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

Jeffrey, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

I think we need to reemphasize critical thinking. The ability to reason seems sorely lacking these days. I see a culture on the verge of collapse due to polarization. The focus on extremes – Right and Left – has been stoked and enflamed by the media for its own benefit. Unfortunately, many individuals in our society are unable to see this and are sucked into the narrative, feeding it even further. We need the ability to think for ourselves and communicate with others who may not see the world entirely the way we do. We need thinker skins and better debating skills. All of this comes from the ability to reason.

I believe that focusing on helping small children discover their inherent creative gifts while giving them a stronger sense of science and how the world works, could give them a broader and more healthy perspective. Helping them to find their place in the world via their intellect and exploring talents and abilities could provide a stronger emotional foundation that could lead to better and more fulfilling lives.

There has to be more than growing up to become a consumer – buying things, watching and listening to media. I believe the more we can become producers, the more fulfilling a life we can have. We just need to find the right place to shine. That begins with having the ability to think and create. If we rebuilt education around this, we would ahve a different society.

Jeffrey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a film maker who focuses on creative realistic visions of the future. I got on this path in my early teens because I was inspired by the work of Carl Sagan and Gene Roddenberry. Both men were tremendously inspirational and influential. I launched FutureDude Entertainment as a way to popularize positive visions of tomorrow. I want to help humanity move forward in a positive and realistic way.

My focus is on feature films like the forthcoming PERSEPHONE starring Ming-Na Wen, Esai Morales and Brianna Hildebrand. It’s about a plausible journey to the nearest star to establish a new outpost for humanity. However, things are not as they seem on the new world of Proxima B. The characters face important decisions with regard to how they live on a new world where they are the aliens. It’s not about monsters and explosions. It’s about a genuine look at the challenges we may face as we journey out into the universe.

I use continual research into science will and technological trends to inform my creative narratives. I try to get the science at least 85% right and all for the remaining 15% for creative excitement and adventure. I believe this allows FutureDude to stand out when compared to our competitors in e sci-fi space.

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

I initially planned to create comic books and mobile device games to generate revenue. The goals was to build IPs and then expand them into film and television franchises. We wanted to walk before we ran. Build a name and strong fanbase so that we could then move into new territory.

We entered the marketplace with two strong, well-received titles: PARALLEL MAN and BRAINSTORM. Unfortunately, we launched at the time when digital comic books were about to become the norm. Shelf space at comic shops was shrinking and owners didn’t want to take the risk on new titles. Our revenue collapsed be fore it could get moving.

I had a background in filmmaking via documentaries, music video, and commercials. I had always planned to eventually direct movies. We decided to pivot and move the plan ahead by several years. We stopped making comic books and focused on film. We made two shorts —PARALLEL MAN and OCEANUS —that included actors like John Cho, Lance Reddick and Malcolm McDowell. . These shorts showed the world what I could do as a director and got me on the map.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I knew I wanted to build a media business. We needed a launch pad to show the world what we could do creatively. We decided to make a book – SLINGSHOT an illustrated screenplay. the project took over two years to complete. When it was finished, we were able to get distribution via Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

this success helped me get the attention of a number of private investors. I wrote and executive summary regarding how I wanted to build an eventual media empire. These people liked it and gave me the seed I needed to launch the business. Morris FutureWorks (as FutureDude was called back then) was able to secure an office and build prototypes for more content. I built a more extensive business plan over a three year period that included a catalog of over 30 intellectual properties.

I took the new business plan and catalog to a group of investors and secure funds to buy out my first tier of investors and move forward. I have been working with my current investors for 8 years.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.futuredude.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realfuturedude/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realfuturedude
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/realfuturedude
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRBZw1DiiZcgcc2RhfiamOQ