We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cal Barnes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Cal , thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
I’m a risk taker by nature, but I’d put myself in a category called “The overthinking risk taker”. I’ve never been one to throw myself off a cliff without thinking, but after mulling it over for a while and waging war with my fear, I’ll usually find the balls to jump. I have to win the battle with fear and take the risk so I can sleep at night. If I was a straight risk taker with no thought involved, I’d probably be a professional skateboarder or sky diver, not an actor.
Moving to LA was a big risk. I studied drama for a few semesters at Portland State University, and after contemplating the move, I threw myself in. I drove down here from Oregon when I was 21 years old with my old 98′ GTI and $300 to my name. It was hard, but I was excited to be going for it and following my dream. I was coming from the outside trying to move in. Breaking in has and likely always will be a difficult challenge, and despite my highest ambitions for quick success, LA showed me no such beginners luck. It’s been a grind for years, but not without its share of cool experiences and sweet spots here and there.
Was the risk I took over a decade ago ultimately worth it? I don’t know, because I know no other life, but looking at what projects I have coming up this year, I have to admit that I think it was.
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?
Hi Everyone. My name is Cal Barnes. I’m an actor, writer, film producer, and the CEO of Nineteen Films Production company. I’ve chosen to work in entertainment because I loved movies growing up, I love telling stories, and I love working and collaborating with other creative people that do.
Nineteen Films is an independent production company owned and operated by actor Cal Barnes since 2011, that has a special focus on story and performance driven content. The company owns over eighteen IP’s that are in various stages of development. The companies current project is the neo-noir crime thriller ‘Infinite Limits’, that is in heavy development slated for a 2024 production. Other credits include ‘The Astrid Experience’, ‘Plunge’, ‘Hollywood by Night’, and the upcoming ‘Son of Neverland’, based on the novel.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My goal is to become an A-list actor. By also becoming a professional writer and producer, and creating quality, innovative IP’s that I’m attached to star in, with characters that are perfect for me and support my brand and image, I’ve been able to slowly but surely take my career in a direction I want to go. I have been able to come very far using this model.
It’s not the 1990’s or early 2000’s anymore. There’s never been more market saturation, and actors aren’t just competing in an LA marketplace, they’re completing in a global marketplace. Many a time over my journey casting director’s and producers have told me I had the best audition, but lost the part to a Disney star, or a child actor with a larger following — there’s absolutely nothing fair about it, that’s just how it is — the solution is that when I write and produce as well, I leverage that control to give myself more power as an actor. I put in the work as the creator, and I reap the benefits as an actor. There’s no more hoping, wishing, speculating, or needing — only action — action is something I can do.
I’ve taken full responsibility for my dream of becoming an A-list actor, and I’ve written 18 feature screenplays, and already produced several feature films to do it. I don’t hope for other people to discover me anymore, I just make it happen. For me, this is the way. I’ve booked my best jobs from people seeing me in the films I made myself and making me straight offers. Very rarely do I stand in the audition line anymore — I will if the opportunity is good enough, but it’s secondary to producing my own projects — all the neediness is gone. I know what roles I want to play, and I take action towards it every day by writing, producing, and starring in my own features with my company. Nothing for me is more fulfilling than starring in a story I cared enough about to write. As an actor, you’re already on the inside of the story when you write it, when it comes from you. It’s amazing seeing my dream enter physical reality. It’s the ultimate high.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
On my most recently released feature film with my company, ‘The Astrid Experience’, that I wrote, directed, and star in, I was able to get us from script to shot and ‘in the can’ in just around five months. This was a huge feat, and the project had a lot of momentum. I was able to do this because me and my partners had a lot of experience in pre-production and principle photography, so this process went smooth and the moral was high.
Then, post production happened.
We entered nothing less than full on ‘post-production hell’ as it’s called. I had virtually no experience in this area, and we had basically no contacts and no more financing to help us get through. This process took a full three years — more that six times longer than it took to get the film shot in the first place.
To make it even harder, covid hit on top of that, but slowly but surely, I found a way to raise the money, and learn the skills to help us get through it successfully. It’s not what I originally wanted to deal with when I set out to make a film as an actor and writer, but I’m grateful for the editing, color grading, and other skills I learned by having to push through this challenge. The knowledge is really serving me on the next feature film I’m working on with my company right now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nineteenfilms.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calbarnes/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calbarnes/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtv1oc0kpW8CTtNX2JRbxJQ
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4290140/
Image Credits
The Astrid Experience Poster Design: Jacob Rozio Son of Neverland Cover Design: Adrian Doan Kim Infinite Limits Poster Designed by: M Rasool Khan * Cal Barnes and Nineteen Films owns the copyrights to all images © Cal Barnes and Nineteen Films, 2023
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