This was a private interview that was conducted in a coffee shop in Tulsa, OK. by a well-known local celebrity. For reasons we cannot share, the interviewer has requested that their identity be kept anonymous:
Q: Thanks for meeting with me, Devon. Can I call you Devon?
Devon: Sure you can. Thanks for inviting me, by the way.
Q: You've got a very intriguing story, but you're also a very private person. How personal can I get?
D: You can get as personal as you like - no guarantees that you'll get an answer, though.
Q: OK, just your personal views of your business, then?
D: Fire away...
Q: What is most interesting or unusual about your work? What makes it memorable?
D: Our proven programs can simplify your production and help put your show on the market. No other service like ours exists in the industry. Hollywood might provide something partial to what we offer, but the Indie industry cannot afford Hollywood's rates. Our service brings order and structure to any production - we've pioneered something that is not so much new, but unconventional.
Q: How did you get into this career?
D: Well, I started in the drama club in HS, just for something to do, and because it was the only clique where pretty much anybody would fit in. Then I got hired for limited print modeling and appeared in a few music videos. Eventually, I fired my agents because I was booking myself more than they were.
Q: What excites you most about your career?
D: To be a part of creating something that others might enjoy; participating in a production that could positively infuence someone's perspective. Everything we do can radically improve someone's life - we're not pioneering the concept of positive influence through storytelling, we're just adhering to it.
Q: What are your strengths?
D: Diversity, flexibility, and unconventionalism. Anyone can find problems within the industry; rather than fixating on the symptoms, we simply isolate the problems and provide the necessary solutions; our non-traditional approaches to problem-solving are not typically the most popular, but they are efficient.
Q: What do you provide to your clients and customers?
D: We provide efficiency, structure, direction, and most of all, peace of mind.We provide solutions to their problems. The most common problem we have found is fear, manifesting in one form or another. While many people fixate on soothing a symptom or side-effect of that fear, we isolate the actual problem-causing fear and offer a real answer. If our clients take it and use it... the fear is gone.. problem solved. By quelling their fears, we have provided efficiency, structure, direction, and most of all, peace of mind.
Q: What motivates you?
D: Money. Plain and simple. If we can help other production companies get where they want to be without having to suffer through all of the growing pains of the "School of Hard Knocks", they will make their money, and we, in turn, make our money. I love my work, and geting paid to do what I love to do, I think< is the true "American dream". It's also nice to show the cynics of the industry that success, both financial and spiritual, can be found in re-inventing the way business has always been done. Save the competition for the film festival judges - in production, we should co-op. It's all about networking!
Q: What's on your drawing board?
D: 3 original feature films - "Paradox", "The Cloak of Dorn", and an untitled sci-fi cop adventure., 4 short films, 12 more episodes of "Secret Work" for a full season, and expansion of the Corporation so we can bring our services to other indie communities who need us. We're planning to open offices across OK, into Kansas City, Dallas, and we've even been requested in Chicago and Nashville!
Q: How do people first respond to you when you tell them about yourself? What interests them most and what questions do they have?
D: First there is disbelief, then they tell me I'm crazy! People are usually surprised; some are intimidated. Most are overwhelmed by the details involved. There is also a standing disbelief in my ambition and dedication. "..But you're so young..!" and "..in Oklahoma..?" Then we go through the (seems to be standard) "Where did you learn to do this?", "You must be wealthy?!" (I love that one.!!), and of course, "So, have you worked with so- and-so superstar..?" I really have to keep a sense of humor about me...
Q: What makes people stop, listen, or especially say "Wow!"?
D: We have so much activity - we're actually doing things, not just talking about it. We're always looking for new projects that will advance the industry, the community, and the company. We have grown in a short period of time with no real debt and I am by no means wealthy. In fact, I don't qualify for loans because my credit sucks! So, really, on top of everything else, we are proving that dreams can be met without going into debt! We are doing it all on our own - no investors, no creditors, no family co-signers - as much as we can, as soon as we can afford to. It's frustrating sometimes, but the quick way isn't always the best way.
Q: You keep saying "we". Who is "We"?
D: Well, that would be myself, my girlfriend, and my office manager, and all the people who work with us on our various projects. It's not a "me" thing... I'm not a "me" person.
Q: Girlfriend, huh? Tell me about her..?
D: Um, no. That's personal, not business.
Q: OK. So who are the other people?
D: Friends and volunteers, mainly. We always need more people to help out, though. All they have to do is ask me how.
Q: Well, I think we've covered enough for now. Again, thanks for meeting with me, Devon.
D: Thank you.
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This was a web interview by Tom Bailey, of the Sac and Fox Tribes:
Tom: Do you (Brewster Entertainment, Inc.) represent talent only?
Devon: No, Brewster Entertainment, Inc. is not an agency that "carries" or "represents" actors, models, etc.. Here is a short list (un-detailed) of what we do on a regular day:
We specialize in providing efficient, high-quality production management services (or PM, in the credits). We also assemble the cast and crew for a production, as well as organize and oversee the pre-production, production, and post-production processes. Distribution capabilities and being developed at this time, for near future availability, making us a one-stop-shop. Of course, to accomplish most of this, we must network and co-op with out colleagues in the industry, and that can get pretty exciting!
T: Is Brewster Entertainment, Inc. making the film "Paradox"?
D: Yes, we originated the screenplay, and are accepting headshots through July 31, 2003. By Fall, we will begin screentests and have our final cast selections by Christmas 2003. Rehearsals will begin in the Spring of 2004, and cameras roll in early Summer 2004. We're taking our time on this because we want to make sure it's done right, with the best possible final product for everyone involved.
T: I ask because I'm wondering if you also represent writers or if you accept screenplays for consideration? Thanks.
D: Sure, Tom. We are open to outside sources. That's part of networking. It's also the kind of co-op or collaboration that every business uses everyday to accomplish their goals.
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