Well Acting & Directing were high on my list of possible careers after I graduated from High School. Living in San Diego, I was only an hour an half from Hollywood but I didn’t have the courage to just get up a go live in a new town. So I enrolled in the local community college and got a part time job. I ended up dumping every class except theatre 101.
I meandered in and around San Diego for a couple of years, when one day, I found a flyer my photography teacher gave me in high school. It was for Brooks Institute of Photography and Motion Picture. I enrolled soon after. Brooks was a prestigious private school in Santa Barbara with another Campus in the Ventura/Ojai area. However, during the early 2000s it was taken over by an evil for profit corporation who jacked up tuition and attempted to sign up anyone and everyone with a pulse. They were sued and sold off again and finally closed their doors this year. But their Alumni remains strong and very active.
The official #poster for #guywhofartedintheelevator .@streamnowtv .@funnyordie pic.twitter.com/hbCXnu4uNN
— Mervyn Cole (@myassho) April 12, 2016
Nicolas Stich, an Editor and Camera Op who cut his teeth on Documentaries and Action Sports after graduating from Brooks, collaborated with me on my Web Series GUY WHO FARTED IN THE ELEVATOR!!. Without him, my shoestring fartfest probably wouldn’t have happened. Luckily, he wanted to venture into fiction, and what a better place to start than a story about some guy’s heroic battle with Irritable bowel syndrome!
Did you study what you do
I wanted to get better in front of the camera as well. In 2014, I joined an Actor’s Studio. Under training from Stuart Rogers and Michael Silver I figured out what makes a great actor…homework! A lot of it! Not just general research to build a character into someone real. But also the use of your own imagination to fill in any gaps. Everyone has heard of the term backstory. They really build upon that theory there.
Tell us about the work you have produced
We’ve been doing a lot of Sketch Comedy of late. But what’s currently online and available to consume is a video about Tinder Dating and the first couple episodes of GUY WHO FARTED IN THE ELEVATOR!!. The talented Actors in the Studio made it easy to cast that series. However, some took offense to my bizarre recruiting tactics, which included: late night phone calls, drunken texts, and strange spam like emails. If those didn’t sway them I’d hit them in class with spit wads and paper planes.
Do you take courses to improve your craft
I opted to go to UCB in Los Angeles. It’s like a little graduate school for comedy writers and performers. I’ve seen tailored stuff that you’d see on TV there, but also some crazy raw experimental stuff. Someday I’ll finish the courses. It’s definitely one of those places where you can hone your craft and meet some talented people.
How did you get into the film business
My roommate in college had already begun working in the biz as a lighting tech. He mentioned my name to a Assistant Director and the next day I got a call. It was for Production Assistant position on Mobb Deep/G-Unit/50 Cent/Nate Dogg music video in the Hollywood Hills. I was tasked with cleaning up the used condoms and blunt wrappers in the upstairs “green room”. Needless to say I didn’t do a great job doing that… and didn’t work for that production company again.
Explain your writing process
A whole lot of coffee, pacing, giggling and some farting.
What writing tip or idea can you give young writers
Well from what I learned from a well respected Producer in the biz is not to be afraid of rejection. That’s one problem that I struggled with when I was younger. I’d given up on a quite a few scripts because I felt the fear of being rejected. Rejection is a part of the business, even A-Listers get rejected. Get it read and get it critiqued. Check any ego at the door. Do a table read with some friends at wine night if you have to. Once it’s good enough to be presented to the major gate-keepers, be prepared to be rejected. Once a script is rejected by everyone keep it for nostalgic purposes and write a new one. However, keep in mind that if enough people think it’s amazing, you may want to consider finding independent financing and an ambitious director.
What is is like working in the Hollywood system
The Film business can be very rewarding depending on what you are doing. But there’s a lots of periods of unemployment.. I did development work, acting, assistant, production, and even some light editing. At one point I was Comedian Nick Swardson’s Stand-In and body double (if you see a sketch with a guy wearing a mask made out of pancakes, bacon, and eggs – that was me!) All were essentially temp positions. I decided to fill in the gaps by starting my own company and producing (super funny out of this world amazing) material.
What do you want to change about the film business
It’s already changing. A lot of new content is being produced by Youtube, Netflix, and Amazon. There’s a lot different avenues for distribution, and I think that’ll continue to grow. In addition to being on Youtube etc…I’ve been working with a startup called Stream Now Pro for over a year.
What do you want to be remembered for
Farting.
INTERVIEWS
more interviews
