We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eddie Gamarra a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Eddie, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My goal is to create new legal structures and promote some financial structures in order to put storytellers in the driver’s seat. On the one hand, I have seen the entertainment industry’s “own and control” model flounder. On the other, I have seen the rise of self-publishing into a respectable and potentially lucrative alternative to traditional publishing.
With a share risk/share reward model, creators can get farther faster and own/co-own their creations. The UGC platforms like YouTube and socials like Instagram & TikTok clearly demonstrate the potential upsides of direct to consumer relationships, relationships that studios and publishers dream of.

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

I have been making little movies and writing stories since I was a child. I fell into the entertainment business in the sense that I graduated Vassar College without a job and landed at Nickelodeon Home Video. I have landed at my other key jobs (Alloy, The Gotham Group, back at Nickelodeon) in a similarly passive way. I am now trying to take all the many lessons I have learned at these companies, big and small, and apply them to my own company. I love being at the intersection of creative strategy and business strategy. I love helping storytellers become more professionalized in their respective industries while helping learn about opportunities in other industries. Am most proud when I see the faces of storytellers whose work has come to life on the page or on the screen, knowing that I played a tiny role in helping those dreams come true. My brand is intersectional, interdisciplinary, multi-hyphenate. We can empower storytellers to understand and master different formats of storytelling and thus move from a passive model to an active model. Instead of saying “I got signed by an agent,” you learn to say, “I brought on an agent to join my team.” Instead of saying, “Netflix bought my project,” you learn to say, “I sold my project to Netflix.” You own your time and energy and creativity. You choose to sell it/get paid for it.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn my father’s advice. As a Catholic immigrant, my dad abided by hierarchy. He told me and my younger brothers, “Never ask for a raise. Just be happy you have a job. Be happy you can pay your bills.” I had to learn self-advocacy in my 40s. Way too late in life to learn that lesson, but am grateful I now live a life more on my terms and not in subjugation to others.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Ha! Getting laid off by Paramount last year. Sometimes the world makes decisions for you.
Given the profound dearth of jobs in the entertainment industry, I had to do a 180 and start my own company. It’s exhausting and exhilarating, thrilling and terrifying all at once. Fingers crossed it all works out!!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gamarramedia.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eddiegamarra
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-gamarra-phd-4ba1062/

Image Credits

Photo credit: c/o Independent Book Publishers Association