Dinner With The BigWigs

(http://frankielizabeth.com/project/executive-dinner-parties/)

I know what you're thinking. Man, Cam just had a 5-star meal with some top level executives where he probably ate duck with roasted mango salsa with a side of kobe beef washed down with the finest champagne imported from the southern coast of France. All of this is untrue despite the fancy picture I illegally obtained for this post (please don't tell on me). I did however have the opportunity to have dinner with co-founders Nathan Kahane and Joseph Drake of Good Universe the other night for their annual "intern night" and what an experience that was. The fictional 5-star meal was substituted with Mexican cuisine, and it should be noted that the Mexican food here in Los Angeles is at another level due to its proximity to Mexico, which more than sufficed. Their candid responses, positive attitudes, and humility were really what struck me about my dinner with the "big shots" of the industry.

First off, despite my big talk and occasional braggadocio, I had never been in the same room with two individuals who had the pedigree of the two men that sat in front of me prior to this summer. To make matters stranger, their entire purpose that night was just to answer our questions. We literally could ask these guys ANYTHING! That kind of opportunity only comes every once in a blue moon. In other words, it took everything within my being not to geek out like a fan girl who had just seen Adam Levine flash his abs. I kept it professional though and I asked questions about the marketability and viability of their business model and where they projected it being in the next five years. Yes, you should be very impressed. Without really being able to get into the specifics of all that was discussed that night, just know that I learned more in a few hours than I had learned in the 4 years it took me to get a college degree.

Something that really struck me about these two men was their very humble beginnings. Joseph Drake actually started as a mortgage broker and decided he wanted to join the "movie biz" due to a very random encounter with a client. He used his transferable skills to get into international distribution which eventually lead him to Lionsgate and the rest is history. Nathan Kahane got his start in the mail room at ICM, a talent and literary agency. After jumping around various production companies, a partnership between himself, Joseph, and Sam Raimi lead to the creation of Ghost House Productions; a very profitable production house specializing in the horror genre. Mind you, these are extremely abridged versions of these two fascinating men's lives but me sitting here typing about them will never do their stories justice.

I mentioned earlier that one of the most compelling things about this dinner was how candid they were with their responses. They could have easily sat there and had prepared answers ready for us similar to any pageant queen you've ever watched, but no, they chose instead to make it their goal to tell us the hard truths. On multiple occasions they mentioned the difficulty of breaking in as a writer and director, the element in luck required to be successful, and the sheer randomness inherent in everyone's path. They did not however ever give off the impression that it was impossible, in fact, I had never been as energized about my own journey into the industry until I sat down with these two men. If I am ever as successful as these two men I hope I will be able to tell my story and inspire someone as much as they inspired me.