Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to John Trefry. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi John, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
My journey as a filmmaker has been shaped by 2 massive risks.
Growing up in Anchorage, Alaska, I loved movies and dreamed of being part of the magic to actually create them. But Hollywood felt it was a million miles away and I had 0 industry connections. I clung to my dream and moved to LA, brimming with visions of open doors and boundless opportunities. But the reality was more challenging than I could imagine.
I worked menial PA gigs, art department and even culinary producing barely scraping by to make ends meet. After years of struggling, I took the first huge risk of my career.
In 2012, I started the production company 4WT Media, with no outside investment and little more than the burning desire to create content and hopefully, make a living doing it. It was the greatest challenge of my life and through the process of building a team and an office, I constantly was reminded that true leaders lead through humility. Somehow we survived and even thrived, earning the business of big clients like Google and Netflix.
But running a commercial production company was hugely demanding and my dreams of making movies felt as far away as ever. In 2017, I took the second massive risk of my career and set out to produce a hugely audacious short film called SOULS OF TOTALITY.
The film centered on a cult and we planned to shoot during an actual solar eclispe in the high desert of Oregon. The project was wildly ambitious because we only had one chance to film the eclipse which helped attract amazing collaborators. We gathered an incredible cast and crew including Tatiana Maslany (Emmy-winning star or ORPHAN BLACK and SHE-HULK) and set out to capture a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event as the climax of the film. To describe the project demanding would be an understatement but when the dust settled we had achieved our longshot vision.
The film was a hit, competing at top festivals like Tribeca and going on to win awards around the world, even qualifying for the Oscars. It was this gamble on making something meaningful with extremely talented and driven commrades that proved to me I was on the right track. The experience catapulted my career to sign with a manager and secure to bigger projects in film and TV.
These risks not only shaped my career but more importantly how I see myself as a storyteller with something important to share.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to share how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I couldn’t be more grateful that my career has straddled the worlds of media and technology. I entered the entertainment industry just as the digital revolution took off and YouTube exploded. This gave me the unique vantage point of seeing how traditional film and TV production models would be disrupted by digital technology and the emergence of influencers.
I cut my teeth as a producer at a pair of venture-backed media companies where I was responsible for producing video content using DSLRs at a scale that was hard to imagine. Working at tech companies was a complete rewiring of my brain. I was blown away by the possibilities of collaborating with software engineers and designers, making ideas into a reality with a direct impact on millions of people.
These lessons helped me on my entrepreneurial journey as I built my production company like a startup. We were consistently committed to learning and improving not only our work but the actual way we worked. We used technology to be more efficient and leaner than our competitors, giving us more time to focus on being exceptional storytellers.
Over the last decade, our company has built a reputation working with amazing clients from startups to Fortune 500s, always delivering incredible video content. We have produced national TV campaigns for clients like ZipRecruiter and MeUndies along with dozens of projects for Netflix.
On the commercial side, we’re known for delivering elevated creative with high production values and razor-sharp writing. On the original content front, our films have competed at top festivals around the world including SXSW, Tribeca and Raindance to name a few.
I am a writer and a producer, wearing both business and creative hats. Those thousands of hours in the trenches actually creating content have made me a better storyteller and collaborator— whether that’s for a commercial client or a feature film.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
As anyone who has made a film knows intimately, making a film is extremely challenging. It’s the most expensive art form in history and even a small project usually involves dozens of people working together.
I wish that when I started out making films I had the humility to seek out answers for the things I didn’t know. It was probably my ego and not wanting to seem like I didn’t know what I was doing, leading to avoidable mistakes. Now that I coach and help other filmmakers with their projects, I constantly suggest they learn as much as possible about the process.
YouTube is an amazing resource is brimming with incredible content for filmmakers. I am also a big fan of generative AI tools like ChatGPT for brainstorming and all kinds of support through the creative process.
I’m very passionate about educational content, especially for short film because there is a huge gap in the market for real-world insights on to create exceptional projects that compete at the highest levels. I teach filmmakers as a expert educator with Stage32 and through Short Film Deep Dive (shortfilmdeepdive.com) to share real-world insights to create exceptional short films from attaching talent and raising money to securing amazing partners and getting into top festivals.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
The biggest takeaway I’ve learned working with world-class executives like Netflix Co-Founder and CEO, Reed Hastings, is the importance of humility in business. Being an entrepreneur offers very little margin for error and we have to be exceptional to excel.
To that end, there are a handful of books that have made a big impression on my own journey as a business owner and creative professional.
The Lean Startup — this book really opened my eyes to how tech companies approach building software products as minimum viable products (MVPs) which can be applied to other disciplines like making films and TV.
Rebel without a Crew — the journey of Robert Rodriguez making his first film for $7K has made a huge impact on me and has lessons that expand far beyond filmmaking.
Launch — this book by Jeff Walker is the blueprint for so much of how modern digital marketing operates and should be required reading for any creative professional.
Pitch Anything — I’ve had the pleasure of working with author Oren Klaff and this book has stayed with me for all the insights it offers to nail a pitch (which can completely change your life)!
The Futurist: The Life and Films of James Cameron — this look behind the curtain of one of the most incredible filmmakers of all time offers a portrait of an artist who brings an engineer’s sensibility to his work.
I am a huge fan of podcasts and regularly listen to the following:
– Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway
– The Daily from the NY Times
– The Town
– The Business with Kim Masters
– Hard Fork
– The Gray Area
– No Film School
Contact Info:
- Website: www.johntrefry.me
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johntrefry
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trefryjohn
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@johntrefryfilm
- Other: 4WT Media — www.4wtmedia.com Short Film Deep Dive — www.shortfilmdeepdive.com