The Village Chronicles Podcast
Welcome to The Village Chronicles Podcast, where we celebrate the age-old wisdom of "It Takes A Village To Raise A Family." Our name pays tribute to the belief that no one should face life's challenges alone. We believe in the power of a diverse community, where people of all ages can gain valuable insights from shared wisdom, experiences, and perspectives.
Join your host Keith & Silvia Harvel on this podcast journey. Each week we will bring together different voices, personalities , and perspectives from our family, friends, and people from our communities. Each offering unique insights and knowledge.
Our motto is "Together, We Thrive." Our mission is to stay united in the understanding that it truly takes a village to raise a family and build a community. We are a community of individuals connected by the pursuit of growth, self-discovery, and the relentless pursuit of a fulfilling life.
The Village Chronicles Podcast
Breaking Barriers in Hollywood: The Harvel Twins' Cinematic Journey
As I sit across from my twin daughters Jackie and Jazmine , our conversation starts with a burst of laughter reminiscing about our family Jack Russell Terrier's nutty capers. Today's episode takes you through the Harvel's treasure trove of memories, from sibling rivalry to creating cinematic magic together. Discover how these remarkable women channeled their childhood competitiveness into a creative force in the industry.
Navigating the twists and turns of life, Jackie and Jazmine share their individual journeys of transformation from athletes with a passion for the environment and fashion, to two determined young women to make their mark in the film industry. They peel back the curtain to reveal the making of their first film on a budget that would make a shoestring look lavish, and how pandemic challenges birthed a unique collaborative film project. Their narratives are a masterclass in chasing dreams, evolving passions, and the art of storytelling.
Wrapping up, we dive into the inception of Mama Lion Productions, where my daughters have forged a path for female-led narratives in cinema. They offer up sage advice for up-and-coming filmmakers, stressing the importance of seizing every opportunity, learning from the best, and crafting your own narrative, both on and off the screen. As we eagerly anticipate baby Salia's debut in the Harvel clan, we celebrate the communal spirit that's sustained our family's tale, inspiring listeners to pursue their dreams with humor and heart.
Welcome back to the Village Chronicles podcast. I'm your host, Keith Harvel. In today's episode. It's going to be like a blockbuster film, filled with laughter, filled with stories, filled with some history. Why? Because we have two young ladies behind a woman led film production company. Oh, and they're my twin daughters, Jackie and Jazmine. Welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 2:Hello everybody, Hello.
Speaker 1:You have no idea how happy I am right now to be in your presence for one, but for two I'm just so proud, you know, as a father's dream to be able to do things like this, you know. But you know what. We have a story, we have a history, and I want you to share a little bit about this history. Let's talk about the good old days for a moment. So, jackie, why don't you kick us off to tell us what it was like growing up in the Harvelle household?
Speaker 3:Oh man, good times, man, good times. I sports, of course we're a very athletic family Soccer, track basketball for a year.
Speaker 1:I told you you couldn't quit. Y'all begged me to sign up. I said if you sign up you got a plate. Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:Don't miss that. And yeah, I mean you know good laughs, lots of friends over and hanging with Jaz, and you know, yeah, it was only good memories, really really good memories growing up.
Speaker 1:About you, Jay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely Lots of sleepovers. We always had friends over all the time, new friends. We always mom having new girlfriends and then they would have a child and then we're like, okay, you all got to hang out and we'd always hang out. Never had a problem with it. Grandma also having kids over all the time because she ran a foster care in her household. So taking care of kids being babysitters at like 12, I think, charging $5 an hour, something like that.
Speaker 1:Young hustlers.
Speaker 2:So always try to make a dollar, no matter what it was babysitting, selling bread at school, some banana bread or cookies at school for like 25 cents. We were always trying to make a dollar just to spend some money on food and that was it. And then just always spending time with Jackie, little Jack, my core crew and Marcus well, but for the most part just always having a good time.
Speaker 1:Can't leave out Mark and Little Jack, right? Nope, little Jack was our dog. He was a Jack Russell terrier and I named him and I wanted to keep it simple, so I just added little to Jack and there we had it, but it stuck. The best thing about Little Jack other than he was cute and fun and damn near human was whenever I would buy his allergy medicine and go to Costco and I give him the prescription. I would love to go just in the aisles and kind of hang out and I love to hear them say Little Jack Harvel and look at their face when they would say it, because the people would laugh While they read it like Little Jack Harvel, what is this? I said that's me right. Yeah, that was the best. You know, what are some other childhood stories that just make you just laugh to this day?
Speaker 2:I remember Little Jack. I love Little Jack. He's my favorite favorite person in the whole world Person.
Speaker 1:I say yes, he's a person. He is a person Human dog.
Speaker 2:I just remember me and Jackie and our friend Hannah. We were all walking home from school and I remember we were just it was a short walk, maybe like 20 minute walk and I remember we were walking and we had this big field next to our house that was like lots of grass and then I had a little pathway and there's a little like dip in it. I don't know what the thing was called. It's a little green belt area, green belt and as we were walking we saw this cute little dog running. We were like, oh my gosh, that dog is so cute. He's running towards us and he was brown and white and small and we were just walking. He's like that's such a cute dog. As we get closer we realize it's Little Jack. He had escaped from the backyard.
Speaker 2:He dug a hole and underneath the fence and came out to greet us. Thankfully we were walking, but this was the first of his demise, of escaping the fence. That was one of my favorite moments.
Speaker 1:He did that a couple of times. I remember I think we were we might have went to visit mom and Jim Pa and we were coming home and we coming down the bin right there on Canyon Creek and we saw him on the corner and he saw us in the car and he took off running and I said there, you go right there. He took off running back to the house and we put, we opened the garage, pulled the car in and then went into the house and went by the sliding glass door in the backyard. He's sitting there wagging his tail like he would. He ain't never left. That dog was slick. I'll tell you he was slick, but he was something else, that's for sure. Jackie, what about you?
Speaker 3:Oh man, I think I'm going to keep the Jack stories going. I'll never forget when we were I think you're having a family meeting and we were just eating dinner and and, and I don't remember. All I remember is Jack look like the pink panther slinking past us so ever so, almost like a cat, and we're like something's up. You say Jack, he stops in his tracks one Paula, and he's doing his mouth.
Speaker 1:Close eyes, look at you from the side, open his mouth and he's stolen almond show did his favorite tree, warlins and they were sitting at the kitchen table having a discussion and we all looked at him and he froze yeah, that's good stuff. So let's jump ahead. Let's just talk about your journey into the film world. You know how do you go from arguing over the TV remote and who didn't clean the shower to wanting to do acting and writing and producing. And, old Jasmine, you were taking some acting classes in high school but you know you made that, that decision. You know you guys were great students. You know you could have gotten just about any college but you decided to forgo that and go straight into the acting world. So let's talk about that and how you got into the movie business and all that stuff yeah, yes.
Speaker 2:So I think I think it was my junior year. I had stopped the year prior, I had quit soccer because I had already in my mind, as we were going in high school, was trying to think of, like, what it was that I wanted to do after high school. That was always my thought, what I wanted to do in college, or what I wanted to do out just as my journey. And so after I quit soccer because I foresaw that was not something that I wanted in my future I kind of had a I think that was I quit in January. So that that whole year I had to think about what I wanted, because that was something that was implicated in our lives, growing up, always having a goal. And so I knew that there was some things that I never tried before, which was theater, which I had talked about with you, dad, that I think I'm going to try theater this year. And you're like I remember the thing you said was the first thing you said was I think you'd be really good at a Jazz, and I was like, all right, I'll try theater. And I signed up for the class and I was going to be the second half of my year, so for the first half of my junior year, I took environmental science class, which really changed my life. That was definitely a course that I definitely wanted to go down and, yeah, I just always loved I love anything that has to do with traveling, so learning about other countries, learning about climate change and just how everything kind of connects with one another when it comes to the environment, so that was really cool. I love that. I went I think I went to UC Santa Cruz for a college trip or something for avid I think it was called and I remember being like, okay, this is a school I'm going to go to, this is what I'm going to do with my life. I love it. I was thinking about joining the Peace Corps. I was like this is definitely who I think I am. And then that was the first half of junior year and then the second half of junior year.
Speaker 2:That was when I got into acting my first acting class with, or theater class with, mr Farron, and that just took over my life. I remember being in there. I was I was actually the oldest in the class I was as a junior, everybody was a freshman, and the first thing that I did that we had. Our first assignment was to go on stage by yourself and create a scene, and so I was like, okay, I this, I this was. I was completely foreign to this environment. It was, you know, prior to this, all I knew was studying, you know, taking tests, memorizing anything that had to do with you know, the education I was really good at. And so then, going on stage being by myself, I had to create a scene. So what I did was I went on stage and I created a fire, and that was that was my scene creating a fire and I was like this is so simple and it was really cool.
Speaker 2:As I progressed with the class, my teacher had asked me he's like, are you going to take theater too? And I was like, yeah, he's like, good, I'm excited, I think you're going to really grow in this. And I just remember feeling like free for all the goofiness that I've had pent up in my, in my, in myself from childhood was finally able to be let out on stage, and and people liked it, people loved it, they thrived in it, and that that definitely felt like something that that I wanted to continue and it completely trumped my environmental science that I wanted to do. I just wanted to focus on theater and learn as much as I could about it, because it was I just had the best time in my life on there on stage. So after that senior year we moved.
Speaker 2:I pretty much already knew what I wanted to do. I did still want to continue my studies but because of the infrastructure with the system at the new school I wasn't able to get into the classes that I wanted to. So it basically felt like my senior year was a year off from education because I had to redo all of the classes that I already did. And then but it was fine for me because I had a new goal I wanted to do theater, acting. So I took theater there. Unfortunately I was too late into their program so I couldn't get on into the plays that they had. But it was just good to just continue acting. And then, outside of that, I took acting classes on Saturdays, learned more there and then just continued after graduation.
Speaker 2:Just I knew that acting was something that I really cared about and wanted to do continue in my life, and so I just went with it full throttle, just always studying, learning more about it, learning about the industry, then making the jump to move to LA, to finding an agent, and I just, you know, it wasn't something that I had any mentors with because you know our family, we don't have anyone that's in the industry like that, in the film industry. So it was something that I just sort of pioneered with the help of Google and any teachers that I could find, just asking them questions and following suit. So what do I need? I need a head shy and you need an agent. You need to take classes, you need to go to this school, you need to go to that school. So I did the best I could with learning them as much as I could while implementing what I was learning at the same time. And then pretty much the whole, all of my 20s because this year we're going to be 30, all of my 20s are just doing that learning and implementing what I'm learning at the same time. And then I think when we were about 25, I think we had a friend of ours, ricardo, who was here this weekend. Shout out, ricardo, for coming through. He is the one.
Speaker 2:My sister and I did a short film. I don't know it was a full feature. It's a full feature, I think it was. Yeah, we were younger, we were, we were well, we were 19 when we met, we met him. We were 19 when we met him. We did this scary movie, horror film, mrs Romani in the Shuddin Did he shoot that he was there.
Speaker 2:He was there for sound Sound.
Speaker 1:I didn't know exactly, I was there.
Speaker 2:So well it was. That was local, that was in Petaluma or Paloma Petaluma, petaluma, I believe. So we were 19. This was our first project. I don't even know where I found it, I have no clue but I we auditioned for it and we played the friends of the lead actress, our best friends, in this horror film. And that was the very first film, feature film, that we've ever done or project.
Speaker 2:I think I did a smaller role somewhere, something else, but we met this guy, ricardo, who was on sound, and we just became like really good friends with him and he ended up moving to LA as well and we kind of kept in touch. And then he's gotten to know us and our interactions together, how hilarious we can be, and he is actually the one. By the time we were I think maybe I guess you're right, maybe he was younger, maybe we were 23. 23, he introduced the idea of, like, you guys need to start writing, you guys need to like, write down what you say, create shorts or something, because you guys are funny and people need to hear your guys' interactions. And in my mindset then was just like you know, no, that's not the traditional way that people do things with acting, I'm supposed to just be the actor, that's it. I don't do anything else. But it took a couple I think another year or two before my mindset changed, where I was like you know what, let's just do it, let's write something. And we did, and they're hilarious. We worked with Ricardo, we worked with Adam, adam Jones, jordan Pacheco.
Speaker 2:We learned with a lot of different people who helped us out with that and created our series Twins, and through that I started to realize how much I also found a new love too, which was screenwriting, and I wanted to learn more about that, because with everything, as much as I love it, just when I love something it's like okay, I'm going to learn more about it. How can I learn more so that I can become better for myself? And so, yeah, like about 25, I would say I started screenwriting, doing shorts, doing horror shorts, doing comedy shorts. My sister and I also wrote a drama. I think we were like maybe I forgot how old we were when we did that. We also started to write on top of, just like you know, the grind with the actor life, and that just kept the creativity going.
Speaker 2:And then I started going to school, taking classes online and I really fell in love with being the ability to create characters based off of our life, but also based off of the people that I meet in life as well, and just learning on how to kind of have a vote, cultivate a voice for myself through screenwriting, which has probably been the most interesting. Usually, with acting it's you're in someone else's story. Usually it's unless you're writing it yourself. You create the character, of course, but your character is at the end is kind of it's taking part of someone's vision, and to be able, with as a screenwriter, to cultivate the vision has been really amazing. It's an amazing feeling. It's definitely something that, as a Christian woman, it's definitely helps me to understand people more and understand more of the Bible as well, which has been really, really cool.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, 25 to now, 29, been just focused on studying screenwriting, to also become a better actor as well, still auditioning and all that. But then we came into Mama Lion, which was definitely a journey, and it has been an experience being able to be paid to do something that I was basically doing as a hobby for the most part and to learn, but to be able to be paid for it is definitely a different experience, definitely gives you a different level of confidence in your voice. So that's definitely been something that is really really cool. Really cool that's probably the best word for it is just like so cool. Like I don't know how I fell into this. I just was definitely something, I think, from just being able to learn and implement. I think those two things would describe my 20s was learning and implementing what I'm learning at the same time. That's the only way that I've been able to get to this position that I'm at now.
Speaker 1:That's great. I love that. We knew, your mother and I a long time ago, that the arts was something you were grooming yourself to. I mean, you were playing the piano at four and a half five, taking full lessons, your little feet dangling off the chair, and I remember going to a recitals and watching you, the littlest one up there and you're doing your little recital and just like man, and I don't remember the songs, the Beethoven and all that stuff that you was playing.
Speaker 2:But I was like yeah, that's my girl, I love it.
Speaker 1:I just love that so much. But we knew, but art just came easy for you and I think sometimes we're just giving gifts, whether it's playing music, whether it's creating arts, whether it's being creative. The two of you, I had bought you guys or I didn't think I bought you a keyboard to practice on, and that keyboard had different sound effects. And you know me, I'm a tech nerd, so I like to just play with stuff anyway, and I remember playing with it and this one sound it would make, I would hit this button and it would go don't know, don't know, don't know.
Speaker 1:Kind of like ESPN or some newscaster and so you guys would always play that thing and I'd be like, oh man, you guys need to do a show and you guys would act out things when you were little. So we knew those little acts that you were doing as little girls, little shows you were creating. Some people look at those things and be like, oh, they're just having fun. Me, I'm like, yeah, these girls are going to do something in movies, they're going to do something. I don't know what it is, but they're going to do something. So it's great seeing how things came full forward for both of you. Jackie, I want you to dive in, kind of share your journey once you hit 18.
Speaker 3:Once I hit 18, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I wanted those people.
Speaker 3:So, I thought my life trajectory was going to be an athlete you know just track and field most of my life and I was just thought, okay, I'm just going to run and everything else is going to figure itself out, so I'm going to get into school and don't know what I'll do after that. But it went a different direction. I stopped running at 17. And I always I actually was interested in the fashion industry, so always like to make costumes. I think most of our Halloween costumes I created or advise.
Speaker 1:You talking about the ghost with the garbage bag at the top of the garbage bag? No, oh, that was my costume. I was high fag.
Speaker 3:I'm like we're going to be cave woman. These are the pieces and I was shredding them up and I just loved. I really loved design and I think mom got me a Teen Vogue subscription and we read books called the Click and I fell in love with designer and models and I kind of was a skinny, alien looking teenager. So I really resonated with fashion models. So, yeah, after track and even kind of during track and field, I like there's a little thing in me is like I want to be a fashion model. I'm going to walk the runway when I do editorial. So yeah, I mean at 18. We moved to LA but they didn't have that editorial kind of scene. It was always in New York. So took a stab at New York. That stab lasted three months.
Speaker 3:I was so homesick and away from jazz, away from everybody and other than my auntie. But it was just hard being that young and being in a new not just any state like one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country. And what was funny was when I was in New York I was 18 at the time, 19. I was really trying to get signed by an IMG or elite. I'm going to these castings and these girls, because I'm about five, eight. But back then it was like the girls were five, 10, five, 11. And all of the agents were like we love your personality, we think you're so amazing, why don't you go to LA and try acting and get into commercials or lifestyle? And I was like no, I want to be in vogue, I want to be an editorial model when I walk the catwalk, and it just didn't click for me yet. So, yeah, I ended up moving to LA and still tried to take a stab at modeling.
Speaker 3:And Jazzy was really into acting, taking lots of scene study classes, telling me all about it, and I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, like actors are annoying, like I don't care, blah, blah, blah. And yeah, it was Ricardo when we were 23. And he told us to create the stories, create something. And we had done I don't know if we did a video or what where it clicked, the light bulb turned on and I was like, whoa, filmmaking and acting and writing, it's another outlet. And yeah, that kind of him seeing something in us and us creating stuff together. That was really what created this. I was like, ok, I love this. It's like we're doing this. We had not even a low budget. We had a no budget production. So I'm doing this for free, I'm not getting paid at all, and I can do this all day, just create sketches or create stories, and I knew this was like OK, I love this. So, yeah, it kind of evolved from there where, I think, when we were a couple years later, we weren't just doing the sketch comedies, we were writing other stories. We shot a feature on a no budget, figured it out and we were doing horror, drama, comedy, just really just exploring all different genres and creating things on our own as actors and writers and, quite frankly, producers.
Speaker 3:So once COVID happened pandemic I had looked in Jasmine's library. She had all the actors, books and everything and I came across the Power of the Actor by Ivana Chubbock and I don't know why I read it or opened it, but she really resonated with me because in her intro or in the first chapter she kind of correlated acting with sports and with winning, and the beginning of entertainment for humanity was the Greek games. We love to see people win and, as an athlete and everything, it just clicked and I started. I really wanted to take her classes and I was ready to sign up and then it was March 2020. I'm like I'm going to do it April 2020. And then it was like boom, everything shut down and it was almost a year later January 2021, when they had classes online.
Speaker 3:I committed and that was when I really was introduced to the craft of acting, which I everyone can say anyone can be an actor, it's super easy. But it's like no, it's a skill, it's an art form, it's something, it's a technique. And her class and sticking with her class for almost two years just opened my eyes to the world. And, like Jasmine said, the freedom of being on stage, of falling in love with a character, letting yourself go on a character it's something I've fell in love with even more. So it made everything else funner. It made like writing funner and more exciting. It made, even if I'm not acting in something, I'm producing something or helping someone with something you're, you'll be able to be a part of something, where people are creating something together, but letting go, and it's just a beautiful thing. So that's my journey.
Speaker 1:That's cool, that's cool. You know, one thing I love about your journey from that moment of time let's just call it a decade right From age 18, 19, until where you are now, was that you guys, you know, obviously you, you grew up watching what hustle meant, right, you know. And seeing your mother and I whether it's working with you guys or with the neighbors or with work just seeing that, hey, you just keep moving and you guys kept moving. I think when we sit still and decide we're not going to move, that's when our dreams die, you know. So you know, I think I gave you guys a book when you're going along amongst your journey, called Go For no.
Speaker 1:I don't remember who wrote it, but I know what I was trying to say through that book when I got it for you was look, you're going to hear more nose in your profession than you've ever heard in your life. Get used to it, cause all you need is one yes, right, and if you can't get the yes, then go create the yes. And that's what I loved about what you guys, where you're at now in your journey and I want you to talk a little bit more about Mama Lion and how that transpired but you, you just you're getting so much more experiences now that you can use for your craft and to be able to inspire others, and this is why you're on the call, I mean on the podcast, this is. I mean, of course, this is a platform we want to reach.
Speaker 1:You know, the village right and there's some young girl, you know some young lady or even a young man that might be listening to this and say you know what I need, that I need that path, and I need to know that and hear from others that have forged the path and they didn't give up. And you two didn't give up. You've never given up, and that's important in anything that's in life and the business you're in. You just never give up. You just keep fighting and you stay on your knees, keep praying and make it happen, but you've done so incredibly up until this point. It's gonna be so great to see where the next 10 years, where the two of you end up, so, but let's dive into Mama Lion and how that transpired and we'll spend a few minutes there and then we'll wrap it up. So where was it?
Speaker 3:Well, mama Lion Productions, created by, founded by Irina Meyer, our amazing boss, entrepreneurial superwoman shout out Irina. Irina, it's a really funny story. I happened to meet her on set for her documentary. I was hired by the director Salvatore, and it really was one of probably my favorite sets being a PA on and I just remember it was so diverse and everyone was so kind. There's she, you know, she had this. The documentary was actually capturing the story of Irina's life as an entrepreneur, entrepreneur of VC, and her journey coming from Russia to America, being a mom, being a wife and etc. But what was really funny was that entire time of production.
Speaker 3:I really didn't get a chance to talk to Irina. She was quite busy and I really just got a chance to be around her network of friends and family and I thought, oh, my goodness, all of her friends are amazing and her kids are awesome and I'm like she must be like super cool. And Sal needed me to pick up something for like some footage or photos for him to you know, for the film, and I got a chance to stop by her place and pick it up and we got to chat and stuff and she told me, hey, I've started my own production company. It's Mama Lion Productions, and we're all about women's centric. Is that something you'd be interested in? You know, doing it. Coming on as a production assistant, I was like, yeah, like PA jobs come one in a million, this would be a consistent one. Sign me up. So this was almost a year ago. This was in like February of 2023, I believe.
Speaker 3:And yeah, it came on and you know, yes, it's a film production company, but our founder's background is in the entrepreneurial startup space, so she really operates it like a startup. So, you know, with startups, people come and go, things are changing, things are evolving, things are growing and you know, she I think I was a PA for like two weeks and then I became a producer and I'm like anything I ever had done in film Jazz, you want to do something? Do you want to be a part of this? Yeah, all right, got Jasmine on board. She started with us as a PA and you know, but her background is so strongly in writing and we got her promoted to become our head writer.
Speaker 3:So it's been such a journey wearing multiple hats at the job. Yeah, my title is producer, but we're really, we're really a part. We're really like a part of the founding members of this team, creating this company alongside our arena. You know, when it comes to creating the website, having conversations with, with, with other production companies engaged and talking co-productions and finding weight, learning about the financial side of film, the distribution side of film, it's been really really amazing exposure to the beginning and end of making a film or making a series. So it's been a beautiful journey almost a year and, yeah, I'm just, there's always something new and exciting about the job.
Speaker 1:We're excited to continue to watch you guys grow, Jasmine. What about you?
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, Mama Lion has started. I started with Mama Lion in July, no, May, May of 20. And I remember I actually remember when Jackie was on set with with Irina on her film and I remember us talking about like she's a VC and I'm like what the hell is that? I don't know anything about that, but I just remember the feeling that Jackie had with working with her. She said she was so nice, so kind, humble, and she just wanted to learn from her. And I remember telling Jackie like ma'am, wouldn't it be so cool to work for her? Didn't think anything of it.
Speaker 2:And then, come May or April, Jackie's telling me like remember that lady that I talked to you about and I did the scene with her. I had PA for well, she's going to hire me as a production assistant and I was like oh my God, so cool. And I already knew I was like dope, this is awesome. I'm probably going to be working there too, Because my sister and I have a rule, since we've been together If I have an opportunity, I will always bring my sister and vice versa, I will always try to get my sister on any opportunity I have.
Speaker 2:I have, because I know that, the work ethic that my sister has, and you know, she's the one person I can definitely rely on for anything, and so she brought me in in May. I was really just a production assistant.
Speaker 1:slash social media content creator which I have some notes about that Slash website designer Life of a startup.
Speaker 2:Life of a startup, you got to do everything. We're multiple hats and we we never really worked as a startup, but we basically did because we, for our own productions, we were were operated like a startup, wearing all the hats, right. So it wasn't anything. That wasn't new, it was just now I get to get paid for it. So it was pretty cool. I said, okay, let's do it, I'm down, let's figure it out. And I remember in the interview process I told everyone I was like you know, I just want to learn what, what, how a production company operates. And she's like, well, you're not going to learn, you're going to do it and we're all going to learn together. And I was like, okay, so let's go on this journey. And then I think about, like Jackie said, you know, people come and go by August.
Speaker 2:That was when I started as the head writer for the company in-house writer and that's been an experience on its own. I knew going in that our projects all deal with other countries. All of them are global stories, so I knew that that was definitely something that peaked my interest as someone who loves to travel. I was like, yes, please, let me be the writer, because then that means I have a reason to go to another country and talk to people. So immediately once I got on board as a head writer, I was like great, awesome, going to Guatemala and I'm taking my mom with me because I'm not perfect with Spanish and I need someone who is. And so that was my very first journey with writing was what I knew. If I was going to be a screenwriter for other countries, basically, for now, I need to go to those countries. I need to fully immerse myself in the culture and understand people, because with screenwriting for other people, you have to understand them. So that's basically been the start of my writing journey as a writer. It's been just understanding people, talking to people, learning more and then so forth. I've been going with her on these journeys to as a producer, to as a co-producer to certain events, to talk about our stories and also learn from other people, which has been great. But yeah, as pretty much doing mostly the writing now having my own team as well has been very fun and interesting.
Speaker 2:I was definitely super nervous because of my own insecurities in this position. It's like man, do I know what I'm talking about? Am I fit for this position? Those are the questions that were running in my head and then talking to my acting teacher, who I'm still in class with, and she's just telling me like well, is anybody really know what they're doing? You know it's you kind of just have to create and you're going to fail.
Speaker 2:Actually, learning from Irina just in the interview processes, when she's in the room with us, the Zoom room, when we're interviewing our documentary people I think one of the times she said she's like the biggest thing that I did to become a VC was I made a lot of mistakes and you have to fail in order to really learn. You can't learn without failing. So, in the end of the day, if I'm head writer of this company, I'm going to make mistakes, but that doesn't mean that that just means that I'm going to learn from them. And so that definitely felt like pressure was off, the weight of the world was off my shoulders, because it's like, hey, there's no right way to do anything. Nobody really knows the correct way. You just have to find a way and do it. And that's exactly how I've kind of operated, as the writer is just learning from how, how to best strategy, how to best get something done, and to where it's not just all solely on one person.
Speaker 2:I love working on a team.
Speaker 2:I think that's the coolest part about it is that I'm not the only one having to search through my brain all day of like ideas because you get writer's block.
Speaker 2:That's, you're going to get writer's block no matter what, and being able to conversate with other people like here's the block that I'm having. They're like well, what about this? And it's like, wow, like you just came up with it, like two seconds, and I've been struggling with this block for like two weeks and it's amazing feeling because then it's like, yes, it gets done, now we can finish, now I can move on. And that's the beauty of working with other people is that they see things that you don't send. Then we implement it together to create this beautiful artwork of of a to me, I just see a pie, so it's just like a beautiful pie of all these different ingredients and it tastes amazing and that's that's what these screenplays are for me. So, definitely, working at that's the net. This has been the most recent step that I've taken as becoming the head writer and having my own team, and that's definitely been something that I'm super, super grateful for and I really, really definitely enjoy doing as well, I'm so proud of both of you.
Speaker 1:This was like I told you, jackie, when you first got offered the position. You're like, hey, she's offered me this position. That's how I was like take it. I'm like, are you kidding? Are you kidding? Take it. You know, even if it's free, take that right. It's all about getting wisdom. That's what the industry is all about. That's what life is all about. That's what everything's all about is about learning, and the shortest way to success is to learn from someone that's already done it right.
Speaker 1:So surround yourself with people that are doing it, or align with people that are going through it with you, so you can have, like they say, more minds are better than one, right? So you guys did just that. So it was inevitable. I mean, you have no idea how happy I was to see this union that you guys made with Mama Lion, and look what it's done for you. I mean, jackie, you went to the Kahn's Festival last year. I mean the Kahn's Festival in France, right, jackie, jasmine, with Mama Lion, you went to France, right, guatemala, and then just got back from the World Economic Forum.
Speaker 1:I'm like, what Say what, what, what, what, right? So listen, this is putting you, this is put you in positions, to meet people, meet minds that are similar or minds that are, can help you expand your minds. That's what it's all about in life. You just wanna learn and then pass it on. You're working in an industry and with a group that hasn't gotten a lot of attention Women in film, women that make film. They haven't gotten attention. And you guys, you two, are the perfect ones for that to help the next generation, and that's what we look out for. So I'm super stoked for Mama Lion and my Papa Bear, but I know Mama Lion is about to do some good things for people in the communities that they serve, that's for sure. Okay, couple more questions. What are some those aspiring filmmakers out there? What's some advice Like, what are? What are call it three things you think an aspiring filmmaker should do? What do you think?
Speaker 2:I think study number one. Study the art, the craft, whatever it is acting, directing and however you can. I don't think there's one place where you have to go in order to learn exactly how to make a film or act in a film any type of studying, free studying there's so many free opportunities that I took and you can learn from them. So there's no one school. If you can't go to a great college for whatever reason, but don't let that stop you from achieving it, because there's so many different programs. La is filled with them, new York is filled with them. Online Zoom learn any way you can. That's it. Just learn. Number one. And number two implement what you learned, do it.
Speaker 2:We have the beauty of having these cell phones. I think everyone has a way to get a cell phone that has a camera, but you can also use anything that has the ability to press record. That's a movie. So short form, long form. So just keep making them shorts. Instagram, make them on Instagram. Make them on TikTok, make them on anywhere. Just keep making them and you're gonna tweak them. My sister and I, we started making shorts when we were like 17 maybe Actually earlier, because we made the Spanish movie film On our phones. On our phones.
Speaker 3:And we did it on a brick, in those little mini ones.
Speaker 2:I forgot 10 hours, we did a one minute video yes, so, you can make a movie on anything, and anything is a movie. Short films are a movie too. Movies too. That's how everybody gets their. Start is with short films, which, honestly, for me, I feel like are harder than feature films, because you have more time. So do it, just make it, act in it, produce it, do it. No budget, there's no reason that you should have to spend anything to make a movie. And number three just go for no, just keep going. I mean, if an opportunity presents itself, just do it, that's it. You know, just say yes, even if you're scared, because I was taking this position, I wasn't sure if I was gonna succeed. But it's like well, you're not taking the opportunity to succeed, you're taking the opportunity to learn and to fail and to learn. That's it. Learn more, meet the right people. So just go for it. And all those three.
Speaker 1:That's great. That's great, Jackie. What about you? Top three things.
Speaker 3:Top three things, you know. I think I think foremost, I think you really have to invest in ways to well get your confidence up. I think that's one thing I struggled with was like all right, I'm getting all the training, I'm getting all the training, I'm doing it. They're saying I'm good in my class of 10 people, but I'm terrified to audition. I'm terrified to like didn't go to the USC or to the Tish. Why are they gonna pay attention to me? So I think a lot of it finding ways to boost that confidence for me.
Speaker 3:What helped me was I'm very into my faith, so I listened to. I had to fill my mind with a lot of positivity, but I also listened to podcasts where I'm just feeding my mind hope, hope, hope, upliftment, upliftment, upliftment. Because it's a very it's a challenging industry, just like anything else. But you have to. You gotta keep believing in yourself. So I think that's the first thing I think for me, because even if you do the training, do everything, you still gotta get past you. So I think that's one really big thing that I think I'll probably have to work on my entire life, because there's gonna be more doubts and then trials and whatever, and I just gotta fight it.
Speaker 3:And, like Jasmine said, learning I was really afraid to invest in my learning and you hear a lot of different people saying you don't need classes, you don't need to learn this. Sure, you may not need to go play $100,000 to go get a degree, but you know workshops, scene study classes. You find that class online where some writers like, hey, I'll teach you how to write a screenplay for $100, and they actually. It works for them like they're a working writer. Invest $100 into it. Don't be afraid to put money into your craft. So investing in yourself is really important investing in your dream. And then number three don't give up. I read Viola Davis's book. Can't remember what it was called, but it was her biopic Viola.
Speaker 1:Davis wrote everything is good.
Speaker 3:Oh my God, it was amazing and really one of her pieces of advice was I just stuck with it and everyone else who was with me stopped and said I'm too old, I can't do it. I got kids. Now I got this. She's like she just stuck with it so that you could be the last man standing. So just stick with it.
Speaker 1:That's good. You know, when you guys are talking about this, something about I don't know who said it, somebody wise, but it's what's inspiring in life is not what you achieve. What's inspiring in life is what you overcome. That holds you back, and most people it's fear, it's doubt, it's I'm not good enough, I'm not pretty enough, I'm not handsome enough. But once you can overcome those things, that's what's inspiring. You just gotta keep on pushing. Go for no, right. You're gonna hear no. Get used to hearing no, and that's okay. Sometime, no is not a no, it's a not now, right, it's not a no, it's a. Don't go through this door. Go through that door, right.
Speaker 1:So you two have any epitome of that to where you never gave up. You've got a good support system around you your mother and your father. You can't do wrong with us. We might get upset with you over the past 15 years and so over, little silly stuff, but the journey is the journey. We just want you to press forward and we know you're in a stage of your life where all of those seeds that you've been planting are the fruit that's growing and you're gonna start collecting fruit real soon. We're proud of you. We're proud of you and we're looking forward to everything that you're doing with Mama Lion, everything you're doing with your careers.
Speaker 1:Jackie, as you may, if you guys have listened to some of my prior podcast is expecting. Baby Celia should be here in about a month, so we're all excited about that. But I'm just a proud pop today and I just thank the two of you for joining me on this journey and being able to help people in our communities and our village and beyond. So stay tuned. We're gonna have some more good guests on the show these next couple of weeks that can make an impact not just in your life, but those outside of your home, outside of your community. We ask that you share this podcast, download it, share with your family members, but until next time, keep laughing, keep dreaming and remember together we thrive. Let's get it.