We were lucky to catch up with C.J. Julianus recently and have shared our conversation below.
C.J., thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?
Unexpected problems/issues are always waiting in escrow when you are doing anything creative, and those issues increase exponentially when you have large groups of people that are associated with your project. There is a real reason to keep your footprint as small as you can, and working with folks that you not only trust, but who can get their jobs/responsibilities accomplished with a minimum of heartburn. Resolving issues often comes down to your interpersonal skills, combined with inevitable Sysiphean efforts to make your project run as smoothly as possible. And there’s a reason I mention Sisyphus. For your biggest projects, it will often feel as if your just pushed that boulder up the mountain yesterday, and here you are, doing it again today. Just know going in that it’s part of the deal, especially if you are leading the endeavor.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I wound up in the entertainment/creative business almost by accident, but in retrospect, it’s one of the greatest aspects of living. “Without art, we’re just apes with car keys, and…guns”. A truer sentence has never been uttered! As a kid, my parents staged plays at our church every year as a fund raising effort, and it was VERY successful, with tens of thousands of dollars going to the church. Any time a juvenile delinquent was needed, I was typecast. I left that all behind when I enlisted in the Navy, but during my service, I was also discovered by a talent agent, and I suddenly found myself in commercials for Eastern Airlines, Goodyear, Acura, and more. Upon my return to Chicago from Miami, I immediately got myself involved in the theater world, as that’s a great way to plug yourself directly into a cool social scene. From there, I would go on to establish Theatre-on-the-Hill in Bolingbrook, Illinois. With intense effort, I was able to bring great productions to a community that lacked culture in many ways, and when Money Magazine named Bolingbrook as one of Illinois’ top towns, my company was prominently mentioned as one of the main reasons the town was so rated. During that time, I also met my future spouse, muse, and partner-in-crime, Lorrisa Julianus. From there, the next logical step was film making, and Lorrisa & I established Binary Star Pictures, releasing the comedy, “The Misadventures of Mistress Maneater” to high acclaim, with film critic Marie Asner naming the film one of the top independent films of 2021.Three years later, we are still getting fan mail and glowing reviews from around the world, and we are very plased about that.
Have you ever had to pivot?
The sad reality of today’s media landscape is that the movie business has become completely unviable in regard to it being a business that you can earn a living from, especially amongst indie film makers. The business has carved out the middle class of movie makers, and it’s become beyond difficult to be compensated properly from the big streaming sites lke Prime and Netflix. Earning a penny (or less) for a complete viewing isn’t exactly a recipe for ongoing financial success. And while making money from art isn’t a strong consideration for many in the business, it is for Lorrisa & I. We saw the writing on the wall when it came to the movie business, and that’s when we pivoted to live entertainment. We are still able to be creative, and now we are also well paid for our efforts. Events of all types use us for high-end entertainment, from character work, celebrity impersonation, emceeing, live art, interactive murder mystery shows, trade shows, and even body art and face painting. We are glad we made the pivot, which allows us to earn at a high level while hoping the film industry finds its footing again.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Being flexible, thinking on your feet, and always looking for opportunities. When I was in the military, we had a mantra we always followed: “Improvise, Adapt, Overcome”. And that’s exactly what is needed as a creative. When someone asks you if you can do something specific, the answer is ALWAYS yes. Even if you have no idea how to do it. When you have creative chops, when you have a trusted network of creatives associates (IMPORTANT!!), you’ll always be able to provide the highest caliber experience and end result.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://binarystararts.com
- Instagram: mistressmaneatermovie
- Facebook: mistressmaneatermovie
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@binarystarpictures6846
