S2 EP28 | From Concept to Execution with McKay Stevens
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
Right now the project is to write.
Something that sells the
concept of Apocalypse Sasquatch.
And so I wrote a a 10 page story
about it, I've always approached those
kind of things as like, well, this is
gonna be the first scene of the movie.
That's what I'm gonna write, or the most
important scene of the movie, or whatever.
This is Truly Independent, a show that
demystifies the indie film journey by
documenting the process of releasing
independent films in theaters.
Each week, Garrett Batty and I,
Darren Smith, will update you
on our journey, bringing guests
to share their insights into the
process and answer your questions.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: Okay.
Welcome.
Welcome, uh, to another episode
of Truly Independent, I'm Garrett
Batty, and with me, as always, as
my wonderful co-host, Daren Smith.
Daren, how are you?
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Hey, so good man.
I'm so good, but I'm also so sore.
I started.
assistant coaching my kids soccer club
team and everything hurts Garrett.
Why did I do this to myself?
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
It sounds like a pretty
legitimate, uh, uh, organization.
If you're calling it a soccer club.
I mean, is
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Yeah, it's a club team.
It's, uh, yeah, it's, it's a, it's
a Liverpool International Academy.
It's legit.
It's very, very.
You know,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: Oh,
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
but man, yeah, I, I just, uh, I'm
showing my age and my lack of, uh,
running ability this week anyway.
That's what people came here
to hear about my sore muscles.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Uh, we have with a I.
Well, I, I, I'm always
intrigued by it, so thank you.
Uh, but it's good to, good to hear that
you have a life outside of this podcast.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
I do, I do.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
you know, who else has a
life outside of this podcast?
Speaking of segs is our
guest today, McKay Stevens.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: Hey,
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
I'm good.
I'm, I'm just happy to be here.
I feel a, a little bit out
of my element, I guess, so.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
I hope not.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
I don't know why.
McKay, I mean, this is, uh, as I
can tell from your, and I should
introduce you, uh, you based on
your, the, the background posters.
Uh, 'cause I think if you're viewing this,
people are viewing this, they'll see that
you and I have, uh, a lot of the similar.
In fact, same background, posters.
Uh, and that's how long
we've worked together.
Um, so I don't know how you
feel out of your element.
Probably just 'cause this
isn't a big movie set.
And I'll give a shout out to Apocalypse
Sasquatch, which is just an amazing
poster and such a fun short that
I had nothing to do with except
for coming on set and supporting.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
Saving the day.
I, I thought that I could walk in and
first ad my own short, and I just was
totally lost the whole, the whole day.
It was only a two day shoot.
So then it was a phone call to Garrett
saying, please come and help me.
Please save me.
I don't know how, I'm too much
of a people pleaser to know
how to keep this thing moving.
So
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
that would be, uh, the, the favor
returned then for you saving me
on those other films, so, perfect.
Perfect.
I think
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: yeah,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: now
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: that's,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
that one.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
that's what happened.
Yeah.
We're even, so I'm just gonna
go ahead and hang up and, uh,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
No, no, no.
Okay.
We wanna hear about you.
Uh, Daren, you've been
super patient, uh, McKay.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
and then we got one more though.
We got Freetown.
It's down.
It's.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: Freetown.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
was hiding
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Look at that.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Got my free down here.
So we've got some.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: So
we've, we've got some history and the fact
that we're still talking is, is telling.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
It's true.
McKay, I've,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
How forgiving you are.
Go ahead.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
got really excited when I saw
that you were guests, uh, uh,
appearing on our show today.
'cause I've known of you for a long
time, but I don't think we've ever
met except for today in this moment.
And so.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
Yeah, I don't believe so.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
I know you as a producer, are you
a multihyphenate like producer,
director, writer, editor, et cetera?
Or like, are you like straight up
I'm a producer, that's what I do.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Uh.
I have a hard time with associating titles
in absolutes, uh, for myself, just because
I think that successful, independent
filmmaking requires a lot of hats.
So to, to publicize you oneself as
hyphenated so and so and so, and so.
Really what you're saying is.
I'm an independent filmmaker.
That's, that's kind of the way I see it.
I, so, I don't like, personally,
I try and I don't care to attach
much in terms of titles except
for when the project comes up.
Then whatever titles that I am
using, then that I'm useful.
It's useful for the job, you know,
it's not, it's, uh, I, I always feel
really presumptuous when I try to.
Like I've, I, I don't know.
This is why this is so new for me
and very uncomfortable for me is
'cause I don't like, I don't like,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
It's hard
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: I don't
feel like, uh, yeah, I don't feel like
I'm a guy who can just like, I don't know.
I'm not gonna create a, a Udemy course.
I don't know if that's
still a thing, but like.
I am just going to do a job.
You know, like I, I've done all sorts
of different things in all sorts
of different roles and I've driven
50 foot RVs around, uh, locations
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: Yeah.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
for two weeks on Cell Carmichael
and, and other things like that.
But, um, so I am just a guy
who likes working in film.
I don't know how to,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: Yeah.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
I don't feel comfortable, uh,
titling myself in any other way.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: Gotcha.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
somehow though you, from what I know about
your experience, I mean you are, yeah.
I mean, yes.
By, by default, I guess by definition of
that, you are a producer you are doing,
you are able and capable in doing any job
that needs to be done or figuring out you
need to bring on to, to get that done.
And I've always been very,
very impressed by that.
Um.
Uh, can you give our listener,
um, some sort of context as
to what you're doing now?
Like where are you now?
You with your TV series and everything?
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
Um, so currently we're wrapping up
our fourth and final season of, uh, a
show called Come Follow Up on BYU tv.
Um, we, it's, it's a six season show.
We took it over after the second
season, and when I say we, I
mean, uh, myself and Go films, uh,
with Adam Abel and Ryan Little.
Um, I've worked closely with them
for, for quite a while as well.
Um, and they, they.
BYU approached Adam and I and asked us to,
to take over this after the second season.
Yeah.
To really say, Hey, what, how would
you do this if this were yours?
And so.
Um, so Adam and I worked on a few
different pitches on how we could do it.
We really narrowed it down to one that
we really liked, but then, uh, pitched
three concepts to them for what kind of
changes we would make, how we would, uh.
Improve what the offering
is based on the opportunity.
Um, and that's not to say it's like
anybody who had worked on it before.
Christina Torte is a, a, a great
friend and, and did amazing work with,
with, uh, not a ton of resources on,
on the work that she did on the show.
And, uh, so they, they, they
selected the one that we thought
that they would, and, um.
And kind of revamped the show from
seasons three till through six.
So we're just in the final few weeks,
maybe a couple months of, of, uh,
post-production on, on that show.
We shoot 52 episodes
in a nine week period.
Um, and, uh, so we're at 200 episodes,
or we will be 200 episodes in by the time
we're, we're finished up 208, I guess so.
Um.
Finishing up on that, and now
it's, uh, it's development time.
So, so, uh, anybody who's in independent
filmmaking understands how that's, uh,
a very difficult, uh, stressful time.
Or it can be.
Um,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: Yeah,
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
I've had a couple of, uh, yeah, sorry.
Go ahead.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: Uh,
before we leave, like that, that show,
which is, which I've watched you over
the past, what, three or four years now
on that from, Hey Garrett, I'm gonna
pitch this show, uh, or at least pitch
a, pitch a rendition of this show that
would take it in a different direction
to it being kind of their number
one show or one of their top shows.
Have to be careful 'cause
Daren produces on, uh.
Relative racism or did so
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: Did, did.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
at any rate, uh, you, I've seen you
just take on every role and deliver
everything from, Hey, I'm pitching
this show to now, I'm, I'm producing
and now delivering, like, you're
managing all the posts and everything,
delivering those 52 episodes a year,
and it's just been incredible to watch.
What are some of this, this
season on Truly independent?
We've been talking a lot about pitching,
so what are some of the things that.
You feel like, um, effective in,
pitching this series that, that, that
allowed them to green light the show.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
I think that, uh.
There are two important factors that
have worked, that worked not only for
this show, but for, uh, other pitches
that, that, uh, have been successful
in the past and, and recently.
And that is, I think the two key
components that I have learned
is that, one, you have to find
where you're passionate about it.
Um, I, I had to figure out what version of
the show is something I'm excited about.
Uh.
That I could fully be passionate about
because whether you realize it or
not, that passion bleeds into how you
present, how you pitch, what you prepare.
Um, the second thing is knowing
what your client is actually
asking for, more so than.
How they've detailed
what they're asking for.
Because more often than not, I think you
guys will find, you guys will agree that
you'll have somebody come to you with
something and say what they think, they
want their interpretation, but they've
taken it a couple steps farther than
their experience will allow them to.
But it's their own iteration of like,
well, we think it should be this.
We think we should go this direction.
Um, because they're just
trying to get it to a spot.
Um.
But understanding where's the what at,
at its root, what are they asking for?
What's the core ask here?
And doing that, uh, helps define
what your pitch is gonna be.
Even if it's not exactly what they
have told you, they're envisioning,
they can, it still matches up with
the idea, but then they look at it and
say, oh yeah, that's what I wanted.
I wanted that the whole time,
even if it doesn't look that way.
Sorry.
And I, I know that's kind of
an abstract way to put it.
And hopefully there will be, uh,
another opportunity or so through this
process, through this conversation where
that I can be more specific about it.
Um.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Well, it's hard to tell new
filmmakers that that's the way
it is, but it's the way it is.
We've all pitched that network.
We've all pitched.
show ideas and movie ideas and short film
ideas, and we've tried to raise money and
get partners and all those kind of things.
it's really what you said.
It's like you, you don't know what works
until it works, so you just keep going and
you keep iterating and you keep trying.
And sometimes you go back on the same
idea and you go, well, here's, here's a
different way, but it's the same core,
but, you never know until it happens.
you go, oh,
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yeah.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: And
then you try to reverse engineer.
Well, what about that worked?
And you can do that to a point, but at
some point in the process, you kinda
have to go, well, can try to do the
same things again, but it probably
won't work for the next guy, or the
next company, or the next streamer.
And so it's this constant process of.
have faith that doing the work
of putting a pitch together and
taking it out to the industry is
going to lead to a show or a movie.
Being financed or distributed, and
I don't know how it's gonna happen.
You have to constantly
balance that every single day.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
McKay, how
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
So true.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: how
accurate was the experience then from
pitching and Greenlight saying, Hey,
here's, here's what I'm passionate about.
Here's what excites me about this show or
this series, and I want to take it, uh,
to this level or in this direction to,
you know, delivering that first season.
How, how much did what you
pitched match what you delivered?
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
Uh, the unique thing about come
follow up specifically is that it's.
There was already a version that existed.
And so, so it was easy for us to have
a comparison, a, a contrasting show to
say, Hey, this is what, this is where
it is, this is what we want to do.
And so there wasn't, there wasn't a whole
lot of difference between, uh, pitching
our concept and, and then executing on it.
Uh, mostly because it was making
modifications to a system that had
already been put in place and, and.
So I think that, but I, I'm
glad you brought that up.
'cause I think that, uh, in many, most
possibly every other case that I've
had in this, in that situation where
I'm not, like, in which I'm not taking
over something that already existed.
Um, there are quite a few changes
from, from pitch to execution.
Um, and I, I have to remind myself that.
In my experience, the, the, what
you're selling during a pitch
is the pitch and what you're
executing on is what comes next.
It's you, what you pitch
to them may not be.
You have to accept that what you're,
what you're pitching to somebody
may not actually be what ends up
happening, but it's close enough.
It's in the the same neighborhood of.
Of where they want it to be and where you
think it should be, that once you execute
on it, nobody's gonna look back and be
like, well, on page three of your deck
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: It.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
you said this and you did this.
That's not, that's just not a reality.
It's, it's, can you take that higher
top down look and then say, okay, this
requires us to execute this a little
bit differently than we pitched, but
that doesn't matter 'cause we're still
staying true to the spirit of what.
This concept is
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: What,
okay, I'm gonna, I'm, I need that quote on
a t-shirt, like what you're pitching, what
you're selling in the pitch is the pitch.
'cause that's, that's like
a light bulb moment for me.
Um, uh, CC McKay, this level
of brilliance you bring that,
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
I did it.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: did you
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Thanks.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: okay.
So, uh.
I that, that really just kind of
caught my brain and I'm kind of
noodling on that and processing that.
Right now.
I'm in the middle of two of these
things right now, two pitches
right now that, uh, that mentality
could be very, very helpful.
What you're selling in
the pitch is the pitch.
I mean, ultimately you have to deliver
the show, but if you can't get your foot
in the door, if you can't say, here's
a creative take, here's my idea that is
going to be different or that, that is
going to bring my passion to this project.
Um.
If you're just pitching what,
what everybody else is already
watching, uh, then yeah,
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Well,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
the problem.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: let
me say this too, that I, my wife has
called me out for this several times.
Uh, she's been a very close
creative partner, um, through
my entire career, and,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
write and
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: uh, I.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
I'm sure she's there right by you.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
I've got her in IFB here.
She's just me.
What to say.
Um, no, but she'll, so I, we spent years
with me working on this, this script.
I, I have an affinity for, uh,
like dystopian sci-fi type stuff,
and I've always wanted to like,
create something in that world.
And so for years I was just like.
Nerding out writing about it with zero
outlining, zero preparation, just kind
of like writing scenes and wildly un
unorganized and unprepared and, um,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Not results driven,
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: and
then, yeah, no, and then, I mean, it was
just purely like just writing to write.
And, um, when she, if she ever
struggled to sleep at night, she'd say,
Hey, tell me more about that pitch.
I.
I'm not joking.
That is legitimately true.
And then she would fall asleep to
me telling her about this idea.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Sounds exciting.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Um,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
exciting.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
yeah, it was, it was exciting.
I mean, in my head it was bonkers.
Well, so then, then I took,
uh, a sharp turn the wrong
direction in, which is, well, I.
Not that that was the right direction,
but I then began to write or prepare
what I thought everybody else wanted.
Here's what so and so wants.
Here's what they, what
they're looking for.
And I would dismiss my
own interest in a topic.
Write what I thought or prepare
a pitch for what I thought
somebody else was going for.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
pick that up again.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
Did I freeze?
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: were
writing what everybody else wanted?
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yeah.
So I would try to anticipate what.
A client or a financier or
whoever, what they were wanting.
And then I would put something
together, show it to my wife,
and she'd be like, this sucks.
This is not good because you're not.
She's like, yeah, I don't
see you in this at all.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
I'm really impressed at how far
back you were able to scoot.
I didn't realize your
room was like a mile long.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: This
is Garrett's former office actually.
So,
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: Okay.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
so I, I took a big space.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: up.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yeah.
When I say I worked on these films
with him, I meant I came in the room
while he was hanging up the posters.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
I worked on these posters.
Uh,
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yeah.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: no,
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: Okay.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: at all.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: Um,
yeah, to get a clean, uh, version
of you sharing that story like you
were pivoting from your wife, telling
you, you know, putting you right
to sleep with your story, to like.
into not doing what people
wanted, but something else.
Something along.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
Yeah, so, so that was a, a, a growth
moment for me in terms of developing
something and preparing it to pitch
was that I, I, I had started with, I'm
just gonna wildly chase what I want and
then, and hope that it has some sort of.
Meaning to it, to, I'm gonna wildly
chase what I think other people want.
And it had the same impact basically.
It was, this isn't going anywhere.
This is, there's nothing new or unique.
I might as well have been using,
like just typing into chat.
GPT, do all of this.
No, no.
Great.
Print it, send it, let's do this.
Um, and so, so.
Especially in the last several years,
it's been a process of learning how to
combine those two elements, where to lean
on those strengths of, of what they want.
'cause that's not something to dismiss
what, what another party wants and
what about that is something that I can
be passionate about or have a vision
about, so that when, when I'm sitting
in a meeting and having a conversation.
The, the decisiveness about what I
want to do and how I want to do it,
uh, is an invaluable impression to make
on somebody that you're pitching to.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: Okay.
Uh, um, I lit literally in that, that
actual regal sense of the word, uh,
had this conversation with somebody
yesterday with a client that I pitched.
project to it.
And again, this is a client that came
and said, Hey, we'd like a commercial
for such and such, uh, campaign,
here's our creative brief on it.
Can you give us an RFP or
can you give us a a bid and.
I had to sit there and
kind of process that.
Like, what, what about this
process excites me or what can I
pitch that I'd be excited about?
So I pitched this concept of,
Hey, we're gonna, you know, we're
gonna do your creative brief,
but we're gonna use like a.
Motion control bolt, you
know, high speed movie camera.
That to me was exciting.
Like that's something that, yeah, it'd
be fun to jump into this commercial
and here's the budget to do that.
And that's kind of the cost of my passion.
and he called back and said,
Hey, we actually loved it.
Nobody ever pitches that angle.
And it's kind of fun.
And yeah.
Let's, uh, let's.
at doing this together, and then he
started saying like, okay, no, based
on our creative brief, what about these
points and these points and these points?
And I was able to just, like you've
said, say, look, I, you know, I
pitched the idea or pitched the
concept, and my goal ultimately
is deliver what the client wants.
So all of those things, all of
those variables that you're asking
about, if that's what the client
is wanting, happy to deliver that.
Uh, that, that, you know, I'm, I'm
there about the client's success.
Uh, what excites me about this
projects are these three things.
If we can fit those in, awesome.
We got a deal.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yeah.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: Nice.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: what
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yeah.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
is applicable.
Sorry, that was a long story.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
Well, I now, now I wonder if, uh,
you won the thing I bid for as well.
So, because I had a, I had one, uh,
I sent one out a few days ago that
I actually wasn't able to, I wasn't
able to finish it on time, and they
extended it by a couple days for me.
And, uh, and my, my deck
was very much, uh, uh.
It was an interesting exercise
because I didn't have time to do
everything that I needed to do.
So what I ended up doing was writing
personal experiences into the deck
that related to the stories that
they were asking for in the brief.
I'd never done that before.
I've never, I've always just relied
on, on my ability to write to like,
you know, create some, some story,
some visual aesthetic that they can
pull from, from those words, but.
It became a much more personal experience,
just saying, I remember going to my
grandparents Red Little Red Brick Rambler
home, uh, in the summers and we'd have
water and cookouts and um, there was
something real about that, that, that
I was like, I don't have anything else
'cause I don't have time, so I'm just
gonna go for it and see what happens.
Now that sounds very inspired,
but I also never heard back so.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: That
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: So
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: won't
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: take,
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: time, so
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
take from that what you will.
But, uh,
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: Yeah,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: funny.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
but still good exercise.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: I bet
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: it
is the same project, you'll probably
end up working on it either way.
So
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
Hey, you know what?
That's kind how this works, isn't it?
That wouldn't be the first time.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
it would be the first time
it goes this direction, but.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: Um,
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Uh.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: I'm
curious, uh, because you said that
like you're wrapping up this season
and you're starting to shift into the
same, you know, mindset place that
Garrett and I are in, in, in this like
development and pitching and trying
to raise money for, for projects.
So tell us a little bit more about the
approach that you take when you're going.
Okay, I'm shifting into.
and pitching mode.
What does that look like and what are
the things that are kind of top of
mind for you when you're taking project
or projects out into the industry?
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: It
looks like a lot of procrastination
is what it looks like.
Uh, and, and then, and then brief
snippets of hyper fixation on something.
So, uh, um, I,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
about right.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: I.
Like, you can tell when I'm
in development mode because my
office has never been cleaner.
Um, you can tell that I'm in
development mode because I've
sorted coins for some reason.
I don't know.
Uh, I've, uh, hung up.
LED lights in random places in my house.
I don't know, like there's just
things, you know, all these jobs that
just suddenly need to happen now.
And, uh, what, but what I found
is that as I'm doing those dumb
things, I, uh, something will click.
Um, so I'd say the first thing that.
That I'll usually turn to is like,
what are the, what's the lowest
hanging fruit that I'm interested in?
'cause there's always gonna be lowest
hanging fruit that you're like, no, I
would rather a, or pack it all up and
go work at Costco than do that job.
And uh, um,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
So low hanging
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: but
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
like, okay, here's a couple
of client projects, or here's
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
yeah, just some stuff on the radar.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: on.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
RFPs will come in, um, whatever.
There's, there's random stuff.
We had, uh, over the past few months
we were in negotiations with, uh, a
pretty major brand name and, um, ended
up, ended up backing out of that deal.
But, um.
But it was, uh, it was, you know,
several months of, of negotiating and
budgeting and planning and, um, it
just ended up not being the right fit.
But it was something on the
radar and it was something that I
thought could be interesting to do.
Interesting to, to pursue.
It was very different than, than, uh,
than anything that I have been doing.
And so, um,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: us?
Can you tell us?
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: oh.
Uh, no.
No, I cannot.
Uh, I wish, actually, I wish I could have,
um, if, if things had gone differently, I
would be able to tell you more about it.
But, um, but, uh, it certainly sounds,
my, my ambiguity on this, my, well, my
vague description makes it sound way
more intriguing than it actually is.
So
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: know.
We know who
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: just,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
James Gunn.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: yeah.
It's, uh, yeah.
I mean, he demanded to read every
script that comes in instead of
just vomiting out series and movies.
So I told him, that's a deal breaker.
I need full creative control.
So, so anyway, I had to walk away from Mr.
Gunn.
I mean, what has he ever done?
Um, anyway, sorry.
Um, where were we at?
I don't, I don't.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: you.
I kind of derailed that whole thing.
So you're in development mode, uh,
looking at low hanging fruit and going,
what's gonna get me to the next project?
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yeah.
So the other opportunity that comes
with that, that I've found is that
it can be a time to develop, uh,
stuff that, I mean, any, any of us
who work in this industry know that.
Or we all have in our back pocket
those ideas, our darlings that
we just would love to see come to
fruition in some capacity, some way.
And, uh, and so that, uh, that
development time does also
offer up an opportunity to say.
Okay, how do I get to that point?
And, um, one of the biggest lessons that
I have learned and that I tried to share
with any like 20 20-year-old kid who comes
and says, oh, I heard you're in film.
Can you answer questions for me?
Is, uh, that nobody cares how
passionate you are about your idea.
You have to make that sell
in what you do and how you
execute on it in every chapter.
So, um, I, as, as I was in the,
the throes of a scripture study
talk show, come follow up.
I reached a point where I was like,
I just need to go after something
that I'm really, really passionate
about, just as a complete outlet from.
Everything else.
And that was, that was the birthplace
of this little thing called
Apocalypse Sasquatch, um, which
we shot like two years ago and I
still haven't even released it.
It's done, it's like finished.
But, um, so I'm, I'm gonna publish it.
Maybe maybe talking about it on here.
We'll will get me to a place where
I can, I can get it out there.
But the approach to that
was interesting because.
I had to, I didn't want to be in
a place where I would just say,
people are gonna be as passionate
about my, my idea as I am.
It just doesn't work.
There's no, if you, if you are
listening to this or anybody else,
or, or sitting there dreaming your
dreams and you think that Netflix
is gonna come knocking at your door.
It's not going to happen.
It does.
That's just not how the business works.
Um,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
on a t-shirt as well.
Daren, let's just
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: yeah.
Um, and I've, I've talked to so many
people who are like, oh, I have this idea.
It's an Epic nine part fantasy film.
You know, they're pitching avatar to me
and I'm like, okay, that's great, but.
There's so much groundwork
that needs to be laid here.
So anyway, so, and again, I, I'm saying
all this knowing that this experiment
has yet to bear any fruit, but there's
an, the iterative process that I
tried to take is, okay, I'm gonna
start with the project is not to make
a movie called Apocalypse Sasquatch.
Right now the project is to write.
Something that sells the
concept of Apocalypse Sasquatch.
And so I wrote a a 10 page story about
it, and I've always approached those
kind of things as like, well, this is
gonna be the first scene of the movie.
That's what I'm gonna write, or the most
important scene of the movie, or whatever.
Um, but this was different in
that I was like, I'm gonna.
I've got to layer the exposition
with the action and, and just kind
of like, what exact, what's the exact
moment regardless of anything else?
What's the exact moment I need to land
in and create for someone to say, oh
my gosh, I can't believe that works.
And so, so once I got to that point with
the script of just removing it from being
a feature, removing it from any idea
of it being anything other than that.
I then I could actually write something.
Uh, my writer's block disappeared.
I wrote the whole thing.
The first draft is kind of where it
stayed, and, and it just, it just worked.
It flowed.
And then, um, I.
I, I showed it to Adam here
at Go Films and, and, uh, he
was like, cool, let's do it.
Let's make it.
So, um, we called in all of our friends
and favors and, uh, found this really
cool a-frame cabin up in Midway and I.
Um, and shot the thing in two
days and, uh, it was awesome.
So, and then I got excited and made
posters and we had a premiere at, well,
a premiere we had a screening at, we
booked a theater and had a screening.
We had like 75 people there.
It was, it was a blast.
But, um, but the idea is, is now
what I have is something that
I could manageably make, and.
I believe that it successfully
showcases, oh my gosh.
You can actually do that.
That's ridiculous that you
can tell that story or set up
that premise like it's stupid.
The whole concept, I mean, it's
called Apocalypse Sasquatch.
There's like, the whole point is, and
the tagline is, who names a Sasquatch?
Jason, it's, it's supposed to be absurd,
like that's the whole thing, but.
It's a proof of concept and concept,
feel like it proves the concept.
So now, now I'm starting to explore like,
okay, how do I take that and use this as
a tool to build a feature idea for this?
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
this is an
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: And.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
tee up for something I wanted
to talk to you about, but.
But I wanna highlight
a, an idea here first.
Um, in that which, which you just
explained perfectly, the difference be
in value in the marketplace between an
idea and the execution of that idea.
execution is the multiplier.
That's the thing that
makes something, something.
There are millions of filmmakers
with great ideas that if only
someone would give them a chance,
it would turn into something great.
Instead of saying, I'm just
gonna figure out how to do
this and I'm gonna make, I'm.
The smallest version that I
can, or the biggest version is
I can with the resources I have.
you did that and you've done it before
and that's kind of our connection here.
We were talking before about, uh,
Garrett is our, our Kevin Bacon, one
degree connection between the two of us.
Because you did, you produced the teaser.
For the carpenter, which I ended up
going out to South Africa and producing
with Garrett, but the movie wouldn't
have happened if you guys hadn't
taken that idea executed the smallest
version that you could, or the biggest
version that you could at the time
with the resources money you had.
I don't know.
I can't decide if it's the smallest
or biggest version apparently, but
you went out with the resources
you had and you made a teaser.
So tell us about that and how that played
into, and Garrett, you can chime in
too 'cause you've got the maybe more,
uh, fuller picture, but, but like the
idea of doing it again with Apocalypse
Sasquatch, you did it with the carpenter.
This idea of and producing a
teaser to have a proof of concept
that then leads to a feature.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Um,
this is definitely Garrett's, uh, it was
Garrett's baby from the, from the get go.
Um, I don't know if he'll resent me for,
for claiming that, but, um, uh, I was
just, I was just happy to be a part of
the show, you know, to have him reach
out and, and ask me to be a part of this
small team that was gonna go out to,
to Texas and shoot this thing in the
middle of summer, in the middle of COVID.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Sorry about that.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Uh,
but we have a lifelong bond with the team
that we worked with now because we all,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
We do, we
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: uh,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
like a somewhat active text thread
with inside jokes and everything.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: yeah.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
four people that were out there.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yeah.
With, uh, chiggers and Whataburger.
Um, that was that.
Yeah.
I feel like I can't say
Chiggers on a podcast.
Um, sorry.
Look it up.
It's a real thing.
Um.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Those are those, those are
those bugs that bite you.
Uh.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
Yeah, I've got, well, not
scars, but, um, yeah, sorry.
Anyway, um, uh, no, I, I tr
I'm trying to recall, uh, a
lot of the details from that.
'cause again, it was, it was
COVID, it was mid 2020, right.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: And
kind of here's what, what really stood
out to me, both Daren with what you're
talking about as far as the carpenter,
but also this apocalypse, Sasquatch, uh,
McKay, where I think you have this Yeah.
I mean, you just epitomize
this independent mindset of
like, I'm not gonna let the.
What is three steps down the road or
inhibit or stop me from doing what
is the first step down the road?
you know what I, I love what you
said about, I wanna, I'm gonna write
the script and I'm not gonna write
the script because I think I gotta
write a bigger script for the movie.
I'm gonna write the idea that's
in my head, which is short
about Apocalypse Sasquatch.
love.
No, I love hearing that story
because when I showed up on set.
Apocalypse, Sasquatch, and, uh, you know,
saw everybody's passionate about it.
You know, I think have even had
this conversation with you saying,
okay, so what's, what's the plan?
Or what are we doing?
Like, where are you going with this?
And it was, and I think you
had this ability to just kinda
shrug me, like, I don't know.
I don't, I don't care.
Like that wasn't it?
It was about
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
To make this movie.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
right now.
We're in the moment right now.
Okay.
That's
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Mm-hmm.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
what's the biggest inhibitor of my
projects is like, well, what about when
I get to distribute distribution or,
you know, how am I gonna handle this?
And, and you, you have
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yeah,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
all that.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
I refused.
Uh, in fact, it was a conscious decision
that I refused to acknowledge anything
other than the next phase because I knew
if I started talking about it in that,
in those terms, then it would change
how I approached the short creatively.
I.
I knew it needed to be, I knew it
was what it needed to be, and if I
started to make changes, it would
be making changes off of a potential
hypothetical, which is, you know, two
different variables that are ridiculous.
Then you put them together
and it's a hot mess.
So, and I've, I spent, I've spent
so many years fighting against these
potential hypotheticals and, um,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
I think that's
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: instead
of just saying what's right in front of me
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
what that,
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: and.
Do that.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
so well in the carpenter.
The short of saying, you
know what, this is it.
So McKay, how can I get you to focus?
Or McKay, can I get you
to help me with this?
With this thing and I'm thinking, oh,
it's gonna be this great big feature film.
I, we had no idea we were gonna
shoot in Africa or anything.
And you
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yeah.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
it as, Hey, for the week in Texas,
we're gonna go sweat it out and make
the best thing that we can right
now for the resources that we have.
Whatever happens,
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yep.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
address that when it happens.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
I do remember because we, we were
getting caught up in story, like
there was a lot of figuring out
what exactly was gonna be shot.
And so I do remember having those
conversations about, well, what's
gonna make, what's the coolest thing
we can do that sells the story?
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: to do?
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
Let's just,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
sells the
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: yeah.
Yep.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
do have this overarching plan.
It's, it's amazing.
Uh,
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
very cool.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804: Well,
yeah, and it, and it did result both of,
well, certainly Carpenter resulted in a
movie that was my widest distributed film.
And, uh, of you guys, I owe, I owe
so much credit to for that and I can
only imagine apocalypse, Sasquatch.
I mean, it potentially could be like
the next sharknato or whatever it is.
Yes.
It's absurd.
And you know what it is and
it's gonna own what it is.
And I it doesn't, you don't even make
any mention yet of the that comes
in at the end of it, like this movie
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
Dude, you can't,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Oh, did I just,
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
you can't drop spoilers.
Oh.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Watch it.
Watch it.
Everybody.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
We can't watch it.
He hasn't released it yet.
Where do we get, where do gonna hold you
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yeah,
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
want a date for the release of
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: I know
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
and the.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
I accidentally published it once
and not realizing there was live on
YouTube and the next day I had like
500 views and a bunch of comments.
I hadn't done anything to,
it was just there, but, uh,
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Deadpool approach.
Huh?
The old, yeah.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yeah.
Yeah.
Without the built in audience.
But yes, I'm gonna see if I've,
I've got some, some distant
connections to Ryan Reynolds.
Maybe I can get him on board to.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
there you go.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
be Jason.
Uh, uh, well, very fun.
Okay, uh, McKay.
So I, I have kind of a final question,
like how you, you said you're in the
development mode and we, you kind of
joked about, procrastination, or maybe
that wasn't a joke, but, you know,
cleaning my office and sorting coins
and counter coins for our independent
filmmakers, including me out there.
How do you.
Like, how do you keep going when it
is development mode and when all you
have on your horizon is, okay, here's
a client project I might be bored with,
or, here's this that they're not gonna
really wanna do what I'm passionate about.
I, is it the apocalypse, Sasquatch is, or,
uh, distractions that, uh, keep you going?
Or what, what advice do you
have for a filmmaker that says,
how do I just not give up?
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yeah.
For me it's,
it's having realistic milestones that
aren't dependent on any other individual.
That's, that is a core part
of my, my motivation and, and
staying with it because everybody,
anybody can make a movie.
But not everybody can tell a story.
And it's the combination
of those two things.
That is what make in, like what
makes independent filmmaking worth
it and what makes it actually work
and, uh, what brings its value.
Um, there's, you know, hundreds of
movies released every year, and how
many of them have stories I don't know.
But a lot of 'em are spectacle.
A lot of 'em are tax write-offs.
You know, they're just, they're
just out there and it's,
you know, big studio movies.
They're, they have their place
and they have their value.
Um, but they're most often, if you can,
if you can see it, they're most often not
as concerned with, with what the story is.
And so, uh, for me, um,
I have to latch on to.
Whatever world I'm building, and then
pair that with the practicality of a
milestone of saying, what do I need
to illustrate what this world is?
And, and so I will just start.
Putting that together and, and
find out, figure out for myself.
If that means I am writing a spec
script or a, uh, just putting together
a deck or, or a shooting for a
proof of concept film or whatever.
There's it all, every project has
its own, its own, uh, iteration or
its own different milestones that.
That are valuable, but, um,
but I've, I have to see what
that, what those milestones are.
' cause it's, it just gives me
something to work towards.
And if I don't, my A DHD brain's too
wild for me to be able to, I can't
stop the pinball machine unless I
have what that next milestone is.
And, um, and then I can focus that I.
Crazy energy into a target rather than
just writing my epic dystopian sci-fi
and trying to pitch it to, well then
reading it to my wife as a bedtime story
every night so that she can fall asleep.
So, uh, which that is dead and gone.
I will never see the light of day.
But anyway, uh, I don't know if
that answered your question, but.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Uh, it, it did.
I forgot my question.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
Oh, so it was that.
It was such a good answer that
you forgot what the question was.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
feels complete.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
a, a good, good to hear that.
Um, there are things to, to do to continue
to fill your time filmmaker that are going
to keep you motivated and inspired and I.
Focused.
Awesome.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804: Yeah.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Uh, McKay.
Brilliant man.
Thank you very much
for joining us on this.
Uh, a season finale, Daren?
Are we calling it this season finale?
We're gonna focus
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
Well, I don't know.
I don't have my money raised yet.
Do you?
I think that's our, that's our metric
is if we're in development or like
we have money committed, then we can
shift into season three pre-production.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
This is gonna
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
We'll get there shortly, we'll get.
garrett-batty_1_06-25-2025_100804:
McKay, thank you very much, man.
So, uh, we need to, we need to get
together and, um, figure out if
we, we bid on the same project.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812: Yeah.
Yeah.
Jerk.
Just kidding.
daren-smith_1_06-25-2025_100804:
so much for joining us today.
It was great to finally meet you.
Hopefully we can, uh, meet in
person at some point and thank you.
Appreciate you taking the time.
mckay-stevens_1_06-25-2025_100812:
Glad to be here.
Thanks for having me.
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823: Sweet.
Oh, it was good to finally meet that guy.
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823: I
can't believe you've never met McKay.
I mean, it's a
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823:
I can't believe it either.
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823: and you
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823: I know.
I know.
Sometimes the same movie and we
still haven't met each other.
Yeah, no, I'm,
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823: cool.
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823:
we've crossed paths before, but
I don't have a recollection of
like, Hey, McKay, I'm Daren.
It's nice to finally meet you.
Like, I don't think I've
ever met him in person, so.
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823:
Well, good.
Well, to to you and everybody else who's
listening, he's a good guy to know.
Like Yeah.
Uh, he's so tapped into every aspect
of film, of independent film that, and
he just kind of figures out how to wrap
his brain around what needs to be done.
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823: Yeah.
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823: Yeah.
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823: Hey,
you can tell like some, I always love
when IMDB shows like a quarter of
the credits that someone has because
they just don't care about, you
know, I I, I try to stay on top of
that 'cause I'm like, oh, everybody
needs to know everything I've done.
But I know that he's done a lot more
than the internet would, um, tell you.
Apocalypse Sasquatch.
That sounds like an amazing project
that I cannot wait to see legitimately.
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823:
need to have lunch with him
and convince him to do that.
'cause it would, it would go huge.
be so
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823:
It's crazy.
I don't understand the, uh, the
mindset of let's make something and
then not release it, but hopefully
today kind of nudged him a little bit.
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823: Yeah.
Yeah.
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823:
Um, any, any updates on your
projects that you wanna share?
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823:
Um, okay.
We're greenlit on this, uh,
a short film, which would be
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823: Nice.
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823:
And again, this is one that.
Where McKay was talking about, you know,
hey, find something that you can be
passionate about relating to the project.
This is one that I'm excited to get to do.
'cause it is, it's a total
throwback to like low budge
independent student film maker mode.
And, uh,
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823: Nice.
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823:
we'll be filming that in the next,
uh, um, in the next couple of weeks.
And, uh, I dunno, we'll, we'll
get some footage maybe for some
BTS and talk about it here.
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823: Yeah.
Awesome.
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823: And
then, uh, yeah, I'm in a couple of other
projects are gaining momentum, is nice.
I've got a feature film that's, that's,
um, looking likely that we'll go into
development or excuse me, in, in, uh,
pre-production, I guess development still.
But, um, I don't know.
The things that excited about, I always
hesitate on how much to talk about
it because things change so, so much.
I.
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823: I know
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823:
It's always that
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823:
when money's committed,
then it can always go away.
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823:
of hope, like I
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823:
no, I feel that.
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823: yet?
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823:
Yeah, the, um, that's awesome.
I've, I've been getting a couple of
inquiries around, like, it's interesting
'cause I think people are, have pegged
me as a faith-based producer now with
these last two movies, which is not a
bad thing, but it's, I don't want to
only be that to the industry, but it's
benefiting me in that I've had two or
three, three different inquiries in
the last few weeks from people saying,
Hey, I, I know you guys have a project
that's streaming on Angel and doing well.
We want to do a torch for them.
You know, can we hire you, whether
it's as a producer, as a consultant, or
you know, to be involved with helping
us get this across the finish line.
I was like, yeah, we could talk.
You know, I'm full on fundraising
mode, so I can't like go do a
feature right now that feels like
if I went and did a feature, I.
That's two months of my life that is not
dedicated to raising money for the fund.
But you know, taking a week or two to
go shoot a torch, that could be cool.
So we'll see if any of those pan out.
But yeah, same thing.
You never know, even if money's
committed or a project is,
is verbally going it forward.
You don't know unless you know the
contract's, signing money's in the bank.
And so
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823: Yeah.
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823:
keep chugging along.
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823: Yeah,
well, I'm excited for, uh, honestly,
kind of the next phase of, of truly
independent what that, uh, season three.
I know we kind of joke casually about
the seasons and stuff like that.
and technically it would
be a season four I.
But just what that next,
what this next chapter is.
And so again, thank you to our listeners
who have, uh, supported it and kind
of to all, all episodes, all phases.
Uh, but, and, and, and stay tuned
because there are some changes that,
uh, or I guess iterations or evolutions
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823: Yeah, it
feels like culminations maybe of like the
stuff we've been talking about for a year.
Yeah, we went through the release
of two movies, but now it's been a.
Six months or so that we've been talking
about how do you get projects green lit?
How do you get your, the, the ideas
in your head into execution phase?
And so yeah, we, we kind of set out
with season two going, yeah, season
three is next, but we don't know when
and we still don't know when it's, it.
It happens when it happens, but that's
a little bit meta for people going Yeah.
Even the show that we're talk, we're
producing to talk about the work
that we're doing as producing movies.
Is in limbo as far as how
long this phase takes.
We don't know.
So I love that it's very,
uh, very inside baseball.
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823:
That's interesting.
Interesting.
Okay.
Well good.
Well, uh, great.
Any, any other notes?
Are we good to, we good
to wrap up the episode?
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823:
I think we're good today.
That was a fun one.
I hope people take a lot away from it.
And, uh, we'll let you know when the
t-shirts are available for purchase.
garrett-batty_2_06-25-2025_105823:
Okay, man.
Thanks.
Nice to chat with you.
daren-smith_2_06-25-2025_105823:
Thanks, Garrett.
See you.
Thank you for listening to this
episode of Truly Independent.
To join us on the journey,
be notified of and ask us
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Our intro and outro music is
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