“Bringing Hollywood to Web3” Producer Series — with Special Guest Sam Gollestani
Introducing Sam Gollestani, Television producer.
- 2012 Nominee Emmy (Non-Scripted Entertainment: The Challenger Muaythai 2011)
- Graduated from film school at San Jose State University in the Bay Area, south of San Francisco.
- Working in the film industry since graduating and producing shows in Asia and the United States over the last 20 years.
What made you decide to get into Television & Film?
It was just falling in love with the cinema, going into the theatre, feeling that escapism.
When I share so many stories with all the greats, there’s probably 1% of us in the world that does it for a living.
But I went to the movies with my dad for as long as I can remember, and it was my most exciting activity of the week. That escapism and the imagination that sparked from the films I would watch made me want to do it. I just wanted to be part of that world of creating.
I think probably age ten or less; I was definitely in grade school when I realised that that’s what I wanted to do, whether it was gonna be an actor or a director or anything in between, I was gonna do it.
My parents are from Iran, so they typically wanted a doctor or a lawyer, but they fully supported my dream.
And so choosing the film and TV major in the university and going through to my Emmy nomination, they’ve been assaulted support system.
What are you currently working on?
I’m very proud of the show that premiered two weeks ago, The Challenger Battleground.
My co-executive producer, who was the ritestream CEO, Riaz, is a fantastic partner, as always, to work with on the show’s newest season.
We were nominated for the Emmy, and we were able to revamp the format and add female contestants into such a male-dominated sport as tie boxing. It was just premiering on Discovery channel, in HBO across Asia.
I’m editing my short film about September 11th, being a Middle Eastern American growing up. When that event happened, I was teaching at the university, So it was sort of a cathartic experience, full circle, 20th anniversary, 9/11, and just my day on campus when that event happened, people looking at me like, looking Middle Eastern like I might be like one of them, part of the enemy, as a terrorist.
So being able to tell my story, write the script, produce it, and direct it, bringing in professionals to lead the departments and lead my students with me at the helm was probably one of the most, if not the most, incredible experiences in my entire career. I’m editing it now. I call it the untold story of the racism against Middle Eastern Americans in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.
I’m going back to teach in the Fall.
It’s ritestream core to tell these stories. We want these stories to be told and available for people to watch, learn and entertain.
When you’re not producing entertainment, what else do you do?
I teach, and it’s a double bonus when I could teach in one of my classes where making a film that my students are on my crew, essentially. I always tell them this isn’t a student film but a professional film fueled by students. It revitalizes my own passion for what I do.
I love spending time in Asia
I love going to the cinema.
Scripted films are generally much more expensive than unscripted, which is another reason why unscripted is not a fad. That’s the golden part of that industry. That genre is cheaper and still draws a significant audience in reality and scripted shows, which are more affordable than scripted. So that’s why it’s a win-win.
That’s the biggest takeaway my students could take in the real world.
When did you first meet ritestream CEO Riaz?
He’s a perfect example of following your dream. He was a tech guy. He got a payout to leave the company and move to Singapore. He took the money he’d made from tech to be a TV producer. He had connections here and there from Australia, leading to Mark Burnett, who, of course, is the man. He was a godfather of reality TV, and Riaz decided to do The Contender, which was a big show.
He decided to come to do a version for Asia and incorporate the local martial art, Thai boxing. Asia brought out some producers, including myself. To afford the license fees for Mark Burnett, let alone all the production costs. And here we are, 17 years after we first worked together off the back of the Challenger Battleground we just did.
Riaz was critical in my career as he brought back and then promoted me to be the showrunner for the Biggest Loser Show we did. He was able to see my potential and talent. I have an immense amount of gratitude and appreciation for Riaz for believing in me.
What kind of challenges have you faced as a producer, and how did you overcome them?
It’s still competitive. There’re so many incredibly talented producers in LA, especially. So I’m trying to find the right circle; it’s all about who you know and how lucky you are, especially in film and television production.
It’s really the luck of the series succeeding, finding an Audience; nine out of 10 shows don’t and don’t get picked up for a second season; that’s a fact.
Of course, when everything was shut down, the pandemic was an absolute nightmare for everyone, especially for our industry. It took a lot of work to go forward with the production. We had to add 25% of our budget just from having the medical staff do the Covid tests, all six feet apart and the masks. The whole management was actually a lot more expensive.
When I’m not making stuff, I write a script, develop concepts, and develop my next pitch deck for my friends at Netflix. And that’s the thing never stop being creative during the downtime.
Riaz is another prime example; he dealt with many challenges when he started his production career. Things were out of his hands. He was exploring where to shoot within Asia, and he had deals he signed and closed that ended up being breached. He’s a prime example of being resilient and just continuing to put your head down and move forward to getting a show off the ground.
What do you think about ritestream and the value it can offer to Film/TV makers?
It’s all about who you know and how lucky you are, and there’s a lot of politics, bureaucracies, and red tape to get your idea to the right person. Only some emails out of 10 times get answered. So it’s providing a platform to cut through all that red tape and not having you win a lottery just to get your great idea to the right person to get green-lit. So it’s remarkable.
It’s a direct-to-creator, direct-to-the-studio, direct-to-the-public opportunity that didn’t exist. There’s YouTube, of course, but this is more like a more serious platform and avenue towards the right person to bring your show to life.
Ritestream creates a much easier viable platform, especially for people who can’t afford to go to Cannes or need the connections where to go where they’re set up things. So this is an absolute breakthrough.
ritestream is really a gift to aspiring, or independent filmmakers in particular, who want to get out, got their film, their shows out there and without any of the bureaucracy of it all and the simplicity.
Do you plan to participate in the ritestream launchpad? And when is it ready to go?
Yes. I wrote a script during the pandemic that involves a country, Brunai, where my 12 years old son lives; he goes to an international school there, where I met a guy named Wun. He is a big celebrity in the Chinese communities in Brunei. I came up with the idea that he’s mobbed when he goes to China and other parts of the world, but he lives his life freely.
What qualities do you look for when producing a show or film?
Originality.
I always encourage my students and others to create, to spark some ideas from things and create something magical as a concoction of creativity that you come up with.
Questions from users:
Will you have works that you are excited about with Ritestream? (Series and Films) Please tell us the features you like the most in Ritestream that draw you in.
Yes. I just mentioned the film I want to have on the ritestream launchpad: my short film based on my real-world experience during 9/11. That short film I did with my students.
Do you invest in crypto? What do you think about cryptocurrency and NFT?
I’m not as educated to be honest about it. Of course, I should be, especially with NFTs coming into my creative space. There’s an excellent opportunity to come up with something unique to tell the story of why it will be a game changer, especially in the creative space.
Are you still working now with some of those students you had?
Two students graduated because I had one of my advanced production classes that summer after the spring semester. I had them come out, and they were a significant part of our team for the Challenger battleground we shot in Malaysia towards the end of last year. I incentivize my students to do a good job and put in the effort, and then I’d love to hire them on the next project. So to really give them their start in the real world.
I’m in touch with a few of my students from the past, and I’m looking forward to meeting
a new batch in the Fall when I’m back at the university. I love being that bridge from this university that I got my start in that’s not known for their film school to really make it a formidable institution to go to for film and be as good as anybody coming out of the US or NYU of the world.
It’s because it’s such a competitive industry. It’s all about if your last name doesn’t have Spielberg, if you’re not his kid or if you don’t have an uncle in the business or a best friend that made it, then you don’t have a chance. And I want to abolish that thinking and provide at least some kind of contact to get in, to break in. But also, you put in the work, and you’re put in the networking. That’s just really important.
Questions with time marks:
02:40 What made you decide to get into Television & Film?
06:45 What are you currently working on?
10:45 When you’re not producing entertainment, what else do you do?
16:53 When did you first meet ritestream CEO Riaz?
20:30 What kind of challenges have you faced as a producer, and how did you overcome them?
24:00 What do you think about ritestream and the value it can offer to Film/TV makers?
27:30 Do you plan to participate in the ritestream launchpad? And when is it ready to go?
30:20 What qualities do you look for when producing a show or film?
33:30 Will you have works that you are excited about with Ritestream? (Series and Films) Please tell us the features you like the most in Ritestream that draw you in.
35:00 Do you invest in crypto? What do you think about cryptocurrency and Nft?
36:40 Are you still working now with some of those students you had?
This was gathered via the ritestream Youtube AMA
Source:
June 5th 2023, 16 pm UTC
