Jared Callahan (indie filmmaker)

Jared Callahan is an Emmy nominated independent director and producer.  His latest film “Clean Slate” is about two people in drug recovery trying to make a short film. We discuss drug addiction, obstacles in filmmaking, upcoming projects and more! 

00:00 - Intro 
00:34 - New Film "Clean Slate" 
03:38 - Ryan Leaf  & Spiraling for Addicts 
05:58 - Global Problem of Addiction 
07:43 - Updates with Subjects of Movie 
10:12 - Jared's Path to Filmmaking 
11:35 - Persevering Through Rejection 
14:25 - Famous People Vs. Interesting Subjects 
16:15 - Financing for Movies & Producing 
20:32 - Entering Films in Festivals  
22:10 - Growing Body of Work 
22:53 - Time Spent For Films 
23:53 - Influential Movies 
24:40 - Birds in Massachusetts & Upcoming Films 
25:50 - Awards & Other Films 
26:52 - Artistic Integrity & Jack White 
29:10 - People People Media 
30:00 - Outro 

Jared Callahan website:
https://www.jaredcallahan.com/

People People Media website:
https://www.peoplepeoplemedia.com/

Chuck Shute website:
http://chuckshute.com/

Transcript

Chuck Shute: 0:00

All right, we're mixing it up a bit. Today we have independent filmmaker Jared Callahan on the program, and he's here promote his new film, clean slate, which is about two guys in rehab trying to make a movie. And we're going to discuss that movie plus Jarrett's own journey into filmmaking, getting movies made and some of the obstacles he faces in doing that. All this and more coming right up. Okay, well, yeah, welcome to the show. How are things going?

Jared Callahan: 0:36

I'm doing well, I'm excited for the film to come out.

Chuck Shute: 0:39

Is it? So? Is it not technically been released anywhere? Or just film festivals? Or what's the story? Yeah, we

Jared Callahan: 0:45

did a year of film festivals, and then it's doing unlimited theatrical run this week. And then it comes out on December 2, on video on demand,

Chuck Shute: 0:53

on video, okay, and there'll be like Netflix or Yeah, no, I,

Jared Callahan: 0:56

they a distributor is still getting to me all the places that it got picked up. But no, I'm assuming it's the places where you start by paying for it or renting it directly. So I'm sure it's Apple to be all the ones I don't know that they exist.

Chuck Shute: 1:09

Okay, so it's been getting a pretty good response. Yeah, it's been really

Jared Callahan: 1:13

fun to show this film. As it's played, we did a lot of test screening, because it deals with sensitive subject of recovery, the addiction and road to recovery. And so we did a lot of test screening. And the audience response was amazing. Like, there were people who watch the film. And one of the ladies said, um, my brother has dealt with addiction for the last decade, and our family cut him out of our lives. But now I realize what he goes through, and what his head is doing, and I want to forgive him. And I'm gonna show my parents because I think we can reconcile our family. And I was just like, oh, okay, it was just a kind of crying. So as a person who spent five years making a movie, that was the best compliment you could ever be given from someone who saw the film. So yeah, people, this is a laugh, cry, laugh kind of movie. It's a movie with heart.

Chuck Shute: 1:57

Yeah, so the movie is called clean slate. And it's basically a movie about a movie in a way because it's about these two guys that are trying to make a short film on the fence, which you also co directed. And that's kind of giving them a kind of a purpose, I guess, to kind of help them get off drugs and stay clean.

Jared Callahan: 2:15

That's exactly right. Um, we, I was working with guys at a recovery center, there to mentor them to help them with learning how to write a script and make a movie. And originally, they wanted to try and make a feature film there, which is a lot of work, there's so much work, and slowly, the recovery center shape shifted them into maybe you should try a short film first. And even as we started making it, I realized, Oh, my goodness, this is going to be such an undertaking, especially in the world of recovery. So I realized I could make a movie about them trying to make the movie. And then without any spoilers as the movie continues through the process of trying to make it, things transpire. That meant I ended up helping and co director as well. So it is definitely a movie within a movie. So if you love movies, it is the best. It is the best to watch people struggle through making art. And I realized that people who love the film are people in recovery, or people that they love that have dealt with it, which is in some ways, all of us, but it's people who make things. Because if you've dealt with the process of making art and the inner turmoil and feeling like you're giving birth, every time you try and put your heart or your vulnerability into the world, imagine that combined with making the short film or the art, about the trauma that you've dealt with in your life through your life decisions and the things that have happened to you because of your addiction. And it is it's raw. It's a raw film.

Chuck Shute: 3:38

Yeah. I mean, it's like the one character Cassidy. I mean, I guess, would you call a character mean, he's a real guy. So yeah, object, that's a better um, so he's trying to get a job at one point. I mean, he's talking about like, I mean, he's so dope. I was like, He's talking about like Taco Bell delivery driver. He's talking about working in the movie movie studio, but cleaning toilets. It kind of reminds me, I don't know if you're familiar with Ryan leaf, a Washington State quarterback. And he was like, yeah, he's like one of the biggest draft busts of all time. And he's the first to tell you that but like he went through so much. He was in prison, he had a pain, pill addiction, and they go to prison. And then he got a job like driving a van for like a rehab thing. And I just remember him talking about how grateful he was to have that job just driving a van. It gave him a sense of purpose. And he worked so hard, and it was like this amazing thing. So it's like sometimes you got to start from scratch and then work your way back up. And I think Cassidy eventually gets the job as an electrician, right? Is brutal

Jared Callahan: 4:35

to watch because he You can't let anything beat you up so bad to where it spins your brain. You could hear his self talk. He filmed himself in the movie a couple times. And he just spirals so you can see the spiral start to happen, right like, Man and just the other subject says it one time, man, if I just had something in front of me, I would do it. And he's like shopping in Costco and he just like he's doing so bad or his brain hurts so bad that he would do it and I just think that in so to stay from that low they tell themselves are Cassie is trying to get a job. He's like, Oh, well now it's Chick fil A now it's Taco Bell now he gets positive and really excited. But then every time something doesn't happen in so I feel like a lot of us do emotional like things happen and we change and we flex. But sometimes you watch them do these like really violent, happy, sad, happy, sad, sad. And it was really hard. I mean, it's exhausting to make the film. But even more so it just really I hope through people watching the film, it gives me empathy for people who that's what your brain does to you. That's the emotional roller coaster you're on all the time. So yeah, it was a lot and Cassie worked. They work really hard. They work really hard and dedicate themselves to staying healthy and staying sober. And then also doing all the other things in life. That is hard. Anyway, right? Like, it's hard for us anyway. So

Chuck Shute: 5:52

Right? No, definitely. It's like, it's just how many people are you think are suffering from this kind of addiction?

Jared Callahan: 6:00

Yeah, the numbers vary. But well, the latest that we saw was that 23 point 5 million Americans identify as having an addiction, which is so many people. And then the AAA na numbers vary to but that somewhere close to that amount of people meet weekly to work on their recovery meeting, a meeting and AAA or na meeting. So that is so many people we've seen, we've come to the saying of everyone knows someone who is in recovery or who should be. As we have showed this film, everybody is oh, it's I mean, sometimes it's my son, my daughter, my brother, my parent. And then if not that it's a cousin, or a best friend. And it's someone who's still very much care about or Endor or family with who have once you have this in your life. It's a lifetime struggle, journey. That's why we stopped saying the road to recovery. It's not an end date. It's the road of recovery. It's a road that you're on for the rest of your life.

Chuck Shute: 6:55

Hmm, well, yeah, I think Cassie, he got into it. I can't remember this was initially what happened. But he got in a car accident. And then they gave him pain pills. Like that's so common. It seems to be the new thing where they're giving these pain pills. And then people get really addicted. And you don't know if you have the brain chemistry where you're beginning to become addicted or not.

Jared Callahan: 7:14

Totally. Yeah. And so me I've been a different injuries, right broken wrist or surgery and stuff. And they prescribed that stuff. And you have no idea. I don't know why I didn't click because it's just your right brain brain chemistry. But what if I had never gotten off? And yeah, he was in a life threatening people died in the car accident. It was it was absolutely brutal and life altering anyway. And then to come back and then have your spiral just kind of go immediately down. It was so so brutal. Yeah.

Chuck Shute: 7:42

Is that? Did he have brain damage? Or because he just seems a little bit off in the film. Is that from the drugs? Or?

Jared Callahan: 7:50

Yeah, I think through the course of I would speak to anybody. We had to cast the story to tell and he did a lot in the movie. But since journeying with him and Josh since then, I think Cassidy had he says what's in the film. So it's not out of line. But I think he's he was trying to figure out what it meant to be medicated for bipolar. And being suffering through the bipolar disorder, while also trying to stay sober was hard, because sometimes the medicine that helped his bipolar the most was also addictive substances. So for them to be regulated by the recovery center, but then also, that is a hard tightrope to stay on. So yeah, yeah, definitely. You see, it's the man it gets the ups and downs also comes from,

Chuck Shute: 8:33

yeah. Is it now you said you have updates on the two guys on your website? How are they doing now? Do we have a current update?

Jared Callahan: 8:40

Yeah, I don't want to say anything. You guys. You definitely if you're watching this should see the movie. Josh is doing great. Josh is has a wife and they are pregnant. They're going to have a baby next early next year. And they have two dogs, and they're doing great. It's so wonderful. Cassidy ups and downs is currently at another Recovery Center. Is that a Recovery Center working on sobriety? So I think I've learned Cassidy came out and live. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area, lived with us. He was supposed to be for a month. And then he literally came March 2020. And COVID shut everything down. So he stayed out here for basically a year. And that also was hard and COVID was hard on everybody. So we've seen the ups and downs up close and personal while we're living with and neighbors with Cassidy out here. So I think it really helps Cassie to be in a place where they structure his life in a way that he can thrive at all the things he does and storytelling and writing. He's always sending us poems and song lyrics and movie ideas. And he's still he's making movies right now. But it's helpful when a place can help regulate the medicine and stuff as well.

Chuck Shute: 9:48

Okay, so he was you said he was living with you or next door to

Jared Callahan: 9:51

you? Yeah, well, I live at a 95 acre farm where artists come and say and do residencies for three days or three months or a year. And so he came from a month to live and mixed up with us that we have a farm house that was like 12 bedrooms. And then when then it turned into a long term thing, then he rented apartment in that in the neighborhood.

Chuck Shute: 10:11

Okay, yeah, cuz your background is kind of interesting yourself like you started out and you're a pastor at one point, right? And then you left, you're kind of making movies on the side. And then you decided you're gonna make the jump to be a filmmaker full time. How did you decide to make that decision? That's a big decision.

Jared Callahan: 10:27

I can't always be in a movie maker, you know, started in high school, making skateboard movies and loved it. And when I came to college, I studied media communication in production, and made movies with my friends. But the job I got offered was mentoring high school students. And I did it for a decade, it was great. And I had the most flexible church job ever, where they let me go and film and do whatever I want. So multiple times, I go in and film for a month on a feature film, or work with my friends, and a very talented friend group who makes movies that you've all seen. And then I moved to Atlanta with my spouse who is doing a master's degree. And that break kind of gave me the allowance to pivot from mentoring teenagers to doing film full time. So I started a company called people, people media in 2014. So I'm going on eight years of full time filmmaking has been great. I'm so glad for a spending a decade investing in people. You can't go wrong, mentoring people. But also, so many of the films that I made came out of those relationships, people I knew or the way that life goes, you just know people really well. And multiple of the films that I made starting out came from relationships that started from that work.

Chuck Shute: 11:33

Yeah, I read about it was written about that foundation on your website. And it said that you kind of struggled as an artist, and you persevered through rejection. So tell me about that rejection. I'm just curious, like, was there a lot of it was a lot of hardships to get some of these movies made? Because aren't they mostly made independently? Or

Jared Callahan: 11:50

that could be hours of conversation alone? I love it as a great question. Anybody who makes things, it struggles making them alone. But the new biggest hurdle that many of us face is getting eyeballs, getting yours getting people to see it, right? I mean, make a podcast same, it's like, you make the podcasts you do the same work, it'd be great if 20 million people listen to this podcast, but you did the same work, in essence. And I feel that way about art. Sometimes if you can make the best movie ever. I can make it today on a clone, right? That's great. But the hurdle, then it's not just that you made the great piece of work or the vulnerable or the honest story. It's that how do people know about it? How do they see it? And I've been told multiple times, like we love your movie, but you're not famous and your subjects aren't famous. So what's next? And I've been told that after working on a movie for five years, or my last film was one that was in my life for 14 years. And it deals with a friend who passed away and it's really it's a great movie, but jazz motion really? Yeah, it's called sometimes I shake. It's on Vimeo. Now. It got us a call IT person who made an Oscar winning movie, which was great. And they right away said great. Dan's not famous, you're not famous, but I love the story. What's next? And I was like, Oh my gosh, I just worked on a movie for 14 three pieces of 14 years. And all it got me was the 20 minute conversation with the person about what was next because they wanted an idea that they could sell that had someone famous cast in it, because that's how you make money on a movie. So it's discouraging. It sounds discouraging, because it is in some ways, but I want to make movies that are honest, that that speak to the human hurdles, the elements that we face that speak to what I'm learning and growing a lot of my films are us they've been documentary to this point, or me trying to spend time with subjects that are different than me that have different experiences or different perspectives and then I'm there to film and reflect to them back to the themselves and out to the world like who they are and the most true versions of who they are. So yeah, it's letting me get to great corners of learning a lot but you are right it is so hard to make things and film. You're not I'm not tour you're not a person working by yourself. You're not a musician playing a guitar, nobody hears it, or a painter right did my thing and you see how good I am. Filmmaking is so collaborative and so many people and take so much time, like I've made a couple of weeks almost by myself. But then when you make the credits and find when people actually worked on it, it's hundreds hundreds people played music in the score or color did or did the sound design or the mix or made the poster to the trailer. It's so so so many people. It's exhausting to make art but it's the only life I know.

Chuck Shute: 14:22

Yes, that's interesting, though, that they would say you have to have a famous person because a lot of the best documentaries are just it's a it's an interesting topic and not necessarily many of us documentaries don't have any famous people in them but it's such an interesting topic that it pulls you in.

Jared Callahan: 14:39

Yep, they have their it's funny to get em we're doing narrative stuff now and writing scripts and trying to make movies in that lane as well. It works for both because for documentaries, they would rather you'd be making your movie about someone who's dealing with an addiction that is Ryan leaf than my people right because then you have a subject that's known and has an entity and has a following. Sure, or someone who's already in a foundation or someone who already has notoriety or someone who's already famous in a circle. Yeah, that's it's kind of both. There are amazing stories that are investigative, there's so many different kinds of documentaries to like investigative journalism style movies that are exposing injustice are like, that stuff is amazing. And that's wonderful. And you're right, it can, it can persevere any small hurdles. But also, then they're looking at elements that we can't even explain about who and why and the time and where does this sell? And who's interested? And is this a CNN doc? Or is that a, who's the company that would fund it, right? Like, you still don't make those moves, no money upfront. So someone took a chance. And then you're talking about grants? And are you a filmmaker with an idea and a pitch packet and your previous work that you've made that you can go get that grant money in advance to pay for your ticket, and your lodging, and your food and your equipment and your camera people to go make the movie? Like, it's just, there's so many hurdles, and so much work? That really I've stopped critiquing movies, because any movie that gets made that you watch is is a miniature miracle. So the fact that some of them are good or transformative is like a double miracle, you know? So it's made me kinder to people who are making making films at all.

Chuck Shute: 16:15

So how do you get financing now? Do you do like Kickstarter and stuff like that? Or do you have these, you have production companies that that are just smaller?

Jared Callahan: 16:24

Yeah, every film is different. Grants is the best money because it's free, you don't owe people anything back other than making the movie, then private investors are great. That's a lot of hours as you find people who are willing to do it on an investment. And there's a whole investment, package and strategy for how money comes back or hopes to come back. I started a company with people people Media Foundation, we started doing things like hosting artists and residents. We had one last week fly in from Canada, and did 10 days writing a script and doing a test read and workshopping and learn how to pitch and I coached them. So they paid to stay that helps fund what we do. And then we do jobs, I help people who are young filmmakers get jobs where they've got to level up and work hard, but they get paid jobs. And that money that comes in helps fund our films as well. So every film is different. Also, those meetings, we've been in some really cool meetings. And right now we're designing pitches and making phone calls to partner with organizations who would want to help their film get made. So like, we bought the rights to a really cool novella called birds of Massachusetts. And it's available and you can find it online. It's so good birds of Massachusetts. And we have an option that we signed to make the film. And we have written a script at our company, and with CO written with the author, Steven Kennedy. And right now, today, we're calling with pitch packets to find Alzheimer's organizations, because there's an Alzheimer's team in the movie that would want to co sponsor the film and connect us with donors that would help a story that they also care about coming into the world to get made, and would help fund the film. So you got to be creative. There's also art in funding, unless you've got a rich uncle who's a dentist who just wants to fund your film. You it's a it's a hustle all the way you know, so yeah,

Chuck Shute: 18:06

you don't have somebody else that's that's producing, you're doing all this stuff, you're having to find the funding and producing and directing and writing and,

Jared Callahan: 18:13

and when you say like that, it sounds exhausting. I can, I can do a lot of things. I everybody I feel like is told like oh, you need to be a writer, director, writer, director. And that's not the case. I feel like if you can do and try everything, and then find the thing that you love doing. Go do that. So I have found that I think I'm naturally built to be a producer. My brain can can handle both the art side of it, but the logistics side of coordinating days and shoots and schedules and people and kind of like moving a small army to create something that protects the people are 100% art to make their art. But no, we've got people on everything. I mean, for a clean slate. There are a couple of executive producers, Jennifer Pelling, who's amazing and has films, playing at famous film festivals coming to you soon. And then also Alex Lehmann, who he did meet cute with Pete devincent Davidson and Kelly Cuoco he did Blue Jay with Jay Do or Mark Duplass and Sarah Paulson. He's amazing. He's in a lot of great movies. But he executive produced this film. So that helps open doors and get to meetings at places like HBO, they are fantastic. But also I appreciate both of their hustle and their drive and their hard notes. Their story notes on the film was just invaluable. So yeah, it's all relational. It's all it's all. It's all relational. It's all it takes time. And people know who you are. If you keep doing work, and you're not the kind of person people want to work with, then you're not going to they're not going to answer your call or email the next time right so I think it's the long game when we get denied the US about denial. It's so much denial filmmaking is so much getting told no, you're not famous. Next project. No, this film doesn't fit in our film festival. No, we don't want to buy your film. That's fine. It's just like I honestly reply to some time. seems to those as like no problem. Understand that you have a great but difficult job. And I hope to send you another film in a couple of years. Like, and they always I'm sure get chewed out or, you know, not the best interactions. I know. Programmers and content, distribution people are always edified by or honored by when I can say you do a great job. Thanks. I understand like, it's not film is for every festival and every time and you've got to accept that if you're going to do the long work of making movies for decades.

Chuck Shute: 20:30

So we'd like clean slate, like what would be the ceiling for that so that people are saying there's no famous people in it. But if it gets entered into some of these festivals, could it win some awards? And then that gets some eyeballs on it?

Jared Callahan: 20:42

Yeah, I think it depends on well, all the festivals have tiers, right? So if it gets into a tier one festival that has the industry show up to do this distribution, but that's like five festivals in, you know, but that would not move the needle, right? That's great. And I've had great conversations with programmers at some of those festivals and have made the final list. But when you look at what your film is competing against to get into those places, and then realize that a lot of those films, have celebrities, celebrities attached, and or have already signed with companies that help get them in. That's what I think I think we were taught as filmmakers, like if you make a film good enough, or it's on your iPhone, it can get in and do all those things. And that's not necessarily how it works. There's just systems and their systems that are rightfully curating, and shaping and molding content into the best it can be. But it means that if you're not coming through the right grants, or artists Support Foundation programs, then you're not going to get watched the same way as some of those films. So it's not so again, sounds negative, it's not I I've applied to all those grants, I've applied to the Sundance Labs, I've applied to the IFC things, you just keep doing it, but I'm not going to wait until someone else says yes, for me to make my new movie, I'm gonna shoot the shot. And then if you miss or you strike out whatever metaphor you want to use, then I keep making the movie and

Chuck Shute: 22:02

it froze up a little bit. Hello? Oh. Oh, yeah. Can you hear? Yep. Yeah, so no, I see what you're saying though. It's just so you just keep going. And that's just part of the process. You feel like you've you've grown as a filmmaker, because I think you started in what, like 2012, or something, some of your first movies that have come out?

Jared Callahan: 22:23

Oh, totally, you can see it, I think I've worked long enough now to have a body of work that I can look back at and see both my my style, the things I'm drawn to, but also the lessons I've learned and the through line and a lot of the movies and lacking clean slate. One of them is I really care about people who make things and are vulnerable. So most of the movies have a real vulnerable subject at a key point in their life, but they're willing to share with us what's going on. And I think that makes for a really interesting documentary.

Chuck Shute: 22:51

Yeah. And then you said, Did you say five? It was five years to make that clean slate like you just kept following these subjects? Like how much time do you spend filming them, though?

Jared Callahan: 23:01

We filmed in 2016 Most of the film over the summer. And we did some reshoot dates. So I mean, oh, all told, we probably filmed like, multiple months for this movie.

Chuck Shute: 23:12

Okay, is that pretty common for most documentaries of that type?

Jared Callahan: 23:17

Totally depends. I mean, some of the movies are I went to a fantastic movie that came out a couple years ago is called boy state. And they film a bunch of high school guys that go to a political reenactment camp for a week. They filmed for a week. So they did a lot of research. And they filmed in advance, and they did interviews with the guys in their homes. But they had a full teams falling multiple characters for a week. That's just a really intense week, but then they edit it for you know, you can edit for years to get to the final movie. So it totally depends on and then I know other films that have followed for, you know, a decade or longer with a person. So yeah, totally depends on the film.

Chuck Shute: 23:52

Now, what are some of your favorite movies? What is What are the things like a documentary? What other ones would you recommend that have influenced you?

Jared Callahan: 24:00

Um, the movie that I think influenced Clean Slate a lot is called American movie. And it's a documentary about one guy, two guys. And it's probably 25 years old, that we're trying to make an independent, like horror film. And it's back on there filming on film. And there's such interesting people in there filming I think in Michigan, they're filming somewhere in the snow. And they are just great characters who are honest, who are struggling to make art and I need to rewatch that movie, because I think it really influences this film. I think it's probably my favorite documentary ever made.

Chuck Shute: 24:35

Okay, cool. And then so you said that you have a new movie coming out? What was it called birds of Massachusetts?

Jared Callahan: 24:41

Oh, yeah, it's in development. Yeah, but it's great. Now you can read the book. And yeah, the book exists. It's a novella online called birds birds in Massachusetts by Kennedy, but it's a it's a great read. Now it's just the pitch. We've got a 20 page pitch packet and a 90 page script. And the pitch packet has, you know, the budget and the flow rows in the casting list and the team is all in there. But by you reading it, you get the vibe of what the movie would feel like. So as we reach out to get grants or get team members involved or cast or funding, people know what they're going to make you get the feel of the movie. So yeah, that's

Chuck Shute: 25:18

it. Is there anything else any other projects that you have coming out

Jared Callahan: 25:20

things to watch of ours that we've done that you could still see, sometimes I shake is on Vimeo right now. So vimeo.com and type in sometimes I shake, and that's great. And then our website, people, people, media, people, people media.com If you click on films It has everything has links to everything, a lot of our short films are on there. My favorite short that I've ever been a part of, I think is called saltwater baptism. It was on the New York Times op doc, and is great. So it's on the New York Times website, but it's called saltwater baptism. And it's 17 minutes

Chuck Shute: 25:50

is that the one that was like nominated for a Webby and but you gotta beat out by Lady Gaga or something like that. Yeah.

Jared Callahan: 25:55

Is that rough when you put that in your bio that Lady Gaga beat you for an award? Crazy? Bummer. But yeah, it's fun. It was fun to see when the nominations came out, until we saw her name. And I love that movie. five foot two is great. But she beat us. So

Chuck Shute: 26:09

yeah. And then you got nominated for you were nominated for an Emmy for something. Was it beneath ink, because that was called?

Jared Callahan: 26:15

That's right beneath the ink that movie by side. Dodson was so great. And it follows a tattoo artist that's doing free cover up tattoos for people who have racist tattoos on their body already. And it's a good film. Yeah, it cannot leak you I believe. So yeah, that's on there. All the links, everything our films, and all the friends films that we've worked on, are supported, are on there. But people people media is a good way to see a bunch of free quality content.

Chuck Shute: 26:40

Okay, so it sounds like you've done a lot and then you have things in the future. So do you think that you would? I don't know. Not necessarily sell your soul, but like what these people are saying like, we need famous people, would you make a movie with a famous person, just to get some eyeballs and then make you know, it's like, What's that movie? Is it? Jan Santa Barbara, one of them was like, you do the blockbuster and then you do the arthouse movie, like,

Jared Callahan: 27:03

that's so funny. Yeah, we haven't sold our soul yet. And we have a bunch of pitches. And we just started pitching like companies that we really believe in like they are ethical, wonderful. treat their employees great. And they're people that we would do work with, but they can afford as real salaries. So we would do that first and keep making movies like birds and Massachusetts. But eventually, no, I'd rather do something else. Like, I don't know what anyone would offer me that they think I'm the kind of person that they'd want to make something like that. Because I work at this point speaks for itself. And I make really quality people focused character vulnerable films. And if I can keep doing that, then that's what I'll do. So yeah, but

Chuck Shute: 27:43

but there's there are famous people, there's got to be a famous person that you're interested in like Jack White, you like Jack White, would you do a movie about Jack?

Jared Callahan: 27:51

Yeah, he's great, also, but that's the thing. If I'm working with Jack White, that guy is so greedy, cares about the art, like I went to a concert in Nashville that he did where he's from Nashville, and they came out and they said, like everybody, we're just here, everybody take out your cell phones and turn them off. If anybody near you takes out a cell phone during this concert, you can punch it out of their hands, we're all going to be present will take photos, you can get them for free online. And then it worked. 10,000 people didn't have their phones out. And it was like I got goosebumps. It's like one of the best concert I've ever been to. So Jack White's the kind of person that I'd say, oh, no, I do want to work with that. I don't want to work with people. And there are lists of them. And we know some of them that are celebrities that are turds. They're like, exactly, yeah. Like it's not worth my life to connect to someone where then you have to spend all this time and reshoots and publicity and it's to life's too short, man. Like, it's not it's not enough, not enough life for it. So right

Chuck Shute: 28:42

so that's something that'd be a win win, if it's somebody famous that they want, and it's somebody famous that you like to then that's the perfect that would be the perfect

Jared Callahan: 28:49

combination. We'll keep doing that. And we're gonna keep attaching to people like that. And then as they make things that are better, or we get invited to make anything like with Alex and Jen are executive producers, they're the best and anytime we could work with or for them again, we will and they both are climbing the ladder and make great stuff so Okay,

Chuck Shute: 29:06

cool. Well, people can follow you and check out the website. Oh, and then I always end with a charity is your dog foundation is not a charity. Is that a nonprofit? Yes, donate. Okay,

Jared Callahan: 29:16

yeah, people people Media Foundation, it has the donate button if you donate then it means we can host people artists that couldn't afford to come otherwise. And we focus normally on a local and diverse artists that are looking for space to come be on the land be near our animals have their feet in the creek and make their their art. So we'd love Yeah, we'd love that people, people foundation or people, people media.com is the foundation.

Chuck Shute: 29:39

Amazing. Very cool. Well, thanks so much. And we're just seeing your future movies that you come out with

Jared Callahan: 29:44

appreciate help everybody who saw this enjoys clean slate and shares it with someone who you think will love it. I would really appreciate. I'll

Chuck Shute: 29:50

put your website in the show notes. And then yeah, you said it will be out on on demand. Soon. It's December 2. Perfect. All right. Thanks. Thanks. See you later. Bye bye. Jared Callahan filmmaker, check out his website, follow him on social media. The latest film, again is called Clean Slate and it should be available for on demand. And hopefully eventually it will be for free on streaming. You can support Jared by watching his films and you can support both of us by sharing this episode on social media that really helps spread the word and the algorithm and all that stuff. So I appreciate all your support, have a great day and shoot for the moon.