– and before the strike I was talking to investors and they were interested, but they said, 'Get back to us when you have it finished.' ... Originally my plan [for 2023] was to finish the screenplay, get some investors, and do a writer-director indie film to do my first film. But you have to be legit with the WGA to do that, and I wanted SAG actors. That's going to take a lot more money to do that but the reality is that you get much better actors with SAG actors.
"Fortunately, I have been able to make a living here in Texas through commercial advertisements and the state public service announcements, and I'm on one of the hundred SAG interim agreements that have been approved, the film. So I'm surviving, and I've been able to employ LA associates who want to be working. I have an assistant right now, she's normally the casting associate for.
"Actors are consistently asking casting, 'What is your take? How can we help?' and it's really just being in solidarity. Even SAG sent that list. 'It's still OK to do a spec short film. It's still OK to do commercials.' They want you to keep working because people not working doesn't help their cause. But what needs to happen is for everyone to get fair rates, and making sure that the top 1% doesn't run away with our shirts.
"We've made two plans – the plan moving forward if the strike is in place, and the plan moving forward if they come to a deal. Right now, we're operating with the assumption that the strike will be in place, but we can pivot really fast to our second plan to accommodate any talent.