to make a business on a shoestring budget. So I recommend that to anybody that don't like really trying to start a business. You don't have like that much moneyrilla to Marketing by J Conrad Levinson. It's like gold. I couldn't believe. I was like they're giving this information. It's almost like I couldn't believe it. I didn't know that they was giving help like that. You feel me, I guess because of my lifestyle. In my 20s I was a drug dealer. I was in and out. You know what I'm saying. I wasn't open up to the world, but once I set my mind to move to Atlanta, become an entrepreneur, I changed my mindset. Then, once I found out how much knowledge there is in books, I started reading all kinds of books, whatever I get my hands on. You feel me? That's what the knowledge is.

Speaker 1: 26:37

I mean to be fair. Drug dealers are very good entrepreneurs. It's just a risky one. You are selling and hustling. I'm not saying this is what you want to pick. If you are, just go be a rep for pharma, exactly right. If you had to start over today, what point in your life would you go to and what would you do differently?

Speaker 2: 26:58

um, uh. What would I do differently? I don't think I would have done anything differently. I think I had to go through all of that stuff to have this kind of hunger. I think I had to go through the pain. I think I had to go to go to jail. Like I went to jail, I think, 14 times, all them times on probation. Like I think I had to go through all the being homeless. I think I had to go through it to come up with this kind of hunger. I don't think without those kind of struggles, I would want it as bad. You know what I'm saying. I think I appreciate those struggles. I learned a lot from them. So, yeah, I don't think I would do anything different.

Speaker 2: 27:38

I think everything's happened and I learned over the time that sometimes it's just about timing. You know what I'm saying. It's just not your time yet. You feel me. You just got to keep going until it is your time, and so I think everything happens. Yeah, I think it happens when it's supposed to. That's basically what I feel. So you just have to go through those trials and tribulations and then, if it's for you, it'll happen.

Speaker 1: 27:58

I think, yeah, I agree, I think it's the best mindset you could possibly have right there, and there was one question I should have asked you today, though, and I didn't. What would that question have been, and how do you answer it?

Speaker 2: 28:10

Oh, I forgot this was on the email. I was supposed to have an answer ready for this.

Speaker 1: 28:15

What question was it? Sometimes I leave it off and call it a mystery question, but what I find is people sit here for two minutes going, oh man. So I was like I got to lead them up. Let them know it's coming.

Speaker 2: 28:25

A question you should have asked.

Speaker 1: 28:32

I don't know if it's a question you should have asked, like returning to my business or my personal life or what it's a reflection of where you want to go.

Speaker 2: 28:39

A question you should have asked what's my motivation for my films?

Speaker 1: 28:44

That's a good one. I like that. What is my motivation?

Speaker 2: 28:48

for my films. That's a good one. I like that. What is it? What is your motivation? So this this next, this current one is called the Sign. It's about he's a drug deal, not a drug dealer, drug addict and alcoholic. He's living on the streets but he wants to change his life, so he's asking God to give him a sign. That's why it's called the Sign, and I tell the story about how he what happens in his life to make him change his life around. But it's based on a story of a guy named Tracy who was a crackhead back home who, um, I'm a preacher's kid, so I grew up in church. He came to church and, uh, he started getting in church and he completely changed his life around. I'm talking about like a real life crackhead. Like he ended up getting like a job, he ended up getting a car and then he ended up getting married to a lady at the church and I couldn't believe it. It was like the most unbelievable thing I ever seen. You feel me? So I was like and it gave me inspiration. I was like I can make that movie and maybe to help other people who's down know that they can change if they see my movie, just like.

Speaker 2: 29:45

My last one was called Be a Good Cheer. I had a friend of mine who his wife divorced him. He divorced her actually because he caught her cheating two times. On the second time he divorced her. But he called me one night thinking about suicide. He said he'd been thinking about killing himself a lot. You feel me. So I made a movie based off of that, but it has a good ending in it. I actually started that myself and I pretended I was going to kill myself over a divorce, but I didn't. I found comfort in the scriptures and I put the gun down in my movie and so people that saw that they were inspired. But it's really based off his life. You feel me so I think sometimes I just see stuff in the world or I hear a story that's so compelling I was like, yeah, I think I should turn that into a film.

Speaker 1: 30:27

Yeah, so I think that's powerful, I mean, yeah, really it is. And so thank you, by the way, for coming on today. Yeah, appreciate you for having me. Yeah, of course, shameless plug time for you.

Speaker 2: 30:43

Who should get a hold of you and how do they do that? Um, who should get a hold of me? Um, like, the tagline for my, uh, my photography and a videography company is a visual solutions for businesses and events. So, if you're a business owner and you would like a like a commercial, or you need a photo shoot, um, stuff like that, I really love doing business with other like business owners. Um, I do do business with rappers and models sometimes, but I prefer business clients. You know what I'm saying. I really liked that lane and if they want to get in contact, they may go on my website. Uh, it's wwwthecreativemaestrocom and it has all my contacts on there and it shows you what I've done and the journey and then you can get an idea of who I've worked with, who I'm connected with and, yeah, just thecreativemaestrocom.

Speaker 1: 31:29

You can find out all my info Awesome. Thank you so much for coming on today. No problem, no problem and listen. Everyone who made it at this point in the show listening watching, I appreciate you. If this is the first time here, I do hope it.