Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Jimi Petulla of Petulla Pictures Is Helping To Change Our World
There should also be more support for families of LGBTQIA+ kids. I think we need education. For example when my son said he was gay, my wife at the time said it was a fad. She honestly was so ignorant about it because of her upbringing. I think education to help families deal with this in a way that won’t traumatize their kids is very important. When my son told me he was gay I had no experience in this area. I mean I love him and I told him that but he was really struggling.
As a part of our series about “Filmmakers Making A Social Impact” I had the pleasure of interviewing Jimi Petulla.
Jimi Petulla is a screenwriter, actor and entrepreneur. His extensive experience in radio and his mentor/apprentice approach led to his opening of schools and renown as an educator as well. He wrote and stars in the film TRUST IN LOVE, in theaters and on-demand August 2024.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you share your “backstory” that brought you to this career?
I come from a small town in Pennsylvania from a family of 10. College wasn’t really an option for me as we just could’t afford it. I used to ride my bicycle to the local radio station in town and by the time I was in high school I was working as a radio Disc Jockey. I had a mentor there at the station who showed me the ropes. He then went on to become the program director for other radio stations and basically took me with him. I had a chance to work at several different radio stations and my radio career got me from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles.
By ‘accident’ later on I started a school called Recording Radio Film Connection. Although it is not your traditional school. All of our students first have to go to an interview at a real radio station, recording studio or film company. They have to be accepted by the producer or engineer or program director. If they are accepted they pay a tuition which is very low and we pay the producer, engineer or actual broadcaster to be their mentor/teacher. It is the apprenticeship method of training.
I wrote my first screen play called Reversal in 2003 and made it into a movie that did quite well at the time. We won an award at the first Tribeca Film Festival. It is a father son love story set around the sport of high school wrestling. I play my father the coach in the movie.
Trust in Love as well is a film about my life that I wrote and then decided to make.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
As far as mistakes, of course I have made plenty of them. The biggest thing I have found is to follow your gut. One of my biggest mistakes in projects is not speaking up at times when I knew things didn’t seem quite right. So the key, I think, is to follow our gut/heart. You hire a lot of people and if they are great at their craft you can just leave them alone. But if they are not so great at their craft and you let them go on too long, in your heart knows you could have spoken up. So I learned very early, speak up!
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I had a chance to work with Alan Vint on my first film Reversal. Alan was a true artist. He did Al Pacino’s first film “Panic in Needle Park.” He was the one who inspired me to write and do Reversal.
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
I am mostly inspired by artists in film and in music.
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?
I wanted to make this film to connect with others on 2 fronts.
First I went through an awful divorce over 15 years ago as my ex wife decided that she didn’t want to be a wife or mother anymore. When families fall apart, it affects everyone. People can feel alone — and part of doing this was to let them know it is not the case. The true story not in the movie is that I ended up raising our boys on my own in Malibu.
When my son Brandon was 16, he came into my home studio crying as if someone had died. He kept saying “Dad, why aren’t I like you?” I said, “what do you mean?” and he told me he thought he might be gay. I told him I loved him and that it didn’t matter, that he would be okay. He was having a very tough time with it.
We went to a therapist who happen to be gay as well and he helped us get through it. I saw first-hand how hard my son was on himself, not accepting it. He was having suicidal thoughts and it was very painful. One of the things he kept saying to me is “Dad, if I am gay does that mean I am going to go to hell?” I said “Of course not why would God make you a certain way only to then punish you? That makes no sense right?” He got it. He was hearing this from my from my ex-wife, who is a strict catholic. Thank God he got through it and is doing very well.
I believe that the speech the drag queen Lucy gives Cody in the movie is very touching and necessary for the world to hear. It is another way that we can show people that they are not alone.
After both those experiences, I decided to write the script for the movie to reach out to people.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?
For me, the Aha Moment in making this film came when I re-named it. After I finished writing my screen play which at the time was called SPLIT. I approached my friend, Milijenko Majevic who is the singer and song writer from the great legendary rock band Steelheart. Mili is literally a rock star. I wanted him to play the musician in the movie and we were listening to his songs for the movie and he played me and the director a song he had written called “Trust in Love”. We both flipped over the song. It was and is an anthem for love, so we changed the name of the film and confirmed its direction at the same time.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
The intention was to make a far reaching impact on families of LGBTQIA+ kids, modeling a positive way to help them through the coming-out process. The film hasn’t come out yet, so I will let you know about stories that make it back to me.
Are there three things that individuals, society or the government can do to support you in this effort?
I’d say as far as divorce sadly it has turned into lawyers cashing in and using the kids, many times, as pawns (we do expose that in a comedic way in the movie). I think they should look at each case individually and take some of those variables out of it.
I think people get selfish and throw the towel in a little too easily especially when there are children involved. It would be great to see more programs available for families dealing with relationship issues.
There should also be more support for families of LGBTQIA+ kids. I think we need education. For example when my son said he was gay, my wife at the time said it was a fad. She honestly was so ignorant about it because of her upbringing. I think education to help families deal with this in a way that won’t traumatize their kids is very important. When my son told me he was gay I had no experience in this area. I mean I love him and I told him that but he was really struggling.
It helped to talk to someone else who was older and wiser who had accepted their sexuality. So that is what we did and it was very helpful.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
If I could tell young people one thing to make a positive impact on society it would simply be BE KIND. Be complimentary to people. Be positive. I know it sounds simple but truly. We hear so much negativity in the world. Treat people how you would like to be treated.
I’d say a life lesson quote I always hold on to the John Lennon one. “ Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
1. Before answering a major life or business decision give it 24 hours.
2. If I am the smartest person in the room I am in the wrong room.
3. When you raising and helping your adult children, pay for their needs and make them pay for their wants.
4. When you are in a relationship do not take the other person for granted.
5. Forgive yourself if you make mistakes quickly and learn from it and move on.
We are very blessed that many other Social Impact Heroes read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would like to collaborate with, and why? He or she might see this. :-)
I would love to collaborate with the director Cameron Crowe. Love how he makes music literally a character as well in all of his films.
How can our readers follow you online?
Best to follow us at:
Instagram@ trustinlovethemovie
https://trustinlovethemovie.com
This was great, thank you so much for sharing your story and doing this with us. We wish you continued success