August 29, 2025 • 29 mins
In this episode of The Hollywood in Toto Podcast, your go-to conservative look at entertainment, we dive into the surprising new romantic comedy The Elephant in the Room – a bold film that tackles America's cultural divide head-on. She's a quirky progressive. He's a charming Trump supporter. Can love bridge their ideological chasm? And more importantly – why is the mainstream media ignoring this politically-charged rom-com? We break it all down, Hollywood-style.
Then, we welcome Steven Olikara, president of Bridge Entertainment Labs, a group dedicated to using pop culture to heal America's bitter political divide. Is there hope for unity through film and TV? Steven thinks so, and he’s got a compelling story—and mission—to prove it. 🎬 Why Hollywood won’t touch politically diverse love stories
📰 Media bias and selective silence on The Elephant in the Room
💬 Can pop culture really fix what politics has broken?
🇺🇸 A conservative’s take on unity, art, and American storytelling
Don’t miss this smart, honest conversation at the intersection of politics, pop culture, and the future of American storytelling. Subscribe, rate, and share with fellow free thinkers! #HollywoodInToto #ConservativePodcast #TheElephantInTheRoom #RomComPolitics #PopCultureDivide #StevenOlikara #BridgeEntertainmentLabs #MediaBias #CultureWar #HollywoodBias #PoliticalRomance #HealingAmerica #RightWingMedia #EntertainmentAnalysis #RedStateLoveStory --------------------------
Bridge Entertainment Labs: https://bridgeentertainmentlabs.org/
"The Elephant in the Room" - https://www.primevideo.com/detail/The-Elephant-in-the-Room/0HBSKAHGS95UWTL1ZYU6SR1FTK
Subscribe to HiT's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@HollywoodinToto
Read Hollywood in Toto - https://www.hollywoodintoto.com
Lend a hand: Leave a tip! https://hollywood-in-toto.ck.page/products/hollywood-in-toto-tip-jar
Follow me on X: https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto
Read: "Virtue Bombs: How Hollywood Got Woke and Lost Its Soul" https://www.amazon.com/Virtue-Bombs-Hollywood-Woke-Lost/dp/1637580991
Then, we welcome Steven Olikara, president of Bridge Entertainment Labs, a group dedicated to using pop culture to heal America's bitter political divide. Is there hope for unity through film and TV? Steven thinks so, and he’s got a compelling story—and mission—to prove it. 🎬 Why Hollywood won’t touch politically diverse love stories
📰 Media bias and selective silence on The Elephant in the Room
💬 Can pop culture really fix what politics has broken?
🇺🇸 A conservative’s take on unity, art, and American storytelling
Don’t miss this smart, honest conversation at the intersection of politics, pop culture, and the future of American storytelling. Subscribe, rate, and share with fellow free thinkers! #HollywoodInToto #ConservativePodcast #TheElephantInTheRoom #RomComPolitics #PopCultureDivide #StevenOlikara #BridgeEntertainmentLabs #MediaBias #CultureWar #HollywoodBias #PoliticalRomance #HealingAmerica #RightWingMedia #EntertainmentAnalysis #RedStateLoveStory --------------------------
Bridge Entertainment Labs: https://bridgeentertainmentlabs.org/
"The Elephant in the Room" - https://www.primevideo.com/detail/The-Elephant-in-the-Room/0HBSKAHGS95UWTL1ZYU6SR1FTK
Subscribe to HiT's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@HollywoodinToto
Read Hollywood in Toto - https://www.hollywoodintoto.com
Lend a hand: Leave a tip! https://hollywood-in-toto.ck.page/products/hollywood-in-toto-tip-jar
Follow me on X: https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto
Read: "Virtue Bombs: How Hollywood Got Woke and Lost Its Soul" https://www.amazon.com/Virtue-Bombs-Hollywood-Woke-Lost/dp/1637580991
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This week in the Hollywood and Toto Podcast, this is
the movie we need to see now more than ever. Well,
that actually could be true for a change, shocking right,
And we talked to the man who helped make that
movie possible. He's Stephen Olakara, president of Bridge Entertainment Labs.
He's trying to heal the world one pop culture project
at a time. Good luck, but he's trying his best.
(00:28):
Welcome to the Hollywood and Toto Podcast. Entertainment news and
reviews without doubt.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Woke Hollywood, narrative, free speech, free expression, Now that's entertainment.
And here's your host, Oh Lord, winning film critic Coursian Toto.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
You know, we haven't heard this phrase in a while,
but it was pretty common from twenty sixteen to twenty twenty.
I think you know why we need fill in the
blank now more than ever. Of course, it often referred
to President Trump, and it was maybe a new song,
a new documentary, a TV show, some sort of project
that was going to fight the power and just fuel
(01:11):
the resistance to throw Trump out of office. Now, nine
times out of ten and being very generous, it wasn't
remotely what we needed right now more than ever. That
was gobbledgook, that lost bit was uncalled for, makes no sense.
But you know, there's a new movie that's out right now.
It's available on video and demand platforms everywhere, and it
fits that bill certainly closer than anything we've seen in
(01:34):
a while. It's called The Elephant in the Room and
it's a romantic comedy about a beautiful young woman and
a handsome young man who meet and there's a spark
and there could be a love connection. That's what rom
coms are, silly, funny, heartfelt. It's all about boy meets girl.
But this particular girl is a progressive in this particular boy. Well,
(01:55):
he voted for Donald Trump. The horror, the horror. Can
this couple manage that divide? Can they make this true
love connection? Can they survive despite their political differences? We
have a very strong connection?
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Is a right? Were well?
Speaker 4 (02:13):
I only voted for him twice? Oh my god, you'd
look past it.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
So if it's just about sex, who cares?
Speaker 3 (02:21):
So what do you like about him?
Speaker 4 (02:22):
Look?
Speaker 1 (02:22):
I don't think he's a nice guy.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Okay, it's just more open about it, which is refreshing.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
That refreshing to you. Tell her you think the election
was legit. She'll eat that up. Now, when you think
about the project in general, you think, oh my gosh,
that is a horrible idea. It will be preachy, it'll
be one sided, it'll be just full of lectures. It
just it sounds absolutely awful, like a minefield. But the
(02:48):
reason why I'm talking about it, besides the fact that
it's just so novel, is that it's just so good.
It's a charming movie. It's a good rom com. You
don't get many of those, no matter what the subject is.
But given the particulars of this, this movie, a politically
divided couple can they get along? It's remarkable. It's almost
a miracle that it's actually pretty good and that it's charming,
(03:08):
and that it's something we should watch and maybe it
could open up a mind or two about political differences.
I don't Hey you, Anima, Now that's the good news.
The bad news is that have you heard of this movie?
I only heard about it a week or so ago,
and then I kind of pursued it because that's what
I do. But if you look at rotten toomatoes dot com,
(03:29):
the last time I checked, there was one review of
The Elephant in the Room, from professional critics. Mine, that's it.
I'm all alone. I say, where did everyone go? And
then I checked the general audiences, because you know, people
can weigh in themselves. They don't have to be a
professional critic. They can just share their thoughts, which is great.
I didn't see anything. I didn't see any reviews. So
(03:50):
we got to get the word out there about this movie,
not just because it's good, because it really does have
a good message. Can we all get along? Is It's
still possible? But then the more I thought about it,
I thought, there's another aspect of the film here, which
is through no fault to the filmmakers. What if we
don't want this kind of movie? What if we like
the battle we're fighting. What if we enjoy that back
(04:13):
and forth, the pushing people aside and saying, hey, I
don't want Uncle Joe to be at our wedding, or
I don't want him to even break bread with us
at Thanksgiving he has the wrong political views. I mean,
have we gotten to the point where that's so appealing?
I mean, you think the novelty of this movie alone
would draw people from the Hollywood Reporter or Variety, maybe Deadline.
(04:34):
So far and nothing I'm not seeing anything out there now.
It's possible, by the time you're watching this or hearing this,
that there will be some news about the film, that
there will be some investigations, or just some interest in
this particular title. The novelty alone would seem to be newsworthy,
but not so much so. While I recommend the elephant
in the room, while I think he'll be charmed by it,
while I think it is something to watch and maybe
(04:56):
open up a few hearts and minds literally at least
from a political perspective. What did you just say, not
invasively speaking, not like the old operation game. Maybe there's
not as much hunger for this as we thought, and
that I know it's a rom com, but that's the
scary part of this whole project. I hope I'm wrong.
(05:19):
I hope people to check out this film, but hey,
if we can't get long enough to watch a rom
com about, you know, uniting us beside our differences, I
think we're in trouble. I think we are. We'll talk
(05:43):
to Steven Olakhara, the president of Bridge Entertainment Labs, in
a minute, But first, filmmaker Alex Gibney has got a
new project coming very soon the documentary and is focusing
this time on Elon Musk, and the film is called
Simply Musk. That's all you need right now. This film
doesn't have released it yet, and I believe he may
be still assembling footage because there's been a lot of
(06:04):
news in Musk world in the last six months to
a year. Wouldn't you say he's been a really consequential figure.
He's played into politics, into the ev debate. Oh my god,
just goes on and on and on, and in case
you haven't noticed, a little while back, there were people
hurling Molotov cocktails at Tesla dealerships because they didn't like
the owner Elon Musk. Now, this is the kind of
(06:26):
movie that we really do need right now, as far
as letting people know more about him. What makes him tick?
Why is he so unique? He's a genius, he's an innovator,
he's a ravel rouser. He's odd, he's odd to an
nth degree, and he's hypocritical, and he's thin skinned. He's
a lot of different conflicting things all wrapped up in
(06:47):
this very curious package. So I think we need a
movie like this. It's important, But is Alex give me
the right guy to make such a movie. Now he's
got an Oscar on his shelf. He's a talented filmmaker,
no doubt, but he's very ideal, not like Michael Moore ideological,
but certainly he shoves his beliefs into his work again
and again. So will that doom this kind of project?
(07:09):
We're going to maybe lack the nuance, the balance, the
sophistication that Elon Musk and a documentary about him truly deserves. Well.
Stay tuned, but I've got my doubts.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
Even the magic eight ball said out look not so good.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
And it turns out we're getting a new Wizard of Oz. Augh,
I thought we dodged a bullet. I really did, because
a few years ago, I think it was in twenty
twenty two, Kenya Barris, who has created Blackish and some
other certainly woke programs, said he's going to make a
new Wizard of Oz with people of color and have
it reflect modern times. It's a reimagining. Oh if that
(07:45):
doesn't scare you, nothing will. But then we haven't heard
much about the project. Again, that was three years ago.
There's been no casting news, there's been no studio attached
to my knowledge, certainly no new information about this, and
I thought, well, maybe it will be woke, and maybe,
just given how Hollywood is having second thoughts on woke,
we dodged a bullet. No Wizard of Oz remake. Phew,
(08:08):
I'm lucky.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Can you get well?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Then Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton come along and say,
we've got an idea for our own Wizard of Oz
spin and this one is coming from Amazon, and it's
a series, not a film, and it's going to look
at the Wizard of Oz concept from a young adult
perspective about a young people and their struggles to survive.
And the Yellow Bick Road is more metaphorical in a way.
(08:32):
I mean, can you believe it? But you know it
makes perfect sense in a way. You've got a new
project about how young people are struggling. It doesn't get
much attention. You make it a Wizard of Oz reboot,
all of a sudden, you get lots of eyeballs, lots
of clicks, lots of people saying, oh, how is it
like the original movie? I think that's what we got here.
So that will be coming soon at some point, maybe
(08:53):
even sooner than the Kenya barrass project. If that ever happens,
I would love that neither would actually have and maybe
they'll be great, But I can't be helped. I can't
help but be just extremely suspicious of project like this.
Let's tell original stories and let's have the courage to
market them that way, and hope the public will say, hey,
we're going to give us a try. And when final Hollywood. Note,
(09:15):
there's a new movie coming out. It's called I Play Rocky,
and it is of course about Rocky Balboa, but more
specifically it's about Sylvester Stallone. Now you may love the
Rocky film, most of us do. It's a great movie,
but the backstory is pretty fascinating because Stallone was a
young man at the time, in the mid seventies. He
was not famous, and he wrote this great inspiring script
(09:39):
and a studio said, yeah, we want to make that movie,
but we're not going to make it with you. You're nobody,
no if it's kid, And Stallone said, you want the script,
you gotta have me, and he fought for it, and
of course he won, and the rest his movie history.
So it's all about that great story, that behind the
scenes story behind Rocky. Now again it's not a remake,
it's not a reboot really reimagining. It's more like a
(10:02):
another way to squeeze that intellectual property to get something new.
But having said all that, it is a great story
and it could be a wonderful, inspiring tale. So we'll
have to wait and see, and I'll kind of put
my cynicism aside for now. So the movies I play Rocky,
no date on that yet, but it's good. A director,
it's Peter Farreley, who was part of The Fairly Brothers,
(10:23):
the comedy Hijinks Guys. But also he's been doing some
more interesting work in recent years. He made the movie
Green Book and he came away with the best picture
Oscar as a result. So I have to wait and
see how that one turns out. But calling me curious
and anything Stallone related, I'm there. Steven Olakaara has not
(10:49):
a lot in his years, but this one definitely his
toughest assignment to date. If Steven has been a radio DJ,
he's been a political candidate, he's been an entrepreneur, but
now he is the president of Bridge Entertainment Labs. It
is a group dedicated to healing our national divide in
case you haven't been on social media in a while.
We often hate each other. It's sad, but it's true.
(11:12):
We fight, we bicker, we cancel, we silence, we tell
people they can come to our house because they have
the wrong ideas. We lose friendships, and Stephen wants to
change all that. It's a tall order, but he's trying,
and so is Bridge Entertainment Labs. And of course their
first major project is wait for it, the Elephant and
the Room and the movie we just talked about, and
(11:33):
I think it's a great start, and I think they've
got their work cut out for them. But Steven seems
like he's got the right idea and certainly the right
energy to make some headway in kind of reducing the
divide that's kind of separating Americans from Americans, and I
wish them all the best. Now, full disclosure, I am
obviously a right of center soul.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
You know that.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
You can listen to the show. But I've been working
just a little bit with Bridge Entertainment Labs on a
couple of zoom calls with them. I've been emailing back
and forth with some of the people behind the scenes,
just sharing my thoughts, my alleged expertise on the subject.
And you know, they reached out to me because I
am conservative, I am right of center, and they want
to get all sides and get all perspectives to complete
(12:12):
their mission healing the country. So I give them a
lot of credit. I really appreciate the work I've done
with them as far as listening to me, trusting me,
wanting to hear what I have to say. I mean,
those are all good things, and I'm sure they did
the same to left of center people as well. So
we're going to find out more about Bridge Entertainment Labs,
about what Stephen has in mind, about other maybe pop
culture projects he has in the works, and also just
(12:35):
how optimistic he has about a very very tall task.
So I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Stephen. Do
check out the Elephant in the Room. It's on VOD
right now. And let's cross our fingers that he not
only has the right idea, which I think he does,
but he makes some progress because we could use some
progress right about now. Well, Stephen, thanks thanks for joining
(12:56):
the show. First of all, I want to you know
I've introduced the sub of what you do with Bridge,
but I want to get your elevator pitch because obviously
it's near and dear in your heart. This is something
you've very passionate about when you meet people and you're
at a cocktail party or just even literally on an elevator.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
Let's get what you do.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
How would you describe your mission?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Well, right now, we live in a time of extreme
polarization in our country, and we need a force that's
strong enough to take on the forces of division, what
I call the division industrial complex, which is a multi
billion dollar industry that's focused on making us hate each
other all the time. And I've worked over the years
in politics and developing the next generation of leaders, and
(13:37):
that work continues. But the next frontier of this movement
to combat this polarization is in the field of culture change.
Culture is upstream from politics, and Bridge Entertainment Labs is
the first ever entertainment office to harness the power of
entertainment and storytelling to transform the divisions in our country.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
And working with.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Eric and Elphant in the was really our first ever
project when we launched a few years ago.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Yeah, I mean, I don't think it could a community better. Honestly,
I just spoke to Eric and talked about how I
think he entered a minefield, but I think he tiptoe
through it quite well. It seems like a pretty aggressive
move into this arena with that film, given the subject matter.
Talk about the film and how your team maybe did
(14:26):
tweaks along the way. I understand that Eric, you work together.
Maybe just talk about how that cooperation yielded the film
that it is.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Well.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
The interesting thing is Eric does not come from the
bridge building field, or some people call it the pluralism field,
and he is a filmmaker and he has done romantic
comedies before, and he was thinking, I think, like many
Americans have found in the real lives, that one inhibitant
to people coupling, to people forming romantic relationships is politics.
(14:58):
And I think he wasn't seeing a romantic comedy out there,
so he reached out to us just seeking guidance. I
think he was like eyes wide open to find out
there's an entire movement in the field of people, and
I think for storytellers like Eric, it's important to find
out that they're not alone here. I think sometimes it
can feel isolating to do this work, but there are
(15:19):
hundreds of organizations that are engaging millions of people around
the country in this movement, and so we had a
chance to work with him, and we're grateful to be
executive producers on the film to help land the intention
he had, which was to tell a story of people
who voted for different candidates and to provide nuance and
(15:41):
a humanizing element to people who disagreed politically. And I
think for storytellers and Christian you can speak to this
better than I can, especially in Hollywood, often live in
a bubble and it's hard to step outside of their
echo chambers. And I think for us what we do
with not only Eric, but lots of story tellers, this
has helped to provide that nuance for the different characters
(16:03):
they hope to portray, because if they don't, then you
can turn off a lot of the American public and
have the opposite effect. Your piece of art can actually
further polarize people instead of doing the opposite. And so
we're early honored that Eric is so game and now
he's one of our best spokespeople and chance for the movement.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Yeah, the movie is a great spokesman for the movement
as well. On a different level, when you think about Hollywood,
it's certainly left leaning industry for sure. I think a
lot of the messaging sort of reflects that as well,
And I cover a lot about sort of what I
would call a bubble mentality where they're not getting other
points of view. I respect the mission you do, even
though I am an openly conservative soul. You are you
(16:46):
getting a unique kind of resistance within Hollywood creative types
or artists or what's it been like to kind of
do what you do intersecting with an industry which is
very in one camp in a way.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Is I would say there is a empathetic gene virtus
in most storytellers you meet. They have a curiosity about
the world, and so a big part of what we're
doing is just bringing that curiosity and empathy really to
the surface in their craft. And I think a lot
(17:21):
of storytellers we have met in Hollywood recognize it's important
to tell a fuller, more holistic story because that's what
great art looks like.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
But it's just harder than ever to do that. And
there is what our.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Field calls a collective illusion dynamic where certain storytellers and
executives will articulate a liberal position and say that their
film or project needs to be super liberal to sort
of satisfy a certain culture within the industry, when they
themselves may not be that far extreme the issues, and
(18:01):
so part of what we're doing is creating a permission
structure for people to be themselves and to hear from
perspectives they wouldn't otherwise hear from. And you know, not
only Eric work, but I think about the Academy Award
winner Morgan Neville, who's known for doing Won't You Be
My Neighbor, the film about Rogers, among many others, and
the way he describes it is filmmaking is an empathy machine,
(18:26):
and he tells every story he has ever produced through
the lens of social cohesion.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
So people like.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
Morgan are obviously very far along on their bridge building
journey and really embody our storytelling principles. But there are
others who are very much at the beginning of the
journey saying I know this is important, but I don't
know how. And I think those are opportunities for us,
because we really enjoy lighting that spark in filmmakers.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
We did this at the Sundance Film Festival. A few
examples come to mind.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
If storytellers who are like, wow, this is so cool
and they want to get more involved.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
I mean, I think the thing you touch on, which
I want to emphasize is that Elephant of the Room
is a better movie because it's so balanced. It's just
a better movie. And there's no way I couldn't. I'd
argue with anyone that that's the case. When you think
about the possibilities between with with what you're doing. This
is like a first salvo. I think it's a great
self Obviously, I've spoken very positively about the film. Where
(19:23):
else do you see yourself reaching out to you? What
are there other parts of the pop culture landscape, whether
it's TV or plays or films or you know, YouTube channels.
What's what you envision for Bridge at this point?
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Well, that evolution of our work has been working not
only with independent filmmakers like Eric, but also increasingly with
major studios and development executives there who are for example,
Lucasfilm development executives who are determining the future of the
Star Wars franchise, which has a tremendous amount of content
(19:57):
that sets narratives on how see government and our political culture.
And also working with studios like Disney and Pixar, We're
really excited to be content advisors for a few projects
going through the major studio system, so that's a big
part of it as well, And I think ultimately our
(20:19):
big picture vision is to systemically change the stories that
get a platform. A society is largely defined by the
stories that we tell about ourselves, and part of the
motivation I had to come into this work from all
the fifteen plus years that I've been working on this
depolarization issue was realizing we really need to be intentional
(20:43):
and more thoughtful about the stories we give a platform too,
versus the ones that we ignore. And I think by
working with the major studios that can help change that
sort of dynamic. And then you reference this too, Christian,
the online influencer space. The YouTube channels are actively reaching
out to different partners in that space, and we're excited
(21:03):
to grow into that area too.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
You know, it's a tricky thing because I am right
of center and I promote right of center concepts, but
I also don't want to demonize people on the left.
I say it on the show all the time. I
don't want to chase our liberal friends away. When you
think about the content coming out, there's always a balance
between even if it's a good message, even if it's
(21:25):
your message of unification, you don't want this to overwhelm
the story. And I think that Eric with Elephant in
the Room did a wonderful job of making that balance
work where it isn't just didacted, It isn't just sort
of a lecture about it. Hey, let's get along. There's
actually a sweet love story there and a connection. And oh,
by the way, it's showing how different people can look
(21:45):
past their differences. Talk about that balance, because that seems
like the most tricky thing that you may come up
against is not making it a lecture, but making it
so so much part of the DNA of the story
that jo almost don't even notice it. Sometimes.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
That's a great, great point because the evidence shows that
when audiences feel lectured to, they're immediately turning off. And
I think that's something that a lot of parallel issue
groups in Hollywood have learned over the years, and we're
taking that those lessons and applying it to our work.
There's this concept of transportation that's so important in great storytelling,
(22:21):
where you truly feel transported into the world that's depicted
and seeing the world through the eyes of those characters,
and many times you might relate to a character who
does not share your own background, but you are able
to empathize with their view of the world. That's called
(22:43):
vicarious contact theory, and great storytelling allows for that transportation
to happen, where the themes that you and I are
talking about are much more implicit as opposed to being
explicit in the storytelling. And I think it comes down
to just having a really great artist, a really great
storyteller who genuinely cares.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
About the themes that we're talking.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
About, so it's just embedded as opposed to hitting people
over the head.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
With that message.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
Yeah, I think the hardest, maybe the biggest obstacle in
your path right now, is that it could be sexier,
it can be more outrageous, it could be more aggressive
to be as one side, and whether it's on the
left of the right, you know, and you know, doing
a romantic comedy that has a bit of a kumbaya spirit,
it sounds great, but you know it may be tougher
(23:34):
to market. Is that a challenge you face? I mean,
I to be honest with you, I didn't even know
that Elephant the Room was coming out until I got
a quick email. I mean it's not getting that mass
attraction or the press is not jumping all over it,
which I kind of thought they should. So that makes
it harder to market in a sense, doesn't it.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Yeah, I think it depends how it's framed. Because we
do not advocate for more kumbaya or the removal of
conflict in the story.
Speaker 4 (24:05):
I think it's all about how that.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Conflict is portrayed and what are we modeling in those stories.
I think the best stories will involve really diverse characters,
diverse perspectives coming together. And I think for Hollywood, in
the sort of promotion machine that's out there, I think
(24:27):
this is about expanding your audience space.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
In the late night.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
Entertainment world, there's the big story about Colbert getting canceled,
and a lot of these network shows in general are
getting canceled, and that is a scarcity mindset. What I
mean by that is you're just constantly going after a
few crumbs in a smaller and smaller audience set. What
we're talking about, and I think what's attractive for Hollywood
(24:53):
is expanding the audience, expanding the pie because there are
a lot of people who are otherwise going to be
turned off by Hollywood, but would be open to the
kind of stories we're telling because we're actually dignifying and humanizing.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
These different perspectives. Here's a good recent example.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
South Park portrayed the conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, and it
was primarily you know, we know the perspective of south Park,
they are anti Trump, but Charlie Kirk embraced it and said, wow,
they got the nuance. This is of how I'm drinking
water on these college campuses, right, And they portrayed his
(25:31):
character with a decent amount of nuance, like they did
their research, and that effort was rewarded because it was
one of the highest viewed episodes and even conservative commentator
ecosystems were embracing of that episode even though it was
anti that side.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Yeah, one last question, I think we're almost out of time.
I think it would be smart to be cynical about
your mission only in that it's a very very hard
thing what you're doing, that the culture is divided at times,
and there's a lot of forces against you, and I
certainly applaud everything you're doing. Where does your optimism flow
(26:09):
from this conversation, from your mission from the work you're doing.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
I think my optimism flows from the fact that there
are examples of our work already out there that perform
really well, but they're just a little isolated.
Speaker 4 (26:26):
Right now.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
I think some of the best examples of our work
are still yet to come out because they're going through
the development pipeline. Like one of the major studio films
we have coming out that we've meaningfully impacted the script
on is coming out, I believe in late twenty twenty six,
and also just seeing the pipeline of filmmakers kind of
grow in the kinds of projects are taking on. So
(26:48):
here's a great example. deathIn Kredin is an amazing director.
I got to know him because he was the director
of a film called Just Mercy, and Just Mercy's about
criminal justice system and led to multiple bipartisan laws getting
passed around the country, and he kind of came up
in the indie world and he's part of our community.
(27:09):
Well now he's doing the next Spider Man movie that's
coming out next summer, and so now you know, having
a marvel level kind of impact at that scale, I
think is exciting and gives me optimism.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
That's a it's a great story. But well, Stephen, thank
you so much. Where can people find out more about
Bridge Entertainment Labs and any other things you like to
share before we let you go?
Speaker 4 (27:29):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
So to follow us online on our social media at
Bridge and Labs or you can just follow me at
Stephen Olikara and then Bridge Entertainment Labs dot Org is
our website. And you know this is not only for
people who are quote unquote in Hollywood. I mean, we're
engaging with storytellers around the country and so we invite
(27:50):
people to get involved and just help advise us on
the stories that need to be told, because that's that's
what we're here for.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Well, I appreciate your work, plaud it and I wish
all the best and you're off to a great start.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Your character actor of the week is Steve Buscemi. Well
it's it for this week's show.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
Again.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Thank you to Radio America having me as part of
their great podcast lineup. I do hope you'll check out
Hollywoodintoto dot com. It is my website now eleven years old,
and it is the right take in entertainment, much like
the show You've got news and reviews and commentary all
about the wacky world of Hollywood from a right of
center perspective, and in theme with this particular episode. We're
not shoving away our liberal friends. We're not calling them names,
(28:34):
we're not doing anything of the kind. It is a
right of center website, but we don't want to push
away our liberal friends. They're welcome to join, joining the debate,
and maybe we'll agree more than you think. Now, go
out there and have the very best week possible. Doctor's
orders
This week in the Hollywood and Toto Podcast, this is
the movie we need to see now more than ever. Well,
that actually could be true for a change, shocking right,
And we talked to the man who helped make that
movie possible. He's Stephen Olakara, president of Bridge Entertainment Labs.
He's trying to heal the world one pop culture project
at a time. Good luck, but he's trying his best.
(00:28):
Welcome to the Hollywood and Toto Podcast. Entertainment news and
reviews without doubt.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Woke Hollywood, narrative, free speech, free expression, Now that's entertainment.
And here's your host, Oh Lord, winning film critic Coursian Toto.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
You know, we haven't heard this phrase in a while,
but it was pretty common from twenty sixteen to twenty twenty.
I think you know why we need fill in the
blank now more than ever. Of course, it often referred
to President Trump, and it was maybe a new song,
a new documentary, a TV show, some sort of project
that was going to fight the power and just fuel
(01:11):
the resistance to throw Trump out of office. Now, nine
times out of ten and being very generous, it wasn't
remotely what we needed right now more than ever. That
was gobbledgook, that lost bit was uncalled for, makes no sense.
But you know, there's a new movie that's out right now.
It's available on video and demand platforms everywhere, and it
fits that bill certainly closer than anything we've seen in
(01:34):
a while. It's called The Elephant in the Room and
it's a romantic comedy about a beautiful young woman and
a handsome young man who meet and there's a spark
and there could be a love connection. That's what rom
coms are, silly, funny, heartfelt. It's all about boy meets girl.
But this particular girl is a progressive in this particular boy. Well,
(01:55):
he voted for Donald Trump. The horror, the horror. Can
this couple manage that divide? Can they make this true
love connection? Can they survive despite their political differences? We
have a very strong connection?
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Is a right? Were well?
Speaker 4 (02:13):
I only voted for him twice? Oh my god, you'd
look past it.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
So if it's just about sex, who cares?
Speaker 3 (02:21):
So what do you like about him?
Speaker 4 (02:22):
Look?
Speaker 1 (02:22):
I don't think he's a nice guy.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Okay, it's just more open about it, which is refreshing.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
That refreshing to you. Tell her you think the election
was legit. She'll eat that up. Now, when you think
about the project in general, you think, oh my gosh,
that is a horrible idea. It will be preachy, it'll
be one sided, it'll be just full of lectures. It
just it sounds absolutely awful, like a minefield. But the
(02:48):
reason why I'm talking about it, besides the fact that
it's just so novel, is that it's just so good.
It's a charming movie. It's a good rom com. You
don't get many of those, no matter what the subject is.
But given the particulars of this, this movie, a politically
divided couple can they get along? It's remarkable. It's almost
a miracle that it's actually pretty good and that it's charming,
(03:08):
and that it's something we should watch and maybe it
could open up a mind or two about political differences.
I don't Hey you, Anima, Now that's the good news.
The bad news is that have you heard of this movie?
I only heard about it a week or so ago,
and then I kind of pursued it because that's what
I do. But if you look at rotten toomatoes dot com,
(03:29):
the last time I checked, there was one review of
The Elephant in the Room, from professional critics. Mine, that's it.
I'm all alone. I say, where did everyone go? And
then I checked the general audiences, because you know, people
can weigh in themselves. They don't have to be a
professional critic. They can just share their thoughts, which is great.
I didn't see anything. I didn't see any reviews. So
(03:50):
we got to get the word out there about this movie,
not just because it's good, because it really does have
a good message. Can we all get along? Is It's
still possible? But then the more I thought about it,
I thought, there's another aspect of the film here, which
is through no fault to the filmmakers. What if we
don't want this kind of movie? What if we like
the battle we're fighting. What if we enjoy that back
(04:13):
and forth, the pushing people aside and saying, hey, I
don't want Uncle Joe to be at our wedding, or
I don't want him to even break bread with us
at Thanksgiving he has the wrong political views. I mean,
have we gotten to the point where that's so appealing?
I mean, you think the novelty of this movie alone
would draw people from the Hollywood Reporter or Variety, maybe Deadline.
(04:34):
So far and nothing I'm not seeing anything out there now.
It's possible, by the time you're watching this or hearing this,
that there will be some news about the film, that
there will be some investigations, or just some interest in
this particular title. The novelty alone would seem to be newsworthy,
but not so much so. While I recommend the elephant
in the room, while I think he'll be charmed by it,
while I think it is something to watch and maybe
(04:56):
open up a few hearts and minds literally at least
from a political perspective. What did you just say, not
invasively speaking, not like the old operation game. Maybe there's
not as much hunger for this as we thought, and
that I know it's a rom com, but that's the
scary part of this whole project. I hope I'm wrong.
(05:19):
I hope people to check out this film, but hey,
if we can't get long enough to watch a rom
com about, you know, uniting us beside our differences, I
think we're in trouble. I think we are. We'll talk
(05:43):
to Steven Olakhara, the president of Bridge Entertainment Labs, in
a minute, But first, filmmaker Alex Gibney has got a
new project coming very soon the documentary and is focusing
this time on Elon Musk, and the film is called
Simply Musk. That's all you need right now. This film
doesn't have released it yet, and I believe he may
be still assembling footage because there's been a lot of
(06:04):
news in Musk world in the last six months to
a year. Wouldn't you say he's been a really consequential figure.
He's played into politics, into the ev debate. Oh my god,
just goes on and on and on, and in case
you haven't noticed, a little while back, there were people
hurling Molotov cocktails at Tesla dealerships because they didn't like
the owner Elon Musk. Now, this is the kind of
(06:26):
movie that we really do need right now, as far
as letting people know more about him. What makes him tick?
Why is he so unique? He's a genius, he's an innovator,
he's a ravel rouser. He's odd, he's odd to an
nth degree, and he's hypocritical, and he's thin skinned. He's
a lot of different conflicting things all wrapped up in
(06:47):
this very curious package. So I think we need a
movie like this. It's important, But is Alex give me
the right guy to make such a movie. Now he's
got an Oscar on his shelf. He's a talented filmmaker,
no doubt, but he's very ideal, not like Michael Moore ideological,
but certainly he shoves his beliefs into his work again
and again. So will that doom this kind of project?
(07:09):
We're going to maybe lack the nuance, the balance, the
sophistication that Elon Musk and a documentary about him truly deserves. Well.
Stay tuned, but I've got my doubts.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
Even the magic eight ball said out look not so good.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
And it turns out we're getting a new Wizard of Oz. Augh,
I thought we dodged a bullet. I really did, because
a few years ago, I think it was in twenty
twenty two, Kenya Barris, who has created Blackish and some
other certainly woke programs, said he's going to make a
new Wizard of Oz with people of color and have
it reflect modern times. It's a reimagining. Oh if that
(07:45):
doesn't scare you, nothing will. But then we haven't heard
much about the project. Again, that was three years ago.
There's been no casting news, there's been no studio attached
to my knowledge, certainly no new information about this, and
I thought, well, maybe it will be woke, and maybe,
just given how Hollywood is having second thoughts on woke,
we dodged a bullet. No Wizard of Oz remake. Phew,
(08:08):
I'm lucky.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Can you get well?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Then Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton come along and say,
we've got an idea for our own Wizard of Oz
spin and this one is coming from Amazon, and it's
a series, not a film, and it's going to look
at the Wizard of Oz concept from a young adult
perspective about a young people and their struggles to survive.
And the Yellow Bick Road is more metaphorical in a way.
(08:32):
I mean, can you believe it? But you know it
makes perfect sense in a way. You've got a new
project about how young people are struggling. It doesn't get
much attention. You make it a Wizard of Oz reboot,
all of a sudden, you get lots of eyeballs, lots
of clicks, lots of people saying, oh, how is it
like the original movie? I think that's what we got here.
So that will be coming soon at some point, maybe
(08:53):
even sooner than the Kenya barrass project. If that ever happens,
I would love that neither would actually have and maybe
they'll be great, But I can't be helped. I can't
help but be just extremely suspicious of project like this.
Let's tell original stories and let's have the courage to
market them that way, and hope the public will say, hey,
we're going to give us a try. And when final Hollywood. Note,
(09:15):
there's a new movie coming out. It's called I Play Rocky,
and it is of course about Rocky Balboa, but more
specifically it's about Sylvester Stallone. Now you may love the
Rocky film, most of us do. It's a great movie,
but the backstory is pretty fascinating because Stallone was a
young man at the time, in the mid seventies. He
was not famous, and he wrote this great inspiring script
(09:39):
and a studio said, yeah, we want to make that movie,
but we're not going to make it with you. You're nobody,
no if it's kid, And Stallone said, you want the script,
you gotta have me, and he fought for it, and
of course he won, and the rest his movie history.
So it's all about that great story, that behind the
scenes story behind Rocky. Now again it's not a remake,
it's not a reboot really reimagining. It's more like a
(10:02):
another way to squeeze that intellectual property to get something new.
But having said all that, it is a great story
and it could be a wonderful, inspiring tale. So we'll
have to wait and see, and I'll kind of put
my cynicism aside for now. So the movies I play Rocky,
no date on that yet, but it's good. A director,
it's Peter Farreley, who was part of The Fairly Brothers,
(10:23):
the comedy Hijinks Guys. But also he's been doing some
more interesting work in recent years. He made the movie
Green Book and he came away with the best picture
Oscar as a result. So I have to wait and
see how that one turns out. But calling me curious
and anything Stallone related, I'm there. Steven Olakaara has not
(10:49):
a lot in his years, but this one definitely his
toughest assignment to date. If Steven has been a radio DJ,
he's been a political candidate, he's been an entrepreneur, but
now he is the president of Bridge Entertainment Labs. It
is a group dedicated to healing our national divide in
case you haven't been on social media in a while.
We often hate each other. It's sad, but it's true.
(11:12):
We fight, we bicker, we cancel, we silence, we tell
people they can come to our house because they have
the wrong ideas. We lose friendships, and Stephen wants to
change all that. It's a tall order, but he's trying,
and so is Bridge Entertainment Labs. And of course their
first major project is wait for it, the Elephant and
the Room and the movie we just talked about, and
(11:33):
I think it's a great start, and I think they've
got their work cut out for them. But Steven seems
like he's got the right idea and certainly the right
energy to make some headway in kind of reducing the
divide that's kind of separating Americans from Americans, and I
wish them all the best. Now, full disclosure, I am
obviously a right of center soul.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
You know that.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
You can listen to the show. But I've been working
just a little bit with Bridge Entertainment Labs on a
couple of zoom calls with them. I've been emailing back
and forth with some of the people behind the scenes,
just sharing my thoughts, my alleged expertise on the subject.
And you know, they reached out to me because I
am conservative, I am right of center, and they want
to get all sides and get all perspectives to complete
(12:12):
their mission healing the country. So I give them a
lot of credit. I really appreciate the work I've done
with them as far as listening to me, trusting me,
wanting to hear what I have to say. I mean,
those are all good things, and I'm sure they did
the same to left of center people as well. So
we're going to find out more about Bridge Entertainment Labs,
about what Stephen has in mind, about other maybe pop
culture projects he has in the works, and also just
(12:35):
how optimistic he has about a very very tall task.
So I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Stephen. Do
check out the Elephant in the Room. It's on VOD
right now. And let's cross our fingers that he not
only has the right idea, which I think he does,
but he makes some progress because we could use some
progress right about now. Well, Stephen, thanks thanks for joining
(12:56):
the show. First of all, I want to you know
I've introduced the sub of what you do with Bridge,
but I want to get your elevator pitch because obviously
it's near and dear in your heart. This is something
you've very passionate about when you meet people and you're
at a cocktail party or just even literally on an elevator.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
Let's get what you do.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
How would you describe your mission?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Well, right now, we live in a time of extreme
polarization in our country, and we need a force that's
strong enough to take on the forces of division, what
I call the division industrial complex, which is a multi
billion dollar industry that's focused on making us hate each
other all the time. And I've worked over the years
in politics and developing the next generation of leaders, and
(13:37):
that work continues. But the next frontier of this movement
to combat this polarization is in the field of culture change.
Culture is upstream from politics, and Bridge Entertainment Labs is
the first ever entertainment office to harness the power of
entertainment and storytelling to transform the divisions in our country.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
And working with.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Eric and Elphant in the was really our first ever
project when we launched a few years ago.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Yeah, I mean, I don't think it could a community better. Honestly,
I just spoke to Eric and talked about how I
think he entered a minefield, but I think he tiptoe
through it quite well. It seems like a pretty aggressive
move into this arena with that film, given the subject matter.
Talk about the film and how your team maybe did
(14:26):
tweaks along the way. I understand that Eric, you work together.
Maybe just talk about how that cooperation yielded the film
that it is.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Well.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
The interesting thing is Eric does not come from the
bridge building field, or some people call it the pluralism field,
and he is a filmmaker and he has done romantic
comedies before, and he was thinking, I think, like many
Americans have found in the real lives, that one inhibitant
to people coupling, to people forming romantic relationships is politics.
(14:58):
And I think he wasn't seeing a romantic comedy out there,
so he reached out to us just seeking guidance. I
think he was like eyes wide open to find out
there's an entire movement in the field of people, and
I think for storytellers like Eric, it's important to find
out that they're not alone here. I think sometimes it
can feel isolating to do this work, but there are
(15:19):
hundreds of organizations that are engaging millions of people around
the country in this movement, and so we had a
chance to work with him, and we're grateful to be
executive producers on the film to help land the intention
he had, which was to tell a story of people
who voted for different candidates and to provide nuance and
(15:41):
a humanizing element to people who disagreed politically. And I
think for storytellers and Christian you can speak to this
better than I can, especially in Hollywood, often live in
a bubble and it's hard to step outside of their
echo chambers. And I think for us what we do
with not only Eric, but lots of story tellers, this
has helped to provide that nuance for the different characters
(16:03):
they hope to portray, because if they don't, then you
can turn off a lot of the American public and
have the opposite effect. Your piece of art can actually
further polarize people instead of doing the opposite. And so
we're early honored that Eric is so game and now
he's one of our best spokespeople and chance for the movement.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Yeah, the movie is a great spokesman for the movement
as well. On a different level, when you think about Hollywood,
it's certainly left leaning industry for sure. I think a
lot of the messaging sort of reflects that as well,
And I cover a lot about sort of what I
would call a bubble mentality where they're not getting other
points of view. I respect the mission you do, even
though I am an openly conservative soul. You are you
(16:46):
getting a unique kind of resistance within Hollywood creative types
or artists or what's it been like to kind of
do what you do intersecting with an industry which is
very in one camp in a way.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Is I would say there is a empathetic gene virtus
in most storytellers you meet. They have a curiosity about
the world, and so a big part of what we're
doing is just bringing that curiosity and empathy really to
the surface in their craft. And I think a lot
(17:21):
of storytellers we have met in Hollywood recognize it's important
to tell a fuller, more holistic story because that's what
great art looks like.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
But it's just harder than ever to do that. And
there is what our.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Field calls a collective illusion dynamic where certain storytellers and
executives will articulate a liberal position and say that their
film or project needs to be super liberal to sort
of satisfy a certain culture within the industry, when they
themselves may not be that far extreme the issues, and
(18:01):
so part of what we're doing is creating a permission
structure for people to be themselves and to hear from
perspectives they wouldn't otherwise hear from. And you know, not
only Eric work, but I think about the Academy Award
winner Morgan Neville, who's known for doing Won't You Be
My Neighbor, the film about Rogers, among many others, and
the way he describes it is filmmaking is an empathy machine,
(18:26):
and he tells every story he has ever produced through
the lens of social cohesion.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
So people like.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
Morgan are obviously very far along on their bridge building
journey and really embody our storytelling principles. But there are
others who are very much at the beginning of the
journey saying I know this is important, but I don't
know how. And I think those are opportunities for us,
because we really enjoy lighting that spark in filmmakers.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
We did this at the Sundance Film Festival. A few
examples come to mind.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
If storytellers who are like, wow, this is so cool
and they want to get more involved.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
I mean, I think the thing you touch on, which
I want to emphasize is that Elephant of the Room
is a better movie because it's so balanced. It's just
a better movie. And there's no way I couldn't. I'd
argue with anyone that that's the case. When you think
about the possibilities between with with what you're doing. This
is like a first salvo. I think it's a great
self Obviously, I've spoken very positively about the film. Where
(19:23):
else do you see yourself reaching out to you? What
are there other parts of the pop culture landscape, whether
it's TV or plays or films or you know, YouTube channels.
What's what you envision for Bridge at this point?
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Well, that evolution of our work has been working not
only with independent filmmakers like Eric, but also increasingly with
major studios and development executives there who are for example,
Lucasfilm development executives who are determining the future of the
Star Wars franchise, which has a tremendous amount of content
(19:57):
that sets narratives on how see government and our political culture.
And also working with studios like Disney and Pixar, We're
really excited to be content advisors for a few projects
going through the major studio system, so that's a big
part of it as well, And I think ultimately our
(20:19):
big picture vision is to systemically change the stories that
get a platform. A society is largely defined by the
stories that we tell about ourselves, and part of the
motivation I had to come into this work from all
the fifteen plus years that I've been working on this
depolarization issue was realizing we really need to be intentional
(20:43):
and more thoughtful about the stories we give a platform too,
versus the ones that we ignore. And I think by
working with the major studios that can help change that
sort of dynamic. And then you reference this too, Christian,
the online influencer space. The YouTube channels are actively reaching
out to different partners in that space, and we're excited
(21:03):
to grow into that area too.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
You know, it's a tricky thing because I am right
of center and I promote right of center concepts, but
I also don't want to demonize people on the left.
I say it on the show all the time. I
don't want to chase our liberal friends away. When you
think about the content coming out, there's always a balance
between even if it's a good message, even if it's
(21:25):
your message of unification, you don't want this to overwhelm
the story. And I think that Eric with Elephant in
the Room did a wonderful job of making that balance
work where it isn't just didacted, It isn't just sort
of a lecture about it. Hey, let's get along. There's
actually a sweet love story there and a connection. And oh,
by the way, it's showing how different people can look
(21:45):
past their differences. Talk about that balance, because that seems
like the most tricky thing that you may come up
against is not making it a lecture, but making it
so so much part of the DNA of the story
that jo almost don't even notice it. Sometimes.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
That's a great, great point because the evidence shows that
when audiences feel lectured to, they're immediately turning off. And
I think that's something that a lot of parallel issue
groups in Hollywood have learned over the years, and we're
taking that those lessons and applying it to our work.
There's this concept of transportation that's so important in great storytelling,
(22:21):
where you truly feel transported into the world that's depicted
and seeing the world through the eyes of those characters,
and many times you might relate to a character who
does not share your own background, but you are able
to empathize with their view of the world. That's called
(22:43):
vicarious contact theory, and great storytelling allows for that transportation
to happen, where the themes that you and I are
talking about are much more implicit as opposed to being
explicit in the storytelling. And I think it comes down
to just having a really great artist, a really great
storyteller who genuinely cares.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
About the themes that we're talking.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
About, so it's just embedded as opposed to hitting people
over the head.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
With that message.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
Yeah, I think the hardest, maybe the biggest obstacle in
your path right now, is that it could be sexier,
it can be more outrageous, it could be more aggressive
to be as one side, and whether it's on the
left of the right, you know, and you know, doing
a romantic comedy that has a bit of a kumbaya spirit,
it sounds great, but you know it may be tougher
(23:34):
to market. Is that a challenge you face? I mean,
I to be honest with you, I didn't even know
that Elephant the Room was coming out until I got
a quick email. I mean it's not getting that mass
attraction or the press is not jumping all over it,
which I kind of thought they should. So that makes
it harder to market in a sense, doesn't it.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Yeah, I think it depends how it's framed. Because we
do not advocate for more kumbaya or the removal of
conflict in the story.
Speaker 4 (24:05):
I think it's all about how that.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Conflict is portrayed and what are we modeling in those stories.
I think the best stories will involve really diverse characters,
diverse perspectives coming together. And I think for Hollywood, in
the sort of promotion machine that's out there, I think
(24:27):
this is about expanding your audience space.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
In the late night.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
Entertainment world, there's the big story about Colbert getting canceled,
and a lot of these network shows in general are
getting canceled, and that is a scarcity mindset. What I
mean by that is you're just constantly going after a
few crumbs in a smaller and smaller audience set. What
we're talking about, and I think what's attractive for Hollywood
(24:53):
is expanding the audience, expanding the pie because there are
a lot of people who are otherwise going to be
turned off by Hollywood, but would be open to the
kind of stories we're telling because we're actually dignifying and humanizing.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
These different perspectives. Here's a good recent example.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
South Park portrayed the conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, and it
was primarily you know, we know the perspective of south Park,
they are anti Trump, but Charlie Kirk embraced it and said, wow,
they got the nuance. This is of how I'm drinking
water on these college campuses, right, And they portrayed his
(25:31):
character with a decent amount of nuance, like they did
their research, and that effort was rewarded because it was
one of the highest viewed episodes and even conservative commentator
ecosystems were embracing of that episode even though it was
anti that side.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Yeah, one last question, I think we're almost out of time.
I think it would be smart to be cynical about
your mission only in that it's a very very hard
thing what you're doing, that the culture is divided at times,
and there's a lot of forces against you, and I
certainly applaud everything you're doing. Where does your optimism flow
(26:09):
from this conversation, from your mission from the work you're doing.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
I think my optimism flows from the fact that there
are examples of our work already out there that perform
really well, but they're just a little isolated.
Speaker 4 (26:26):
Right now.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
I think some of the best examples of our work
are still yet to come out because they're going through
the development pipeline. Like one of the major studio films
we have coming out that we've meaningfully impacted the script
on is coming out, I believe in late twenty twenty six,
and also just seeing the pipeline of filmmakers kind of
grow in the kinds of projects are taking on. So
(26:48):
here's a great example. deathIn Kredin is an amazing director.
I got to know him because he was the director
of a film called Just Mercy, and Just Mercy's about
criminal justice system and led to multiple bipartisan laws getting
passed around the country, and he kind of came up
in the indie world and he's part of our community.
(27:09):
Well now he's doing the next Spider Man movie that's
coming out next summer, and so now you know, having
a marvel level kind of impact at that scale, I
think is exciting and gives me optimism.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
That's a it's a great story. But well, Stephen, thank
you so much. Where can people find out more about
Bridge Entertainment Labs and any other things you like to
share before we let you go?
Speaker 4 (27:29):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
So to follow us online on our social media at
Bridge and Labs or you can just follow me at
Stephen Olikara and then Bridge Entertainment Labs dot Org is
our website. And you know this is not only for
people who are quote unquote in Hollywood. I mean, we're
engaging with storytellers around the country and so we invite
(27:50):
people to get involved and just help advise us on
the stories that need to be told, because that's that's
what we're here for.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Well, I appreciate your work, plaud it and I wish
all the best and you're off to a great start.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Your character actor of the week is Steve Buscemi. Well
it's it for this week's show.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
Again.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Thank you to Radio America having me as part of
their great podcast lineup. I do hope you'll check out
Hollywoodintoto dot com. It is my website now eleven years old,
and it is the right take in entertainment, much like
the show You've got news and reviews and commentary all
about the wacky world of Hollywood from a right of
center perspective, and in theme with this particular episode. We're
not shoving away our liberal friends. We're not calling them names,
(28:34):
we're not doing anything of the kind. It is a
right of center website, but we don't want to push
away our liberal friends. They're welcome to join, joining the debate,
and maybe we'll agree more than you think. Now, go
out there and have the very best week possible. Doctor's
orders
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