October 18, 2024 • 27 mins
Mara McCann, the visionary founder of Zhive Media, is at the forefront of shaping the future of the entertainment industry by bridging the gap between film financiers and creative talents. Through Zhive Media, she has established a vibrant membership community and a distribution incubator, empowering writers, directors, and actor/producers to seamlessly bring their projects to market. Mara's passion for creative and business growth is evident in her commitment to mentoring pre-seed companies and curating opportunities for collaboration and innovation within the film ecosystem. Her efforts are further amplified by Zhive Media's initiatives, including an exciting in-person event in Los Angeles (October 25-27, 2024), designed to support independent filmmakers and foster a thriving network of industry resources. Here are three key takeaways from the podcast: 1. **Continuous Learning and Desire for Growth:** Mara McCann emphasized the power of learning and how a strong desire to expand one's knowledge can open up numerous possibilities. She shared her own journey of transitioning from acting to entrepreneurship and how being open to learning new skills paved the way for her success. 2. **Embracing Change and Flexibility:** Mara McCann highlighted the significance of adaptability and flexibility in the entrepreneurial landscape. She discussed the concept of an incubator as a space that provides mentors and resources to help individuals execute their ideas effectively, emphasizing the value of being open to new solutions and opportunities. 3. **Community Engagement and Networking:** Zhive Media's focus on community building and providing platforms for independent filmmakers was a key theme in the episode. Mara McCann mentioned an upcoming event in Los Angeles (October 25-27, 2024) aimed at supporting filmmakers and creating a collaborative ecosystem within the industry. (00:00:06) Independent Film Ecosystem and Mara McCann (00:09:32) Time as Valuable as Money in Film (00:14:46) "Embracing Change for Entrepreneurial Advancement" (00:17:55) Embracing Intuitive Paths for Personal Growth (00:26:31) "Engage with Alya Lei for Zive Media"
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:01):
Welcome to conversations with Aliya Lay. Tune in for
inspiration, information and upliftment as creatives and entrepreneurs share
their journeys, challenges and successes. Today's guest is Mara
McCann, who is an entrepreneur and producer who is
focused on creative and business growth. She is the
founder of Zyve Media, curating networks of film financiers
(00:27):
and scalable content. Mara is currently an advisor at
south by Southeast, Southwest Tech Pitch and the Long
beach tech accelerator, mentoring pre seed companies in entertainment.
Zyve Media is excited to announce their membership, community
and distribution incubator for writers, directors and actor producers
(00:49):
to launch their films. Ziv provides partners, producers and
mentorship for creators, bringing feature films and series to
the market to message Zive media and Mara, please
connect to Mara on LinkedIn. So I just want
to say thank you, Mara, so much for being
here today.
Yes, of course. It's my pleasure.
(01:12):
So tell us a little bit about you, how
you got started, where you are now, kind of
the things that, you know, I think that would
be really lovely and interesting here. And if it's
okay, I'll probably interrupt with, like, some questions here
and there.
Sure. Of course. So, you know, I have an
(01:34):
interesting journey. We all have our journey stories. I
know for me, I've always been an actress. So
even right after, during college, I was making my
own performances and writing my own plays so I
could get better roles, even in college. And then
after I graduated, I had my own theater company.
Later I had a stint where I lived in
Europe touring with an experimental theater company. But I
(01:56):
learned early on that I could always make money
as an actress. And I think I was very
lucky in understanding that if you understood business, you
could always find yourself a job. And so even
when I started my theater company right after college,
I saw an advertisement for a grant and I
applied and didn't think that I knew anything about
(02:16):
grant writing. I was just 25 at the time,
but then I met with them, and I learned
that I could reach out even if I didn't
know how to do something, find somebody to help
me, to tell me, answer my questions, and then
really take action. When I got that first grant,
it really set me on a path of really
understanding myself as an entrepreneur and starting to develop
(02:38):
and hone that. I think flash forward and, you
know, life in New York, my life, quote unquote,
always in New York, was in the startup world.
And I was very lucky to have great mentors
who really taught me about what it meant to
be an entrepreneur, to be in the startup world,
doing from sales and business development, strategic partnerships, and
then also raising money. And, oh, this applies lovely
(03:02):
and thankfully to the film business, which we, which
we are in. So during COVID I didn't know
what I was going to do because all of
my acting work, of course, like everybody else, the
acting work died. And I thought, well, what am
I going to do with myself, you know? And
so I took a beat and I started, had
an idea. I'm like, well, what if I started
(03:23):
teaching filmmakers business strategy? Maybe I would get better
acting roles. And now flash forward a few more
years later and we have zive Mediaev. Now I'm
producing multiple films that are coming out this coming
year. I'm also acting with great other talents and
really happy and really, I think for me, what
(03:46):
I learned is originally I'm from Iowa, just a
gravel road, middle of nowhere. I didn't go to
a famous school, I didn't really have a family,
certainly of note, but when you really have just
a desire to learn and can take the time
to learn, a lot of things are possible, you
(04:06):
know? And so I think that my journey to
this moment and creating an incubator for distribution and
our network and amazing partnerships has really simply been
based on my desire to learn.
That is so fantastic, Mara, this is amazing, your
journey so far. I know it's kind of crazy
(04:27):
to try to synopsize your entire life in like
this little, few minutes, but you did fantastic. Some
questions that came up is like, could you clarify
what an incubator is specifically for those who may
never have heard of this kind of terminology?
Sure, sure. So, you know, in the start world,
(04:48):
an incubator is simply a place where a person
with an idea who wants to build a company
can go and get help, mentorship and resources. And
so in the film business, I really felt like,
look, guys, like your film is a business. You
have to make an LLC. Any actors listening, you
know, that's what we have to do. Every film
(05:08):
has its own llc. So I wanted to create
a space for filmmakers, and because so many of
us actors now are writing and directing and producing
so we can have more of the work that
we want to have and really owning our careers,
I wanted a space we could really help people
understand what does it mean to make a financial
model for your film? And what does that mean?
(05:29):
What does it mean to get distribution? What does
it mean to find producers who can seek money,
those investors with you? So the idea of an
incubator is simply a space with mentors and resources
to help you execute.
Wow, that is so great. So it's almost like
a. So an incubator is kind of like a
mentorship shop. A one stop, or at least yours
(05:51):
sounds like a one stop mentorship shop for creating
film or media or series. Right.
Basically, that's exactly it. And I like that. I
mean, it's what I really felt when I was
taking time to, you know, and getting great mentors
to teach me the business of the business. I
felt that I had to spend thousands of hours
(06:13):
in a very short period of time on the
phone, and I wanted to make it easier for
people who really want to have a moment, you
know, who want to create their own path in
the business for themselves to make that a little
easier. So I have, you know, 40 weeks of
master classes, you know, as part of our network,
I have, you know, a really lovely group of
(06:35):
people. So I think it's really important for those
of us that it's a different, 2024 is different
than 2020 is different than 2015, you know, so
it's really, we have to own our careers at
a whole new level.
Wow, that's huge. That's. I'm noticing that even I'm
thinking about actually doing more, like, my own stuff.
(06:57):
Before, I was always like, no, I'm only just
gonna audition, you know, but even I'm thinking about
it. But to go back a little bit further,
a couple of few things. One, how much would
something like this cost? And what if there's a
lot of people who might be listening, who are
actors, who are like, quote unquote, starving artists right
(07:20):
now? What do you recommend for people to do?
So how much does it cost? What do you
recommend people to do if they don't have funds?
And then some more questions later. Those two first.
Sure. I think that, you know, anybody when, you
know, cash flow is. Is a problem, right? You
(07:40):
pay attention to that, and you really. I think
that's what's the beautiful thing about TikTok is about,
you know, YouTube, about LinkedIn, is that a lot
of people like this podcast, right? It's free. People
in the audience are going to get a listen
to free. So it's really paying attention to, you
know, all the great coaches and mentors always have
(08:01):
something that's free, that you can go learn as
much as you possibly can, you know? And so
I think it's really. I think the other great
thing to do is volunteer. I mean, we all
need to get paid and want to get paid,
but, you know, volunteer, help a filmmaker, like, find
locations and, you know, start building a network because
you can learn on the job by volunteering your
(08:23):
time. And for me, you know, I think when
you realize, like, well, if you don't have money,
then you got to find time. You got two
things. Either you have money so you can hire
people, or you don't have money, then the only
thing you got is time. But time is huge.
So then you find the people you want to
align with. You say, hey, Mara, like, I don't
have money, but I got time. What do you
need help with? I'm like, I need somebody, like,
(08:45):
to edit, like, I don't know, 10 hours into
TikToks. Can you do that? You know, and a
smart person would go like, well, sure, I have
a great AI tool, and I can edit all
of those 10 hours. In ten minutes, I'll be
like, smart, you, you know, let's work. So I
think it's really that mindset of, there's always a
way. I have one of our producing partners, and
(09:05):
she has a thing. She says, there's always a
solution. But most of us are so used to
seeing the problems that we never see opportunity. It
just walks right by us. You know, it's like
those studies that are done with mice that, you
know, they grow up in a cage with horizontal
lines, and when you put them in a cage
with vertical, they can't see straight. And so I
(09:26):
think it's really trying to stay mindful of where
is the opportunity and what can be done right.
Oh, I love that so much. That's so great.
Thank you.
So we were starting to talk briefly right before
I hit record on the podcast. And you have
so much experience. What are some things that, you
(09:51):
know, based on your level of experience now that
you'd like to share with, you know, actors, producers,
filmmakers that you found would be really insightful and
helpful on your journey?
One of the biggest things as of late that
(10:11):
I talk a lot about, and I think that
we all get, you know, into this trap, is
that a lot of times we might have this
feeling of being stuck. And, you know, we hear
that a lot. Like, I'm stuck. And I I
think oftentimes, too, in the world of self help,
we think, oh, it's something about me that I
need to change. You know, I I'm procrastinating. I'm
(10:32):
not doing enough. I need to do more, and
that is why I'm stuck. But really, as an
entrepreneur, what I've found in filmmakers, actors, we're entrepreneurs.
This is like, welcome to 2024. This is what
this is, is that when we get stuck what
it really is more about is that there's a
who that we need to help us get to
(10:54):
the next moment. And, you know, I think a
lot of times as actors, we think, oh, well,
I just need an agent. Then all my problems
are be solved. And so there's one who, here's
the next trap rise that we think, like, though
there's one magical person to solve all the problems
when instead, like, my job every day is looking
at, like, what's in front of me and who
is the person that's going to help me either
(11:16):
make that decision or understand my next steps. So
I have an opportunity to pitch a pilot that
I'd like to have done. And so that kind
of just happened. And all of a sudden, my
brain is going to scramble the eggs, right? Like,
how can all of this get done? But then
I'm smart enough now to go like, wait a
(11:37):
minute, full stop. I should call producing partner number
one in Oregon and say, hey, I have an
opportunity to sell this show, but I need you
to help me. How can we make this happen,
this pilot? And so I think a lot of
times there's a who and starting to pay attention
that the solution to getting unstuck, sometimes you need
(11:57):
to talk to. Maybe as an actor, you feel
stuck. Maybe you need an agent, but do you
need a brand manager to help you understand a
better photo shoot? Or maybe your who is somebody
to make a newsletter that looks better? Maybe your
who is somebody to, you know, teach you how
to make better TikTok content, you know? So I
(12:19):
think really paying attention to that. The solution that
you need right now to get unstuck is often
a who is it that you can call to
help solve a problem and or help you make
a decision? I think a lot of times there's
so many decisions every day that we have to
make. It's very daunting. And, you know, sometimes my
who is like, I better call my admin or
(12:39):
my who is, you know, one of our finance
partners, you know, my who is who is going
to help me solve this problem? Not how do
I do it alone?
Oh, that is so great. Because I know, at
least for me, I do think, how do I
solve my problem of being stuck? And I'm thinking,
and then, like, you know, I have a, it's
(13:00):
very limited.
Who, you know, it's who, right? I think we
all, and that probably should be a t shirt
or something. But yeah, we think, how can I
solve me being. It's not how I, it's who
can I call to help me, who, you know,
and I think what I found, too, is that
the most confident people are the ones who are
(13:22):
most adept at asking for help. And it comes
from this, like, lack of confidence, you know, in
ourselves, which is fine, you know, about this barrier,
because there's always this barrier and asking for help,
you know, and ask, getting, just getting on the
call, getting on the phone, you know, saying, hey,
I need help. Solve this problem with me. But
there are moments where that, I think when you
(13:45):
get tired of just feeling that stuck feeling, it's
worth it. And what I have confidence in myself
now is that I will take action, you know?
And so for me, it made a big shift.
And, like, my identity wasn't like, oh, everybody needs
to think that, you know, I can handle everything.
Yeah.
No, what I, my confidence comes from, the fact
(14:05):
is that if I call Matt, well, I'm going
to call Matt tonight after we do this podcast,
and I'm going to ask him about a finance
model. My confidence is, is that whatever he tells
me, I will take action on. And that's where
I feel. My confidence is that I will take
action. So it makes it easy for me to
pick up the phone.
Wow, that is great. Did you, and you said
that originally you didn't have that confidence.
(14:28):
What did not, right?
So that's huge. How did you develop this confidence
now? I mean, now obviously you take action, you
know, how did your identity change or how. Maybe
I'm asking too many how questions now.
No, it was interesting. It was a very firm
pivot. Mentally, I had. I definitely, I think it
(14:52):
was the, you know, judgment that I thought people
would judge me, that I couldn't be a successful
founder or I wasn't a successful entrepreneur or, you
know, if I came in with more questions that,
you know, they would question my ability to do
the job, you know? And I think that's what
I really discovered for myself is like, oh, if
(15:12):
I ask them a more proactive question or a
deeper question or a more analytical question that people
will, you know, doubt my, doubt my ability. And
I, when I started really understanding that, and then
there was really a moment with Zive where this
was early on, but there was about six months,
and I was like, I'm not growing what is
(15:35):
going on? And I think the problem with it
is that, and this is a lot of times
I decode for a lot of people, you know,
why are they stuck and how to be kind
of unstuck? But what I realized is that I
had been a very successful in the startup world,
because I was the girl that never had to
ask for help. I was the girl that people
(15:56):
could rely on to get the job done. And
no matter what, and what's hard when you want
something else, right? Which it was. I'm growing my
own company. There was a moment that, oh, if
I don't start asking for help, we're going to
fail, period. A skill set that I bought, you
know, built my first success on is not the
(16:17):
skill set that success number two comes on. And
so there's a certain moment where you really. And
so I had to really start understanding that, oh,
my full time job now is asking for help,
period. And it's not about, you know, I had
to let go of my limitation of thinking, oh,
what if people judge me? And I stopped caring
because I was like, wow, I gotta grow or
(16:39):
we're going to go down. And, you know, it
was in that moment that, and then it became
more of a habit. And I think that that
was the other thing that everything new behavior. And
I was really watching myself and why we weren't
moving forward. And it's always about me, you know,
that's also what I've learned about entrepreneurship and, you
(17:01):
know, in companies and building companies. It's that it's
not the world, it's not the external business. It's
us. What I can change and control is myself
and what I think and what I do. It
was a lot of hard and deep introspection, which
is really what I think of entrepreneurship and being
an actor and all of that. It's that my
(17:25):
desire to grow has led me to do new
behavior.
Wow, that's fantastic. Did you know for yourself with
Zive, now that you've created this company, is it
because you had a clear goal and so that
therefore, you knew it wasn't moving towards that, and
(17:46):
that's where some of that change started to self
introspection and all that change started to happen. Was
it because you were clear what your goal was
to already?
No. No, no. Yes. No. I think we live
in a world of deception where people who get
(18:10):
any success have some clear goal, and I think
goal. I'm sorry, but I'm so provocative. I think
goals are stupid. I think they're horrible. I think
they're stupid and horrible because we're changing and growing
beings. And I don't think that goals really allow
for a creative adventure. I am very clear about
(18:32):
what I want, that I am very clear with.
But what I want is actionable. I've never felt
goals are actionable to me. And I know some
people, it totally makes sense, and it's great, but
I don't know what part of the, I don't
know, creative scale my brain lives on. But for
me, I always freaked out, would get overwhelmed, because
(18:56):
I think what I learned is that when I
give myself space, I get more done in a
day than any, you know, to do list. I'm
better off kind of just going, like, what do
I want? There's a couple things I've always wanted,
and I always walk in with my values and
my integrity. So there are certain things that shape
(19:18):
me and shape how I grow. I think that.
That clarity, and it changes, you know? Like, I
think the other thing, too, is that, you know,
I. I think it's that you start with one
idea, and then opportunities happen. And so I'm very
aware that I have changed as new opportunities have
(19:39):
entered into my life, and I'm very aware of
that, you know? And so I think that that
is, you know, when you're always paying attention, like,
oh, wow, we could go this direction. There's lots
of opportunities to say no to, like, no, no,
no. And then there's other stuff where I'm like,
well, wait, we gotta pause a second. Maybe there's
something here. And we need to go full force
(19:59):
in. So I think more for anybody listening, you
know, is growing entrepreneurs. It's having the space to
get a little quiet inside, you know, and really
be checking in with ourselves, like, hey, am I,
you know, am I moving forward? Whatever that is
for you that day.
(20:21):
That's fantastic. I'm aware. I keep saying that's fantastic.
So I just got a question. I'll just ask
the next question. Can you give a more concrete
example of a want that you have? It doesn't
have to be directly to Ziv, but an example,
a want that you have. Not an immediate want,
(20:44):
but one that would take, say, a little bit
of time to reach or get. And then how
you approach the want for the day based on
the want that you said you want.
I like to build in success every day because
most of the things that we want are big
(21:06):
and great, and that is good. Like, I definitely
believe in the big and the greatest. Um, but
I think it's important because a lot of times
with filmmakers, because I work with a lot of
filmmakers, um, I think a lot of times, you
know, the success is, I got into Sundance, and
the reality is that might not ever happen, you
(21:27):
know, but you might get a Netflix deal, you
know, if you're judging your whole life based on.
I got the Netflix deal, but, man, I never
made a sun dance. You know, it's really difficult
how we judge that. And because such a far
in between the successes, right? Like, you know, actors,
you know, like, wow, when do I get to
put booked it, you know, on my. On my
(21:49):
Instagram or whatever, you know, that. That whole thing,
you know, I have a lot of thoughts about
that. But so what I try to do from
my own sanity is I try to just at
the, you know, at some point in the day,
sometimes it's Saturday, sometimes, not always. I try is
that, like, what are two things that move stuff
forward that I could get done in an hour?
(22:12):
Like an hour. Two things that I can get
done in an hour. And if that happens, it
was a good day. So I try to set
up from the beginning, like, what makes it a
good day? Okay. I spent, you know, ten minutes
writing some notes about what I would like to
talk about on this podcast. I did that. And
(22:32):
then I make sure at night I try to
take a beat because it's really hard, because the
things that we want are big and great. So
it's really hard at the end of the day,
go like, oh, wow, the big and the great,
I didn't get yet. Yeah. But I had a
great finance meeting that moved the needle forward, right?
Oh, but I had this. So I think it's
important, as we structure ourselves, to kind of go,
(22:54):
what are two small, actionable things? And if you
don't have an hour, right? Because some people have
bouncing, like, 40 hours plus a week at another
job that's not, you know, entertainment business, maybe, plus
a partner or family, any of the things. Or
three jobs. If you live in New York, you
know, like, all the things. But even I had
one mentor when I was, like, juggling three jobs,
(23:17):
conservatory, all of that in New York. She was
like, find 15 minutes, and you do one small
thing in that 15 minutes, and that's yours. And
that makes that day special to you and you're
moving forward. And I learned so much from that
because it was this. This one journal I had
just for that thing. But it made me feel
like I got in touch with myself. I did
one small thing, whatever it is, like, you know,
(23:40):
you put a post on Instagram, or, you know,
you reached out a director, you sent one message,
you sent one text, you know, whatever it is,
there is some. And then that. That day gets
marked with a star. I love stickers. I'm a
kind of geek when it comes to certain things
like that. Like highlighters. You know, just. And that's
for me to judge me. That helps me go,
(24:04):
like, oh, wait, no, but this happened. Oh, yeah,
that. Oh, that was good, wasn't it? Because the
problem is, is that we always have more to
do than we can ever get done in a
day. Always, you know? And so I think those
are the important things to pay, you know, attention
to.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's. And it's nice to
(24:26):
be reminded of the successes for that day because
it's easy, at least for me, to have done
a bunch of stuff and then forget what I
did, even though I knew I got a bunch
done and then feel like, wait, I don't see
the quote unquote booking right now. Right. You know?
So.
Yeah, well, and I think it's also hard, too,
because there's always more things to do, but it
(24:50):
takes a beat to kind of go, yeah, but
what really moves anything forward, you know, what really.
And I think a lot of times, you know,
we do what's natural and easy, but maybe there's
one phone call that that should have been top
of the list, because if that got done, wow,
everything would change, you know? And so really even
(25:12):
paying attention to that of, like, at least one
thing that moves business forward, you know, what is
it? Do that. Yeah.
And I wonder if that question is something. If
I can't think of it or if the listener
can't think of what that is. Maybe that's when
we reach out to another who.
(25:33):
Yes, always. Because not often. I mean, life wasn't
meant to be lived alone. This business cannot be
done alone. We're social creatures. We are humans with
a social nature. So I think there is a
reason that we come together as people is to
find new solutions. And that's a sign of strengthen.
You know, that's a sign of strength, and that's
(25:54):
what confident people do. And so when you start
understanding that, you go, oh, I want to be
a strong leader. What do strong leaders do? You
know, I always have this image. For me, I'm
like a smart general. Gets everybody in the room.
Every department reports on what they think, the best
plan of attack, and then I make the call.
I much prefer that I don't have to figure
out every strategy. I get the smartest people in
(26:15):
the room with me, with a vested interest, and
then I make the call.
I love that. Is there anything else that you
wanted to share, especially, is there anything you can
promote that we can support and follow you on?
Sure. Yes, you can follow me on TikTok. I
have a story on TikTok. You can follow Zive
(26:38):
media on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn. You can connect to
me on Instagram, Martin McCann, or LinkedIn. You can
go to zivemedia.com and learn about our network, our
distribution incubator. And then also we're doing an in
person event in Los Angeles in October, the end
of October, 3 day, three day event with all
(27:01):
really about creating an ecosystem of independent film that
is getting made, that we are helping get made
in Greenland for this coming year. So if people
want to connect to me, I'm happy to send
an invite to that.
I hope I can be there. I want to
be there for the October.
Oh, well, it's going to be a good song.
(27:22):
We have, we have a lot of people that
will, that will be there. And I'm just really
proud of how much this community has grown.
Cool. You're amazing, Mara. I appreciate you. I'm on
your newsletters or your email list and I have
seen your growth. Phenomenal. And I'm so grateful you're
(27:44):
here today.
Thank you so much. And thank you for the
work you're doing to help people. This is a
good way for people to learn and get a
moment of clarity. So that's kudos to you.
Oh, thank you. Thank you so much for listening
to conversations with Aaliyah lay. I'd love to hear
from you. Follow me on Instagram. Aaliyah lay. A
(28:06):
l y a l e I.
Welcome to conversations with Aliya Lay. Tune in for
inspiration, information and upliftment as creatives and entrepreneurs share
their journeys, challenges and successes. Today's guest is Mara
McCann, who is an entrepreneur and producer who is
focused on creative and business growth. She is the
founder of Zyve Media, curating networks of film financiers
(00:27):
and scalable content. Mara is currently an advisor at
south by Southeast, Southwest Tech Pitch and the Long
beach tech accelerator, mentoring pre seed companies in entertainment.
Zyve Media is excited to announce their membership, community
and distribution incubator for writers, directors and actor producers
(00:49):
to launch their films. Ziv provides partners, producers and
mentorship for creators, bringing feature films and series to
the market to message Zive media and Mara, please
connect to Mara on LinkedIn. So I just want
to say thank you, Mara, so much for being
here today.
Yes, of course. It's my pleasure.
(01:12):
So tell us a little bit about you, how
you got started, where you are now, kind of
the things that, you know, I think that would
be really lovely and interesting here. And if it's
okay, I'll probably interrupt with, like, some questions here
and there.
Sure. Of course. So, you know, I have an
(01:34):
interesting journey. We all have our journey stories. I
know for me, I've always been an actress. So
even right after, during college, I was making my
own performances and writing my own plays so I
could get better roles, even in college. And then
after I graduated, I had my own theater company.
Later I had a stint where I lived in
Europe touring with an experimental theater company. But I
(01:56):
learned early on that I could always make money
as an actress. And I think I was very
lucky in understanding that if you understood business, you
could always find yourself a job. And so even
when I started my theater company right after college,
I saw an advertisement for a grant and I
applied and didn't think that I knew anything about
(02:16):
grant writing. I was just 25 at the time,
but then I met with them, and I learned
that I could reach out even if I didn't
know how to do something, find somebody to help
me, to tell me, answer my questions, and then
really take action. When I got that first grant,
it really set me on a path of really
understanding myself as an entrepreneur and starting to develop
(02:38):
and hone that. I think flash forward and, you
know, life in New York, my life, quote unquote,
always in New York, was in the startup world.
And I was very lucky to have great mentors
who really taught me about what it meant to
be an entrepreneur, to be in the startup world,
doing from sales and business development, strategic partnerships, and
then also raising money. And, oh, this applies lovely
(03:02):
and thankfully to the film business, which we, which
we are in. So during COVID I didn't know
what I was going to do because all of
my acting work, of course, like everybody else, the
acting work died. And I thought, well, what am
I going to do with myself, you know? And
so I took a beat and I started, had
an idea. I'm like, well, what if I started
(03:23):
teaching filmmakers business strategy? Maybe I would get better
acting roles. And now flash forward a few more
years later and we have zive Mediaev. Now I'm
producing multiple films that are coming out this coming
year. I'm also acting with great other talents and
really happy and really, I think for me, what
(03:46):
I learned is originally I'm from Iowa, just a
gravel road, middle of nowhere. I didn't go to
a famous school, I didn't really have a family,
certainly of note, but when you really have just
a desire to learn and can take the time
to learn, a lot of things are possible, you
(04:06):
know? And so I think that my journey to
this moment and creating an incubator for distribution and
our network and amazing partnerships has really simply been
based on my desire to learn.
That is so fantastic, Mara, this is amazing, your
journey so far. I know it's kind of crazy
(04:27):
to try to synopsize your entire life in like
this little, few minutes, but you did fantastic. Some
questions that came up is like, could you clarify
what an incubator is specifically for those who may
never have heard of this kind of terminology?
Sure, sure. So, you know, in the start world,
(04:48):
an incubator is simply a place where a person
with an idea who wants to build a company
can go and get help, mentorship and resources. And
so in the film business, I really felt like,
look, guys, like your film is a business. You
have to make an LLC. Any actors listening, you
know, that's what we have to do. Every film
(05:08):
has its own llc. So I wanted to create
a space for filmmakers, and because so many of
us actors now are writing and directing and producing
so we can have more of the work that
we want to have and really owning our careers,
I wanted a space we could really help people
understand what does it mean to make a financial
model for your film? And what does that mean?
(05:29):
What does it mean to get distribution? What does
it mean to find producers who can seek money,
those investors with you? So the idea of an
incubator is simply a space with mentors and resources
to help you execute.
Wow, that is so great. So it's almost like
a. So an incubator is kind of like a
mentorship shop. A one stop, or at least yours
(05:51):
sounds like a one stop mentorship shop for creating
film or media or series. Right.
Basically, that's exactly it. And I like that. I
mean, it's what I really felt when I was
taking time to, you know, and getting great mentors
to teach me the business of the business. I
felt that I had to spend thousands of hours
(06:13):
in a very short period of time on the
phone, and I wanted to make it easier for
people who really want to have a moment, you
know, who want to create their own path in
the business for themselves to make that a little
easier. So I have, you know, 40 weeks of
master classes, you know, as part of our network,
I have, you know, a really lovely group of
(06:35):
people. So I think it's really important for those
of us that it's a different, 2024 is different
than 2020 is different than 2015, you know, so
it's really, we have to own our careers at
a whole new level.
Wow, that's huge. That's. I'm noticing that even I'm
thinking about actually doing more, like, my own stuff.
(06:57):
Before, I was always like, no, I'm only just
gonna audition, you know, but even I'm thinking about
it. But to go back a little bit further,
a couple of few things. One, how much would
something like this cost? And what if there's a
lot of people who might be listening, who are
actors, who are like, quote unquote, starving artists right
(07:20):
now? What do you recommend for people to do?
So how much does it cost? What do you
recommend people to do if they don't have funds?
And then some more questions later. Those two first.
Sure. I think that, you know, anybody when, you
know, cash flow is. Is a problem, right? You
(07:40):
pay attention to that, and you really. I think
that's what's the beautiful thing about TikTok is about,
you know, YouTube, about LinkedIn, is that a lot
of people like this podcast, right? It's free. People
in the audience are going to get a listen
to free. So it's really paying attention to, you
know, all the great coaches and mentors always have
(08:01):
something that's free, that you can go learn as
much as you possibly can, you know? And so
I think it's really. I think the other great
thing to do is volunteer. I mean, we all
need to get paid and want to get paid,
but, you know, volunteer, help a filmmaker, like, find
locations and, you know, start building a network because
you can learn on the job by volunteering your
(08:23):
time. And for me, you know, I think when
you realize, like, well, if you don't have money,
then you got to find time. You got two
things. Either you have money so you can hire
people, or you don't have money, then the only
thing you got is time. But time is huge.
So then you find the people you want to
align with. You say, hey, Mara, like, I don't
have money, but I got time. What do you
need help with? I'm like, I need somebody, like,
(08:45):
to edit, like, I don't know, 10 hours into
TikToks. Can you do that? You know, and a
smart person would go like, well, sure, I have
a great AI tool, and I can edit all
of those 10 hours. In ten minutes, I'll be
like, smart, you, you know, let's work. So I
think it's really that mindset of, there's always a
way. I have one of our producing partners, and
(09:05):
she has a thing. She says, there's always a
solution. But most of us are so used to
seeing the problems that we never see opportunity. It
just walks right by us. You know, it's like
those studies that are done with mice that, you
know, they grow up in a cage with horizontal
lines, and when you put them in a cage
with vertical, they can't see straight. And so I
(09:26):
think it's really trying to stay mindful of where
is the opportunity and what can be done right.
Oh, I love that so much. That's so great.
Thank you.
So we were starting to talk briefly right before
I hit record on the podcast. And you have
so much experience. What are some things that, you
(09:51):
know, based on your level of experience now that
you'd like to share with, you know, actors, producers,
filmmakers that you found would be really insightful and
helpful on your journey?
One of the biggest things as of late that
(10:11):
I talk a lot about, and I think that
we all get, you know, into this trap, is
that a lot of times we might have this
feeling of being stuck. And, you know, we hear
that a lot. Like, I'm stuck. And I I
think oftentimes, too, in the world of self help,
we think, oh, it's something about me that I
need to change. You know, I I'm procrastinating. I'm
(10:32):
not doing enough. I need to do more, and
that is why I'm stuck. But really, as an
entrepreneur, what I've found in filmmakers, actors, we're entrepreneurs.
This is like, welcome to 2024. This is what
this is, is that when we get stuck what
it really is more about is that there's a
who that we need to help us get to
(10:54):
the next moment. And, you know, I think a
lot of times as actors, we think, oh, well,
I just need an agent. Then all my problems
are be solved. And so there's one who, here's
the next trap rise that we think, like, though
there's one magical person to solve all the problems
when instead, like, my job every day is looking
at, like, what's in front of me and who
is the person that's going to help me either
(11:16):
make that decision or understand my next steps. So
I have an opportunity to pitch a pilot that
I'd like to have done. And so that kind
of just happened. And all of a sudden, my
brain is going to scramble the eggs, right? Like,
how can all of this get done? But then
I'm smart enough now to go like, wait a
(11:37):
minute, full stop. I should call producing partner number
one in Oregon and say, hey, I have an
opportunity to sell this show, but I need you
to help me. How can we make this happen,
this pilot? And so I think a lot of
times there's a who and starting to pay attention
that the solution to getting unstuck, sometimes you need
(11:57):
to talk to. Maybe as an actor, you feel
stuck. Maybe you need an agent, but do you
need a brand manager to help you understand a
better photo shoot? Or maybe your who is somebody
to make a newsletter that looks better? Maybe your
who is somebody to, you know, teach you how
to make better TikTok content, you know? So I
(12:19):
think really paying attention to that. The solution that
you need right now to get unstuck is often
a who is it that you can call to
help solve a problem and or help you make
a decision? I think a lot of times there's
so many decisions every day that we have to
make. It's very daunting. And, you know, sometimes my
who is like, I better call my admin or
(12:39):
my who is, you know, one of our finance
partners, you know, my who is who is going
to help me solve this problem? Not how do
I do it alone?
Oh, that is so great. Because I know, at
least for me, I do think, how do I
solve my problem of being stuck? And I'm thinking,
and then, like, you know, I have a, it's
(13:00):
very limited.
Who, you know, it's who, right? I think we
all, and that probably should be a t shirt
or something. But yeah, we think, how can I
solve me being. It's not how I, it's who
can I call to help me, who, you know,
and I think what I found, too, is that
the most confident people are the ones who are
(13:22):
most adept at asking for help. And it comes
from this, like, lack of confidence, you know, in
ourselves, which is fine, you know, about this barrier,
because there's always this barrier and asking for help,
you know, and ask, getting, just getting on the
call, getting on the phone, you know, saying, hey,
I need help. Solve this problem with me. But
there are moments where that, I think when you
(13:45):
get tired of just feeling that stuck feeling, it's
worth it. And what I have confidence in myself
now is that I will take action, you know?
And so for me, it made a big shift.
And, like, my identity wasn't like, oh, everybody needs
to think that, you know, I can handle everything.
Yeah.
No, what I, my confidence comes from, the fact
(14:05):
is that if I call Matt, well, I'm going
to call Matt tonight after we do this podcast,
and I'm going to ask him about a finance
model. My confidence is, is that whatever he tells
me, I will take action on. And that's where
I feel. My confidence is that I will take
action. So it makes it easy for me to
pick up the phone.
Wow, that is great. Did you, and you said
that originally you didn't have that confidence.
(14:28):
What did not, right?
So that's huge. How did you develop this confidence
now? I mean, now obviously you take action, you
know, how did your identity change or how. Maybe
I'm asking too many how questions now.
No, it was interesting. It was a very firm
pivot. Mentally, I had. I definitely, I think it
(14:52):
was the, you know, judgment that I thought people
would judge me, that I couldn't be a successful
founder or I wasn't a successful entrepreneur or, you
know, if I came in with more questions that,
you know, they would question my ability to do
the job, you know? And I think that's what
I really discovered for myself is like, oh, if
(15:12):
I ask them a more proactive question or a
deeper question or a more analytical question that people
will, you know, doubt my, doubt my ability. And
I, when I started really understanding that, and then
there was really a moment with Zive where this
was early on, but there was about six months,
and I was like, I'm not growing what is
(15:35):
going on? And I think the problem with it
is that, and this is a lot of times
I decode for a lot of people, you know,
why are they stuck and how to be kind
of unstuck? But what I realized is that I
had been a very successful in the startup world,
because I was the girl that never had to
ask for help. I was the girl that people
(15:56):
could rely on to get the job done. And
no matter what, and what's hard when you want
something else, right? Which it was. I'm growing my
own company. There was a moment that, oh, if
I don't start asking for help, we're going to
fail, period. A skill set that I bought, you
know, built my first success on is not the
(16:17):
skill set that success number two comes on. And
so there's a certain moment where you really. And
so I had to really start understanding that, oh,
my full time job now is asking for help,
period. And it's not about, you know, I had
to let go of my limitation of thinking, oh,
what if people judge me? And I stopped caring
because I was like, wow, I gotta grow or
(16:39):
we're going to go down. And, you know, it
was in that moment that, and then it became
more of a habit. And I think that that
was the other thing that everything new behavior. And
I was really watching myself and why we weren't
moving forward. And it's always about me, you know,
that's also what I've learned about entrepreneurship and, you
(17:01):
know, in companies and building companies. It's that it's
not the world, it's not the external business. It's
us. What I can change and control is myself
and what I think and what I do. It
was a lot of hard and deep introspection, which
is really what I think of entrepreneurship and being
an actor and all of that. It's that my
(17:25):
desire to grow has led me to do new
behavior.
Wow, that's fantastic. Did you know for yourself with
Zive, now that you've created this company, is it
because you had a clear goal and so that
therefore, you knew it wasn't moving towards that, and
(17:46):
that's where some of that change started to self
introspection and all that change started to happen. Was
it because you were clear what your goal was
to already?
No. No, no. Yes. No. I think we live
in a world of deception where people who get
(18:10):
any success have some clear goal, and I think
goal. I'm sorry, but I'm so provocative. I think
goals are stupid. I think they're horrible. I think
they're stupid and horrible because we're changing and growing
beings. And I don't think that goals really allow
for a creative adventure. I am very clear about
(18:32):
what I want, that I am very clear with.
But what I want is actionable. I've never felt
goals are actionable to me. And I know some
people, it totally makes sense, and it's great, but
I don't know what part of the, I don't
know, creative scale my brain lives on. But for
me, I always freaked out, would get overwhelmed, because
(18:56):
I think what I learned is that when I
give myself space, I get more done in a
day than any, you know, to do list. I'm
better off kind of just going, like, what do
I want? There's a couple things I've always wanted,
and I always walk in with my values and
my integrity. So there are certain things that shape
(19:18):
me and shape how I grow. I think that.
That clarity, and it changes, you know? Like, I
think the other thing, too, is that, you know,
I. I think it's that you start with one
idea, and then opportunities happen. And so I'm very
aware that I have changed as new opportunities have
(19:39):
entered into my life, and I'm very aware of
that, you know? And so I think that that
is, you know, when you're always paying attention, like,
oh, wow, we could go this direction. There's lots
of opportunities to say no to, like, no, no,
no. And then there's other stuff where I'm like,
well, wait, we gotta pause a second. Maybe there's
something here. And we need to go full force
(19:59):
in. So I think more for anybody listening, you
know, is growing entrepreneurs. It's having the space to
get a little quiet inside, you know, and really
be checking in with ourselves, like, hey, am I,
you know, am I moving forward? Whatever that is
for you that day.
(20:21):
That's fantastic. I'm aware. I keep saying that's fantastic.
So I just got a question. I'll just ask
the next question. Can you give a more concrete
example of a want that you have? It doesn't
have to be directly to Ziv, but an example,
a want that you have. Not an immediate want,
(20:44):
but one that would take, say, a little bit
of time to reach or get. And then how
you approach the want for the day based on
the want that you said you want.
I like to build in success every day because
most of the things that we want are big
(21:06):
and great, and that is good. Like, I definitely
believe in the big and the greatest. Um, but
I think it's important because a lot of times
with filmmakers, because I work with a lot of
filmmakers, um, I think a lot of times, you
know, the success is, I got into Sundance, and
the reality is that might not ever happen, you
(21:27):
know, but you might get a Netflix deal, you
know, if you're judging your whole life based on.
I got the Netflix deal, but, man, I never
made a sun dance. You know, it's really difficult
how we judge that. And because such a far
in between the successes, right? Like, you know, actors,
you know, like, wow, when do I get to
put booked it, you know, on my. On my
(21:49):
Instagram or whatever, you know, that. That whole thing,
you know, I have a lot of thoughts about
that. But so what I try to do from
my own sanity is I try to just at
the, you know, at some point in the day,
sometimes it's Saturday, sometimes, not always. I try is
that, like, what are two things that move stuff
forward that I could get done in an hour?
(22:12):
Like an hour. Two things that I can get
done in an hour. And if that happens, it
was a good day. So I try to set
up from the beginning, like, what makes it a
good day? Okay. I spent, you know, ten minutes
writing some notes about what I would like to
talk about on this podcast. I did that. And
(22:32):
then I make sure at night I try to
take a beat because it's really hard, because the
things that we want are big and great. So
it's really hard at the end of the day,
go like, oh, wow, the big and the great,
I didn't get yet. Yeah. But I had a
great finance meeting that moved the needle forward, right?
Oh, but I had this. So I think it's
important, as we structure ourselves, to kind of go,
(22:54):
what are two small, actionable things? And if you
don't have an hour, right? Because some people have
bouncing, like, 40 hours plus a week at another
job that's not, you know, entertainment business, maybe, plus
a partner or family, any of the things. Or
three jobs. If you live in New York, you
know, like, all the things. But even I had
one mentor when I was, like, juggling three jobs,
(23:17):
conservatory, all of that in New York. She was
like, find 15 minutes, and you do one small
thing in that 15 minutes, and that's yours. And
that makes that day special to you and you're
moving forward. And I learned so much from that
because it was this. This one journal I had
just for that thing. But it made me feel
like I got in touch with myself. I did
one small thing, whatever it is, like, you know,
(23:40):
you put a post on Instagram, or, you know,
you reached out a director, you sent one message,
you sent one text, you know, whatever it is,
there is some. And then that. That day gets
marked with a star. I love stickers. I'm a
kind of geek when it comes to certain things
like that. Like highlighters. You know, just. And that's
for me to judge me. That helps me go,
(24:04):
like, oh, wait, no, but this happened. Oh, yeah,
that. Oh, that was good, wasn't it? Because the
problem is, is that we always have more to
do than we can ever get done in a
day. Always, you know? And so I think those
are the important things to pay, you know, attention
to.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's. And it's nice to
(24:26):
be reminded of the successes for that day because
it's easy, at least for me, to have done
a bunch of stuff and then forget what I
did, even though I knew I got a bunch
done and then feel like, wait, I don't see
the quote unquote booking right now. Right. You know?
So.
Yeah, well, and I think it's also hard, too,
because there's always more things to do, but it
(24:50):
takes a beat to kind of go, yeah, but
what really moves anything forward, you know, what really.
And I think a lot of times, you know,
we do what's natural and easy, but maybe there's
one phone call that that should have been top
of the list, because if that got done, wow,
everything would change, you know? And so really even
(25:12):
paying attention to that of, like, at least one
thing that moves business forward, you know, what is
it? Do that. Yeah.
And I wonder if that question is something. If
I can't think of it or if the listener
can't think of what that is. Maybe that's when
we reach out to another who.
(25:33):
Yes, always. Because not often. I mean, life wasn't
meant to be lived alone. This business cannot be
done alone. We're social creatures. We are humans with
a social nature. So I think there is a
reason that we come together as people is to
find new solutions. And that's a sign of strengthen.
You know, that's a sign of strength, and that's
(25:54):
what confident people do. And so when you start
understanding that, you go, oh, I want to be
a strong leader. What do strong leaders do? You
know, I always have this image. For me, I'm
like a smart general. Gets everybody in the room.
Every department reports on what they think, the best
plan of attack, and then I make the call.
I much prefer that I don't have to figure
out every strategy. I get the smartest people in
(26:15):
the room with me, with a vested interest, and
then I make the call.
I love that. Is there anything else that you
wanted to share, especially, is there anything you can
promote that we can support and follow you on?
Sure. Yes, you can follow me on TikTok. I
have a story on TikTok. You can follow Zive
(26:38):
media on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn. You can connect to
me on Instagram, Martin McCann, or LinkedIn. You can
go to zivemedia.com and learn about our network, our
distribution incubator. And then also we're doing an in
person event in Los Angeles in October, the end
of October, 3 day, three day event with all
(27:01):
really about creating an ecosystem of independent film that
is getting made, that we are helping get made
in Greenland for this coming year. So if people
want to connect to me, I'm happy to send
an invite to that.
I hope I can be there. I want to
be there for the October.
Oh, well, it's going to be a good song.
(27:22):
We have, we have a lot of people that
will, that will be there. And I'm just really
proud of how much this community has grown.
Cool. You're amazing, Mara. I appreciate you. I'm on
your newsletters or your email list and I have
seen your growth. Phenomenal. And I'm so grateful you're
(27:44):
here today.
Thank you so much. And thank you for the
work you're doing to help people. This is a
good way for people to learn and get a
moment of clarity. So that's kudos to you.
Oh, thank you. Thank you so much for listening
to conversations with Aaliyah lay. I'd love to hear
from you. Follow me on Instagram. Aaliyah lay. A
(28:06):
l y a l e I.
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In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com