Breaking into Storytelling: Building Inclusive Worlds On and Off Screen

In this episode of Breaking the Biz, we sit down with Paul Hemstreet, an award-winning producer and multidisciplinary creative with over 25 years of experience shaping some of the most beloved franchises in entertainment. From his tenure at Warner Bros.—working on global hits like Harry Potter, The Matrix, The Hobbit, and the DC Universe—to his current role mentoring neurodivergent talent at Autism in Entertainment, Paul brings a rare blend of high-level industry insight and heartfelt advocacy.

Paul shares how producing live events and content across departments, continents, and technologies has shaped his approach to storytelling—and why creating space for voices on the Spectrum has become his most meaningful work yet. With deep reflections on parenting, career pivots, and creative leadership, Paul offers a candid look into what it truly takes to produce content that inspires hope, fosters inclusivity, and engages audiences around the world.

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Interested in being a guest speaker? blieberman@yicunity.org

Transcript

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Hi everybody. My name is Paul Hemstreet and I'm an Executive Producer and Creative executive. I worked at Warner brothers for over 23 years as a Senior Vice President of Creative Content and I am currently head of Video Production at Autism In Entertainment. I'm thrilled to be here on Breaking the Biz.[music][music][AI Narrator] Stay tuned for today's episode of Breaking the Biz, an informative podcast where we dive into the world of entertainment by interviewing seasoned professionals who have made their mark in the industry. Gain invaluable insights as they share their personal journeys, offering advice on navigating the dynamic landscape of the entertainment industry. Whether you're an aspiring actor, musician, filmmaker, author, animator or any creative soul, tune in for expert career guidance, insider tips and firsthand accounts on breaking into the entertainment industry. Get ready to unlock the secrets behind successful careers and fuel your own passion for the limelight. Please remember to like this video and to subscribe to our channels for more great conversations.[William - Host] Greetings from Breaking the Biz brought to you by Yes I Can Unity Through Music and Education. I'm William Felber, your navigator through the intriguing universe of the entertainment industry as revealed by the visionaries and creators who bring it to life. Stay tuned as we delve into diverse insights from the forefront of entertainment. Hearing from pioneers, creators and agents of change. Prepare for a journey filled with tales of innovation, resilience and the undying quest for artistic brilliance.[Bret - Moderator] I want to welcome everybody to Breaking the Biz. We've got a great guest with us. We have Paul Hemstreet who is an award winning producer. He's worked at Warner Brothers Studios, he's worked with the Harry Potter franchise, the Hobb, the Matrix trilogy, DC Universe. An award winning producer and multidisciplinary creative with over 25 years in entertainment crafting content for major studios, production companies and working in the nonprofit sector. His passion is producing documentaries, videos and live production that uplift, engage and inspire, focusing on stories that foster inclusivity, hope and positive change. On top of that, while he was at Warner Brothers, he adapted the ever changing technologies to produce content for the iconic franchise like Harry Potter, the Hobbit, the Matrix, DC Universe and friends. Spanning short form videos, VR, live events and documentaries. After two decades at Warner Brothers, industry shifts, the pandemic and personal reflection led him to a new path. Inspired by raising kids with autism, he joined the Autism and Entertainment, a non profit fostering employment for creatives on Spectrum. As head of Video production, he mentors neurodivergent crews to create Films that celebrate individuals who have overcome adversities to succeed in entertainment. This purpose driven work has been deeply fulfilling. Live entertainment is another lifelong passion. With an MFA in directing from CalArts go Santa Clarita, he produces theater and live music events. Love outshines the moon that celebrates diverse communities and inspires audiences. Having led multi year franchise content plans for Harry Potter and the Hobbit. I mean, what an impressive resume. And you've touched a lot of really cool things, Paul. So I want to jump right into it. I want to know when you were a little kid and you said, when I grow up, I want to be. What was that? When I was a kid, I wanted to grow up and be in the entertainment business. Even as a little kid, I remember fantasizing about moving to Holly. Hollywood. I remember being fascinated with it, fascinated with movies. My family loved to talk about sports and I like some sports, but I love to talk about movies and, and other things. And theater I think was my gateway into entertainment. And I remember getting involved as a little kid. I loved being in, in school productions. I was a, in the, in the most reverent terms, the theater geek. I loved being in shows. I love the it. And then it was later in life in, well, in, you know, high school and college when I began to turn my interest to more than just theater. And that was film. So talk me, talk me through that first. What was like the first film that you're like, okay, this, I'm hooked. I gotta do this. Star Wars. And I was, I saw it when it first came out. This is dating me a little bit. But I was, it's like in the sixth grade and went with my friends to see it. And it was one of those experiences where I could barely even get out of my seat after seeing Star Wars. It just moved me so much. There's been a few film films like that. Another one which we can talk about in a little bit is the Matrix. I remember when I saw the Matrix, I was just like blown away in my seat. And films like that come along every few years and when I see them, it's so exciting to me because it makes you feel all the emotions and all the excitement of what a movie can do to inspire you. Yeah, no, Star wars is definitely one. You know, once you feel the Jedi, you're like, all right, this is, you know. And then what an evolving franchise Star wars has turned out to be. I love it. So theater then kind of wanting to get into film when you go to call. I imagine in high school you participated in all the theater. And you did that when you got to college, did you continue theater or was it like, no, I'm looking for something new? Well, it was interesting because I had another passion which was studying politics and political systems. So I went to a school called Carleton College in Minnesota and I was a political science major and I, I really enjoyed that. But I got my work study job working in the theater and I was doing box office and then I started working in the scene shop and then I auditioned for the shows. So I was as an actor on stage, behind the scenes, the business part of it, really sort of getting that all around experience, what I would call producer training. And it came down to a point, it was in my senior year and I was cast as one of the leads in a big musical the college was doing. And I had simultaneously applied to be an intern. And this is going a little off on a limb, but working in the German parliament because I was interested in foreign relations. And I had to choose between flying to an interview to go do that or to miss my dress rehearsal for the play. And I chose the play because in my heart that's what I wanted to do. And it really changed my outlook on things and I, I really prioritized that and I abandoned that other path and decided to go into theater. When I initially left college and I got a job working at a local theater in Minneapolis doing box office, learning everything that the directors doing. And I remember one thing I, I had to do when I was in college is get all the mailers from the different theater schools. And I got one from a school called CalArts which is in Santa Clarita. And what stood out to me in this amazing catalog is that you could have a major that was both film and both theater. Because I couldn't really decide and make up my mind. So I saw that and applied, got in, moved to California and haven't left. Loved the program, was totally immersed in both theater and film. And then I had to make a decision in college to focus on one or the other for my major for my big project. And I, I chose film for that. But I've never lost my passion for theater. And still to this day I'm directing theater and producing theater and live events. So can talk about that later. But I got back into it after many years working away from it at Warner. I love how you mentioned doing all of those jobs, learning how to be the producer, touching all different departments. If you're going to lead the ship, you have to be able to understand everybody's role. And what a great way to do that at CalArts. You focus in on the film. Did you have to make a student film as part of your program to graduate? I did. I made a film called Animal Instincts and it was about a misunderstood pit bull that was framed for a violent dog attack that this lovable dog never did. So it's a comedy, but kind of a dark comedy. I like it. I like it already. I love, I love where you're going with that. Yeah. And yes. So I, I learned so much on that and I think my experience going to film school was really positive. And it, CalArts was the type of school where you had to fend for yourself. They had a great, great mentorship with the professors, but I also had to get things done myself and they taught us that too. They said, you know, if the, if you're trying to get something and the, that door seems closed, try to find a back door in. Try to be creative to get what you need without upsetting people. But try, don't give up on your idea, don't give up on your plan and keep on working towards your goals. And whereas some schools, fabulous schools, USC will have, for example, films that the school helps to fund and you end up working on other people's films. At CalArts, everybody had to make their own films, so we all had to be producers. And I found it really helpful after I got out of college because I had learned a lot of skills towards just wearing many different hats and knowing how to recruit actors and how to make a budget for your, your project and how to, to manage the post production and do many different things. And I think that's really important and a valuable thing to be trained in many different areas. You don't and probably shouldn't just do one thing. I love it. No, it makes total sense to me. So you graduate CalArts, you do an amazing film. I love the framing of the Pitbull. How do you get the first job coming out of CalArts? Is it referrals? Is it with. We always hear you make a nice tight circle at college. You never know who's going to be a boss boss who you're going to be able to, you know, give a, a handshake and bring somebody else aboard. Internship. What, what, how do you get out there? Well, it was interesting and, and all my jobs ultimately were related to friendships I had made, connections I made with other people, friends from CalArts and people I met through them and, and, and so on. And that's been true over the years, actually. Even to this day. Back then they had an organization called pala, and it was called Production Assistance Los Angeles. And if you join that, and a few of my CalArts friends and I did, they would place you on productions, on music videos and, and short films and, and commercials. And that unfortunately doesn't exist today. I think there are things sort of in its place through social media and different networking opportunities like that. But through that, I worked many different odd jobs. Sometimes I just had to go get coffee for producers. Sometimes I was driving around town delivering things to film sets in the offices for the production. So I'd gone from having this, but I thought, you know, high powered film school degree to doing errands and things. But it, I made so many great friends that way. And what you do when you get in jobs like that is you, you express to the people you're working with what it is you really want to do. You say, what I really want to do is to be a director or work with the camera crew. Can you, can you tell me how I can start to do that? So you start to make these connections and people generally in the entertainment business want to help you advance. They want to help you get into other jobs. But nobody will know that unless you tell them what you want to do. And your idea of what you want to do will change over the years. You'll discover things and you might find you love to do something you never knew about. And especially with changing technologies, there's always new things you can do. So you don't have to know exactly what you want, but you want to ask for things that look interesting to you. Okay, so what was your ask? You know, obviously, and, and I loved how you mentioned that too, Paul, because no one knows what you're truly interested in. And everyone has to start at the bottom. There's no one who comes in and, and is, they're like, hey, here's some money and make your movie right. Like, you, you have to work your way up. And there is nothing wr being a PA working in the mailroom. You know, when there was a mailroom, I just heard the Reebok guy whose first job was working in the mailroom is now the CFO of, of Reebok. Right. Like, and he touched every single job on his way up. So what was your ask? I loved editing. So when I was in film school, I was also taking a lot of editing classes and I learned new systems and new technologies. And finally somebody knew of somebody looking for an assistant editor. So I jumped into that. It was for an entertainment advertising company that made trailers and promos for films and TV shows. The ads basically. And I learned a lot. And they would have me log footage, do basic things around the edit bay. But then they wanted to train me in on things and they'd give me a chance to edit a few things together and might start out being just editing clips together to help the editor. But then I, I really, you know, tried to learn more and more, show what I could do. And they started giving me simple editing jobs. And then I became a junior editor and an editor and then a producer editor. Because one the thing I love about editing is you. You're, you get to see the whole picture. You get to see what the directors and producers intentions were and you really can help put the whole thing together. You really create the rhythm of the piece, you create the mood by adding music or, or effects. So to me it was, it was really rewarding. On the flip side, what I loved about production when I was on set is it was like the circus coming to town. It was, it was really social. There was tons of people you, you were constantly working with different, in different environments. But that, that was also kind of tiring. So I kind of welcomed going in the nice air conditioned edit base and having that focus and being able to just settle in on a project. So one day I got a project for Warner Brothers was they were the client and it was for a piece called the Buzz on dvd. And they were introducing this new fancy high technology device, the DVD disc, which all the films and TV shows would be distributed in. And they wanted to introduce it to the entertainment community. And I got to be an editor and producer of that promo. And from that the people at Warner became aware of me. And then they started putting special features on the, the projects. They were putting out the films, the Warner films. And they needed somebody who understood that. So I got to interview for that newly created position and I got it. So I started out as a manager and in their new DVD group creating special features. And that was my entry into the studio. I love it. And everyone obviously here is old enough to know the, you know, the dvd. But the special feature part was like if you really loved a film, that's the stuff that, you know, those extras that you were paying, you know, the 29.99 in Best Buy for was to be able to watch that special feature aspect and you know how what they did behind the scenes. So anyone who really loves filmmaking is enthralled by that. So amazing that you got to introduce that new Technology. And obviously wouldn't we get a little later on how many more new technologies are right around the corner from the Blu Ray to Atmos to, you know, all of the different audio and movie experiences. So you do that. What comes next for you? PAUL so at first I tried to do everything myself in house, like, or higher in an editor, higher in a team to work on the different projects. And this is in the early days and there weren't as many. And that became unmanageable. It became too hard because there are too many projects. So I started working with various production companies who had teams that could work on the projects. So I be, I evolved pretty quickly into more of an executive producer on projects. And we might have 10 projects in different stages. And in the early days of, of dvd, it was just me. But then it, I got to start to hire more people to help me to manage projects. And then it started to, over the years, develop into different areas. Like I had a team working on new release films and I had a few people working on catalog films, the great catalogs like Casablanca and Gone with the Wind and, and Bonnie and Clyde and countless other greats in our library. And then there's family Entertainment. So there was Flintstones and Scooby Doo and, and things like that, and original animation projects and things like that. So I then had a, a team of people. So what I would do is work with my team and work with our marketing department and publicity department to come up with creative plans for every release. And for a long time we were always kind of last at the table in the studio to be able to get the assets for a film, because for a while the film would come out in theaters and it would come out on DVD months later. Well, that time between when a movie came out or a TV show aired and would come out in home entertainment shrank and got shorter and shorter and shorter. So it came to a point where we had to be involved earlier in the process to get crews on set, to get what we needed for our projects, to shoot interviews with the actors, to get assets that we could put into our documentaries and pieces, and for us to communicate with the filmmakers. So that was really rewarding to be part of that experience, to have a window now into the productions and as they are shooting and think about the different windows, what comes out when the film is in theater and what comes out when it goes to home. And it really changed the way we work. I love that because it also just shows your entrepreneurial mindset with realizing you need teams underneath you in managing that and that organizational leadership and knowing how to collaborate and the timelines, all of the skills we teach within our program and it's just amazing to hear you share. All of those skills are so needed if you want to be successful because deadlines are deadlines. But being able to be adaptable, knowing how timelines are changing along with the technology, I love it, what comes next. So it really taught me how to be collaborative because you really can't do it alone. And I think in the film business and theater you really depend on other people. It takes the group creative effort to, to make the project and, and you may have a, an initial vision, but I believe that the project just gets better and better with the creative input from all the other people and it. And you still have to pull it together. You still have to manage that and, and make sure that you're, you're getting, you're fulfilling your goals, but you can't just do it all yourself. And you can't have a big ego to hang on to things because you depend on other people to help you get it across the finish line. So as, as we move forward, like I, I said, we got into some major franchises which were super exciting to work on. I think my favorite IT one was the Harry Potter films. So we got the first film coming out in. Or is it 19? Should know this off time. I had 1997. 90. No, no, no. 1999. And to the last one coming out in, I believe it was 2011. And so much changed over that period of time. And as the films were releasing, the studio wanted to start putting out special editions and collections and they kept on coming back to us. What can you, what can you do on this one? What can you do on this special edition? We want to put the first three together. What things special can you do for that? And that drove us to create plans for the entire franchise. It really made us think about what, how can we roll this out across the eight Harry Potter films? So at the end of it we don't run dry of things to do and we haven't put things out prematurely. So we, we started creating full plans rolling out over several years and we did that on Harry Potter. We did that for the Hobbit and we later got the Lord of the Rings because that was initially handled by New Line, but then New Line folded into Warner parent company. And we did that for the, the DC films, Superman, Batman, Justice League. And it really taught us and taught me how to plan across the future and planning for the future that's that's fantastic because it's being able to see the big picture. And again coming back to that executive functioning of being able to plan out multi years, multi releases. I'm sure the person who had to do Star wars would go out of their mind, you know, with going back and forth and you know, so many different films. But eight films is a lot of films on, on the Harry Potter. So this is eating up a lot, a lot of time. You mentioned the Matrix when you were you part of the team for the Matrix and you saw the Matrix and were blown away or you mentioned Matrix being one of those films because I totally agree with you. The special effects, it was kind of like a Terminator 2 type where you were like whoa, how did they do that? Groundbreaking visual effects. Talk me through Matrix. So Matrix came out early in DVD and it was really the first title that blew the lid open and really propelled home entertainment in general for all the studios into a major, major business. Its sales went through the roof. And we were not before the Matrix. We were not as involved in advance when films were in production. But Silver Pictures and the producers we were working with, Eric Matthews and Josh Orich on the Matrix had the foresight to communicate with us in home entertainment in the very beginning while the film was in production. So they were interested in what the DVD could be and wanted to help us. And that was really a turning point with major films and franchises and I think opened up a lot of producers and directors on what the DVD and home entertainment releases could do for them and do for their film and everybody. It sort of was a huge aha moment to producing amazing special editions with lots of content that helped drive sales, helped excite audiences to want to get and own the dvd. There's a new. I think it's really smart too for them to see that that could also be a driving force to get people to purchase and have that in their home. Seeing how they did all of those cool effects and the storyline and the red pill, blue pill, just such a amazing stuff. And obviously you still kind of have that content now people, I guess you, you get that with on YouTube. I don't know, you know, because I don't purchase. You know, I come from a time obviously like you Paul, where we used to have tangibles but now everything is streaming. So you know, you, you, you miss out on those little extra featurettes. Yes, I, I think there is always going to be an interest for that story, that content behind the scenes, also learning about the story, behind the story and also Opportunities where the story can continue in, in new pieces. Having special shorts that are put out with the release. There's resistance to all of those things in different ways. We ran up against resistance of exposing too many secret secrets. We didn't, you know, some people felt, and some filmmakers felt they didn't want everybody to know about all the secrets. They wanted there to be some mystery about it, and we respected that. A lot of filmmakers warmed up to it over time. Harry Potter is an example of that, I think, where we finally got to the big special editions, we were able to really go in depth, but in those early editions, we could not. We could not expose those secrets. So we, we had different restrictions for different films. Makes. Makes total sense and I can see it from both aspects. You know, those little secrets, things you want to keep and. But on the same time, you know, getting that background story or, you know, something where it's like showing where things are inspired or, you know, really digging deeper into the story or the actors or who the director is. It's just a great way to really educate everyone. So you're able to manage multiple players, multiple teams taking constructive criticism, dealing with egos, you're dealing with movie makers. Where do you fall into virtual reality and live events? So we did a number of different activities and executions for both of those. While I was at Warner. We got into live community screenings back in the day when we used to have connectivity between the DVDs and the Internet. And that evolved as a project became fully digital as well, where we would have. For instance, we had live community screenings where people could literally go through their interface that connected their disc online through their DVD ROM and later through digital product to sit and watch the film together and listen to the filmmaker. It might have been Chris Nolan on one of his films, or Daniel Radcliffe in the At a Bay with producer David Barron, or Zack Snyder on some of the DC Universe films. Talking through the film and everybody's watching it together and, and asking questions. So that was some of the first steps into that sort of shared communal activity. We did some things with Peter Jackson where he wanted to give a sneak peek in the edit bay of his upcoming Hobbit films. And you could only get access to that by having the home entertainment release of the previous film. It was like your key. And I remember with man of Steel, we had an event with Zack Snyder where we had Amy Adams and we had Henry Cavill calling him remotely. And we had an event where people could, could view this discussion with, with the actors. And that was really Exciting too. And, and we, we unrolled those in different ways and sometimes they were with online partners. Yahoo, for an online retailer would help sponsor that. But it was a, an exciting way to get an immediate immediacy to, to the, the franchise, to the experience where people could really feel a part of it. Even though it was a home entertainment release or film that came out a while ago, you felt like you're really part of the ongoing franchise. It's genius. It just ways to connect the audience and get them even more buy in. And I'm imagining all of the content in which you kind of created that being a pioneer of that. There's still, when they're still hitting the stores in Target and people are still purchasing Blu Rays, they are, there's still a market for that. And some of these special features can be found through films on, on HBO Max, the streaming service, and also on different Warner channels on, on YouTube. I'd love to see more opportunities where there could be a hub for people to experience these things. Whether it might be a YouTube channel or if it's a Netflix. Maybe it's a hub within Netflix where people can see these things. Because a lot of this content is now spread in so many different areas, like you mentioned, it's hard to find a central place where you can get it. I mean there's still, still can get DVDs, there's still Blu Rays 4K. But it's getting a little spread out across different areas and different groups want exclusives. So it'd be great, great if there's a way that, that could be pulled together later for people to have like a, a golden ticket package to the things they love about their franchise, their TV show, their films, you know, a hundred percent. I think that's, that's your entrepreneurial. That's what you got to do next, Paul, for sure. Because I agree with you. I think there is, you know, you, you don't want to have to go searching everywhere. And back in the day when you could watch those features, you were locked in for sure. So I love that. Talk me through a time, Paul, where you stepped out of your comfort zone. Maybe you said yes to something you didn't think you were ready to handle or prepared for or an opportunity where you said yes. And at first it was like, I don't know. But then it led to something so promising. Think about that for a second. There were some times when I wanted to pitch something. I remember this is earlier on at Warner Home Entertainment when we were first getting into DVD rom And we had the ability to integrate new technologies. And there was a time when there was something that's easy today, but back then, it was be able to, rather than navigate through things with a mouse or a trackpad to get through the digital features. We were trying to offer all the digital features on rom. You could just tell the computer what to do. You just could navigate with your voice. So I remember pitching that, and it was in a boardroom with the president of the company and people, some of the marketing people felt very uncomfortable about that. But I wanted to put it forward, and they let me pitch it, and the president signed off on it. And it was very expensive for the time we tied it into Harry Potter release because it was like a magic effect. You could say spells or things like that and get the computer to respond with special features related to the film. And. And we got to do it. So that was really super exciting. And I was a little nervous about doing that. And it took a lot of Q and A testing to make, to. To. To make sure it could work. But we're able to release it now. Back then, I don't think a whole lot of people got to see it. And of course, now you can do these things with your phone so simply. But it's amazing to see how the technology changed. So it's. I think we just have to look at the present moment, at what might be possible. What fun thing might you be able to do using a new technology and seeing if you can do it. Maybe nobody's done it before. You were. You were onto something before Alexa, before AI, before Surrey and all of the above. So no phenomenal idea. I know that they sell those overpriced ones where you can walk by a Universal and make something move. So 100%, you know, a great, great idea. Talk me through mentorship. We're going to. We're going to get into what you do with autism and entertainment. But before we go there, you're obviously donating time and mentoring a young group of creatives here. Who is your mentor in the entertainment industry? Is there still someone you could go to and run questions by? Or someone who just said, okay, Paul's a smart guy. I'm going to guide him and make sure his career is successful as can be be. Absolutely. You know, I've had different mentors over, over my life. When I was at CalArts, my mentor was a man named Sandy McKendrick or Alexander McKendrick. And he, he. He directed these great classic films like the man in the White Suit, Sweet Smell of success. Whiskey Galore. Lady killers. So look them up. They're all great films. But he really devoted his life to teaching and he wanted to leave the rat race of the studios. He was at the British studio, Ealing Studios. He was tough as nails, and I got to be his TA and. But he really had a. He was really a softy in his heart. He was an amazing human being, incredibly creative. But he really taught me how to be tough, to stand up for. You know what I want to ask for. Need to remain cool and calm, to be diplomatic, yet firm. And he passed away many years ago, sadly. Lived a good, long life. And then at. At Warner, I was fortunate to. To work for a man named John Richards. And he. We worked so closely, side by side for years and years, and I still work with him today. And he's a great sounding board, somebody I could always go to with an idea. He could tell me straight up if he, you know, challenge me with questions, the difficult questions. So I think that's. That's important to have somebody that you can talk to, that can be honest with you, not to be surrounded by, yes. People who are just going to affirm what you're going to do. But we'll also ask those questions that might make you squirm a little bit. Yeah, you. And what better way to get those questions that make you squirm before you have to go in there and pitch it to. To the president and, you know, you want to have the same reaction that he had and said yes, right. Like you. You want he or she to go, boom, yeah, green light it. All right, let's get into your work with autism and entertainment and, you know, working with young filmmakers. I am a firm believer we need more diversity in filmmaking. We need more stories that are different. Then all of the stories are regurgitated stories. And I believe that those who think differently are going to make films that look differently and that's that refresh that we really do need. So I want to know about your work. So I left Warner in 20, at the beginning of 2020, like, right the onset of the pandemic. And I started getting back into editing, I started getting back into live theater and really sort of exploring the different creative things that I love. And a friend of mine, Johnna Cho, was a. One of the major attorneys at Warner that worked, I worked with over the years, and she's also left Warner. And we both have kids on the autism spectrum. When we were at Warner, we used to get together for lunch with other parents who also had Kids on the spectrum and just talk about it, just share stories. And so Jona called me up and said, you know, I'm part of this group, the Orange County Asperger, the Orange County Asperger's support group. And it's a 501c3 charity. But they want to do something more. They want to create an entertainment focused group group that helps people on the spectrum who are interested in animation production, film, theater, voice, acting, music for TV and film, all of that, and help them get careers with the different film production companies. And they, they are starting this group. I think you'd be a great, great person to become a part of it. So I did. And we used to meet with, during the pandemic on Zoom, talking about what we could do and that's how Autism Entertainment was formed. The head of that is named Judy Utah. She's the president of the work group and I'm a member of that work group. And it has evolved so beautifully over the past three years. So I've been involved for about, about three and a half years. It became a clear goal early on to have a conference where we could bring people together and really talk about it, get people under the roof, get talented people on the spectrum in the room with representatives from studios, production companies, game companies, and also educational partners. Groups like Spectrum Laboratory, who you of course have seen Jason on your heard or heard him on your show, and others like Exceptional Minds, which trains people in visual effects and Brainstorm Productions which is down in Orange county, which does similar things is as that and so many other great partners that we have the Ed Asner Family center and bring them together to get dialogue and, and to start allowing people to network. And also our government partners like the Department of Rehabilitation and the Department of Developmental Resources and the regional centers and those groups together that can offer opportunities. So we had this event, it was at the Skirball center last April and it was a fantastic experience and people were just, I think thrilled in all these different groups at the, at the dialogue that happened, the panels, they got to listen to the, the networking in between. So since then we've been building out what we can do. We offer monthly webinars. We had one today on voice acting, voiceover work. We've had them with game design companies and even how to manage your money and, and keep track of that for people who are interested in entertainment on, who are on the spectrum. So we've really been offering different, different educational experiences and, and we just started a group called the, the Creator Community Events. We had One in March, we just had one in June. We'll have another one in September. And the goal behind the creator community events is to get back to live networking opportunities. Because I think it's so important to be able to have a chance to meet face to face with people, to shake their hand, to tell them directly what projects you're interested in. And also learn about how you can create projects and put them on YouTube and sort of take charge of a project. Get people to work on your project idea that you have and collaborate great to, to do something. Because I think today we're seeing more and more that people have to help create their own opportunities that you, you still want to apply to jobs and you still want to try to, to get on people's projects. But while you're doing that, explore your own creativity, whether it's composing your own song or creating a YouTube channel that helps is an outlet for you to post things that are meaningful to you. So that's the goal behind that. And then we want to have another conference next year. We're working towards that. So when we did our last conference, we also wanted to be proactive. One thing that I do for Autism Entertainment as head of production is to create and shoot different video projects that our work group decides we want to do. Or we get requests from our educational partners to create projects for them or cover events for them. And we want to practice what we preach and have neurodivergent crews, have neurodivergent camera people, have neurodivergent editors and have them work on the projects that we are creating which are around ideas for this community. For instance, for Spectrum Labs, they had Jorge Gutierrez, who is an animation director, who did Book of Life, Maya and The3 for Netflix. He also originally created a TV series, El Tigre, which you might pick be familiar with. And he is on the autism spectrum. He discovered this later in his life when his own son was diagnosed. And he came to understand this and realized that autism is his superpower and that he doesn't fight against autism, he fights with autism. So he came to Spectrum Laboratory, gave a speech to members of Spec Labs. We had our film crews there shoot it. We edited into a short film, five and a half minutes long. It's pretty short. And that film got entered in the film festival circuit and it got accepted at the Comic Con International Film Festival. So next week we're screening the film at Comic Con. Jorge will be on the panel to talk about it. And we get to share this message with more people. People, because people need to know about the amazing things that people on the spectrum can do with sometimes little adjustments or accommodations and schedule or workplace to really let them shine. And it's. This is all particularly meaningful me to me because as Brett, you said, I have two kids on the autism spectrum. One of them is an animator. And I, I know firsthand as a parent how, how talented my son is, for example. And I think being a parent of somebody on the spectrum really taught me, led me to mentoring and want to help other people on the spectrum learn more and connect them with resources that can help them in their career. I absolutely love it. First of all, the conference was hands down one of the best that I attended. A lot of my staff attended, A lot of our students attended as well. As you mentioned, getting all of these creative minds in one room. Jorge Gutierrez, who was such a dynamic keynote speaker. I love when people are not afraid to go, hey, I'm on the spectrum. This is my disability and this is who I am. But check out my abilities over my, my disability. And to own it brings courage to others to go, all right, like, that's someone who, when he shares his story, right? The ups and the downs and getting rejected and only making him stronger. That just shows how you need to have that resilience, the grit and that perseverance in order to succeed. But also that growth mindset of not everyone's going to get it. There's timing. Everything works in. In it's when it's ready to work out. But what a phenomenal speaker he was. I love that you're practicing what you preach and loved watching all the individuals working and filming and participating in that conference. So we cannot wait for the next one. Yes, I can. Is locked in. Anything you need. We've got a crew of individuals who would love to donate their time and work or. And we'll figure out how to get them PA working on that conference and being in that room. So major, major kudos to what you're doing with the nonprofit work and then obviously seeing how talented your own boy is. Like, you want them to have opportunities. We had a guest speaker who is very successful in the kids entertainment space and he mentioned when he finally got over the wall, there's some that just go, all right, I made it. And I'm, I'm going to stay here as long as I can, but it's not right not to throw that hand back over and bring two, three, four people over with you. And that giving back does, does pay it forward and does come back in wealth and Health and so I just love the work that you're doing there. I want to open up the floor to some questions because I know they're dying right now to be able to ask you. I'm going to go to Nikki first and then I'm going to come to Bianca. Second, second autism here. What was the most challenging thing for you to realize with dealing with your own son and their own interest in a field very similar to yours? I think, you know, for me, me, we've always supported him in those endeavors. I think coming from a background in theater and film, it's almost for. To have a kid that wants to do that too. For me is. Is thrilling. And I really. My wife and I really want to support that. My wife is also a musician, cabaret singer, theater person, mentor. And we really wanted to. To encourage them to explore this because I felt like if they weren't to have all that creativity in them and not express it would be a bad thing. So maybe that's the challenge is to making sure that. That he felt confident to keep moving forward because I believe that he needs to follow his dreams and follow his passions and that was his passion. Love it. Thank you. Solid question. And of course I love when parents go, well, can they do this and what will. It's like whatever they want to do is what they're going to do. Nothing comes easy. You got to work hard. But being able to open some doors and give opportunity is what it's all about. So the talents there's there. And just like you mentioned, if it's an accommodation or something that's needed, so what? Let's do it. Hi, Paul, I just want to have a quick question is asked for you. You know, as someone who's about to become a new filmmaker and an aspiring screenwriter, you know, what is the best piece of advice for me and other newcoming filmmakers? You know, if they want to make an independent movie and they want to distribute it to, you know, studios, like, what is the best piece of advice? You know, how do you. How can you get. Get the student. How can you get the students get interested and buy your movie for distribution? Yeah. So. Hi, Presley, Nice to meet you. Keep exercising your creativity and whether you are a writer, like if you're a filmmaker. Most filmmakers also are writers or work with writers. Keep writing down your ideas. If you are sketching, you know, storyboard artist, keep. Keep exercising that creativity and consider an outlet, whether it's your own YouTube channel or. Or something like that on your socials where you can start building whether you have your own website. You start building those layers of experience that you have because it'll let. It'll lead to you having more credibility when you're trying to get people to, to fund your project. Getting people to sign on to your project because you could. Because they will see that you're the real deal. That, that you've quite. You got five good ideas you know you've done. You have. Maybe it's a real. Or, or, or, or you talking about your ideas on video or something like that or short films you might do with friends and that you post on your website or have on your YouTube channel. You're building this body of work and I think you can do that now so easily in a way that you couldn't do when I was starting out. Well, it was more of a comment, I guess, and that I remember trying to remember to say Sometimes it feels like with autism it's a lot of way more of the stories of people who know about somebody who's autistic rather than the stories of the autistic people themselves. I think we're seeing a change. I think there's more of a desire to be authentic like this movie. I don't think any of you saw the Accountant two and the Accountant one which has characters on the autism spectrum or actors on the spectrum that is more generally regarded positively. When you look back at some of the earlier films like let's say Rain man with Dustin Hoffman, that's one case. And, and it's not that it's a bad film, but it presented a stereotype or one person autism. You know the saying, if you've made met a person with autism, you've met one person with autism. It's a spectrum and everybody's different and everybody has different abilities. So I think today there are more stories or more a desire of those stories to be authentic or with authentic portrayals. There are more opportunities for people on the spectrum to be actors. It's been shows like Atypical on Netflix, which is a great show or Love on the Spectrum, the reality series on, on Netflix, which has opened the doors in the eyes of many people about people on Spectrum or people on the spectrum and, and really showing humanity. But there's also the opportunities and the need for people with autism to just have jobs working on films alongside other people. And they have nothing to do with autism, but being able to do that. I think game companies and probably animation companies and effects companies may be the best so far at really being inclusive and, and being more experienced in that area because I don't want to discount what's happening in other areas of the entertainment business, because there's people who care all over the place. But that's one of the missions of us on the group at Autism and Entertainment is to keep educating people, helping to open people, people's eyes in the entertainment business and to offer those opportunities to people on the spectrum. I think it takes a village, and you're so right, Paul. People are getting a little bit wiser. I think some of these Fortune 500 companies are realizing there's some genius brains out there. And those who think differently, they don't want to hire the same individual who's going to give them the same thing. They want a little diversity. But, you know, sometimes when we're working and networking and finding jobs and internships, people are always worried about taking a chance on somebody with a disability. But you have that same chance hiring anybody. You could hire somebody who's not going to show up. You can hire someone who's going to steal from you. Right? Like, so having someone who stamped. But furthermore, it's great having someone like yourself who can speak to other executives and get them to understand that you might just get the diamond in the rough in somebody that you want to keep for the rest of your time. So there is such talent there, and I love that you guys are opening doors in all different aspects. So we're your partners in any fight you need, we're on board. Devin, let's go to you. You all right? Hello there. I'm impressed by the wide range of work and very impressed that you are advocating for people who are on the autism spectrum and that are supp to spread their independent work in movies and such. I just have the one question. What was your work like with DC Comics? As I've heard you were involved with DC Comics. Dc, yes. DC was a, you know, a. A unit, a division within the Warner and now Warner Discovery. So we worked very closely with the DC team on. For me, the first one was the initial Superman film. The. The first big film directed by Richard Donner with Christopher Reeves as Superman. And we, of course, the film was released in theaters far before, but we put it out as a big special edition on dvd. And the studio really opened up for us doing a lot of special features. And one of the most amazing experiences was to be able to meet Christopher Reeves. He was at that time in a wheelchair, but he came to the studio and was a party, did interviews for it, and that was a thrilling experience. That was one of the first ones and was over the years on not only the the films like the the Snyderverse with Man of Steel and the justice league and Batman vs Superman, but later into the Wonder Woman and the Wonder Woman films and then these amazing animated DC series like Batman beyond and projects and even going back and unlocking glacier animated Superman station pieces from, you know, decades ago. So D.C. was always helping to direct it, making sure everything was coherent with how DC presents itself. So we worked very closely with them on how we treated the DC properties. We'd meet with them, they'd review it, we'd send everything I did, all the behind the scenes we would send to the DC comics, what used to be DC Comics, but then DC Studios to review the material and make sure it aligned. Paul, what an amazing evening. Just getting to chat it up with you. I want to wish you continued success, good health, the work that you're doing. I just want to just give kudos again to to what you're doing in autism and entertainment and opening up doors and advocating for this talented group of individuals. Look forward to the next conference. Look forward to grabbing a meal and hearing more stories for sure. But just thank you again for paying it forward, sharing your story, how you broke into the biz, and how others should follow suit. So on that note, just want to thank you again. Thank you so much, Brad. It was a great conversation. I love talking with you and meeting and talking with your group here. Great questions and onward and keep moving forward everybody.[William - Host] As we conclude another enriching episode. We hope you've found inspiration in the stories shared today. Let's take a moment to Honor Yes I Can's role in bringing Breaking The Biz to life. Yes I Can's commitment to empowering young people with disabilities through education, advocacy and mentorship shines brightly, paving paths of opportunity and dialogue. This podcast celebrates the organization's dedication to nurturing talent and facilitating impactful discussions. Breaking the Biz is more than a podcast. It's a part of Yes I Can's broader mission to amplify voices, dismantle barriers, and craft a world that's more inclusive and accessible for everyone. Each episode is a chapter in our shared narrative of progress, education, and empowerment, driven by the spirit of Yes I Can. Thank you for spending your time with us on Breaking the Biz. Continue to challenge the status quo and share stories that resonate until our paths cross again. Let's keep transforming aspirations into achievements and infuse every endeavor with optimism. Here's to advancing the landscape of the entertainment industry, one episode at a time. I'm your host, William Felber. See you next time.