Wanna' read along? Here’s a machine-generated transcript you can use. Yes...expect a few mistakes, especially with funky industry terms, interesting names and tagging whoever's talking. If something sounds weird, trust your ears. But...sometimes that really is what we said!
Announcer: Welcome to Producing Unscripted with Joke and Biagio.
Angry Man: Is this some kind of joke?
Confused Woman: Biagio-WHO???
Biagio: Is in this episode? It’s episode 111 and we have some producing unscripted holiday treats just for you. Today’s stocking stuffers include a crucial piece of advice about how to be successful in the industry, the dos and don’ts of celebrating the holidays in Hollywood. What to do if you’re bored this Christmas break, and a quick 2018 wrap up just in time for the new year. Plus, joke reveals one big secret. Oh, you’re breaking that right here.
Joke: Oh, shoot. Am I not supposed to?
Biagio: Who cares? Music courtesy Dave Pelman. Music Dave Pelman.com. Hey, everybody. She’s Joke, he’s Biagio. We’re married. We make unscripted film and television and want to help you do the same.
Joke: Hopefully by teaming up with us.
Biagio: Well, hello. It’s been. It’s been a minute. It’s been a minute. Usually we try to do one a month, but it’s been about six weeks this time since our last podcast app.
Joke: Oh, let’s just say it’s been since October. We skipped November.
Biagio: We did. We skipped November. Oh that’s right. Yeah, we missed November. So we were unfortunately in production on a lot a lot of things in production and in post at the same time. So we got a little busy. And like I’ve often warned in this podcast, sometimes we just won’t be able to record, but it’s coming up on the end of the year, and we thought this would be a great time to put together a quick tips episode, which we’re calling holidays Stocking Stuffers.
Joke: Random Thoughts, the end of the year.
Biagio: Random thoughts, and the year. Not completely random. I mean, it’s not like I’m not going to talk about like, household cleaning tips, like this is all stuff related to the industry, but and stuff that normally wouldn’t fit into an entire episode. So we thought, hey, let’s pull together a few of these and hopefully he can give you some good nuggets you can take away. So I think the first stocking stuffer we want to discuss is something we like to call gratitude, not attitude.
Joke: It’s something that we often have to remind ourselves of to.
Biagio: 100%.
Joke: Oftentimes in this business, it’s very easy to get caught up in the drama or the stresses that come with production in terms of deadlines or notes or everything. And it’s just it’s a good reminder to be like, look, we get to make television. So we have to come back to that gratitude first and foremost. And yes, it’s a nice holiday spirit kind of thing, but but it’s really a year round practice and we all work hard in this industry. And so we all practice more gratitude than maybe there’ll be less attitude all around.
Biagio: 100%. And listen. The fact of the matter is, I don’t believe in the whole. Some generations are more this the more that people are people, and some people appreciate opportunity and some people sort of expect it, they feel entitled to it. If there’s one place where entitlement doesn’t usually work, it’s Hollywood. You really have to work hard and earn your place. If anybody is going to respect you, and people that are new to the business sometimes get really mad that it’s so hard to break in. Well, it’s hard to break in. It is. It’s Hollywood. This is it’s tough. It’s tough for us. It’s tough for everybody. It’s tough to break in. It’s tough to keep going. It’s growing. Attitude isn’t going to help.
Joke: Yeah. It’s just funny because it reminds me of when we first started out. We were taking class at UCLA extension from a network executive. He was doing like a weekend class, you know, just giving back to the community, which was amazing. And in it towards the end, I said, oh, we have a whole pitch ready and I’m ready to pitch it to you. And he’s like, yeah, it just doesn’t work that way. And I was like, why not? I know I can make the whole show. And he was like, yeah, it doesn’t work that way. You have to work your way up. And it’s frustrating when you’re starting out a lot of times because you’re like, well, I know I could do it. But the truth of the matter is that it’s still a business and there are often millions of dollars on the line. And so it might feel sucky and you might know that you have what it takes. But what we’ve learned, having to come up our own way is that, yeah, you actually do learn a lot of things, you know, climbing up the ladder instead of skipping a bunch of rungs. So there’s a point to it and it works. And I think if there’s one thing that makes me sad about the industry is that a lot of that apprenticeship is gone because it’s a freelance business and people move around so much, and there’s just not a lot of relationships where you really can learn from a mentor and apprentice under them and keep going. A lot of times people are just, well, I’m going to go take this job over here or that job over there, and vice versa. There’s a lot of people in our position who don’t necessarily take the time to mentor somebody at this holiday season. I think it’s a good reminder for all of us that it gets hard in this business, and we kind of just want to jump to the end and get there. Sometimes we just want to be done with a shoot for the day, or we want to be done with a with an episode and finally get it locked. But just to remember that, hey man, we’re making television.
Biagio: So that’s right. And that’s why I feel like gratitude and that attitude. I mean, we’re working in one of the most fun businesses on the face of the Earth. Yes, it’s really difficult to get through one way to stay sane. And I always tell people, this is every single time you develop a new project, learn something new on it. I still do that. I learn a new After Effects plug in or a new cinema 4D tip, or learn some new Premier shortcuts to speed up my editing workflow. It makes every new project you do a little bit more satisfying, and it helps you feel like you’re progressing. Even if it seems like your career is not progressing. You are growing as a person and you’re becoming more valuable every day. All right, so that brings us to Stocking Stuffer number two.
Unidentified Voice: Oh.
Joke: Holidays in the Hollywood.
Unidentified Voice: Hey.
Biagio: Holiday cheer.
Joke: Holidays in Hollywood get to be it’s feast or famine often. You know, a lot of shows are down in production. Some of them obviously are not. And so if you are in production during the holidays, it gets to be very hectic and crazy because all you want to do is think about Christmas shopping and get into the holiday spirit. But you’re spending long nights working on cuts and trying to get out cuts and notes, or trying to plan shoots in a town that now is completely decorated like Christmas. But you need it to be March in Idaho, you know? So it’s just there’s a lot of that stuff. And holidays can be hard when shows go down because you have that time off and you’re like, wow, I could really use a paycheck right now because it’s Christmas and I need to buy gifts. So there’s a little peace and famine going on with that. Usually. I think it’s good to know that between Christmas and New Year, if there aren’t airdates to be met, obviously some shows still have to go on air, so those people are working, but if they’re not air dates to be met that are happening either between Christmas and New Year or early January, most shows go down between Christmas and New Year, so just know that that’s what you won’t be working. And from a development standpoint, everything pretty much slows down around Thanksgiving. So not a lot of shows get bought at the end of the year just because their budgets are usually already spent for the year and or they get bigger coffers available in January. January is a big pitching month, so sometimes even if you pitch between things giving them Christmas, they don’t want to make decisions until they see what else is on the market in January. So it’s a bit of a of a give and take again. But the good news is holidays in Hollywood usually have holiday parties.
Biagio: That’s right. You can get some of the best holiday parties. Even the smaller ones are a lot of fun and it’s a good time to socialize. I think if I can offer one tip to those of you who like me, or maybe from the Midwest, or a place where family has really high expectations of you at the holidays, communicate. If you’re working during the holidays, you know you’re going to be working during the holidays. Reach out to your family and be like, listen, just so you know, I’m not going to be around. I’m going to be working long hours. It’s going to be crazy. I want you to know I’m not forgetting about you. I’m just working. I’ve done this some years and it’s worked great. The years I didn’t do it. People seem to upset with me. So I think just communicating with those close to you and saying, listen, I got to work through the holidays, please give me a little space and understanding can go a long way to make people feel like you’re not just ignoring them. Again, maybe this is a very Cleveland thing. Where I’m from, family is very good at making you feel guilty in my hometown, but so I just I would leave you with that thought on the on the holidays in Hollywood.
Joke: But in terms of people in town, it’s just about socializing. You know, it’s reaching out saying, hey, thinking about you this time of year. Hope all is well. Best wishes for the new year. If you’re networking, you want to start working with somebody or even reaching out to older contacts that you did shows with a year ago, two years ago. It’s always a great time to reach out. And sometimes there’s this awkward thing about gift giving in the office. I think that’s completely not necessary, and very personal and subjective to each relationship that you have. Obviously, some offices do, maybe white elephant parties and that kind of stuff, but other than that, I think it’s just being nice and kind and having kind word to say to people and maybe a thoughtful card of with something that you learned from them, something that you’re grateful for, that they’ve taught you or that you’re looking forward to. But yeah, that’s kind of holidays in Hollywood. It’s a good time. It’s a it’s a weird time often, but.
Biagio: It’s a time to show gratitude, not attitude. There you go.
Unidentified Voice: All right, all right.
Biagio: So that brings us to Stocking stuffer number three.
Unidentified Voice: Oh oh.
Joke: This is homework. We’re calling this one Seasonal Studies.
Biagio: Oh, that sounds so studious.
Joke: So studious. You know, that’s me. Very studious. If you do have time off, either because you’re not in production on anything or just because the show’s shut down over the holidays, or just because you know you’re at home with friends and family taking, taking in much needed break, it’s a good time to kind of study up on things. A lot of times we get really busy and we forget what’s out there. Again, this is just as much a thought for you guys as it is for us to incorporate in our life, but it’s a great time to catch up on documentaries on shows that are out there. And I would say a couple of advice. One is obviously try to get a look at some of the award contenders, especially in docs. The reason they usually get nominated is maybe an interesting topic, but also a lot of times they’re from filmmakers that are really pushing the documentary boundaries. So it’s a good thing to go look at and get inspired by. In terms of the TV shows and Netflix and the Hulu’s and Amazons of the world, it’s so easy to start bingeing, especially when you find something you really love. I would say in their seasonal studies tip, I would say sample, not binge. Try to use this time to to get as much information as you can, rather than just go down the rabbit hole of one show.
Biagio: Yeah, it’s fun to binge a show, but especially in this business, you need to have an idea of what everybody’s doing. And there’s a thousand different kinds of shows. All of them are being made at different places, and your understanding of those shows will only help you be more successful later on. What’s also great about the end of the year, when you’re trying to make your study plan, is that you know, all these great top ten lists come out, you know the ten best documentaries, the ten best movies, the ten best TV shows, spend a little time googling those and figure out which ones you missed. Because now we’ve had a year where people have really sort of galvanized around certain projects, and so those are good ones to look at.
Joke: That’s a great idea. Thank you. And so the last part of that is, as you’re studying one ticket in as an audience member and figure out, like does it move you? Are you excited? Do you actually want to binge this? But also don’t forget that you’re watching it as a producer. And so you’re looking for storytelling. You’re looking for style. Are there interesting ways that the story is being told through style? Is someone trying new things, and is it a technique or something that you might want to try on your next project? Is it something that inspires you on a whole different kind of project? So don’t just watch it as an audience member. Also, remember you’re a producer who are completing their seasonal studies.
Biagio: There you go. So I think that brings us to the end of the episode, right? Joke?
Joke: It sure does. I think we’re super excited. 2018 was a very interesting year. Had some ups and downs. I mean, you know, obviously I would say the biggest highlight being we caught a serial killer. And by we, I mean our friends in law enforcement caught a serial killer.
Biagio: We just happened to be there with cameras.
Joke: But we were the cheerleaders on the sidelines who were super excited and looking ahead to 2019. We’re happy to announce that there will be not a one hour, but a two hour follow up.
Unidentified Voice: Oh, you’re.
Biagio: Breaking that right here.
Joke: Oh, shoot. Am I not supposed to?
Unidentified Voice: Who cares? Hey, you guys got it first, it’s gonna be a two hour, okay?
Joke: Don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.
Unidentified Voice: Our secret?
Joke: We’ll do a two hour follow up to the unmasking. A killer Golden State killer saga. And then we have another show coming out that we’re deep in post on right now, probably first or second quarter of next year, which will tell you about next year. But yeah, super excited for 2019. There’s some people who’ve had great years, so some people have had not so great years. So I think, you know, depending on which side of the line you fall on, I would say happy holidays and look forward to what’s coming.
Biagio: Yeah. And listen, as always, you know, part of the reason we do this podcast is we love to meet new filmmakers and producers. We have the producing unscripted portal where, if you’d like, you can go ahead and pitch us your concepts. Please don’t pitch ideas if you don’t know what I mean, go back and listen to any one of about the last hundred podcasts. But just to give you an idea for these two series that we’re doing right now, both the initial concept for both came from producers who came in the pitch us, and then we then developed it with them, created pitch materials, and got the show set up. So why not you next, especially at this holiday season? I think that would be great if we could, if we could offer you the gift of like, hey, your first producing credit, that would make me so happy.
Joke: Why not? Let’s do it.
Biagio: Why not? And if you think we’re really annoying and you don’t want to pitch to us, that’s fine too. Just enjoy all this information and use it to launch your career. And we wish you nothing but success. So we’ll be back in January.
Unidentified Voice: Probably the end of January with.
Biagio: Our next episode. And until then, just very, very happy holidays to all of you. Speaking of gratitude and that attitude, we’re very grateful to each and every one of you who takes the time to listen to these episodes and who has reached out to let us know you like what we’re doing. It’s the only reason why we’ve been able to keep going for five years.
Unidentified Voice: So thank you. Five years.
Biagio: Five years. I know joked thought we’d never get past episode six.
Joke: Well, you made me record eight at the beginning.
Biagio: So you knew we’d get.
Unidentified Voice: Past it.
Biagio: I didn’t, I didn’t.
Joke: Know we would make it to 1616.
Biagio: Yes. And thanks to all of you for making us new and noteworthy across all of iTunes, because that definitely helped to inspire us to keep going.
Joke: So thank you guys so much. Happy, happy holidays and we’ll see you in the New Year.
Biagio: Happy new year. Producing unscripted.
Unidentified Voice: Joke and Biagio.
