Introduction and Starting on Thursdays

I never thought I'd start a blog.

Honestly, it always sounded like kind of a dirty word to me. And as things go, that was when I wasn't actually consuming any kind of blog and my distaste was a product of my ignorance. I got over that. And I've really begun to enjoy reading blogs. They're raw, unfiltered; treasure-troves of tidbits, anecdotes, and ideas. A little window into people you want to know more about, whose ideas and musings may spark something dormant inside of you.

Now, I'm not delusional. For the most part. I know no one...and I mean no one...is out there thinking to themselves "hmmm, you know what I'd really love? I'd really love that guy Eli Stern to start a blog." And to that I say: at least it's not a podcast.

That being said, I do think there may be some -- some as in potentially miniscule -- value in that guy Eli Stern starting a blog. When I started the mentorship program through this website, I thought it could be useful for young entertainment professionals to talk to someone also early in their career. Yeah, it'd be great to chat with Spielberg, but how much of that conversation would be actionable verses inspirational?

Before we went into production on my directorial debut, a very well-known director gave me the following advice: "start production on a Thursday." He had good reason for it; the first two days of any production are hairy at best. If you can start on a Thursday, you can debrief over the weekend, and if your first two days are a total wash it's not the end of the world.

The only problem was this director had never worked at the budget level we were operating at, or a schedule as tight as ours, or with actors who had a 27 day window in which they were available. We couldn't start on a Thursday and we couldn't afford to lose two days. We had to start fast and start right.

It was a joy talking with him. But it was inspiring, not actionable.

And that thesis -- that you need both inspirational and actionable advice -- has proved sound as I've chatted with over 50 young entertainment professionals. We've talked about how to budget a short film, how to get the most out of your days, best practices as a first time director, and so on.

So, I thought I could extrapolate a bit. Bring some of those conversations to a different medium. Because there are a lot of places, videos, and excerpts that will tell you to start on a Thursday, but not a lot that'll discuss what to do when that's not an option.

Here's the plan. At first, I'll collate some of the topics that have come up most frequently in the mentorship sections, like:

How to make a short film that stands out

The path to your first feature film

What to do with a finished screenplay

Protocols and systems for a freelancer

Types of entertainment jobs and what they do

Interspersed, I'll talk more about my personal journey. What I did right, where I went wrong, and what I'm doing now. Might sprinkle in some of my favorite resources for learning, connecting, and mastering the craft.

This blog, like the mentorship meetings, is probably best suited for folks either trying to break into the entertainment industry or trying to pivot within it. That being said, I hope the conversations on craft will help or spark something for anyone at any stage of their career.

This'll be a learning process, but I'm excited to get started. Please let me know if there are any topics you want me to tackle, any questions you have, or anything you disagree with.

Thanks for being here. Back soon.

-- that guy Eli Stern that just started a blog.