November 21, 2023 • 32 mins
From Finance to Film: Inspiring Journey with Producer Brian McLaughlin | (ON CAM) Ready 🎬 Dive into a captivating conversation as Jamie Maglietta sits down with producer Brian McLaughlin, known for his work on Hulu's 'The Other Black Girl.' Discover Brian's remarkable career pivot from Finance to Film, offering inspiration for those still chasing their dreams. In this insightful episode, Brian, now an executive of his own production company, shares the mantra that "dreams don't have deadlines." Gain valuable insights into preparing for on-camera presentations, Brian's experience working on a documentary in Afghanistan, and his past life as a stand-up comedian. His charisma and relentless hustle make him a truly motivational guest. 🚀 Don't miss this dose of inspiration! Subscribe now to (ON CAM) Ready for an exclusive peek into the world of a dynamic film producer. #CareerPivot #FilmIndustry #InspirationTalks YouTube Interview For more on Brian: LINK Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:10 Brian McLaughlin 02:00 Brian at Notre Dame saying "Dreams don't have deadlines" 03:20 Forbes Article mentioned 04:20 Conversation Begins with Brian McLaughlin 09:55 On pivoting into TV and Film and recognizing his moment 11:00 Glitch on VIDEO pointed out. Click this link to see what equipment I use NOW 12:20 Tips on the power of positivity and searching for work 14:00 Both have mentioned the Producer Guild of America they are members 15:00 Mentions MT Deco Blog on Mindset 17:30 The Other Black Girl is out on HULU 18:50 Talks more about the film industry 19:00 Working with General Petraeus and working on a documentary in Afghanistan & offers on camera tips 25:00 Jamie Mentions oncamready.com 28:00 Advice on pivoting 30:00 Close ✨YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/zIFNv3Ipo_U?feature=shared 📺 Jamie is a TV Veteran with nearly 20 years of experience and is now offering her training and expertise as a consultant. 👏🏼 Thank you for SUBSCRIBING 🔗 FREE Podcast Development PDF👇🏼 🔗 1:1 Consulting 👇🏼 🔗 Podcast Platform of Choice (RIVERSIDE LINK BELOW) 🔗 The Roadmap to Riches Marketing Course with Master Resell Rights 👇🏼 🔗 Email & Website STORE Website: https://www.oncamready.com Email: jamie@oncamready.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
Welcome to On Cam Ready. I'm Jamie Magliet, a TV news
veteran here to help you produceup your content so you can
become more on Cam Ready for your social media and potential
opportunities with the press. Here's a clip from this.
Week's episode so rehearsing is is, is and writing it out right
now. Like you said, having notes is
(00:26):
is important. Doing research so.
A lot of the presentations I give, if there are, if it's on
new material that I haven't presented before, I get some
research so I can use illustrations and examples.
And then simple things like likeguys don't often think about
makeup, but I tend to try to puton some sort of foundation or or
(00:49):
concealer if it's going to be oncamera.
Police film producer and production executive Brian
McLaughlin, you know, I booked Brian because of his charisma.
He actually worked in finance. He had a career in finance, and
then he pivoted into film. The hustle that he showed during
(01:11):
that time is something I wanted to highlight.
You know, if you're looking to produce up your content online,
connect with the right people and present really well, when
you do have those TV opportunities, a guest like
Brian can offer you inspiration and advice on how you can really
(01:34):
put yourself out there. During the massive media layoffs
in 2022, I think it was around Disney layoffs.
He posted this video from when he spoke at the University of
Notre Dame. Here's a clip.
Your friends, the people who love you, will advise you to
stay on the safe path because they care.
(01:57):
But they what they don't get is that that dream is bigger than
the hurdles, that the obstacles are temporary and you will
overcome them. And the good news is that dreams
don't have deadlines. There's a message here.
I wanted to make sure our audience was able to take it.
(02:17):
Dreams don't have deadlines. So if you're someone who has
always had the dream of appearing on TV to talk about
your business or to be a doctor called in to weigh in on
breaking news or a lawyer who isreally looking to be a
(02:38):
contributor on primetime somewhere, just remember, dreams
don't have deadlines. And I hope that what you gained
from this conversation is more of the inspiration.
He's a TV insider, he's bold, and he is a former comedian.
(02:59):
Yes, Brian did stand up. So he taps into some of that
during our conversation, but he primarily focuses on the hustle
and the mindset. In this Forbes article out in
August, Ashley DeLand, business advisor, educator and community
(03:20):
builder, that's what they call her in the article.
She is a CEO. She wrote, quote, having a PhD
or being a well renowned specialist on a certain topic
will help you gain authority. I'm kind of loosely quoting, but
sometimes when you're a few feetahead of your audience and look
(03:43):
back to guide them forward, that's all it takes for them to
see you as an expert. And Brian is one of those people
he leads and that's the premise of our conversation.
So let's get to it with us. Actually not with us, because I
recorded this a while back when I just started to put together
(04:07):
these video podcasts. So excuse me for that, but Brian
and I spoke a little while ago and here's part of our
conversation with us today is Brian McLaughlin.
Brian, you have a storied career.
What I loved most about your career from when I did some
research on you was that you pivoted from the finance world
(04:29):
to film. And as a PGA member, I got to
hear about all the wonderful things you do for the Producers
Guild creating panels, and that just really sparked my interest
in who you are as a business leader and as a producer.
So I wanted to talk to you on onKim Ready and if you don't mind
(04:52):
starting off by telling us how you started in your career and
where you are today. Yes, thank you and thank you for
having me on the show. I I had never planned on this
career or this industry at all. I was going to be a.
Business manager like my father and travel around the world as
as he did and make deals and andI was doing that for a while and
(05:18):
I moved to or the company that Iwas working for moved to Tucson
which people may not realize andI didn't realize had a long
history in the film and TV industry when the westerns were
popular because of the setting there.
And so, although westerns had gone away, there was still a
very lively film and TV. Community there, and I got
(05:39):
involved in acting just as a hobby, kind of on a whim.
And because I was a business guy, people learned that I
eventually that business was oneof my strengths and they asked
me to get involved in raising funding for their films.
And so I took about a year to research all of that and get
smart and realize that it was a way I could combine my creative
(06:01):
side with my business side and also have.
Ideally not. No upside limit to what I could
make and accomplish. But financially, you know at the
end of my career on the corporate side, I knew where I
was going to end up basically. And but on the film and TV side,
(06:22):
you know, people get quite wealthy.
But in any case it's a fun career.
It's very satisfying. The people are are so
collaborative and supportive. So I.
I made made the leap and and never look back.
And not a single day have I thought, oh, I wish I hadn't
done that. It's been wonderful, and the one
(06:44):
thing I tell people is that creatives really need people
with the financial backing. They need people who understand
the numbers, the Excel spreadsheets, can budget a film
and really apply their business mindset to a project.
So really, you put yourself in areally nice position in the film
(07:05):
industry. You know, I looked that into
your bio and you've had over 8060 films that you've acted in,
but you've also produced a number of films.
So when you went from, you know,that guy who is acting once in a
while to now, hey, I'm going to produce a film or I'm going to
be involved in the production side and production management.
(07:25):
How did you make that pivot? Did it just naturally fall into
place because of that positioning?
I originally had only intended to be the funding part to get
investors and and then select films that we would fund.
But I realized exactly what you're saying, that the
(07:46):
creatives did not know how to tobudget and to manage a budget
and to to sell their films, project revenues and.
And then manage those revenue streams later.
And so I just, I don't even knowif it was the decision or if the
people that I decided to work with on their projects asked me
(08:10):
to produce with them. And and it just seemed like a
natural because of my managementon the business side in my
previous career, it seemed natural to be organizing and
coordinating hiring and locations and.
And all the things that producers, we could take the
whole 30 minutes as listening what producers do, as you know,
(08:31):
but we'll get into that. And it just seems like a very
natural transition And it is, you know, I'm in that realm now
where having been a creative andnow on the production management
side, having that business mindset and then trying to help
a film or a documentary, you really can bring more to the
table. And also having a creative side
(08:53):
like yourself, you know, you also understand maybe what
they're trying to get at. You and I spoke not too long
ago, and you were talking about this one time you were walking
on a set and to see it all, the lights, the people, it just
really hits you. Do you mind sharing your moment
of when you were on one of the sets that?
(09:16):
The reason I bring up that moment repeatedly is because we
are, all of us tend to be consumed with what's next.
You know, where, where does my career go from here?
What's my next job going to be? And how long will I be in
between jobs and it's, you know,it's seems it can be a constant
stress. And but that day I was on this
(09:41):
set of a western town. It was that we were shooting
American Horror stories and I was a department head for the
health and safety department andI didn't have much to do that
evening. I so I was able to just walk
around and there this church on the set was had these huge
lights. There were 100 people around it
and then off on the street whereI was, there were probably 50.
(10:06):
Extra background actors in in western gear and I just realized
like, this is it, This is, this is so much fun.
This is the life. I'm on a major TV show.
I'm a department head and look at the setting.
I mean, why should I be stressing about something?
I should be savoring moments like this, just everyday moments
(10:26):
that that I could just be enjoying rather than stressing
out about the future because thefuture.
You know it'll work out, you know, so why stress about it for
months in advance? I just wanted to interrupt this
conversation to let you know about the glitch so when I am on
camera you may see me kind of have a stutter appear on my
(10:48):
face. Unfortunately when I recorded
this, I had faulty equipment andI didn't have any clue that it
was occurring. So as I troubleshoot and learn,
I will be telling you and sharing my information with you. 00:11:07,840 So I wanted you to be aware of
that. Now back to the conversation.
(11:11):
So Brian, you know he's on LinkedIn, Find him on LinkedIn.
He posted this great video around.
I think it was layoffs, Disney layoffs.
Or you were trying to relate to people about hey, don't feel
lost. And he posted this clip of you
talking to a class. And what I loved about it was
that you were just very candid about, you know, your pivot,
your moment of of your aha moment, like you just said about
(11:34):
being out on that set. There are people listening that
might be going through that aha moment or oh, darn moment.
I got to make a change. What is it that maybe drove you
to launch your own business and maybe to go out on your own that
other people can learn from? Are there any tips that you can
(11:56):
offer? Well it's not the path for
everyone because some people just really need the security
and the comfort and and and noneof us really I don't think savor
the the the day that the times in between income streams but so
that is important. You know, know what your
mentality is. Know if you can handle that.
(12:19):
Yeah, the the dark times and andthen when they come, you know,
just stay positive. But so I think, do you research? 00:12:29,570 Like I said, I took a year
before I made the leap and I puttogether a business plan.
I read everything I could. I went to conferences and
workshops. I talked to as many people as I
could. Get mentors.
(12:42):
One thing I love about this industry, and probably it's true
of all creative fields and and maybe all entrepreneurial
fields, is that people are so mutually supportive.
You know, we're all in the same kind of boat.
So some boats are bigger and faster and others are.
You do a lot of rowing, but everyone understands the other,
(13:05):
the other people and and. When I first came to Lai wrote
every week to to 20 people that I wanted to meet with and these
were top producers and top executives and I asked for
meetings and and so many of themwrote back and and said sure and
and I don't remember the percentage, but it was a lot you
know. And I think that year I probably
(13:25):
averaged one of those meetings aweek with with amazing people
Peter Berg who had just done loan loan survivor.
And you also done Friday Night Lights.
He's just in so many films. You know, he spent 45 minutes
talking with me and advising me and the the head of the
president of worldwide physical production at at Warner
Brothers, Steve Papazian, spent an hour and 45 minutes with me.
(13:49):
That's incredible. And.
And and yeah, and there's they, you know, I stay in touch with
them and there's there's they and people like that, you know,
so many people like that. There's remain very supportive
and mutually supportive because there are people.
A friend of mine is an executivevice president at Sony, and I
wrote to her about about lookingfor work.
(14:10):
And she wrote back and said, I still remember when you helped
me out in in the producers Guildmentoring program and I'd love
to meet with you. And so we got together for lunch
and I I I've ended up introducing her to two or three
executives that can advise her in her career since that lunch.
So everyone tends to be mutuallysupportive.
(14:31):
Another friend of mine is just finished as head of programming
at at lifetime No. Yeah, lifetime.
And she had previously been the general manager at TLC and now
she's in between jobs and you know she wrote to me and or she
replied to me and said yeah, let's help each other out.
And that's the important thing in this industry, helping your
(14:55):
friends. You know, there are some points
that you made that I actually just wrote about in a blog for
Mt Deco. Mt Deco is an agency that helps
people with their branding social media.
But I wrote this blog about mindset and hustle, and I feel
like you and I are very similar,which is what I loved about our
first conversation. And did you ever find yourself
(15:20):
manifesting where you kind of saw what you wanted and you
researched and you kept going toward what you saw to make it
reality? You know, I do that all the
time, yeah. And by all the time, I mean
daily. And I sometimes in with that is
(15:42):
I go and listen to that talk that I gave.
Because it was very motivationaland I psyched myself up with
that. But yes, I do that and but I
also don't worry about it being specifically what I'm trying to
manifest. Because more often than not I
find it ends up being something completely unexpected that I and
and and just when I need it too.So I I manifest more about the
(16:08):
feeling of satisfaction and and and abundance and and.
Success and and all that sort ofthing and but then also to go up
to people that are complete strangers.
That's hustle. I enjoy talking to people and
(16:28):
meeting people. I go to events like with the
Producers Guild and and I one ofthe first ones there and one of
the last ones to leave. And when I see someone standing
by themselves, I could talk to them, or somebody I've never met
before, I go join them. It's it's just so much fun for
me. I know it's not for everybody,
(16:49):
but that's what I loved about you when I first met you in one
of my very first producer Guild meetings because you were just
so energetic and willing to, like, do anything you can to
educate and help people. And you know, this does bring me
up to someone I recently spoke to that you connected me with.
Her name is Shay, and she reallyspeaks completely highly of you
(17:11):
as a mentor. She says that, you know, you're
someone who really invests in his employees, in people, and
you really do try to help and and lift people up and and give
them the best direction and guidance possible.
I mean, first, what do you what do you have to say about Shay's
compliment? Well, I I love hearing that
(17:33):
because Shay is a wonderful person and she she was a
terrific supervisor working for me on The other Black Girl, a
Hulu show that. Comes out this September and and
depending on when somebody's watching this last September but
she she was amazing. She needed no supervision from
(17:54):
me. She went out and saved us like
$20,000 off of our budget just by making deals and and but I I
one of the things I said to her was.
You haven't updated your LinkedIn and ever and so their
assignment is to go update your LinkedIn and your IMDb and your
(18:16):
website because she has a she had a website and I she went and
told her mother that I was giving her homework and her
mother said I want Brian to be my boss but she and I are still. 00:18:30,230 I'm going to be talking to her
later on today. She's and I talked to her over
the weekend, so she we stay in touch and I do that with.
(18:37):
I love doing that with people who really show a lot of
promise, a lot of passion, as she does.
And it's you know, I don't, I docare about it when it works for
me, but I don't always spend that give that kind of attention
to each one of them. But I do that to the ones that
really, really look to me like they they love doing this and
they're going to stick with it. And and and they're sharp and
(18:59):
they're they're just the the best of the best.
She's great, by the way. She was giving me some wonderful
advice. I was like, oh, maybe I need to
work with you. She has a lot of ideas, which I
think is great. But that also speaks to you as a
leader, you know, someone that she will always turn to.
And that's that's wonderful. You know, Speaking of leaders,
(19:20):
you also worked for General Petraeus in the media.
Was it in the media department or how?
How did this go about? What was this role?
So he his. His organization, the
International Security Assistance for Assistance Force
in Afghanistan, had it within it, a unit, I guess you could
(19:42):
say, called the Counterinsurgency Advisory and
and Assistance Team. And it had all kinds of
specialists in different fields,counterinsurgency being a big
one of them, but also rule of law and policing and and.
Development. We had development people who
were building dams and and schools and that sort of thing.
(20:06):
And one of the positions was media production advisor and it
was someone who was advising himon better ways to reach the many
audiences that he had in his position.
And I was the second person I think to to fill that job.
And so I gave him recommendations on how to better
(20:31):
use, for example, Afghan existing Afghan television shows
and movies that communicated thesame messages that he was trying
to get out. But more authentically because
they were locally, they were homegrown.
And so the audience is seeing them would pay more attention to
them because they really kind ofjust laughed at the propaganda
(20:55):
that that ISAF was putting out. And and then in addition to
that, I I ran around the countrya bit on my own with with the
Afghan crew shooting little documentary shorts on different
topics like Department of Agriculture.
I want to say manager was running these really effective
(21:17):
programs in in a very hostile area in southeastern Afghanistan
that was turning villages in onto our side, basically onto
the side of the local governmentrather than to the side of the
Taliban. And it she was so being more
effective than anyone else in the country.
And the I think it was the secretary of Agriculture came
(21:39):
into the country and gathered all his folks together and said
do what she's doing or or do something better, but do what
she's doing because it's working.
And they showed the documentary that I had created for her.
And another one was the the was a shot at a conference that the
Afghan army had internally and and then gave them a DVD of that
(22:01):
so they can spread the word throughout their their forces.
You know, documentaries. I could use that as a pivot
point where we are to the strike.
But before I do, I just wanted to really talk about the fact
that for all of your roles, you need to become.
On Cam ready, before that camerastarts rolling, you need to have
(22:24):
a plan in place, a checklist in any scenario.
For example, even before this conversation, I'm sure at some
point you thought okay, what arethe points?
I want to make sure I'm saying, but as someone who is in the
production world, what advice doyou usually give others before
they find themselves in a publicposition or in front of a
(22:47):
camera? That's a great question because
a lot and and your whole podcastseries is really great because
people don't tend to think aboutthat, you know, it's like 10
minutes to go like, oh, I just, I guess I should make sure that
the link works, you know? I mean, that's how many of us
are. But there is that moment, right,
(23:07):
where you do have to gain thingsout sometimes, yeah, depending
on what the event is, you know, there might be rehearsals, you
know, individually. So I've given presentations that
and I've gone through them 5 or 10 times to make sure the timing
is exactly what it's supposed tobe or that I'm comfortable with
the material and understand it. So rehearsing is, is, is, and
(23:30):
writing it out right now, like you said, having notes is is
important, doing research. So a lot of the presentations I
give, if it's on new material that I haven't presented before,
I get some research so I can useillustrations and examples.
And then simple things like guysdon't often think about makeup,
(23:53):
but I tend to try to put on somesort of foundation or concealer
if it's going to be on camera orin person.
Yeah, you don't want to be shiny.
Yeah, and not that I can really help it with this head and and
clothing too, particularly if you were going to be in front of
an audit live audience, maybe have layers or dark clothing
(24:13):
because we'll, you know, we're all going to be nervous and
there might be perspiration. So covering that up is is
important, and I will not refer to those notes that you
mentioned to see if I've hit everything and I can't read
them. No, that's good.
Oh, and another thing was prepare with questions that
(24:35):
either I might ask or or that other people will ask, and then
finally psych myself up. I used to do standup comedy and
there was a lot of signing up before each time I got on stage
because nobody wants to see a nervous comic or a nervous
speaker. Not not that it isn't natural,
(24:55):
because it's perfectly natural, but it's like like they say,
don't never let them see you sweat.
Yeah. It is hard though to not to let
people see you sweat. I mean, for example, you know,
I'm starting this, I started this podcast to go along with my
new business and you know, my set isn't ready.
My camera's glitching. You know, it's you can't
sometimes if as a perfectionist like myself, and I'm sure you
(25:19):
are too, it's hard to put yourself out there when you are
a perfectionist. And sometimes perfectionisms
will hold you back from actuallyjust doing it.
And what I've come to realize is, you know what?
Sometimes you just gotta go withit and and hope for the best and
make it the best. Because life isn't always easy,
(25:40):
and neither is putting yourself out there.
Right? Right.
And nobody. So we're, we're our harshest
critics. Nobody else is gonna notice.
Like if you hadn't said that, noone's gonna say look what look
what she's had, her said. You know, it's fine to me.
I I mean, I think. It is.
But, but that's the thing, like somebody like my, you know, I
would be like, oh, it's not, it's not ready, you know, but
(26:01):
you can't always be completely ready.
But sometimes you just got to goon camp.
So before we go, I just wanted to get some of your tips and
pieces of advice for individualswho, you know, might be impacted
by the strike that's going on right now.
We're recording this in August. This could be, you know, any
time of the year that you're listening to it.
But there is this moment right now where the writers and the
(26:25):
actors, they're striking and there's a change in
entertainment and a shift. And some of them may be looking
to kind of go out on their own. When you started your company.
You know when you think back to it what steps or maybe 3 tips
could you provide people that are looking to start their own
today Well know that it's not life is not going to follow your
(26:51):
plan. So plan as best as you can and
then adapt as as things come up.For example one of the projects
that I I had early on was a corporate video and I had never
planned a new corporate videos but it was a friend of mine
asked me if his who was a filmmaker.
He was a filmmaker but but his in his real life you know his
(27:16):
real life job it was a company that did something completely
different and they wanted a corporate video made and and so
I put together A-Team and and sent a camera crew around to the
different factory locations around the country and we we did
a a video for you know a bunch of money that we wouldn't have
otherwise had and and it's something that's on my resume
now that that if I ever want to do something like that again at
(27:39):
least I have experience doing it.
We did music videos too. Another thing I I hadn't planned
to do. So be be willing to pivot.
The other thing is plan for things that take a lot longer
than your you you initially hopefor them to be.
Because as as much as I hope everybody will just it'll all
(28:03):
click for everyone immediately. Be prepared for it to take three
times as long or and cost twice as much.
So have backups in terms of revenue that will keep you
going. Have a Plan B.
Let's say someone's going to be an actor.
(28:23):
Plan B could be working in costumes or working in as a
writer but or it could be working at Starbucks you know
but and the but the other flip side of that is don't let your
Plan B become your only become your your life and I don't let
go of your plan A because and todo that you probably have to to
(28:45):
be accountable to yourself and that means like apply to to
different jobs this many jobs a week or this submit for this
many auditions or write this this often a day depending on
what your plan A is so that yourPlan B doesn't become too
comfortable for you to just settle into.
That's great because I find myself.
(29:07):
You know, I have my plan A, my plan A, production management, I
Plan B on Cam ready, you know, putting together tips and advice
out there because I have years of experience like make use of
it, right? But sometimes your Plan B winds
up taking a lot of your time andenergy and you got to make sure
that you find a balance. Yeah, it could be.
(29:28):
The Plan B is another door that opens that ends up being what
you love more. So I'm not saying that Plan A
has to do your, you know, this albatross around your neck
forever. It could be that you find out,
being a script supervisor of what you really love, you know,
and and and steady employment maybe too.
So there's there's more than oneflip side to the all that.
(29:53):
Well, anyone who's listening, you know, just make sure you
check out Brian McLaughlin on LinkedIn, IMDb, and because
we're both PGA members, I just highly recommend the Producers
Guild of America. If you are a producer and you're
eligible, you should definitely sign up or apply, because you
can't just sign up. So apply and get yourself out
(30:15):
there. I love the events we've been
hosting in Atlanta. Yeah.
And when you go in, you know, participate because it's.
It's good to for this organization.
Yeah. Well, thank you so much.
Thank you, Jamie. That was my conversation with
Brian McLaughlin. Do check out the description so
(30:35):
you have a link to his LinkedIn and IMDb.
He is available for projects. I also have a downloadable PDF
there to help you craft out yourown video or audio podcast.
I put together a bunch of questions that will help you
structure and develop your idea into a show.
And if you decide to create thatshow, be sure to give Riverside
(30:59):
a chance. I am affiliated with Riverside
for for transparency and if you use my link, you will
financially support this podcastwhich.
It is every Youtuber's dream, right?
So I do have an affiliate link below.
I'm very excited for that. I actually tested out a variety
of recording platforms and foundRiverside to be the most
(31:20):
efficient because with all the social media platforms that we
need to post across, Riverside was the only one that gave me
the opportunity to cut my podcast in the platform and then
cut for all the different types of social media platforms in.
The different formats needed to fit those platforms.
(31:40):
So I hope you'll give Riverside a chance and if you do, let me
know, e-mail me Jamie at on camready.com and find me on
Instagram at Jamie under score the producer Guys, I'm not an on
camera personality, I'm behind the scenes.
I've been a producer for across cable news for nearly 20 years.
So to put myself out here, it's a little rough, but when you
(32:03):
launch a business, you really need to go all in.
And right now, if you're not on social and you're not on camera,
you're not ready, so be sure to check out oncamready.com and get
in touch with me. If you need to hire a producer
or content creator, I'm also available potentially.
I've been looking for you online.
Welcome to On Cam Ready. I'm Jamie Magliet, a TV news
veteran here to help you produceup your content so you can
become more on Cam Ready for your social media and potential
opportunities with the press. Here's a clip from this.
Week's episode so rehearsing is is, is and writing it out right
now. Like you said, having notes is
(00:26):
is important. Doing research so.
A lot of the presentations I give, if there are, if it's on
new material that I haven't presented before, I get some
research so I can use illustrations and examples.
And then simple things like likeguys don't often think about
makeup, but I tend to try to puton some sort of foundation or or
(00:49):
concealer if it's going to be oncamera.
Police film producer and production executive Brian
McLaughlin, you know, I booked Brian because of his charisma.
He actually worked in finance. He had a career in finance, and
then he pivoted into film. The hustle that he showed during
(01:11):
that time is something I wanted to highlight.
You know, if you're looking to produce up your content online,
connect with the right people and present really well, when
you do have those TV opportunities, a guest like
Brian can offer you inspiration and advice on how you can really
(01:34):
put yourself out there. During the massive media layoffs
in 2022, I think it was around Disney layoffs.
He posted this video from when he spoke at the University of
Notre Dame. Here's a clip.
Your friends, the people who love you, will advise you to
stay on the safe path because they care.
(01:57):
But they what they don't get is that that dream is bigger than
the hurdles, that the obstacles are temporary and you will
overcome them. And the good news is that dreams
don't have deadlines. There's a message here.
I wanted to make sure our audience was able to take it.
(02:17):
Dreams don't have deadlines. So if you're someone who has
always had the dream of appearing on TV to talk about
your business or to be a doctor called in to weigh in on
breaking news or a lawyer who isreally looking to be a
(02:38):
contributor on primetime somewhere, just remember, dreams
don't have deadlines. And I hope that what you gained
from this conversation is more of the inspiration.
He's a TV insider, he's bold, and he is a former comedian.
(02:59):
Yes, Brian did stand up. So he taps into some of that
during our conversation, but he primarily focuses on the hustle
and the mindset. In this Forbes article out in
August, Ashley DeLand, business advisor, educator and community
(03:20):
builder, that's what they call her in the article.
She is a CEO. She wrote, quote, having a PhD
or being a well renowned specialist on a certain topic
will help you gain authority. I'm kind of loosely quoting, but
sometimes when you're a few feetahead of your audience and look
(03:43):
back to guide them forward, that's all it takes for them to
see you as an expert. And Brian is one of those people
he leads and that's the premise of our conversation.
So let's get to it with us. Actually not with us, because I
recorded this a while back when I just started to put together
(04:07):
these video podcasts. So excuse me for that, but Brian
and I spoke a little while ago and here's part of our
conversation with us today is Brian McLaughlin.
Brian, you have a storied career.
What I loved most about your career from when I did some
research on you was that you pivoted from the finance world
(04:29):
to film. And as a PGA member, I got to
hear about all the wonderful things you do for the Producers
Guild creating panels, and that just really sparked my interest
in who you are as a business leader and as a producer.
So I wanted to talk to you on onKim Ready and if you don't mind
(04:52):
starting off by telling us how you started in your career and
where you are today. Yes, thank you and thank you for
having me on the show. I I had never planned on this
career or this industry at all. I was going to be a.
Business manager like my father and travel around the world as
as he did and make deals and andI was doing that for a while and
(05:18):
I moved to or the company that Iwas working for moved to Tucson
which people may not realize andI didn't realize had a long
history in the film and TV industry when the westerns were
popular because of the setting there.
And so, although westerns had gone away, there was still a
very lively film and TV. Community there, and I got
(05:39):
involved in acting just as a hobby, kind of on a whim.
And because I was a business guy, people learned that I
eventually that business was oneof my strengths and they asked
me to get involved in raising funding for their films.
And so I took about a year to research all of that and get
smart and realize that it was a way I could combine my creative
(06:01):
side with my business side and also have.
Ideally not. No upside limit to what I could
make and accomplish. But financially, you know at the
end of my career on the corporate side, I knew where I
was going to end up basically. And but on the film and TV side,
(06:22):
you know, people get quite wealthy.
But in any case it's a fun career.
It's very satisfying. The people are are so
collaborative and supportive. So I.
I made made the leap and and never look back.
And not a single day have I thought, oh, I wish I hadn't
done that. It's been wonderful, and the one
(06:44):
thing I tell people is that creatives really need people
with the financial backing. They need people who understand
the numbers, the Excel spreadsheets, can budget a film
and really apply their business mindset to a project.
So really, you put yourself in areally nice position in the film
(07:05):
industry. You know, I looked that into
your bio and you've had over 8060 films that you've acted in,
but you've also produced a number of films.
So when you went from, you know,that guy who is acting once in a
while to now, hey, I'm going to produce a film or I'm going to
be involved in the production side and production management.
(07:25):
How did you make that pivot? Did it just naturally fall into
place because of that positioning?
I originally had only intended to be the funding part to get
investors and and then select films that we would fund.
But I realized exactly what you're saying, that the
(07:46):
creatives did not know how to tobudget and to manage a budget
and to to sell their films, project revenues and.
And then manage those revenue streams later.
And so I just, I don't even knowif it was the decision or if the
people that I decided to work with on their projects asked me
(08:10):
to produce with them. And and it just seemed like a
natural because of my managementon the business side in my
previous career, it seemed natural to be organizing and
coordinating hiring and locations and.
And all the things that producers, we could take the
whole 30 minutes as listening what producers do, as you know,
(08:31):
but we'll get into that. And it just seems like a very
natural transition And it is, you know, I'm in that realm now
where having been a creative andnow on the production management
side, having that business mindset and then trying to help
a film or a documentary, you really can bring more to the
table. And also having a creative side
(08:53):
like yourself, you know, you also understand maybe what
they're trying to get at. You and I spoke not too long
ago, and you were talking about this one time you were walking
on a set and to see it all, the lights, the people, it just
really hits you. Do you mind sharing your moment
of when you were on one of the sets that?
(09:16):
The reason I bring up that moment repeatedly is because we
are, all of us tend to be consumed with what's next.
You know, where, where does my career go from here?
What's my next job going to be? And how long will I be in
between jobs and it's, you know,it's seems it can be a constant
stress. And but that day I was on this
(09:41):
set of a western town. It was that we were shooting
American Horror stories and I was a department head for the
health and safety department andI didn't have much to do that
evening. I so I was able to just walk
around and there this church on the set was had these huge
lights. There were 100 people around it
and then off on the street whereI was, there were probably 50.
(10:06):
Extra background actors in in western gear and I just realized
like, this is it, This is, this is so much fun.
This is the life. I'm on a major TV show.
I'm a department head and look at the setting.
I mean, why should I be stressing about something?
I should be savoring moments like this, just everyday moments
(10:26):
that that I could just be enjoying rather than stressing
out about the future because thefuture.
You know it'll work out, you know, so why stress about it for
months in advance? I just wanted to interrupt this
conversation to let you know about the glitch so when I am on
camera you may see me kind of have a stutter appear on my
(10:48):
face. Unfortunately when I recorded
this, I had faulty equipment andI didn't have any clue that it
was occurring. So as I troubleshoot and learn,
I will be telling you and sharing my information with you. 00:11:07,840 So I wanted you to be aware of
that. Now back to the conversation.
(11:11):
So Brian, you know he's on LinkedIn, Find him on LinkedIn.
He posted this great video around.
I think it was layoffs, Disney layoffs.
Or you were trying to relate to people about hey, don't feel
lost. And he posted this clip of you
talking to a class. And what I loved about it was
that you were just very candid about, you know, your pivot,
your moment of of your aha moment, like you just said about
(11:34):
being out on that set. There are people listening that
might be going through that aha moment or oh, darn moment.
I got to make a change. What is it that maybe drove you
to launch your own business and maybe to go out on your own that
other people can learn from? Are there any tips that you can
(11:56):
offer? Well it's not the path for
everyone because some people just really need the security
and the comfort and and and noneof us really I don't think savor
the the the day that the times in between income streams but so
that is important. You know, know what your
mentality is. Know if you can handle that.
(12:19):
Yeah, the the dark times and andthen when they come, you know,
just stay positive. But so I think, do you research? 00:12:29,570 Like I said, I took a year
before I made the leap and I puttogether a business plan.
I read everything I could. I went to conferences and
workshops. I talked to as many people as I
could. Get mentors.
(12:42):
One thing I love about this industry, and probably it's true
of all creative fields and and maybe all entrepreneurial
fields, is that people are so mutually supportive.
You know, we're all in the same kind of boat.
So some boats are bigger and faster and others are.
You do a lot of rowing, but everyone understands the other,
(13:05):
the other people and and. When I first came to Lai wrote
every week to to 20 people that I wanted to meet with and these
were top producers and top executives and I asked for
meetings and and so many of themwrote back and and said sure and
and I don't remember the percentage, but it was a lot you
know. And I think that year I probably
(13:25):
averaged one of those meetings aweek with with amazing people
Peter Berg who had just done loan loan survivor.
And you also done Friday Night Lights.
He's just in so many films. You know, he spent 45 minutes
talking with me and advising me and the the head of the
president of worldwide physical production at at Warner
Brothers, Steve Papazian, spent an hour and 45 minutes with me.
(13:49):
That's incredible. And.
And and yeah, and there's they, you know, I stay in touch with
them and there's there's they and people like that, you know,
so many people like that. There's remain very supportive
and mutually supportive because there are people.
A friend of mine is an executivevice president at Sony, and I
wrote to her about about lookingfor work.
(14:10):
And she wrote back and said, I still remember when you helped
me out in in the producers Guildmentoring program and I'd love
to meet with you. And so we got together for lunch
and I I I've ended up introducing her to two or three
executives that can advise her in her career since that lunch.
So everyone tends to be mutuallysupportive.
(14:31):
Another friend of mine is just finished as head of programming
at at lifetime No. Yeah, lifetime.
And she had previously been the general manager at TLC and now
she's in between jobs and you know she wrote to me and or she
replied to me and said yeah, let's help each other out.
And that's the important thing in this industry, helping your
(14:55):
friends. You know, there are some points
that you made that I actually just wrote about in a blog for
Mt Deco. Mt Deco is an agency that helps
people with their branding social media.
But I wrote this blog about mindset and hustle, and I feel
like you and I are very similar,which is what I loved about our
first conversation. And did you ever find yourself
(15:20):
manifesting where you kind of saw what you wanted and you
researched and you kept going toward what you saw to make it
reality? You know, I do that all the
time, yeah. And by all the time, I mean
daily. And I sometimes in with that is
(15:42):
I go and listen to that talk that I gave.
Because it was very motivationaland I psyched myself up with
that. But yes, I do that and but I
also don't worry about it being specifically what I'm trying to
manifest. Because more often than not I
find it ends up being something completely unexpected that I and
and and just when I need it too.So I I manifest more about the
(16:08):
feeling of satisfaction and and and abundance and and.
Success and and all that sort ofthing and but then also to go up
to people that are complete strangers.
That's hustle. I enjoy talking to people and
(16:28):
meeting people. I go to events like with the
Producers Guild and and I one ofthe first ones there and one of
the last ones to leave. And when I see someone standing
by themselves, I could talk to them, or somebody I've never met
before, I go join them. It's it's just so much fun for
me. I know it's not for everybody,
(16:49):
but that's what I loved about you when I first met you in one
of my very first producer Guild meetings because you were just
so energetic and willing to, like, do anything you can to
educate and help people. And you know, this does bring me
up to someone I recently spoke to that you connected me with.
Her name is Shay, and she reallyspeaks completely highly of you
(17:11):
as a mentor. She says that, you know, you're
someone who really invests in his employees, in people, and
you really do try to help and and lift people up and and give
them the best direction and guidance possible.
I mean, first, what do you what do you have to say about Shay's
compliment? Well, I I love hearing that
(17:33):
because Shay is a wonderful person and she she was a
terrific supervisor working for me on The other Black Girl, a
Hulu show that. Comes out this September and and
depending on when somebody's watching this last September but
she she was amazing. She needed no supervision from
(17:54):
me. She went out and saved us like
$20,000 off of our budget just by making deals and and but I I
one of the things I said to her was.
You haven't updated your LinkedIn and ever and so their
assignment is to go update your LinkedIn and your IMDb and your
(18:16):
website because she has a she had a website and I she went and
told her mother that I was giving her homework and her
mother said I want Brian to be my boss but she and I are still. 00:18:30,230 I'm going to be talking to her
later on today. She's and I talked to her over
the weekend, so she we stay in touch and I do that with.
(18:37):
I love doing that with people who really show a lot of
promise, a lot of passion, as she does.
And it's you know, I don't, I docare about it when it works for
me, but I don't always spend that give that kind of attention
to each one of them. But I do that to the ones that
really, really look to me like they they love doing this and
they're going to stick with it. And and and they're sharp and
(18:59):
they're they're just the the best of the best.
She's great, by the way. She was giving me some wonderful
advice. I was like, oh, maybe I need to
work with you. She has a lot of ideas, which I
think is great. But that also speaks to you as a
leader, you know, someone that she will always turn to.
And that's that's wonderful. You know, Speaking of leaders,
(19:20):
you also worked for General Petraeus in the media.
Was it in the media department or how?
How did this go about? What was this role?
So he his. His organization, the
International Security Assistance for Assistance Force
in Afghanistan, had it within it, a unit, I guess you could
(19:42):
say, called the Counterinsurgency Advisory and
and Assistance Team. And it had all kinds of
specialists in different fields,counterinsurgency being a big
one of them, but also rule of law and policing and and.
Development. We had development people who
were building dams and and schools and that sort of thing.
(20:06):
And one of the positions was media production advisor and it
was someone who was advising himon better ways to reach the many
audiences that he had in his position.
And I was the second person I think to to fill that job.
And so I gave him recommendations on how to better
(20:31):
use, for example, Afghan existing Afghan television shows
and movies that communicated thesame messages that he was trying
to get out. But more authentically because
they were locally, they were homegrown.
And so the audience is seeing them would pay more attention to
them because they really kind ofjust laughed at the propaganda
(20:55):
that that ISAF was putting out. And and then in addition to
that, I I ran around the countrya bit on my own with with the
Afghan crew shooting little documentary shorts on different
topics like Department of Agriculture.
I want to say manager was running these really effective
(21:17):
programs in in a very hostile area in southeastern Afghanistan
that was turning villages in onto our side, basically onto
the side of the local governmentrather than to the side of the
Taliban. And it she was so being more
effective than anyone else in the country.
And the I think it was the secretary of Agriculture came
(21:39):
into the country and gathered all his folks together and said
do what she's doing or or do something better, but do what
she's doing because it's working.
And they showed the documentary that I had created for her.
And another one was the the was a shot at a conference that the
Afghan army had internally and and then gave them a DVD of that
(22:01):
so they can spread the word throughout their their forces.
You know, documentaries. I could use that as a pivot
point where we are to the strike.
But before I do, I just wanted to really talk about the fact
that for all of your roles, you need to become.
On Cam ready, before that camerastarts rolling, you need to have
(22:24):
a plan in place, a checklist in any scenario.
For example, even before this conversation, I'm sure at some
point you thought okay, what arethe points?
I want to make sure I'm saying, but as someone who is in the
production world, what advice doyou usually give others before
they find themselves in a publicposition or in front of a
(22:47):
camera? That's a great question because
a lot and and your whole podcastseries is really great because
people don't tend to think aboutthat, you know, it's like 10
minutes to go like, oh, I just, I guess I should make sure that
the link works, you know? I mean, that's how many of us
are. But there is that moment, right,
(23:07):
where you do have to gain thingsout sometimes, yeah, depending
on what the event is, you know, there might be rehearsals, you
know, individually. So I've given presentations that
and I've gone through them 5 or 10 times to make sure the timing
is exactly what it's supposed tobe or that I'm comfortable with
the material and understand it. So rehearsing is, is, is, and
(23:30):
writing it out right now, like you said, having notes is is
important, doing research. So a lot of the presentations I
give, if it's on new material that I haven't presented before,
I get some research so I can useillustrations and examples.
And then simple things like guysdon't often think about makeup,
(23:53):
but I tend to try to put on somesort of foundation or concealer
if it's going to be on camera orin person.
Yeah, you don't want to be shiny.
Yeah, and not that I can really help it with this head and and
clothing too, particularly if you were going to be in front of
an audit live audience, maybe have layers or dark clothing
(24:13):
because we'll, you know, we're all going to be nervous and
there might be perspiration. So covering that up is is
important, and I will not refer to those notes that you
mentioned to see if I've hit everything and I can't read
them. No, that's good.
Oh, and another thing was prepare with questions that
(24:35):
either I might ask or or that other people will ask, and then
finally psych myself up. I used to do standup comedy and
there was a lot of signing up before each time I got on stage
because nobody wants to see a nervous comic or a nervous
speaker. Not not that it isn't natural,
(24:55):
because it's perfectly natural, but it's like like they say,
don't never let them see you sweat.
Yeah. It is hard though to not to let
people see you sweat. I mean, for example, you know,
I'm starting this, I started this podcast to go along with my
new business and you know, my set isn't ready.
My camera's glitching. You know, it's you can't
sometimes if as a perfectionist like myself, and I'm sure you
(25:19):
are too, it's hard to put yourself out there when you are
a perfectionist. And sometimes perfectionisms
will hold you back from actuallyjust doing it.
And what I've come to realize is, you know what?
Sometimes you just gotta go withit and and hope for the best and
make it the best. Because life isn't always easy,
(25:40):
and neither is putting yourself out there.
Right? Right.
And nobody. So we're, we're our harshest
critics. Nobody else is gonna notice.
Like if you hadn't said that, noone's gonna say look what look
what she's had, her said. You know, it's fine to me.
I I mean, I think. It is.
But, but that's the thing, like somebody like my, you know, I
would be like, oh, it's not, it's not ready, you know, but
(26:01):
you can't always be completely ready.
But sometimes you just got to goon camp.
So before we go, I just wanted to get some of your tips and
pieces of advice for individualswho, you know, might be impacted
by the strike that's going on right now.
We're recording this in August. This could be, you know, any
time of the year that you're listening to it.
But there is this moment right now where the writers and the
(26:25):
actors, they're striking and there's a change in
entertainment and a shift. And some of them may be looking
to kind of go out on their own. When you started your company.
You know when you think back to it what steps or maybe 3 tips
could you provide people that are looking to start their own
today Well know that it's not life is not going to follow your
(26:51):
plan. So plan as best as you can and
then adapt as as things come up.For example one of the projects
that I I had early on was a corporate video and I had never
planned a new corporate videos but it was a friend of mine
asked me if his who was a filmmaker.
He was a filmmaker but but his in his real life you know his
(27:16):
real life job it was a company that did something completely
different and they wanted a corporate video made and and so
I put together A-Team and and sent a camera crew around to the
different factory locations around the country and we we did
a a video for you know a bunch of money that we wouldn't have
otherwise had and and it's something that's on my resume
now that that if I ever want to do something like that again at
(27:39):
least I have experience doing it.
We did music videos too. Another thing I I hadn't planned
to do. So be be willing to pivot.
The other thing is plan for things that take a lot longer
than your you you initially hopefor them to be.
Because as as much as I hope everybody will just it'll all
(28:03):
click for everyone immediately. Be prepared for it to take three
times as long or and cost twice as much.
So have backups in terms of revenue that will keep you
going. Have a Plan B.
Let's say someone's going to be an actor.
(28:23):
Plan B could be working in costumes or working in as a
writer but or it could be working at Starbucks you know
but and the but the other flip side of that is don't let your
Plan B become your only become your your life and I don't let
go of your plan A because and todo that you probably have to to
(28:45):
be accountable to yourself and that means like apply to to
different jobs this many jobs a week or this submit for this
many auditions or write this this often a day depending on
what your plan A is so that yourPlan B doesn't become too
comfortable for you to just settle into.
That's great because I find myself.
(29:07):
You know, I have my plan A, my plan A, production management, I
Plan B on Cam ready, you know, putting together tips and advice
out there because I have years of experience like make use of
it, right? But sometimes your Plan B winds
up taking a lot of your time andenergy and you got to make sure
that you find a balance. Yeah, it could be.
(29:28):
The Plan B is another door that opens that ends up being what
you love more. So I'm not saying that Plan A
has to do your, you know, this albatross around your neck
forever. It could be that you find out,
being a script supervisor of what you really love, you know,
and and and steady employment maybe too.
So there's there's more than oneflip side to the all that.
(29:53):
Well, anyone who's listening, you know, just make sure you
check out Brian McLaughlin on LinkedIn, IMDb, and because
we're both PGA members, I just highly recommend the Producers
Guild of America. If you are a producer and you're
eligible, you should definitely sign up or apply, because you
can't just sign up. So apply and get yourself out
(30:15):
there. I love the events we've been
hosting in Atlanta. Yeah.
And when you go in, you know, participate because it's.
It's good to for this organization.
Yeah. Well, thank you so much.
Thank you, Jamie. That was my conversation with
Brian McLaughlin. Do check out the description so
(30:35):
you have a link to his LinkedIn and IMDb.
He is available for projects. I also have a downloadable PDF
there to help you craft out yourown video or audio podcast.
I put together a bunch of questions that will help you
structure and develop your idea into a show.
And if you decide to create thatshow, be sure to give Riverside
(30:59):
a chance. I am affiliated with Riverside
for for transparency and if you use my link, you will
financially support this podcastwhich.
It is every Youtuber's dream, right?
So I do have an affiliate link below.
I'm very excited for that. I actually tested out a variety
of recording platforms and foundRiverside to be the most
(31:20):
efficient because with all the social media platforms that we
need to post across, Riverside was the only one that gave me
the opportunity to cut my podcast in the platform and then
cut for all the different types of social media platforms in.
The different formats needed to fit those platforms.
(31:40):
So I hope you'll give Riverside a chance and if you do, let me
know, e-mail me Jamie at on camready.com and find me on
Instagram at Jamie under score the producer Guys, I'm not an on
camera personality, I'm behind the scenes.
I've been a producer for across cable news for nearly 20 years.
So to put myself out here, it's a little rough, but when you
(32:03):
launch a business, you really need to go all in.
And right now, if you're not on social and you're not on camera,
you're not ready, so be sure to check out oncamready.com and get
in touch with me. If you need to hire a producer
or content creator, I'm also available potentially.
I've been looking for you online.
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