Ourselves Podcast

The collapse is worse than you think. Over 50,000 California production jobs disappeared in two years, soundstage occupancy fell from 95% to 62%, and not a single Best Picture nominee at this year's Oscars was shot on a Hollywood lot.

I've been directing for 14 years. In 2012, 99% of my shoots were in LA. Starting in 2019, my work moved to Atlanta, Miami, Jamaica and Paris. The industry didn't die. It left.

In this episode I brea...

P-Lo produced the Drake record that put Mac Dre back in front of the world, and the Bay had a lot to say about it.

P-Lo is a producer, rapper and Bay Area architect who helped build the sound that came out of Pinole, Richmond and Vallejo. In this episode he breaks down how "Too Hard For The Radio" actually came together, why honoring Mac Dre mattered more to him than the placement itself, and why he thinks people misread the whole...

Christian Breslauer directed the music videos you have already watched a hundred times. Ariana Grande. SZA's Kill Bill. Lil Nas X's Industry Baby. Doja Cat. Lisa. Roddy Ricch's The Box. If you have loved a music video in the last five years, there is a good chance he made it.

He also never went to film school. His parents couldn't afford to send him, so he worked in restaurants and taught himself the craft one video at a time. The...

A $750,000 horror movie just beat Hollywood at its own game. In this episode, I break down how two creator-made films, Obsession and Backrooms, each crossed $200 million on micro budgets, and why that quietly rewrote the rules of the entire film industry. Curry Barker built an audience on YouTube first, then made Obsession for the fans he already had, and Kane Parsons turned an intern...

Sebastien built SLAPS, a creative agency for some of the biggest brands in the world, with no design degree, no advertising background, and no industry connections. He started by cold emailing strangers, Googling what a branding agency even does, and selling a $5K identity to a local Indian restaurant.

Now SLAPS works with brands like Ni...

Most of what you've been told about being a content creator is a lie. Sooraj Saxena spent years learning that the hard way.

In this conversation he reveals the testing pool TikTok uses before any video goes viral, why Mr. Beast openly admits his mental health is awful, why chasing another creator's blueprint guarantees you'll resent your...

Matt Hansen did not wait for a record label to believe in him. He built his career himself. After posting a single TikTok covering Frank Ocean, Matt suddenly found millions of people listening. What started as a simple video turned into a full time music career built entirely outside the traditional music industry.

In this episode of Ourselves, Matt shares the real story behind that moment and what it ac...

I sat down with Iranian rapper and activist Erfan Paydar to unpack what’s really happening in Iran right now and why the world isn’t paying enough attention. From the 1979 revolution to today’s protests, we break down the political history that led to the current regime and the massive nationwide uprising demanding change.

Erfan shares a deeply personal perspective shaped by growing up ...

Want to sell a movie to Netflix? This episode breaks down the reality behind a Netflix documentary pitch deck, funding, film financing, and what streamers actually buy. Oscar-nominated director Matt Ogens, known for Netflix’s Audible and Disney+’s Madu, explains how pitch decks, sizzle reels, packaging, and access determine whether a project gets made, how documentary fina...

From $500 music videos to six-figure productions, I sat down with up-and-coming photographer Cilantro to break down what it really takes to level up in the creative industry. This is a raw, unfiltered conversation between two filmmakers at different stages of their careers...diving deep into mentorship, ego, gear obsession, and why your personal work might just be your most valuable investment.

We talk about navigating plateaus, bu...

I was on set yesterday filming a new project, and I realized how little many of my colleagues and crew knew about the situation in Iran right now. I am a proud Iranian and wanted to quickly educate you on what is happening there, so this mini episode provides a little glimpse.

I hope this offers a bit of insight and, more importantly, mo...

In this episode, we dive deep into the inspiring journey of Adrian Per (@omgadrian), a trailblazing creative force in the content space. Adrian shares how he transitioned from having just $13 in his bank account to becoming a full-time content creator with over a million followers across his platforms. We talk about his unique approach to content creation, meticulous time management, and the importance of trusting your own voice. W...

From Toronto to Bollywood to the World Cup stage, Nora Fatehi’s journey is anything but traditional. In this episode, we break down how a Moroccan-Canadian girl with no industry connections “backdoored” her way into one of the world’s most competitive film industries: learning Hindi from scratch, reinventing herself in Mumbai, and using dance as her superpower to win over an entire culture. 

Nora opens ...

Leon Thomas is one of the rare artists who has mastered the blend of musicality, vision, and business. In this episode, Leon pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to make art that cuts through the noise, without selling out. From crafting concept bibles and curating world-class visuals, to building subcultures and navigating record label politics, this conversation is a maste...

From shaping visual masterpieces with Kendrick Lamar and Justin Bieber to redefining commercial storytelling, director Colin Tilley has done it all. In this episode, we get the full story. Colin opens up about his evolution as a filmmaker, how growing up in Berkeley influenced his aesthetic, and how trial and error on set helped him develop a signature style now sought after by the world’s biggest artists and brands.

We also ...

In this solo episode, I unpack the silent killer of creative momentum: distraction. We live in a world built to hijack our attention: our phones, our feeds, our dopamine loops. It’s not that we’re lazy or unmotivated…it’s that our focus is constantly under attack.

I share my personal struggles with what I call "creative erosion," the mental fragmentation that prevents us from sitting down and getting meanin...

In this episode, I sit down with legendary director and visual architect Anthony Mandler, the creative force behind some of the most cinematic music videos of the last two decades. From shaping the visual identities of Rihanna and Jay-Z to helming award-winning features, Anthony shares a masterclass in creative evolution, relationship-building, and artistic reinvention.

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