If you’re in the “movie business” long enough, it dawns on you that you could make a pretty good movie about how to get movies made. It’s got all the heroes and villains, drama and conflict that any blockbuster does. This is one of the reasons – perhaps the main one – that so many people get choked up when they receive their first Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, etc., whatever the category - they can’t believe they finally have a chance to make a living and feed their families. The recognition from peers that comes with awards, the higher likelihood of future job offers, the verification that they aren’t “hacks” after all, and that all those years of studying and practicing their crafts against all odds finally paid off, are just icing. The overriding emotion for first-time award recipients is relief.
When they tell strangers they are actors or writers at parties, the conversation is transformed from, “Oh, how nice, but what do you do for a living?” and “What have you done that I might have seen?” to “Oh! I loved that movie!” They may even be asked for their autograph for the first time. The subtle message is that just being an artist isn’t enough; you need to be successful before anyone takes you seriously. When I tell someone I’m a writer, instead of “what have you done?”, I’m always hoping they’ll ask, “What do you enjoy about it?” The answer to that question is much more interesting. But I digress.
The movie business is for people who are much like the protagonists they create – people who believe all obstacles can be overcome if they acquire the necessary skills and are absurdly persistent. And it’s true. One may not reach superstardom, but making a living in the business, somehow, some way, though very difficult, is possible.
Another common phrase artists hear from well-meaning friends and loved ones when they decide to get into the film business is “it’s who you know”. Many of these people give up on their dream right then and there because they don’t know a single successful soul in entertainment. This is a shame because the people one knows are the people they meet along the way.
I met Rick Balentine, my partner at Temple Gate Films, when I decided to record a music CD to welcome my daughters to the world. His talent as a composer was highly recommended by a friend I trusted. We had a great time recording the songs, and shortly afterward, knowing I was a writer, he asked me if I’d like to work on a western TV series with him. I jumped at the opportunity.
Fast-forward ten years later – the western hit some snags (that’s a whole other Dr. Phil) so we went on to write feature films. Tired of tugging on Hollywood’s coat sleeves, we then created Temple Gate Films. To add some feminine energy (never a bad thing) and just plain boundless energy to our company, as well as fearlessness, we brought Tanille Yow onboard as a casting director, producer, and actress. Along the way, we linked wagons with and learned from brilliant people like Jane Fitzpatrick, Martin Nuza, Jeff Deverett, Steve Alexander, Joe Austin, and Augustine Guma, to name a few. (Sorry to everyone I didn't name, but you know who you are, and what we've been through.)
In other words, by simply beginning, we crossed paths with the people we needed, which never would have happened if we had quit at the first discouraging word, or the fiftieth. Clint Eastwood met the actors and others early in his career who would go on to work with him in almost all of his movies. Likewise, we have our own dream team, and we’re all ascending this ladder together. We have had Zoom meetings and corresponded with some of the most famous people in the world. For me, the surreal feeling never goes away. Having composed music for film and television for thirty years, Rick is more used to it, but I still feel like the line in that old John Cougar song – “I’m still hayseed enough to say look who’s in the big town.”
They say living is like lying face down on a beautiful, intricate tapestry. We can’t see the pattern until we stand back and look at it from a distance. As time passes, it all makes sense - the meetings with others at just the right time, some intentional, others accidental and impossible to predict, that helped us learn and grow. Even the bad experiences because they taught us what not to do. And only from a distance of time do we realize there were hidden hands weaving that tapestry all along.
For me, the first stitch was sewn by Rick - my driven, focused, unstoppable, multi-talented partner. God knows what I would be doing without that man. I was already a published author when we started, but I had always dreamed of making movies, and I’m not sure if I ever would have started my own production company if he hadn’t suggested it. I had a writer’s mentality – write your best story and send it off into the world like a grown child, hoping it travels widely and touches other lives.
But the thing about writing is, it feels big and important when one is doing it, but when it comes time to sell what was written, the writer becomes just another guy trying to get someone interested in a script. But when we created Temple Gate Films, it was like the famous line from Field of Dreams – “If you build it, they will come.” We weren’t just artists anymore – we were producers, too. Others began to see us as we defined ourselves, that change attracted big thinkers, and all the pieces started falling into place.
At this writing, we are involved in global projects that are mind-boggling in scale – some of which our outside of the entertainment world and philanthropic in nature. These projects will not only get our stories on screens internationally, but may even change the world itself in ways that have nothing to do with movies. We are on the cusp of fulfilling dreams for ourselves and millions of others that were too incredible to imagine when Rick called me ten years ago and said, “Hey, how would you like to write a TV show with me?” (This is mainly due to a man of great vision - the aforementioned Augustine Guma, who was introduced to us by an equally great man named Joe Austin. Look for an update soon on what we’re all doing together.)
The journey of a thousand miles really does begin with a single step. So take it, whatever it is you want to do, even if it seems impossible from where you’re sitting right now. You’ll meet cohorts along the way. You’ll also meet crooks, highwaymen, and all kinds of charlatans – we’ve met plenty – but that’s all part of the necessary education as well. You’ll change in ways that life demands, and like growing pains, it will hurt sometimes, but that change is what makes success possible. There’s no way around but through. You’ll achieve your dreams, or at least know, in the end, that you gave it your best shot. And in the process, you may even have a chance to heal this troubled world a little.
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Good luck on your journey.
Great job Mark - there is a lot of history here in this article.