Rising Star Colin Costello On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
An Interview With Elana Cohen
I wish someone had told me not to party too hard at work parties. The key word there is work and I did that way too much early in my career. I was always viewed as the “fun guy” but never seemed to sell a commercial until I got serious.
As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Colin Francis Costello.
Disney General Entertainment Writing Program Finalist and WGA-East member Colin Francis Costello is a biracial narrative comedy and genre writer and director.
When he was in advertising, Colin conceived, supervised and wrote for a wide range of clients including The Los Angeles Dodgers, Netflix, McDonald’s, Budweiser, Dr. Pepper/7-UP, Gatorade, Jack n’ the Box, Toyota, Lexus, Target, Disney, Marvel and AT&T. Because of his background, Colin understands that ‘emotion’ is one of the most important communication tools of them all.
The former award-winning advertising Creative Director, has written two family feature films — “Star Wars” — influenced theatrical release, “The Stream” which stands at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
After writing two episodes for the PBSKids series, “Moochie Kalala Detective’s Club,” the educational show was nominated for a Midwest Emmy award. His debut short film, which he wrote and directed, “The After Party” has played in 25 festivals internationally and won five.
His other short film, “Dreamwisher” has won ten awards in the United States and internationally. Colin most recently won Best Director and Best Comedy for an LGBTQ+ web series titled “From Russia with Motive.”
Colin’s writing has gotten the attention of Spike Lee, Michael Bay, Marcus Nispel, Ridley Scott, Tim Burton, Jan DeBont and Dr. Maya Angelou.
He is currently on the film festival circuit for the award-winning “Storage,” a psychological short thriller, which just won best Sci-Fi Horror in Cannes.
Colin has also signed as a commercial director with commercial production company Hometeam.
When Colin’s not writing or directing he is an active member of the WGA West Committee of Black Writers, Activities Committee and Genre Committee. Colin volunteers for Young Storytellers, helping Latinx and Black 5th graders develop their screenwriting voices. He also teaches screenwriting and short filmmaking at UCLA Extension.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Growing up in a segregated city such as Philadelphia was hard, especially because I was biracial. I didn’t have a lot of friends in elementary school because they didn’t know what to make of me. Was I Black? Was I White? So, I didn’t have a lot of playdates because their parents also kept them from me. So, I turned to TV and the movies for friendship along with my neighbor, and best friend, Brian. It was there my imagination and desire to make up stories grew.
When I was in middle school, I was determined to make friends and decided I would have to hide my Blackness to accomplish this. I did that for three years. I look back now thinking of the hell I went through to straighten my hair with my mother’s flat iron and straightening comb.
I thought I was successful until my mom discovered what I did at my 8th-grade graduation. I’ll never forget the hurt on her face that I was ashamed of her. It changed my outlook on life forever. I never wanted to see her hurt like that again.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
My mother, who always supported my creative side would help me throw plays of The Wizard of Oz in my grandmother’s basement for the neighborhood when I was five. All of that changed when she and my dad bought me a Super 8 when I was 10.
From that point on, all I wanted to do was make movies — specifically, remake movies I loved such as Superman, The Wizard of Oz, The Poseidon Adventure, and Jaws.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Even though it was in advertising, I have to say working with Spike Lee for a year changed my outlook on life and film. Working with a mentor like him, I saw how well-oiled his crew was. Man, they moved like a machine doing something like 20 set-ups in a day. I studied the way Spike interacted with his actors and he is truly an actor’s director. That’s now what I aspire to be.
It has been said that 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?
I can’t say it was a mistake. Okay, it was. But when I was an advertising creative I was somewhat arrogant and egotistical. So, when we would audition actors we would be super judgmental, especially when they flubbed. I never realized the pain and struggle they went through until I became a screenwriter and was rejected repeatedly.
Now, having lots of actor friends and working with them on set, I realize how smart they are. Actors bring so much to a production whether it’s a commercial or a feature film. I respect the hell out of them now and I consider myself an actor’s director. God, I have learned so much from them in a short period.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I am now casting and prepping a feature film that I wrote and will be directing. It’s called Na0mi and my film company Ela Road Films LLC will be producing it along with Cinemastreet Pictures LLC, run by Dana Offenbach. I don’t want to say too much about the plot but it explores how humanity is being eliminated by technology and AI, especially when it comes to relationships.
I am now also available through Hometeam, a global content production company, to direct commercials. So, after spending 20 years in advertising as a Creative Director and Copywriter, it is kind of like coming full circle.
And finally, I’m still touring around the festival circuit with my award-winning short film Storage!
You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Yes. Be humble. Be gracious. Don’t ask what someone can do for you, ask what can you do for them. Make yourself invaluable. Don’t give up. Don’t rely on one script or one short film. Make the next. Don’t be a douche to an assistant. Our business is built on rejection. Accept it and keep trying. The universe has a plan for you.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Perfect question for a Biracial guy! The United States is changing. It’s not Black. It’s not White. It’s truly a melting pot with these races and cultures mixing. We are not where we were when I was growing up in the seventies and even, eighties. Music has blended genres. We must authentically reflect this. I can always tell when something is a genuine blending or if it is a matter of checking off the boxes. And look, I’m not White. But I’m also not Black. I’m both. And it’s important that TV and film also begin to reflect this as well. 6.9% of the population is multiracial and we also need to be represented for this number will only get larger.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
- I wish someone had told me not to party too hard at work parties. The key word there is work and I did that way too much early in my career. I was always viewed as the “fun guy” but never seemed to sell a commercial until I got serious.
- I wish someone had told me to take a screenwriting class. When I began to pivot toward writing films, I thought my advertising background would be enough. It wasn’t. It took a long time to get where I am. I think it may have happened a little earlier if I had just taken a course.
- I wish someone had told me not to brag about things before they happened. I was always trying to prove that I’m good enough or better, so I thumped my chest when I could and inevitably fell flat on my face.
- I wish someone had told me you can grow up in Philly and become a filmmaker in LA. But dreams are killed in my home city. People get “real” jobs. Films and commercials are things other people do. But you can become one of the “others” if you just put your heart to it.
- I wish someone would have told me to carefully vet the people I link up with for a project. While I have been blessed to work with extremely talented and creative people, there have been other projects where my partners were immature and selfish. The project was a wreckage as a result.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Enjoy life. We work to live. Not live to work. It doesn’t matter if you are Spielberg or a PA, try to enjoy life during the struggle. Grill. Go to the beach. Enjoy your family and friends. Go to museums and movies. Have fun.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Right now, I am a part of the Writers Guild strike. And if you have been following it is more than just about money and AI, it is about stopping the turning of a craft into a gig. That is the mindset of a lot of execs. They view us as Content makers. But writers are job creators. Nothing can be filmed without a script. And that script comes from writers. People must understand this. For me, “content” has become a dirty word. It’s not art. It’s just filling someone’s shelves. What writers produce is a product of their culture, trauma, and influences. Execs need to understand that. Films and TV need to be more than just IP. They need to be art again.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There are a few. I would not have started writing without my good friend, Director Marcus Nispel. Marcus is the one who told me to begin writing. Marcus is Gandalf to my Frodo and at Ridley Scott’s Christmas Party, Marcus pulled me aside and told me I am talented enough to write a screenplay. I am also grateful to Storage’s executive producers Christine Harte and Tim Smith, who was a middle school friend. Without their support and generosity, I would have never gotten Storage off the ground. And honestly, that goes to every single person who believed in me and supported me with a monetary contribution when I was crowdfunding for my short films The After Party, Committed, and Storage.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
The Mom of my kids and, unfortunately, my ex-wife, Sharla surprised me by getting the first print ad I ever had published framed for my birthday. On the back, she wrote, “This is only the beginning…” She was right. And I’m amazed every single day at how right she still is.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
So many but right now Jordan Peele, Steven Spielberg, Zack Snyder, and Amy Adams.
How can our readers follow you online?
IG: @colin_francis_costello Twitter: @Colinthewriter1 FB: Writer/director Colin Costello
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
