Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erran Booker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Erran, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I can say that I have been able to craft a modest income from my creative work. It has been an interesting journey with various twist and turns and financial ups and downs. It has been a constant learning process in learning the “business” of movie making. I have been blessed in my path to gain experience in almost every area of production. Sound production and design, acting, editing, gaffing, lighting, writing, directing, shooting, being a production assistant. The opportunities I took to be in front of the camera showed me the process of filmmaking both from the independent, string of a shoestring budget, to the low 6 figure independent budget. That’s when I fell in love with filmmaking. The one thing I have yet to accomplish is successful investor fund raising. My experiences allowed me to feel confident enough to step away from a very well paying career and take a chance on me and I can say that it was one of the best decisions I made. If there was one thing that I could have done to make this experience better is to have started earlier. Take certain opportunities that would have provided, at the very least, valuable life experiences.

I have found this saying to be true, actually these two sayings; (1) If you love what you do and you will never work a day in your life, which doesn’t mean you won’t work hard or have long days or even bad days or experiences, it means that you will always be driven to show up and you would do it for free. (2) Keep doing what you love for free and the money will come…. just don’t know when that might start….lol

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

During a summer session in college I found myself suffering from burnout. I was taking full class loads since I graduated from high school, didn’t even take the summer off after graduation. I ended up withdrawing from the summer session and when I returned in the fall I diversified my schedule by adding in some theatre classes. Well I ended up finishing the requirements of that degree plan within 2 years, went back and finished my other degree plan and marched as a double major. I did two theatre seasons on stage while landing a few lead rolls in some low budget indie films. It was at that point that I decided I wanted to pursue filmmaking. In 2013 I established L E Mental Productions (pronounce elemental) a media production company committed to providing the elements needed to bring the client’s vision to life from conception to delivery. That’s on the commercial side. On the creative side we develop content and narratives that are intended to inspire and uplift across different genres.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Loyalty to situation that is not visibly or immediately satisfying or equal. This can be said across other industries or relationships however when it comes to the entertainment industry it is a lot smaller than people realize. You have to be very careful of your name and reputation because your name on the lips of the right person could be the keys to the kingdom and your name on the lips of the wrong person will keep you walking in the desert longer that you should be.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing the vision come to fruition, providing the client with exactly what they wanted (even if they really didn’t know what it is they wanted). Giving the audience an “ah ha” moment and being receptive to the possibility of what the narrative is conveying by making the audience think.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lementalproductions.com
• Instagram: l_e_mental
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/lementalproductions
• Linkedin: Erran Booker
• Twitter: l_e_mental
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lementalproductions5399
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/l-e-mental-productions-houston
• Other: https://lementalfilms.vhx.tv/