MYSTERY SPOT Chronicles, Part 1: "Curious Goods"

Barely Living The Dream

We recently wrapped principal photography on my fifth feature, MYSTERY SPOT. It was a wonderfully harrowing experience - "wonderful" because of the amazing team of people I surrounded myself with, cast and crew alike, and "harrowing" because I didn't realize exactly how damaged and broken I'd become over the last several years of working with much less amazing/competent individuals. (I guess I should have just listened to the old episodes of this podcast). I never would have suspected that the thing I dreamed of most these last few years (directing my own feature again, and not going broke to do it) would also at times become the last thing in the entire world I wanted to do. Totally my own "Splash Mountain" experience (you'll need to listen to unpack that one). At any rate, this episode just lays out the groundwork and context of how MYSTERY SPOT came together, and I'll divulge some stuff that I haven't spoken about publicly that made the process that much more difficult for me. I'll probably speak to that aspect more in future installments - I need perspective and distance - but I hit the broad strokes here. Hopefully it will strike a familiar chord with those out there experiencing similar difficulties. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) Check out Betterhelp.com if you're looking for counseling (not an official sponsor, but they sure as hell helped me) - they are making professional counseling accessible, affordable, convenient - so anyone who struggles with life’s challenges can get help, anytime, anywhere.