We were lucky to catch up with Brian Farrell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brian, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been writing and directing the South Pasadena Short Film Series. My background is in comedy and acting, but this was my first foray into directing film projects.

Before the pandemic I was working as a canvass director where my job was to build a team of fundraisers for a charity organization by hiring activists, teaching them canvassing skills and keeping them motivated to raise money for a worthy cause. I was laid off in 2020.

As many of us I’m sure felt during the pandemic I had a strong itch to get out of the house and connect with people. I wrote the first South Pasadena short film in May of 2021. I called a few creative talented friends and the weekend after I had written this short film we shot it. Wearing our masks, and maintained social distancing as best we could. A few ah ha moments ensued. 1. My friends in the film industry were just as hungry as I was to collaborate and make something. And 2. My canvass directing skills that I had developed in my previous job translated directly to directing films. It’s nearly the same job – getting a group of people all excited about one cause/script and then drawing performances out of everyone/providing a space for them to do what they do well.

The initial inspiration for the series was my living in South Pasadena for 5 years or so and I fell in love with this quaint and quirky town that exists just six miles north of Downtown Los Angeles. I’ve lived in Los Angeles for over 20 years, and I found a new pocket of magic in this city – South Pasadena. I had been going on little 2 mile jogs around my neighborhood here during the pandemic and noticed a strange shift in social norms where it became polite to cross the street if you saw someone walking towards you (to avoid spreading COVID 19). I found that very weird, but logical and could be the jumping off point for my script. What if a jogger decides not to cross the street and talk to a stranger? Will it be confrontational? Have we as a result of being locked down in a pandemic become afraid to connect with strangers, our neighbors?

I got such a sense of fulfillment reaching out to talented friends I’ve known for years in the Los Angeles comedy community and making this short film. So much so that we’ve made three more. Our third South Pasadena short film is currently in film festivals and our fourth is in post production. Making these independent films has been an absolute blast and based on audiences reactions to them in festivals, I think a lot of people are enjoying them.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My main focus has always been comedy. I moved to Los Angeles in 2001 to study comedy at The Groundlings, Improv Olympic, Second City and the Upright Citizens Brigade. My first stroke of luck in my acting career was having the late great Peter Falk see me perform at the Groundlings theater in my Writing Lab showcase in 2003. He approached me after the show, gave me a big hug and said “I love this guy!” He then gave me a role in the last Columbo episode ever made, “Columbo Likes the Nightlife.” His wife Shera Danese was in my class, which was why he was at my showcase.

I’ve been in commercials and have acted in a number of films and tv shows. I did a lot of open mic standup for years with the occasional spots at the Comedy Store and the Improv. I was always around the fringe Los Angeles comedy scene and I love it. I cast my short films with friends from that comedy scene.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a filmmaker is that feeling of being a part of something bigger than myself that brings people joy if done successfully. Nothing better than an audience collectively laughing and feeling levity. It takes a lot of people to make a film and when it comes together, we all get to meet up and the movie theater and enjoy it.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I’ve been having fun building the social media presence of South Pasadena Short Films. Instagram is where we post most of our content. @southpasadenafilm.

It’s my hopes that not only does it promote my films, but also inspires other filmmakers to just make stuff. We post the process of how we make the films from script to storyboards to production to post production. It’s a new era from when I first moved to LA. We don’t have to wait around for people to hire us, we can make our own stuff and it’s an inspiring time to be a creative.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @boopityba
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brianpatrickfarrell?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Twitter: @boopityba
• Youtube: @boopityba
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1326860/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk