What I Learned from Broadway Producer Elliot Masie (and more)
I have a big announcement today. Actually, a bunch of them. Yet, this morning, the main memory on my mind after some dynamic dreams was a moment I shared in 2017 with veteran Broadway producer Elliot Masie.
I was the video producer for NY EdTech Week, and Elliot’s then lead actor of his production of Disney’s Aladdin — who would be giving a presentation on stage in just a few moments — was having a conversation with one of my guests who was herself a prominent, albeit extremely talkative person. I watched as Elliot took one look at her and his actor, and without hesitation, he turned to me, leaned in, and said, “Jan, please inoculate my talent of that person.”
I, too, leaned in with a bow and responded without hesitation, “Of course,” but not without reading every bit of his body language. His posture, tone, the look in his eyes, all of it was an embodiment of expanded awareness and unwavering excellence.
I’ve replayed that moment in my mind over and over ever since. It’s a consistent reminder to me that to be at Elliot’s level, at the top of his game — or any game for that matter — I have to define what I allow in my life. This includes behaviors from myself and others, and how those behaviors impact my ecosystem.
Elliot knew what his actor needed and made sure it was given to him.
I share this thought with you today because we are all caretakers, at the very least of ourselves, but hopefully we are aware of how we take care of others. In fact, the very first thing I learned about producing in film school at NYU was that a true producer is a great caretaker. Elliot reminded me of how a veteran’s awareness can read a situation in fractions of a second and make a decision. He reminded me of the martial arts and spiritual masters I grew up around, and that connection made the traits that I saw in him in that moment all the more necessary for me to absorb into my life practice.
That’s a nice little segway into my announcements today.
As part of my efforts to be a great caretaker by being a great producer, I am always looking for ways to bring opportunities to my community of creators at ReelwUrld and our first show Justice For Hire. I’m honored to announce that we are partnering with the Urban Action Showcase & Expo (UASE) for the second annual JFH Action Scene Remake Competition this November (and you should totally come). We’ll select our favorite submissions from the JFH app to be screened at the AMC theater in Times Square in New York City and judged by a panel of industry experts and martial arts icons. Check out our announcement video (fun note, that’s me singing on the track):
And because I’m a firm proponent of Meta-Story guru Kevin Mowrer’s words that “story is like software”, I have to make sure that one narrative action compliments another. That means that if a creator makes a story for another brand, the content should serve both the creator and the brand. Expanding that thinking, when a storyteller can tell their story within a larger one, both can benefit. That’s why this year’s Action Scene Competition has a unique twist–creators must use 1 of 5 classic films as their inspiration yet make the scene their own, with a character and story unique to the larger JFH Cinematic Universe.
This rule is a huge deal for expanding the value of any story-driven intellectual property, and you’ll surely see my team and I use it a lot in the coming months, cuz #thoughtleadership.
I’m extremely grateful to Demetrius Angelo for making us a big part of the 10th anniversary celebration of UASE, the premier action filmmaking competition that he founded with sponsor WarnerMedia. We’re incredibly honored to celebrate the festival’s triumphant return to its live experience in NYC. Reminder, Justice For Hire took home the UASE’s award for Best Trailer in 2018 and Best Web Series in 2020, so we’ve put in some time here, too.
Please help us make 2022 our loudest year yet by participating in the competition or sharing the Urban Action Showcase event with any and all action and superhero movie fans: https://www.urbanactionshowcase.com/jfh.
Now, this wouldn’t be a writing from Jan in 2022 without me sharing progress on my major focus for the year, ReelwUrld’s first crowdfunding campaign. Check out these strong updates 💪:
- “Life is a movie, isn’t it?” Some words from Dr. Adrian Low, Founder and President of the Hong Kong Association of Psychology and the very first person to invest in ReelwUrld’s Wefunder on our launch day. Watch his powerful investor testimonial video here.
- Christine Dimmick, host of the Be The Change Podcast and CEO of The Good Home Company has invested in ReelwUrld. Why did she invest? She’ll tell you why in her great video.
- Nickelodeon App Emmy Winner (yes, that’s a thing) and Film Producer Nikhil Kamkolkar has also joined ReelwUrld as an investor.
- I returned to writer/producer/comedian Chris Mancini’s podcast What Are You Watching? Listen on any platform from here.
- Future Business Tech predicts that DAO entertainment companies will dominate and produce better content than current film & television studios by 2050. Here’s my TikTok video about ReelwUrld being the bridge to that future.
- We’ve extended ReelwUrld’s campaign on Wefunder and you can invest on wefunder.com/reelwurld!
I hope my words on Elliot Masie are well received (especially by him). I was just speaking to a dear friend in cyber security today about why I love Akira Kurosawa’s Ran and Throne of Blood. These are films that give relatable insight into the heaviness on the head that wears the crown. Leaders are often misunderstood in day-to-day life. Their actions can be criticized by the masses whether or not the leader’s decisions directly impact them or not. Even great leaders with good hearts can be adversely framed. My intent was to articulate the beauty and value of experienced leadership as embodied by Elliot in the moment we shared, and further, to share with you how I take that inspiration and apply it in my own life to caretake something bigger than myself. If that comes across, then we’re on the right track.
Your feedback is always appreciated, and your time and attention are priceless. Thanks as usual.
With Love,
Jan L.
