Fearlessly Failing with Lola Berry719. Fearlessly Failing: Creating a TV pilot with Weston & Wade
Weston and Wade McElhaney are the showrunners, writers and producers of their new TV pilot "Codependent" which they also both star in (I was lucky enough to get to film for a day on this pilot too, so much fun)!Check out the pilot trailer here: Codependent Trailer
Wade and Weston are born and raised in Los Angeles, they've been acting since they were kiddos. They studied screenwriting at Chapman University. And have gone viral on both TikTok and Youtube over the years for their parodies.
These two humans are funny, witty and hard working. They're also extremely humble and curious. I get the vibe they always tell you the truth too. In this chat they even talk about auditioning for Ryan Murphy and how the audition didn't go exactly according to plan.
Now let's talk more about the pilot, they share what goes on when it comes to creating your own pilot from writing it, rewriting it, to raising funds and booking the right people for the jobs.
In a nutshell Codependent is a TV show pilot about twin brothers Max and Tristan. They're great at being brothers, not so much at being their own person. The pilot starts off with them sucking at their jobs and getting fired which leads them to compete for the same film assistant job. Spoiler alert: only one of them gets the job... but that doesn't mean they can't both do it?
Speaking of raising funds, this is often a hard part of bringing dreams to life, but thanks to Seed & Spark they were able to raise a bunch of money to film in both Los Angeles and New York, but now it's post production time so they need our help. You can donate and pledge here, and they have a bunch of fun merch to buy too, I have the tote bag! Support here
Big love,
Lola x
Get a I'm Laala Berry, nutritionist, author, actor, TV presenter, and professional oversharer. This podcast is all about celebrating failure because I believe it's a chance for us to learn, grow and face our blind spots. Each week I'll interview a different guest about their highs as well as they're lows, all in a bid to inspire us to fearlessly fail. Hello, fearlessly failing fam. Today on the pod, we have Western and Wade. Now they're actors, they're screenwriters. They are showrunners of this incredible new pilot called Codependent. You can find out more about Codependent in the show notes. This episode is for anyone with a creative dream. These two incredible humans have literally come out of film school, come up with this idea written about their lives, and they've literally executed this thing.
It's so inspiring. There are so many tips.
If you've got a dream or a passion, or that little flicker in your heart where you just want to chase that thing but you're a bit afraid to do it, this is the episode for you.
Welcome to the pod.
I want to say Western and Wade, but I don't know if people say Wade and Western what do people say.
I say whatever, Honestly, I reder.
We both leos though, right, yes, okay, I'm so excited to talk to you both because well, there's so many things, but your screenwriters.
You've been to film school. You've been to a really fancy film school. Right is it called Chapman. It's called Chapman, And that is like in La in America when it comes to film schools, that's like Krem de La Crem.
Yeah, Hollywood Reporter named it number four film school.
Really, I circularly swanked like the commencement last week, the commencement speech, like the graduation speech.
Yeah, there's like the dean is so well connected in the industry because I think he like used to work for like the Hollywood Reporter or something, so he gets so many like celebrities to speak and do like master classes and yeah, and that was honestly he started kind of doing that more so when we left, I'm like.
I know, oh okay, so positive impact.
Yeah, okay, okay. So you're both actors as well, and they started really young, right.
Yeah, we both started we like we were just really rambunctious and all. We like always made videos and always were kind of performing for our famay and so honestly it was mostly our idea to just like do community theater. So we did community they like our city, and then we like did this random class and at the end of the class there was a showcase. So then we like were in a showcase and then we got like an agent when we were younger, and then just.
That's pretty exciting, Like, I mean, that's happened pretty naturally for you.
Then, Yeah, it was kind of random.
Yeah, it was kind of random, but we we took this class intentionally because we knew at the end there was a showcase with agents, so we kind of did like manifest that a little bit.
Yeah, I still I would say, that's just being smart and stavy.
I love that, right, So obviously I had to deep dive your tiktoks YouTube's excuse me.
Viral he YouTube little Yeah, it was.
Kind of so you were kind of famous for like the parody stuff, right, that was your whole Is this where like the because obviously your writing is quite comedic.
I would say, is this where that has started from?
Yeah, totally, Like when we were younger, we were such like YouTube scenes, like we loved like comedy influencers, even though they didn't even really call it that back then, but just like people that made like crazy silly skits, and we loved movies, so every time we watched a movie, we're just like, wait, like it would.
Be funny if that scene actually went this way.
So then we just started like filming ourselves and then we started posting these comedy parodies on YouTube, and like the first one we posted like kind of got a bunch of views.
It was the first one we posted, and we were like, this is crazy.
Don't like one like twelve fifteen million or something.
Yeah, that's the first one. We posted. Our Annabelle parody. Yeah, like horror movie about the doll, but yeah, that was our first one, and it like went viral and and that's crazy. And we just made it like with our friends that we met and yeah in school.
And wasn't it like at someone's grandma's house and you're like leave?
Ye?
Really we literally were like like can we use your house for the day? You got to go? So we were like always.
Doing that kind of stuff ever since we were little, being like you know, like asking friends and family.
For favors for like weird ideas and oh, my goodness.
And so you've done I know e've ben a lot of what do you get auditions a lot together or separately?
How would you say acting together?
Yeah, like you know what towards the beginning, because we we just like started acting again.
I think honestly, like filming codependent, like what we're going to talk about.
Yeah, that like really I feel like got us excited about acting like that prospect. So we recently got into it, got like commercially represented, and at first it started off like more alone, but I think once we like booked something together, like oh we should send them out together. So it's like now we've been auditioning more together, which is fun.
Oh totally.
And also I imagine it takes the nerves away because you got your like this buddy next to you.
Yeah, it's less like in your head like you like you know when you're alone, which like in most things, and like you kind of like are insecure more thinking about like oh all eyes and me, but when there's.
Two, that's just like no, not all eyes on me, it's like all eyes on both of us. Yeah, less scary.
I go, No, I love it.
I've never every time I go to a like cast me or a call back. I'm like, oh, okay, here we go, Here we go.
Here.
I'm the random a Z in the room, you know, like that like having like a teammate with you.
I feel like would be like a superpower in a way.
Yeah, it's so nice. It's so nice.
It's kind of like a nice little confidence booster.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
I have to ask about the Ryan Murphy audition. Can you take me through this? Because when you told me this story the first time, I was like, he said, what, Yeah.
This story is such tea So basically like this season one of American Horror Story. It's like American Horstory, How come out yet? I think he'd done other shows. He was like pretty popular, but he wasn't what he was right now, Like yeah, you know, literally everything green, that type thing. But yeah, so we went in the room we auditioned for The Twins in season one. It was just kind of random like characters, uh and yeah. So we went in and it was Ryan Murphy, which we did not We didn't like, but we didn't really know of Ryan Murphy at the time. It was.
He's a massive now he's like signed to Disney.
Ryan.
Yeah, yeah, I feel like yeah.
So we went in and like it was Ryan Murphy, which we didn't know, you know, but no, no, and another person and we auditioned. We read.
I thought we did pretty bad.
It's pretty good, but it was like the script was like there were like parts and jars and like it was just gross, like we're walking through this gross, decayed basement and like, I don't know that I look back at it. Maybe he had a plant. But anyway, at the end of the audition, Ryan Murphy was like, I don't know, like it's just a bit too Disney, like ye, do it again and be liked more dark because like it's just giving Disney.
No, he didn't even do that.
No, no, okay, like I'm gonna say, this.
Is what he did. He goes, he goes, it's too Disney.
But he didn't even elaborate. He doesn't just like you're like giving the nice version.
I mean no, like honestly, I'm not like smacking him for it, like, you know, do you like it? Right?
I think it was like looking back, it's a.
Fun experience, Like it's funny. So yeah, but yeah he said that, I'm like, you know what, you have a point probably, and we didn't know the vibe of the show, so we were probably oh my god, there's a head in a jar, Like we probably didn't know it was going to be like darkly, I don't know the tone, didn't know the vibe.
Yeah, oh my goodness.
So as soon as you told me that story, I was like, oh, of course you must get compared to this browse brother brothers.
Does that happen loads.
All the time, especially when we were younger, because it was like popular, you know that Zack and Cody was like popular.
And also like, when I've looked back at younger YouTube video, is like one of you was kind of blonde, and like, was it that was dark?
Really dark? Here?
Someone had darks?
I like, cool blonde, Yeah, he was like the darker.
Yeah. I feel like yeah when you did the YouTube, but you both had like half an hour to create a song from scratch.
I made your mom judge it, and you were giving very sprouse brother with the blonde highlights. This is what I remember.
So do people like ask you, oh did they when you were younger? They were asking loads like.
Oh, yeah, the Disney was the.
Zach who's the girl? They would say, like which one is which?
I think when we were younger, you were Zach, right, No, Like yeah, when we were younger, I was like more of a Zach.
Like.
I was the chill, the cool one that like the one that like didn't want to like listen to my mom and like I was the one where Wesson was like Cody. I was distressed out one. I was the one communicating with my parents, you know what I mean. I was the one that they were texting, like are you guys home?
Like yeah, yeah, yeah.
I was a little I know. That's kind of annoying to me because I would be the one to like and they wouldn't ask me because they know that I'm not the one to like ask about that kind of stuff, like when they like when you're gonna be home? They would ask him because I'm like, I've not shaped our personality. Yeah, but you know, but it's reversed. I feel like now you're more Zach. Now he's more chill, Like I'm like the chill like whatever, and I'm the kind of more like type A now.
Okay, but I'm like neater than you.
Yeah, you meique in different ways, Like there's different kinds of neat. Like my boyfriend who's off camera right now. He's so good at making a house like perfecto. But then I'm a control freak with like my desk has to be neat also I have to have the dishwatch has to be unloaded in the morning like that.
Sometimes, Like well, I do feel like Wade's kind of like you in a way because I feel like certain things You're like, oh yeah, yeah, I like that, But things I'm really neat about and like I have like how it should go, how it goes yes, and other things I don't care. I'm like, oh close, like closed stuff, don't care, Like I'm kind of messy with that stuff.
So it's very particular.
Do you know what the good self awareness of you both? I must say, I think do you know? And I don't know Wade you well enough for this, But one of my favorite traits of yours Western is you're so curious. It's like your natural set point, and it's kind of rare for people to sit in that as they're like, I don't know, like natural way, it's like do you know where? Like that is that? Just like you've got epic parents that were like obviously they gave you great names, so true, like did they kind of like did you grow up with that being like a value?
Yeah, I don't know.
Yeah, I think like having older sisters too, Like we have older sisters, so I think they like I don't know, seeing how they communicate, and I just think that's kind of something that's always been Maybe it's like also built in me where I feel like I'm just I feel like you're the same too.
I feel like we get along because like we're both.
Like very genuine in each other's lives, you know what I mean. Yeah, But yeah, I feel like I've just always kind of naturally like it's not even something I think about. I just always want to know more about people, Like I just want to know the tea.
Yeah, you know what I mean.
Well, I honestly think it comes from being And I don't know if like younger siblings really but for me personally, and I don't know about you, but like I feel like being the youngest sibling of like four of us in total, it's like you're kind of always on the outside, kind of always like like observing and listening.
Yeah.
So it's like when where kids were like watching our sisters like have boyfriends and do this and like be in high school and we're young, so it's kind of like being that way where you're like, oh, what.
Are you guys doing? What do you whatever?
And yeah, we're kind of watching everything, so we're curious about you know.
Oh I love it. It's such a good trait.
I have an acting teacher here in LA and she's like, if you're ever in an audition and you're kind of stuck in your head or like freaking out about your reader, whatever, She's like, just become curious. And she's like, tell me after the audition. She's like, tell me they're scene partner's eye color. And she's like, you just take all the attention off you and like focus on beautiful blue eyes, you know what I mean. And it just pulls you out of your head straight away and like grounds you. Such a good trait, but you naturally sit in that space, which I think is a gift for sure.
Welcome you two, Oh thank you.
Okay, Well that's why we're chatting today because I I remember.
When we first met.
I was like, so what do you do? And you were like, so I'm a screenwriter and I was like, excuse him, are like that's amazing, Tell me more. And I think when I were working the yogustire literally cleaning mirrors together at that point.
Yes, I remember that, And now cut.
To you've both just shot your first pilot together, Codependence.
It's incredible. I've seen the trailer. I've had a little snaky I've had a little snaky peke.
Okay, let's start at the start. How where did the idea come from? What made you want to do it? Like like start at like the seat of the idea.
Yeah, So I think like, like we graduated college in twenty twenty two, and I think we were just like at a point in our lives where we weren't like getting like our school was kind of pushing us to like, you know, take a traditional route, like you know, go work in an agency, be an assistant, like like work your way up type thing, but we just really weren't seeing results. And I think we were just at a point where we felt stuck. But it motivated us, and I think, Okay, at the end of the day, what do we want to do? Like we want to like make TV and like we want to write. So we kind of like formed the idea in that headspace where we're just like know we're gonna like do what we want to do and like make it for ourselves instead of waiting for an opportunity. So yeah, because like, for example, I was an assistant because I was like in school, they don't really they don't really tell you like do things that like do things yourself and whatever. So I was like, Okay, I'm gonna like be an assistant and then like.
Work my way up.
But I did that for literally like not that long, like seven months, and I was just like this.
Ain't it right.
It's just like yeah, I mean it was just like in my head, I'm like, wow, doing this for like people do that for like what six seven years kind of thing until they kind of like work their way and not that they say an assistant, but they just do that kind of thing where they like.
Work for other people for a really long time.
And I get it, and like that's totally a hustle that like I'm like so fond of because I'm like, oh my gosh, like go off, like I can't, like I don't know. So we're kind of just like we just need to like do something ourselves pretty much like and we always wanted to make a show about like the Twin experience because we felt like like we felt like there's a lot of Twin stuff out there, especially now, I feel like twin content is like really having a moment. Yeah kind of well, I feel like a lot of characters, like like actors are playing like one person's playing.
Twins, which I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's like you know.
Like sinners, simple favor or stuff like that. But I feel like what's missing is genuine like authentic twin stories from a twin perspective. Yeah, so that's why we're like, oh and it's a really fascinating relationship.
Yeah, and without it being like kind of a plot device, because.
I feel it's always like like in a mystery, it's like the twin sister did it?
Like the twin Sisters alive and shit.
So yeah, so it's kind of used as like some like crazy twist plot device, and we're like the idea kind of sparked of us being like there's no like because that like twin was such a big thing when we're kids, Like Zack and Cody was like, yeah, it's literally just watching these twins because it's such a unique, weird experience like live as twins or whatever. So like there's not really that for like adults or like like coming of ageing as twins as adults, it's not as much of a thing that like we've seen in content as much.
So that's kind of where it started. It started.
H My goodness, I like the way you hit like coming of age because it does still have that although it's like quirky and funny and kind of like offbeat.
Can I say that was actually great?
There's still like a hero's journey for you both, for both of your characters throughout it, like we're still like fighting the good fight for you both. I feel like having read the script. Yeah, so okay, what was one of the hardest parts about it? Like was the did the writing come easy? We like, oh shit, has I've got to train up on my acting again? Because YouTube both star in it obviously spoiler it, so like was like, because I know you went back to acting school ahead of like filming the stuff in New York, what was the hardest bit or what was kind of like the scariest in the leader?
Yeah?
Well, for me personally, I think the writing was fun and honestly because there we started off just writing it, like how we mostly start things as we just write it because we want to get it out and like we want I don't know, we just have this urge to like get something out there. And it's we're not really thinking about like everything after that, you know what I mean. It's just like we're just creativity, okay, like writing the story. And I think the the stressful, harder stuff came when we're like we have to like make this a whole thing and like we have to like bring all these things together and really like bring it up like from the ground.
Up, you know.
So, and also the acting part, it was like we have to show run, we have to give our performance, we.
Have to be in the moment.
So what we really wanted to do is get crew out our experience and really good at what they do, so we could kind of be like we honestly let a lot of people like have their own creative.
Direction because like we kind of wanted one.
Filming came because I feel like for us, like we are strengths. Kind of what you're saying is like writing, so like that's fun and comes easy. Even though it was one of the longest processes, like it we wrote for like a year to two years, Like it was like a year and a half we were writing this because it was like a completely different show, like a year.
And a half go committing.
It was a mystery about like twin, like this guy who like clones his face as the celebrity because he wants to like be hit.
He wants to like take his life. I don't know.
It was a camping camp and crazy, it was housewives vibe.
We're like, we don't have the budget for this. We need to make it more like drawn to us.
Yeah, yeah, it definitely changed off, but that's so fun and it kind of comes naturally.
To do us that kind of stuff.
But then it's the kind of stuff when we're done, we're like, okay, wow, like crew, like we need to get people who know how to do this like making this happen, because we're not as much we're like writer brain more so then yeah, getting really good producers, but we like produced so much of this on our own, even though we did get really good producers. So that was really hard to because like I don't have as much or I don't think I see that like money brain like that kind of thing, like I'm not that we're creative people. Yeah, yeah, so that was really hard to do for sure, that kind of stuff.
With it, any kind of like setbacks, like I know, all the LA stuff was going to be shot and then there was the fires happened here, Like was with those kind of things they like put in This might be an Australian saying, but put a spinner in the works, like make it harder.
Yeah, so actually like it it was.
I mean the La fires were devastating for everyone, awful, and we happened to be like we were planning to film like literally yeah literally when it happened and we were like, of course we can't film right now, like of course, yeah, We're like, of course we can't, like and in the moment it was very like, I don't know, it was kind of stressful. It was kind of like you know, you get those intrusive thoughts like oh God, like is this ever gonna happen?
Like, you know, you get those scary thoughts.
But honestly, I really think like, I mean, yeah, like obviously the circumstances were not they were terrible, but I think in terms of the creative process, like we fixed the script and it became so much better. So yeah, like we we genuinely fixed and I think if it wouldn't have gotten delayed, like we wouldn't have like made the script better. So I think, like, yes, we got stepbacks, but you know, we made it work and made it like work to our advantage.
I guess, yeah.
And I'm glad that everyone got to, like because not no one in our crew was like directly affected or anything, but like it's traveling and all that stuff and like worrying about friends and family and just the air like yeah in the air body. It's kind of like we just need to like you know, not definitely not film and we wanted to like.
Retain the guidelines that kind of Hollywood was doing.
Yeah.
Yeah, it was like a good decision for sure.
I have to ask you filmed in New York City, which is like iconic.
Like everyone's stream right.
Like I grew up watching Gossip Girls, so I'm like, oh my god, you're filming in New York, Like how was that? And was really cold when you were there with Christmas wild January?
Right, so freezing like literally during filming we had to like wear gloves in and out of tastes because my hands would literally get so red and dumb they were like numb by the end, I could not feel my hands, but it was so much fun and pretty much we like we like had this idea in the ending that's really pivotal for it to be in New York. I won't spoil, but like, yeah, we just always have loved New York and even like movies and TV from New York and you relate too, as you were saying, but like sex and City and like friends and like all this, like we just love New York, so it's just so close to us. Yeah, I felt right, And honestly, it was just so fun because New York was it was such a different vibe from the LA set because new York it was very like it was very like running gun, very like honestly like get what you can. But it was kind of fun because I feel like it aided to the story because New York was very like the tone is very like chaotic. It's very like, you know, like just like fast pacing, kind of like messy vibes.
Yeah, no, I think it.
Aided to Like it's honestly so fun to shoot like that kind of because you can't think or yeah you don't have time, Yeah, you don't have time, so you kind of just do it and you're like, I mean, because it's going to be. We were filming on location in New York, so we didn't like runt down on these spaces. We were literally filming on the streets, having a big camera like running getting our show oh so fun, and no one really cared. Like you know how in LA when that stuff happens, everyone kind of stops. I know New York people just walk by the do not care.
I love it New yorkcase.
It's just so directly like as long as I can get to where they need to go, they just don't exactly this is this is a hard one for you to both say about each other, but like working with each other in this creative capacity, what would you say is each other's strength and weakness because I imagine you balance one another out.
Oh my god, I love that question. That's so good.
It's hard though, Like you, I would say, I think that I I'm pretty good at like being the one to be really annoying and like worry about like the big worry about like every detail. I think because I, like I was saying, I'm kind of more of that type eight where I'm like I'm like thinking about like so many things and being like I don't know more, I guess meticulous producer had more.
I guess, yeah. Yeah, And then I feel like Wes is kind of better at being like we need like let's just do what's right, or like like I think, like do what's right.
I think like since I've also like directed before, like in college, I don't know, I think what what I value a lot on set.
Is just like making a good vibe.
I don't know, because so I feel like I'm good at that way creating a good vibe, like when I can kind of tell when people get stressed, and I feel like I try to alleviate that stuff. And yeah, like I also feel like i'm like think very actory too, and I feel like I like in terms of like performance and like talking to actors like because you know, of course the director like was definitely taking the reins on that, but I definitely like feel like that was something fun for me, like contributing to acting and performance and stuff.
Yeah, I think I think more.
The short answer I guess is I feel like I'm more like maybe writer, producer brain and you're like actor director.
Yeah that's what I think.
Yeah, that's kind of how it blends.
I think, how great, though, like what like dynamic duo? I love it. I have to ask, so, what's so fascinating for me that was lucky enough to be an actor in your pilot?
Amazing?
It was so much fun. It was so much fun.
But is the kind of like behind the scenes you spend all this time in acting school where like obsessing over a script in scenes study for four weeks and nick minute You're like, it's not the same as being on a set, Like I said, is that you do a dry.
Run with the director.
What would blow me away about your direct what was your directors? In between takes when there was resets, Caitlyn would have to draw. I don't know if you did you notice this about Caitlyn. Yeah, and she was like I have to like reset my brain kind of thing. And it would take her out of it, but it would keep her creative. And I was like, if.
You would notice that it's so fun, she would like even like for fun, she would just start drawing.
I don't know, it would just help her like creatively flow.
It makes total sense, though.
It was like full like felt like I was watching some magical genius do their thing.
But there are so.
Many like and for the listeners or viewers, the interesting thing is like what we see on a page when we were in scene study is quite different to like, no, actually, you've got to hit this mark. Like I know, I had to do a shot where it was just my feet and we had to like get that close up, and it's like, why the f are you nervous about where your feet go? Like, just get the shot right, and then you do coverage so your focus there's a camera on your shoulder. Getting the other actors takes like three times, and then it's it's very different to like what is my my feeling? What is their motivation in this moment, It's like, no, we need to get clean shots.
Yeah.
It kind of becomes like a little technical in a good way, which is so nice because it doesn't as much feel if you're the actor that it's about you. It's like, oh no, like it's literally this like they need your shoulder, they need this technicality of it all, and it's kind of like you just have like and a lot of times with technical notes, you kind of have to have that note at the forefront, which kind of helps sometimes performance just like.
Happen because you can get out of your head, like what you were saying, you're more hered like and it feels very much like you're one piece of a really big team.
Which is really really which is how we do it we do right.
Yeah, it feels like I don't know because I like we were talking about like I hadn't acted that much, Like I don't know. This was like the first time getting back into it. I feel like and you realize like it's actually like like we're talking about like less stressful because you're like, oh my god, so many people are contributing to this.
It's not just me. It's like there's so many elements.
It's like, yeah, it feels so calming too, and so awesome to like because I'm I feel like we're both like this where it's like once the project's out there, I like don't have an ego with it because I'm like with our direct like with our DP and with our director, like they're so good at what they do that I fully trust them, and I feel like it's so important to get people that you can do that with.
And it feels so nice.
Like you like you you appreciate their talent so much that you're kind of just like do what you do because like you guys don't know how to do that, so that CP was.
Not missing about it. I was like I've pulled side.
I was like, I'm kind of scared, and you're like no, no, so lovely, just New York, New York.
So cool and so nice and so.
Yeah amazing and like straight you could just feel like That's what I think I love so much about it is like watching everybody in.
Their Yeah, it was honestly so amazing just to watch like Caitlin and Kyle and everyone just like in their element and it was so so much.
Fun to act is so fun. Yeah, I know, little buds, Ye see you both.
It was so fun.
So I know you're both.
I would say, like you're so present with the way that you are and around this and creating it. But like let's talk big picture dreams, like what's the dream? Where do we want this to go? Like are we thinking Emmy's twenty twenty six seven?
Like you know, I mean this guy's a limit.
Yeah, yeah, I think we're honestly trying to think of course, like we want like big things to happen with this, like we would love for it to end up somewhere like yeah, for to like end up somewhere like exist somewhere.
Where we can make more.
You know, we would love to make more, of course, but I think initially we're trying to like kind of have it live in the festival circuit, like.
Having a life there, and we kind of we just want.
People to see it, you know, we want like to get eyes on it and to get people to watch it, you know, and like it's it's honestly about everyone else in the crew too, because like I don't know, it would just be so fun if like like had a little festival round and like we could all like go to these things and like all just like and I don't know, if it got picked up, that would be amazing and like bring along people who we have so much faith in, Like I don't know, it's just so exciting. So yeah, I mean we hope it gets picked up, and if not, like just that people see it and that like we can continue working with everyone we've worked with.
And who we brought on this project who's been so amazing.
So or even like get steps to like I don't know, writer representation stuff like that, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Like or just like get a Kneewner, I don't know anything like that.
You're doing all the right stuff.
So for people listening to this that like a lot of young actors listen to this pod and like you've gone out there, You've done the thing, like and I can imagine like there's a big difference between having the.
Idea to be like maybe we should write something.
Together versus actually executing that thing and you've done it.
Congrats.
What advice do you have to like a young actor or a screenwriter that is kind of like in the infancy of their career.
Yeah, I would say that, Like for me, the biggest advice is kind of like if you're not booking or not, like I don't know, things aren't kind of working out how you want.
Like I would just say just kind of do it.
Like if you're an actor, then like get your friend who like likes to director, or get your friend who like you think is really talented and like make something or I don't know, because for me that I like, and sometimes you question yourself, you're like, oh, why am I not booking?
Why are people not hiring me? Why am I not whatever?
But it's kind of like you just have to show them because they haven't seen it. Yeah, so you just have to like show people what your ideas are because everyone has such unique different ideas. Maybe you're yourself isn't going to fit into someone else's.
Vision or whatever, but you could make your own. And yeah, that'd probably be because that's like what I kind of lived by in a way.
Yeah, And I think I would say, first of all, advice is so subjective. But you know, for me, I feel like what I had to do is like you really have to sit down and figure out what you want, like genuinely what you want in life, because I feel like there's so many different paths and like sure, like and at the end of the day, like I didn't what I wanted was to like be an actor, but like be acting for my own words and like have my.
Own huge show.
Like yeah, just literally like figure out what the heck you want, Like I wanted to have a TV show, so we made one, you know what I mean. It's just like figure out the path and like the life that you want.
And like also if.
You're going in it for the money, like don't yeah, yeah, you know what I mean, Like if.
You're doing this career for money, like what, Yeah, no, Like, I like what.
I like what you said there, because it's kind of like you just kind of have to do what you want because you can't wait for it.
I guess you can't wait. You can't wait for an opportunity. You just have to do it. Yeah.
I love this idea of like we'll create the thing so that that people can see agents can see you or other actors rather like and it's fascinating when people see they're like, oh, they're actually.
Perfect for this, or you know, like I think, I don't know.
I think, like even when you asked me to do this, like, yeah, I don't know how you came to that, but I don't know how you you know, yeah, well we were just chit chatting about our dreams, right yeah.
Well honestly, like I think when we were writing the show, I did, I mean a lot of you know, literally how we wrote this script. It's so funny because how we wrote this script is literally like we before we even thought of a lot of the characters. We literally would think of like which one of who of our friends would we want to be in this? So we would write roles specifically for people and like shape roles for people. So we definitely I had you in mind. Yeah, yeah, yeah, well I just had you in mind. And like even like our other friend Alex, Like we have been friends with her for a while and we like love her, so we're like, Okay, this should be Alex and we're gonna write her like this, and like this character should be our friend Josie who we met at school. Yeah, and like yeah, so we kind of shaped our show based off of the talents that we and like people and the people that we do.
Yeah, genius, I love it. I love you two are like literally like just doing it. And it's so like, I'm so excited. We'll have to do like a chicken like six months to down the line. I just know it's all gonna come to fruition for youture. So for people listening that want to support, I know you've just when this comes out, you will just relaunched crowd Is it called crowd fundraising?
Is how we call it. Explain to me how people can all have it all in the show notes as.
Well, Yes, so we're crowdfunding for the second time because we need more money. Got yeah, because filmmaking and making dreams come true is expensive. So yeah, so we basically through this website called Seed and Spark, we are raising money for like post production and stuff. So yeah, we already filmed, we already did all that jazz, but we're raising money for editing for like sound mixing things like that. And then yeah, and then so our Spark is going to launch on June eleventh. It's going to run for a month, so it's gonna end like what July ninth, And I'm I think our Seed and Spark is going to be ww Seed and Sparks slash codependent slash, Codependent Pilot slash one.
Yeah, yeah, I'll put it promise.
And then you can also follow our Instagram Codependent Pilot.
Yeah, codependent Pilot.
I checked that this.
So you we have a we have like a bunch of incentives. We have like little t shirts, some key shirts yea, and yeah, so either donate or if you can't like share all the Instagram, just like get something. Anything helps, Like if you like have some friends who like love indie filmmaking, send it over to them, you know that kind of stuff.
Are you going to have a screening or like you gonna have a little are okay?
Here in l a, here in La we're gonna do like more of like an intimate when we're done with the trailer and everything in the in the first uh, when the fundraiser lunch happens, we're gonna do like a little trailer like watch Party, I think. But then when the actual pilot's done, we're going to do like we're going to try to rent out a theater.
And we're gonna rent a theater. We're gonna, babe, We're gonna.
Rent out of theater. And also there's an incentive for that. So if you want to be invited to the screening, go click the link.
Do you have my favorite thing that I've noticed interviewing you both? So when Weston wants to speak overweighth westn will just do it. When Wade is ready to speak, he'll just tap west and really gently on the arm.
I'm sorry, right, And he's like, it's.
So fun to watch.
You have both been such a joy to interview and also to work with, like I can't wait for more. I have to say thank you for giving me so out of my comfors zone rewriting that coffee order that I was like having a mild anxiety attack trying to learn on the spot, but it was so much fun.
So thank you like you.
I was so nervous in that moment, like sweaty palms.
I was always so hard when like a script change and yeah.
Like thank you. I appreciate you. Thank you both. You're wonderful. I'm so excited for you.
To you at home, get involved, support, follow all the things. I'll have it all in the show notes. Yes, that's a wrap on another episode of Fearlessly Failing.
As always, thank you to our.
Guests, and let's continue the conversation on Instagram. I'm at Yamo Lollerberry. This partty my work for podcast is available on.
All streaming platforms.
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