February 20, 2026 • 22 mins
In an intriguing blend of two seemingly disparate worlds, attorney and producer Don Worley navigates the complexities of law and the vibrant realm of entertainment. In a recent podcast episode, he discusses his unique journey, reflecting on how his background in theater paved the way for his dual career. Join us as we explore his inspiring story and insights on balancing these two demanding professions.
**The Journey Begins**
Don Worley's journey into the world of entertainment began long before he donned a lawyer's robe. With an undergraduate degree in acting from the University of Texas, Don's early experiences included appearances in notable films such as "D.O.A." alongside Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, as well as Clint Black's music video, "Walking Away." His passion for acting extended into college, where he created a 30-minute student film, "Magic Man."
However, the competitive nature of the film industry in Texas, coupled with financial constraints, led Don to pivot towards law. "It's hard to break into film when you live in Texas," he explains. Seeking a more stable income, he enrolled in law school and later earned an MBA, setting the stage for a unique career that intertwined both fields.
**Bridging the Gap Between Law and Entertainment**
Despite his legal success, Don never abandoned his creative roots. His venture into reality television came when a producer proposed a show about lawyering. Initially hesitant due to privacy concerns for his clients, Don collaborated with producer James Gutierrez to craft an unscripted show that focused on the preparation of legal cases for trial. This innovative approach resulted in two successful seasons aired on the Discovery Channel and available on platforms like Amazon Prime and Tubi.
In a fascinating twist, the cases featured in the show are based on real-life legal scenarios, with names changed for confidentiality. Don emphasizes the importance of storytelling in both law and entertainment, highlighting that the essence of a compelling narrative remains consistent across both fields.
**Current Projects and Future Endeavors**
Don continues to produce and star in various projects. His past work includes a YouTube show titled "Prayer Hour," where he played a televangelist, and a movie titled "Pastor Shepherd," featuring actor Danny Trejo. Recently, he completed filming a thriller called "Time for Sunset," which is set to be released on Apple and Amazon.
Moreover, Don is actively working on two more films: "Tramps Like Us," featuring Michael Perret, and a dramedy titled "Mandate," starring notable actors such as John Lovitz and Chris Kattan. Both are currently in post-production, showcasing Don's commitment to blending his law background with his passion for storytelling.
**Navigating the Entertainment Landscape in Texas**
While Don acknowledges the challenges of working in Texas compared to places like California, he is optimistic about the growing film industry in his home state. With new incentives for filmmakers and a burgeoning network of professionals, Texas is becoming a more viable location for film production. Don reflects on the importance of relationships in this industry, stating that networking is crucial for success in entertainment.
Conclusion:
Don Worley's journey from the courtroom to the studio exemplifies how passion and perseverance can lead to success in multiple fields. His unique ability to fuse his legal expertise with creative storytelling not only enriches his work but also offers valuable insights into both professions. Whether championing justice in the courtroom or producing captivating content, Don continues to inspire others to follow their passions relentlessly.
#DonWorley #Law #Entertainment #Podcast #Storytelling #FilmIndustry #TexasFilmmaking #Acting #RealityTV #Networking
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome to Film Tech and Finance, where we explore the
cutting edge technology and financial strategies driving the
film industry. Today welcome.
Back to the show. Today, we're joined by a guest
whose masterfully navigates to very different worlds in the
courtroom. He's a formidable attorney at
law, known for taking on massivecases and fighting for justice.
But when he when the robes come off, he's a creative force as a
(00:21):
producer and host, bringing stories to life behind the mic
and the camera. Please welcome the incredible
multi talented Don Worley. Thanks for having me.
First, thanks for being here. So I.
Got a lot of questions actually.First of all, how?
Did because you're attorney outlaw, of course, and and very
good at it. I did a little research.
But how did the? Film come about, how did you get
(00:43):
involved with producing and the shows and and how do you get in
that world? I was actually in that world
first. My undergraduate degree is
actually an acting theater and Idid some films when I was at the
University of Texas studying theater.
I appeared in some movies, DOA with Dennis Quaid and McBride
and True Stories, which was a movie that was shot in the same
(01:05):
area and a Clint Black music video.
So I participate in the films asan actor.
And then I went on to another school, Howard Payne, where Mark
Baird was the film professor andhe had made a lot of and it
films. And I even made a student film,
a 30 minute student film named Magic Man when I was in college.
So I had started it. I just went on to law school
(01:27):
afterwards. I studied theater and
undergraduate, in fact, that's my undergraduate degree is
acting. So I was at University of Texas
and I appeared in some movies that deal way with Dennis Quaid
and Meg Ryan, true stories, the movie, and then also a music
video, Walking Away by Clint Black.
And I went to another smaller school where a film professor,
(01:47):
Mark Baird, had done some independent films and he
actually helped me make a 30 minute student film when I was
in college. So I had the background in
filmmaking, I just didn't reallydo much with it until later in
life. So then I would ask the other
question then, how did love comeabout?
Because if you saw the film eventually, lucky him about.
(02:07):
It it's hard to break into film when you live in Texas and you
don't have the funds to produce your own projects.
And this was before social mediadays.
So basically, Hollywood was youronly way in and waiting for
Hollywood to call it was, you know, never going to happen.
And I was in the entertainment business.
I did stand up comedy. I was touring, you know, United
(02:29):
States doing stand up comedy, but I made 600 bucks a weekend
and all I could drink. So it was a little frustrating.
And I decided I wanted to try touse my talents to make a better
living. And so that's why I chose law.
And I ended up going to law school and getting an NBA also.
But that's how I started down the path of law.
Interesting. Well, it's I understand
completely because it's same thing here.
(02:50):
It's not only Texas here in California too, it's very hard
to start earning a good living with film and production until
you start doing some work. So that's, that's I understand,
but it's, it's amazing you went to law because it's, it's, it's,
it's hard to become a lawyer, right?
It's like you need to study a lot and, and sometimes a lot of
(03:12):
people do different jobs that are not that hard.
You know, they usually work in restaurants and stuff like that,
but it's amazing. That's just crazy.
Let's. You know, restaurants are hard.
You know, I tell actors because I read a statistic that I'm a
member of Screen Actors Guild SAG, that only 1% of SAG actors,
you know, earn minimum wage overan annual period.
(03:35):
And the ones that make big money, you can count on your
hands. And everyone knows their name,
But I'm asked about that a lot. And restaurant jobs and
bartending jobs, while they're great jobs and nothing against
those, I did some of those jobs and I also have a lot of friends
that do that. But those are sort of hard jobs
to leave and come back, you know, like because you have to
physically be there to do the good job.
(03:56):
So if you have a movie for threeweeks or 4 weeks, you have to
basically leave that job and then try to come back.
And they may have one different bartender at that point.
So that's, that's the hard part about those jobs.
Whereas if you find a way to employ yourself where you can
work with a laptop wherever you are, that's usually a better
choice when you're an artist. OK, So you're the The One Show I
(04:20):
saw that pretty much it's a reality show, right, where you
actually are on screen as a lawyer, as an attorney, as we
say. Yeah, that was a blend of blend
of both worlds because producershad come to me in the past and
said we want to do a reality TV show on being a lawyer.
And I was hesitant because I didn't want my clients, you
(04:40):
know, private information out there in the world.
But the James Gutierrez, the producer I ultimately did it
with, from his critical content,he came up with a nice formula
which basically just highlights how we work up a case and
prepare it for trial with mock trials and focus groups and then
it being a good formula. So we did two seasons of that.
(05:01):
It was on Discovery Channel and now Amazon Prime and Tubi and
the distributors take that out to more places now.
But yeah, that was a a blend of both of my worlds of making
entertained through television and being a lawyer.
Nice, nice. So they're actually real cases,
right? That actually were on track.
Well, they're cases that either I've done in the past or someone
(05:22):
I, I know has done in the past, but the names were changed to,
you know, protect the guilty, ofcourse, Yeah, protect the
innocent. But yes, the the lawyers that
are in the show are real and theexperts are real and the facts
are based on cases that have happened.
But I used actors for the clientso that we wouldn't have real
clients, personal information out there.
(05:44):
So we don't call it a reality show.
We call it an unscripted show because it was.
Unscripted. Besides that show, what else do
you have right now planned? Like you're a producer to write
producer, actor. Yeah, they started producing my
own things. That started years ago.
I started a YouTube show back when YouTube was fairly new.
(06:05):
I was one of the first Youtubers, a YouTube partner,
where I got some checks from Google, from ad participation.
But I played televangelist Pastor Shepherd on a show called
Prayer Hour, so I produced that.You know, they may call them
verticals now, but short form content that was a comedy, so a
parody actually. So I produced that show and then
(06:26):
I went on to make them produce amovie about it of how he became
Pastor Shepard, Danny Trejos in that movie.
And that movie Pastor Shepard isstill out there streaming
everywhere. So it's available.
So that's out there and we just we finished the movie Time for
Sunset and that was released this past October 3rd on Apple
and Amazon and it will go to other streamers in spring of
(06:47):
2026. But that's a little thriller
that I did the rewrite on and I produced it and I'm starring in
it and that's that's out now. So my other question would be
based, as you said earlier in Texas, you have any struggles
that somebody for example, in California wouldn't have because
there's some states that they offer a lot of incentives?
(07:08):
Yeah, I think. New Mexico.
Georgia struggle is one of the struggles are there's a lot of
net more networking opportunities and opportunity to
meet people in the industry and that leads to opportunities in
Los Angeles and I'm now there I have a place in Santa Monica and
an office out there. So I'm there more and I go to
more events and now I have a lotof relationships.
But yeah, I think that when you're Texas and you start off
(07:29):
and you don't spend a lot of time in New York or Los Angeles
networking and meeting people, it's harder to get things moving
or or to get them sold after youmake them.
I would say that because it's a relationship business of of who
you know. But infrastructure, do you find
that studios or professionals like camera people that would
(07:50):
handle camera editing or do you have to find resources in other
states like California, for example?
I think you asked if you have tofind the people to work on the
project. We are fortunate here in in
Austin. They have quite a lot of
professionals that know how to make movies and television
shows. And Dallas now, especially with
(08:11):
the Taylor Sheridan stuff going on, there's more people moving
to Texas as a producer, you know, you still have to find
those people. So, so yeah, it's it's it's a
struggle anywhere. But I'd say Texas is now
becoming much easier. And then they just passed them
incentives. I don't think they've really
figured them out yet, but givingyou money back if you shoot in
Texas if you're approved. And I don't know of anyone that
(08:35):
has been under the new tax credits that have been passed or
grants as you might say, but they're there in place.
So I. Want to ask a little bit because
film taking finance is about constructs.
So we talked a little bit about the film and your background and
you've done some good work and some you have worked with some
amazing people when it comes to producing.
Now, something you what, what's in the plan?
(08:57):
Like you have anything that you're going to, you're working
on right now that you want to ifyou want to tell us some new
project or some new film. We just finished two films that
are in post production. One is Tramps Like Us with
Michael Perry and myself and that was done with my other
company that I own, Brandon Entertainment, that does brand
integration in the movies and television and brands put up
(09:20):
part of the budget for that movie and that's in the editing
phase now. And then another film we just
shot Mandate, which has Jon Lovitz and Chris Kattan and Tara
Reid, a lot of names. It's a a dramedy, but we just
shot that in Los Angeles and we finished shooting in October and
that will be coming out of the spring.
(09:40):
So that movie and tramps will are in post production will be
coming out and we have 3 or 4 projects slated to start in 2026
that's. Very good, very good.
When it comes to technology now,how are you embracing new
technology when it comes to productions?
That's a big topic right now. Actually, the last few shows
that I've done, actually, everybody's talking about AI and
how they utilize it, and some people are afraid of it.
(10:03):
Some people are they think they're going to be replaced
from it or. What's your take?
Yeah, I think independent producers are starting to use
AIA lot more. We are, you know, and as far as
sound mix and putting a score for a film, and I know I reached
out on the time for Sunset. I reached out to try to get the
rights to Bob Dylan's Knocking on Heaven's Door over the ending
(10:23):
credits, and they just said no, you can't use it.
So we just used AI to write a song.
I'm not in favor of AI replacingany type of artist, but when the
royalties companies instead of saying, well, yeah, you're an
independent film, but we'll giveyou a deal, how about this?
But just say no, you can't use our song because you're not a
studio that might forces the hand of independent producers to
(10:45):
use AI to create their own music.
So we create music with AI for soundtrack and for FSC closing
credits. And so it's starting to use be
used a lot for sounds. And I know in preparation of
films, I'm using things like ChatGPT and other AI tools to
create decks. A deck is what you show to
people with the film is about ifyou want them to be a part of it
(11:07):
or you want them to put money into it or you want brands to
put their brands into the film or television show in exchange
for paying a fee, you need to have a deck that explains to
them what the movie is about andother brand will be placed.
And so we're using AI to make decks and also I'm using
sometimes Google little short, you know, Google videos AI to
(11:30):
create a proposed scene of brandintegration.
Like show me a golfer talking about his Titleist Golf Club and
it'll create a video in 10 seconds that you can use as part
of a pitch deck. So I and along with other
independent producers are starting to use AI just because
of budget constraints and time constraints and when you don't
have the type of budget that a studio has.
(11:51):
So taking from that when it comes to finance, because that's
that's another topic for a especially for indie producer or
small producers outside the studios, how do you, because it
has to do with distribution, hasto do with finding the people
that were funded. It's always a struggle and a lot
of projects never come to play because of that.
(12:12):
So how do you deal with a project?
Is it easy? Is it something you found a way
to handle it or how do you go about that?
Yeah, no, that's the hardest part is actually paying for the
movie. There's a lot of good scripts
and a lot of good people trying to put movies together, but it's
hard to get an investor to writea check for a movie anymore
because, you know, you can't just go out and sell it for more
(12:34):
than you made it for. It's difficult now because
streamers want to just pay you Rev share.
In other words, sure, we'll takeyour movie and we'll give you X
percentage of what we sell. If somebody rents it or someone
buys it, we'll give you X percentage or you know, goes on
Netflix per view, you'll get X amount of money.
Then it just takes a long time to add up and a long time for an
(12:54):
investor to get their money backon the return on their money.
So it's hard to raise private funds for films anymore, but
there's a lot of ways to do it. I know there's some investors
that have taken advantage of theUS tax code 181, which allows
them to do a tax write off for the budget of a film.
So if they put some money into afilm, they're able to take a
(13:16):
write off that years. If you're an entrepreneur or a
business owner and or a professional and you made a lot
of money in 2025, then you can invest in the independent film
and write off, have a write off for the year.
So that's been a sort of a popular way of enticing
investors because the return maynot be as soon or as much as
(13:36):
they would want in an investment.
So that's an added bonus if Congress keeps up that 181 tax
credit. That's a way to get people with
money involved because you do need people with money and
initially at first, because you'll need to be able to
participate in other types of financing, such as foreign pre
sales or advanced distribution contracts with minimum
(13:58):
guarantees or M GS. You have to have some type of
name attached to the project that would allow them to sell
that movie. So if you want to cast the name
actor, they usually require a deposit or sometimes known as
pay or play money. In other words, you put up the
money and if you make the movie,you pay them the rest of it.
If you don't make the movie, they get to keep that deposit,
(14:19):
non refundable pay or play deposit.
So you really need someone to help you out at with at least
with that part, because now evenwith brand integration, they're
looking for who's in the movie and want it to be at least
$1,000,000. So because they want their
brands to be seen and if there'sno one in the movie to watch the
movie, then their brands may notbe seen.
(14:40):
So even if they're putting up $1,000,000 or $100,000 part of
the budget in order to have their brand integrated in the
movie, they will ask who's in that.
So the first step is a taxing someone and then hopefully that
would lead to getting foreign presale contracts that you could
borrow money against or a distribution contract with a
minimum guarantee. You could go to a bank and
borrow money against. But you would still need that
(15:02):
initial cash investment or one O81 investor to do the money or
do do it yourself. Just put up the pay or play
money to attach the person. And then there's also tax
credits in each state that you can either sell to someone else
if you get approved for them or get a loan against them.
So whether you shoot in New Yorkor Louisiana or New Mexico or
Georgia, there might be a way ifyou get approved for tax credits
(15:25):
to shoot a movie there that you can monetize those tax credits
by selling them or getting a loan against them to use as part
of the budget to actually make the movie.
So there's a lot of moving parts, a lot of ways to do it,
but that initial start sometimesrequires actual cash.
Let me ask you now something else.
Where are you more active right now?
Just just as a personal question, Are you more attorney
(15:46):
or more producer? Because producing takes a lot of
time, as you said, you have to find actors, you have to talk
with creators, you have to juggle all this stratified
funding. How do you do you also work as
an attorney though? Because that's also complicated
too. You have cases, you have to talk
to people, you have to researcher case, right?
So they're most complicated. Did you do both?
(16:06):
Yes, we have one of the largest plaintiff firms.
We have around over 40,000 clients because we do what's
called mass torts, pharmaceutical and medical
device litigation. So yes, I oversee that firm and
we're in a lot of different, we're in every state and a lot
of different offices. But I have a great team around
me and some great lawyers working on my team that some are
(16:26):
employees, some are contractors,some are here, some are
overseas. But we have a great team that
allows to, you know, function ona day-to-day basis.
And so I'm in more of a managerial role, making sure
everything is moving and the same with the making of a film.
So yes, I oversee it as an executive producer or a producer
and putting pieces together. But the ones that do the
(16:49):
day-to-day, as far as like it working with the casting
director, working with putting together the crew, the director
of photography and all of that is another producer that does
the day-to-day work on those parts.
So I just have great teams on both sides.
But on the movie production, television production side, I
have a great team and then on the lost side I have a great
team that allows me to be able to do both.
(17:12):
OK, so pretty much I don't know if you want to see something
else your productions or like that, but when it comes to
talent, that's my other questionright now.
I know you have a team you said and they they help their
day-to-day cases. How do you what would you
suggest if someone wants to start now?
(17:33):
It's just from your experience, because we have a lot of people
that are talent and and watch the show.
And what would you suggest should they approaching the
films? Because a lot of people try to
get into studios first. They think it's more money.
But when it comes to talent, because right now there's a big,
there's a big thing here in LA, for example, that's too much
talent. That's we have to make too many
(17:55):
people that come to some actors.What would you suggest to them?
Well, you suggest a new actor that starts right now.
Well, there's no better time to make your own product.
I mean, if you have a, if you have a phone, they can make
videos and post them to social media to, you know, Facebook or
Instagram or TikTok. And now people are even doing
verticals. They're, you know, creating
(18:16):
vertical shows and selling them to apps.
But you, I started off just doing my own show and posting it
to you too. I mean you, there's really no
excuse on why whether you're a filmmaker or you're an actor,
actress, you can team up and you're not a writer.
There's a lot of writers and youcould team up with a writer and
if you don't want to shoot it yourself, there's some filmmaker
out there who wants to start shooting something.
(18:38):
You can team up with them. There's really no excuse not to
go shoot your own content right now, whether it be long form or
short form. And you may not go out and make
a hour and a half or two hour long movie, but you can make a
one minute show and you can keepposting it on a daily basis and
grow it that way. So there's really no excuse not
to get up and start doing something.
(19:00):
Because even if you don't write your own content, there's
writers out there that you can team up with.
Yes, collaboration is what it is, and that's how the system
works. If we don't collaborate with
people, it's very hard to complicate.
One more question for you actually, when it comes to
distribution, do you think festivals are still alive and
are they worth it? And what do you think about the
(19:22):
platforms, for example, Amazon, Netflix, are they easy to
approach? Is it easy for you to get a
project in there or what's your feeling?
What? What are you getting from
market? I met the distributors that I
work with today through networking and participating in
film festivals. So the answer is from my point
of view is yes, they work. If you make a movie, there's no
(19:44):
reason not to submit. Pay your submission fee, which
is not that much, to as many festivals as you can.
You may not get into prestigiousFilm Festival like Sundance or
Cannes or Tribeca if you don't have stars in your movie.
But you can get into other film festivals and distributors go to
those as well. And or you meet someone who can
introduce you to a distributor if I really like your movie.
(20:05):
So if you make a good movie, people will come.
OK, so we've got distribution, we've got tech, we've got
finance. So right now we've talked about
AI much covered everything here.So is there anything else you
would like to tell us about, youknow, the, the, the, the
profession, you know, when comesthe production or you know?
(20:29):
I would, I would just say one more piece of advice after
thinking about my show today is that, you know, find out what
you'd do well and what you enjoydoing and do that part and what
you don't do well and don't enjoy doing.
Find someone who is really good at that and really enjoys it,
Like writing, for instance. I wasn't, I was good at
(20:49):
rewrites. I did the rewrite for a time for
Sunset, but I was not good at starting this from scratch and
writing a screenplay. So I found someone that was
really good at it and really loved it and I teamed up with
that writer. So I think that's what you have
to do is do an honest assessmentof yourself, of what you're
really good at and what you enjoy doing and focus on that
and then delegate or partner up with on the parts of the
(21:12):
entertainment business that you don't do well and you don't
enjoy. So that would that would be one
more piece of advice. As far as our projects, yes,
please watch A Time for Sunset. It's on Amazon now or an Apple.
You can rent it or buy it and it's won a lot of Film Festival
awards and we think it's a greatmovie.
And then also watch out for Mandate coming out in the
(21:34):
spring. That's going to be a comedy.
And then also watch out for Tramps like us, which is also
going to be another movie. And then keep up with us with
Second chance pictures on our next projects.
So that's that's, that's what I would ask.
Sure, sure we will. We will have all your
information actually on the showin our website.
And please keep us posted every time you have something new.
(21:55):
And if there's something big, wecan have another show.
You need to talk about it, talk about your productions and and
that's good in festivals becauseyou cover festivals now and
we're going to cover, you know, some events to whatever you have
and your work, it's amazing. I mean, I went through your
profile and did a bit of research and I was amazed.
I like that. It was very good quality and it
(22:16):
was, it was very good work. Congratulations on that one.
Yeah, thanks for letting me be on your show.
And good job on your show, by the way, and keep it up.
Thank you. Thanks for joining us on Film,
Tech and Finance. Don't forget to follow and
subscribe for more insights and updates.
Welcome to Film Tech and Finance, where we explore the
cutting edge technology and financial strategies driving the
film industry. Today welcome.
Back to the show. Today, we're joined by a guest
whose masterfully navigates to very different worlds in the
courtroom. He's a formidable attorney at
law, known for taking on massivecases and fighting for justice.
But when he when the robes come off, he's a creative force as a
(00:21):
producer and host, bringing stories to life behind the mic
and the camera. Please welcome the incredible
multi talented Don Worley. Thanks for having me.
First, thanks for being here. So I.
Got a lot of questions actually.First of all, how?
Did because you're attorney outlaw, of course, and and very
good at it. I did a little research.
But how did the? Film come about, how did you get
(00:43):
involved with producing and the shows and and how do you get in
that world? I was actually in that world
first. My undergraduate degree is
actually an acting theater and Idid some films when I was at the
University of Texas studying theater.
I appeared in some movies, DOA with Dennis Quaid and McBride
and True Stories, which was a movie that was shot in the same
(01:05):
area and a Clint Black music video.
So I participate in the films asan actor.
And then I went on to another school, Howard Payne, where Mark
Baird was the film professor andhe had made a lot of and it
films. And I even made a student film,
a 30 minute student film named Magic Man when I was in college.
So I had started it. I just went on to law school
(01:27):
afterwards. I studied theater and
undergraduate, in fact, that's my undergraduate degree is
acting. So I was at University of Texas
and I appeared in some movies that deal way with Dennis Quaid
and Meg Ryan, true stories, the movie, and then also a music
video, Walking Away by Clint Black.
And I went to another smaller school where a film professor,
(01:47):
Mark Baird, had done some independent films and he
actually helped me make a 30 minute student film when I was
in college. So I had the background in
filmmaking, I just didn't reallydo much with it until later in
life. So then I would ask the other
question then, how did love comeabout?
Because if you saw the film eventually, lucky him about.
(02:07):
It it's hard to break into film when you live in Texas and you
don't have the funds to produce your own projects.
And this was before social mediadays.
So basically, Hollywood was youronly way in and waiting for
Hollywood to call it was, you know, never going to happen.
And I was in the entertainment business.
I did stand up comedy. I was touring, you know, United
(02:29):
States doing stand up comedy, but I made 600 bucks a weekend
and all I could drink. So it was a little frustrating.
And I decided I wanted to try touse my talents to make a better
living. And so that's why I chose law.
And I ended up going to law school and getting an NBA also.
But that's how I started down the path of law.
Interesting. Well, it's I understand
completely because it's same thing here.
(02:50):
It's not only Texas here in California too, it's very hard
to start earning a good living with film and production until
you start doing some work. So that's, that's I understand,
but it's, it's amazing you went to law because it's, it's, it's,
it's hard to become a lawyer, right?
It's like you need to study a lot and, and sometimes a lot of
(03:12):
people do different jobs that are not that hard.
You know, they usually work in restaurants and stuff like that,
but it's amazing. That's just crazy.
Let's. You know, restaurants are hard.
You know, I tell actors because I read a statistic that I'm a
member of Screen Actors Guild SAG, that only 1% of SAG actors,
you know, earn minimum wage overan annual period.
(03:35):
And the ones that make big money, you can count on your
hands. And everyone knows their name,
But I'm asked about that a lot. And restaurant jobs and
bartending jobs, while they're great jobs and nothing against
those, I did some of those jobs and I also have a lot of friends
that do that. But those are sort of hard jobs
to leave and come back, you know, like because you have to
physically be there to do the good job.
(03:56):
So if you have a movie for threeweeks or 4 weeks, you have to
basically leave that job and then try to come back.
And they may have one different bartender at that point.
So that's, that's the hard part about those jobs.
Whereas if you find a way to employ yourself where you can
work with a laptop wherever you are, that's usually a better
choice when you're an artist. OK, So you're the The One Show I
(04:20):
saw that pretty much it's a reality show, right, where you
actually are on screen as a lawyer, as an attorney, as we
say. Yeah, that was a blend of blend
of both worlds because producershad come to me in the past and
said we want to do a reality TV show on being a lawyer.
And I was hesitant because I didn't want my clients, you
(04:40):
know, private information out there in the world.
But the James Gutierrez, the producer I ultimately did it
with, from his critical content,he came up with a nice formula
which basically just highlights how we work up a case and
prepare it for trial with mock trials and focus groups and then
it being a good formula. So we did two seasons of that.
(05:01):
It was on Discovery Channel and now Amazon Prime and Tubi and
the distributors take that out to more places now.
But yeah, that was a a blend of both of my worlds of making
entertained through television and being a lawyer.
Nice, nice. So they're actually real cases,
right? That actually were on track.
Well, they're cases that either I've done in the past or someone
(05:22):
I, I know has done in the past, but the names were changed to,
you know, protect the guilty, ofcourse, Yeah, protect the
innocent. But yes, the the lawyers that
are in the show are real and theexperts are real and the facts
are based on cases that have happened.
But I used actors for the clientso that we wouldn't have real
clients, personal information out there.
(05:44):
So we don't call it a reality show.
We call it an unscripted show because it was.
Unscripted. Besides that show, what else do
you have right now planned? Like you're a producer to write
producer, actor. Yeah, they started producing my
own things. That started years ago.
I started a YouTube show back when YouTube was fairly new.
(06:05):
I was one of the first Youtubers, a YouTube partner,
where I got some checks from Google, from ad participation.
But I played televangelist Pastor Shepherd on a show called
Prayer Hour, so I produced that.You know, they may call them
verticals now, but short form content that was a comedy, so a
parody actually. So I produced that show and then
(06:26):
I went on to make them produce amovie about it of how he became
Pastor Shepard, Danny Trejos in that movie.
And that movie Pastor Shepard isstill out there streaming
everywhere. So it's available.
So that's out there and we just we finished the movie Time for
Sunset and that was released this past October 3rd on Apple
and Amazon and it will go to other streamers in spring of
(06:47):
2026. But that's a little thriller
that I did the rewrite on and I produced it and I'm starring in
it and that's that's out now. So my other question would be
based, as you said earlier in Texas, you have any struggles
that somebody for example, in California wouldn't have because
there's some states that they offer a lot of incentives?
(07:08):
Yeah, I think. New Mexico.
Georgia struggle is one of the struggles are there's a lot of
net more networking opportunities and opportunity to
meet people in the industry and that leads to opportunities in
Los Angeles and I'm now there I have a place in Santa Monica and
an office out there. So I'm there more and I go to
more events and now I have a lotof relationships.
But yeah, I think that when you're Texas and you start off
(07:29):
and you don't spend a lot of time in New York or Los Angeles
networking and meeting people, it's harder to get things moving
or or to get them sold after youmake them.
I would say that because it's a relationship business of of who
you know. But infrastructure, do you find
that studios or professionals like camera people that would
(07:50):
handle camera editing or do you have to find resources in other
states like California, for example?
I think you asked if you have tofind the people to work on the
project. We are fortunate here in in
Austin. They have quite a lot of
professionals that know how to make movies and television
shows. And Dallas now, especially with
(08:11):
the Taylor Sheridan stuff going on, there's more people moving
to Texas as a producer, you know, you still have to find
those people. So, so yeah, it's it's it's a
struggle anywhere. But I'd say Texas is now
becoming much easier. And then they just passed them
incentives. I don't think they've really
figured them out yet, but givingyou money back if you shoot in
Texas if you're approved. And I don't know of anyone that
(08:35):
has been under the new tax credits that have been passed or
grants as you might say, but they're there in place.
So I. Want to ask a little bit because
film taking finance is about constructs.
So we talked a little bit about the film and your background and
you've done some good work and some you have worked with some
amazing people when it comes to producing.
Now, something you what, what's in the plan?
(08:57):
Like you have anything that you're going to, you're working
on right now that you want to ifyou want to tell us some new
project or some new film. We just finished two films that
are in post production. One is Tramps Like Us with
Michael Perry and myself and that was done with my other
company that I own, Brandon Entertainment, that does brand
integration in the movies and television and brands put up
(09:20):
part of the budget for that movie and that's in the editing
phase now. And then another film we just
shot Mandate, which has Jon Lovitz and Chris Kattan and Tara
Reid, a lot of names. It's a a dramedy, but we just
shot that in Los Angeles and we finished shooting in October and
that will be coming out of the spring.
(09:40):
So that movie and tramps will are in post production will be
coming out and we have 3 or 4 projects slated to start in 2026
that's. Very good, very good.
When it comes to technology now,how are you embracing new
technology when it comes to productions?
That's a big topic right now. Actually, the last few shows
that I've done, actually, everybody's talking about AI and
how they utilize it, and some people are afraid of it.
(10:03):
Some people are they think they're going to be replaced
from it or. What's your take?
Yeah, I think independent producers are starting to use
AIA lot more. We are, you know, and as far as
sound mix and putting a score for a film, and I know I reached
out on the time for Sunset. I reached out to try to get the
rights to Bob Dylan's Knocking on Heaven's Door over the ending
(10:23):
credits, and they just said no, you can't use it.
So we just used AI to write a song.
I'm not in favor of AI replacingany type of artist, but when the
royalties companies instead of saying, well, yeah, you're an
independent film, but we'll giveyou a deal, how about this?
But just say no, you can't use our song because you're not a
studio that might forces the hand of independent producers to
(10:45):
use AI to create their own music.
So we create music with AI for soundtrack and for FSC closing
credits. And so it's starting to use be
used a lot for sounds. And I know in preparation of
films, I'm using things like ChatGPT and other AI tools to
create decks. A deck is what you show to
people with the film is about ifyou want them to be a part of it
(11:07):
or you want them to put money into it or you want brands to
put their brands into the film or television show in exchange
for paying a fee, you need to have a deck that explains to
them what the movie is about andother brand will be placed.
And so we're using AI to make decks and also I'm using
sometimes Google little short, you know, Google videos AI to
(11:30):
create a proposed scene of brandintegration.
Like show me a golfer talking about his Titleist Golf Club and
it'll create a video in 10 seconds that you can use as part
of a pitch deck. So I and along with other
independent producers are starting to use AI just because
of budget constraints and time constraints and when you don't
have the type of budget that a studio has.
(11:51):
So taking from that when it comes to finance, because that's
that's another topic for a especially for indie producer or
small producers outside the studios, how do you, because it
has to do with distribution, hasto do with finding the people
that were funded. It's always a struggle and a lot
of projects never come to play because of that.
(12:12):
So how do you deal with a project?
Is it easy? Is it something you found a way
to handle it or how do you go about that?
Yeah, no, that's the hardest part is actually paying for the
movie. There's a lot of good scripts
and a lot of good people trying to put movies together, but it's
hard to get an investor to writea check for a movie anymore
because, you know, you can't just go out and sell it for more
(12:34):
than you made it for. It's difficult now because
streamers want to just pay you Rev share.
In other words, sure, we'll takeyour movie and we'll give you X
percentage of what we sell. If somebody rents it or someone
buys it, we'll give you X percentage or you know, goes on
Netflix per view, you'll get X amount of money.
Then it just takes a long time to add up and a long time for an
(12:54):
investor to get their money backon the return on their money.
So it's hard to raise private funds for films anymore, but
there's a lot of ways to do it. I know there's some investors
that have taken advantage of theUS tax code 181, which allows
them to do a tax write off for the budget of a film.
So if they put some money into afilm, they're able to take a
(13:16):
write off that years. If you're an entrepreneur or a
business owner and or a professional and you made a lot
of money in 2025, then you can invest in the independent film
and write off, have a write off for the year.
So that's been a sort of a popular way of enticing
investors because the return maynot be as soon or as much as
(13:36):
they would want in an investment.
So that's an added bonus if Congress keeps up that 181 tax
credit. That's a way to get people with
money involved because you do need people with money and
initially at first, because you'll need to be able to
participate in other types of financing, such as foreign pre
sales or advanced distribution contracts with minimum
(13:58):
guarantees or M GS. You have to have some type of
name attached to the project that would allow them to sell
that movie. So if you want to cast the name
actor, they usually require a deposit or sometimes known as
pay or play money. In other words, you put up the
money and if you make the movie,you pay them the rest of it.
If you don't make the movie, they get to keep that deposit,
(14:19):
non refundable pay or play deposit.
So you really need someone to help you out at with at least
with that part, because now evenwith brand integration, they're
looking for who's in the movie and want it to be at least
$1,000,000. So because they want their
brands to be seen and if there'sno one in the movie to watch the
movie, then their brands may notbe seen.
(14:40):
So even if they're putting up $1,000,000 or $100,000 part of
the budget in order to have their brand integrated in the
movie, they will ask who's in that.
So the first step is a taxing someone and then hopefully that
would lead to getting foreign presale contracts that you could
borrow money against or a distribution contract with a
minimum guarantee. You could go to a bank and
borrow money against. But you would still need that
(15:02):
initial cash investment or one O81 investor to do the money or
do do it yourself. Just put up the pay or play
money to attach the person. And then there's also tax
credits in each state that you can either sell to someone else
if you get approved for them or get a loan against them.
So whether you shoot in New Yorkor Louisiana or New Mexico or
Georgia, there might be a way ifyou get approved for tax credits
(15:25):
to shoot a movie there that you can monetize those tax credits
by selling them or getting a loan against them to use as part
of the budget to actually make the movie.
So there's a lot of moving parts, a lot of ways to do it,
but that initial start sometimesrequires actual cash.
Let me ask you now something else.
Where are you more active right now?
Just just as a personal question, Are you more attorney
(15:46):
or more producer? Because producing takes a lot of
time, as you said, you have to find actors, you have to talk
with creators, you have to juggle all this stratified
funding. How do you do you also work as
an attorney though? Because that's also complicated
too. You have cases, you have to talk
to people, you have to researcher case, right?
So they're most complicated. Did you do both?
(16:06):
Yes, we have one of the largest plaintiff firms.
We have around over 40,000 clients because we do what's
called mass torts, pharmaceutical and medical
device litigation. So yes, I oversee that firm and
we're in a lot of different, we're in every state and a lot
of different offices. But I have a great team around
me and some great lawyers working on my team that some are
(16:26):
employees, some are contractors,some are here, some are
overseas. But we have a great team that
allows to, you know, function ona day-to-day basis.
And so I'm in more of a managerial role, making sure
everything is moving and the same with the making of a film.
So yes, I oversee it as an executive producer or a producer
and putting pieces together. But the ones that do the
(16:49):
day-to-day, as far as like it working with the casting
director, working with putting together the crew, the director
of photography and all of that is another producer that does
the day-to-day work on those parts.
So I just have great teams on both sides.
But on the movie production, television production side, I
have a great team and then on the lost side I have a great
team that allows me to be able to do both.
(17:12):
OK, so pretty much I don't know if you want to see something
else your productions or like that, but when it comes to
talent, that's my other questionright now.
I know you have a team you said and they they help their
day-to-day cases. How do you what would you
suggest if someone wants to start now?
(17:33):
It's just from your experience, because we have a lot of people
that are talent and and watch the show.
And what would you suggest should they approaching the
films? Because a lot of people try to
get into studios first. They think it's more money.
But when it comes to talent, because right now there's a big,
there's a big thing here in LA, for example, that's too much
talent. That's we have to make too many
(17:55):
people that come to some actors.What would you suggest to them?
Well, you suggest a new actor that starts right now.
Well, there's no better time to make your own product.
I mean, if you have a, if you have a phone, they can make
videos and post them to social media to, you know, Facebook or
Instagram or TikTok. And now people are even doing
verticals. They're, you know, creating
(18:16):
vertical shows and selling them to apps.
But you, I started off just doing my own show and posting it
to you too. I mean you, there's really no
excuse on why whether you're a filmmaker or you're an actor,
actress, you can team up and you're not a writer.
There's a lot of writers and youcould team up with a writer and
if you don't want to shoot it yourself, there's some filmmaker
out there who wants to start shooting something.
(18:38):
You can team up with them. There's really no excuse not to
go shoot your own content right now, whether it be long form or
short form. And you may not go out and make
a hour and a half or two hour long movie, but you can make a
one minute show and you can keepposting it on a daily basis and
grow it that way. So there's really no excuse not
to get up and start doing something.
(19:00):
Because even if you don't write your own content, there's
writers out there that you can team up with.
Yes, collaboration is what it is, and that's how the system
works. If we don't collaborate with
people, it's very hard to complicate.
One more question for you actually, when it comes to
distribution, do you think festivals are still alive and
are they worth it? And what do you think about the
(19:22):
platforms, for example, Amazon, Netflix, are they easy to
approach? Is it easy for you to get a
project in there or what's your feeling?
What? What are you getting from
market? I met the distributors that I
work with today through networking and participating in
film festivals. So the answer is from my point
of view is yes, they work. If you make a movie, there's no
(19:44):
reason not to submit. Pay your submission fee, which
is not that much, to as many festivals as you can.
You may not get into prestigiousFilm Festival like Sundance or
Cannes or Tribeca if you don't have stars in your movie.
But you can get into other film festivals and distributors go to
those as well. And or you meet someone who can
introduce you to a distributor if I really like your movie.
(20:05):
So if you make a good movie, people will come.
OK, so we've got distribution, we've got tech, we've got
finance. So right now we've talked about
AI much covered everything here.So is there anything else you
would like to tell us about, youknow, the, the, the, the
profession, you know, when comesthe production or you know?
(20:29):
I would, I would just say one more piece of advice after
thinking about my show today is that, you know, find out what
you'd do well and what you enjoydoing and do that part and what
you don't do well and don't enjoy doing.
Find someone who is really good at that and really enjoys it,
Like writing, for instance. I wasn't, I was good at
(20:49):
rewrites. I did the rewrite for a time for
Sunset, but I was not good at starting this from scratch and
writing a screenplay. So I found someone that was
really good at it and really loved it and I teamed up with
that writer. So I think that's what you have
to do is do an honest assessmentof yourself, of what you're
really good at and what you enjoy doing and focus on that
and then delegate or partner up with on the parts of the
(21:12):
entertainment business that you don't do well and you don't
enjoy. So that would that would be one
more piece of advice. As far as our projects, yes,
please watch A Time for Sunset. It's on Amazon now or an Apple.
You can rent it or buy it and it's won a lot of Film Festival
awards and we think it's a greatmovie.
And then also watch out for Mandate coming out in the
(21:34):
spring. That's going to be a comedy.
And then also watch out for Tramps like us, which is also
going to be another movie. And then keep up with us with
Second chance pictures on our next projects.
So that's that's, that's what I would ask.
Sure, sure we will. We will have all your
information actually on the showin our website.
And please keep us posted every time you have something new.
(21:55):
And if there's something big, wecan have another show.
You need to talk about it, talk about your productions and and
that's good in festivals becauseyou cover festivals now and
we're going to cover, you know, some events to whatever you have
and your work, it's amazing. I mean, I went through your
profile and did a bit of research and I was amazed.
I like that. It was very good quality and it
(22:16):
was, it was very good work. Congratulations on that one.
Yeah, thanks for letting me be on your show.
And good job on your show, by the way, and keep it up.
Thank you. Thanks for joining us on Film,
Tech and Finance. Don't forget to follow and
subscribe for more insights and updates.
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