Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lynne Newton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Lynne, appreciate you 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.
It’s true what they say about risk, unless you take them you will never know how far you can go in life.
My first biggest risk was leaving my hometown of Kansas City Missouri to pursue a career in filmmaking and acting. I sold all my furniture and belongings out of a storage unit and left Kansas City one week after that.
I was 26 years old when I left. I had $600 in my pocket with no job prospects and an unsure future. It was very scary but it was a chance that I had to take. I needed to know what the rest of the world looked like and what my place was in it.
I needed to hit the reset button on my life and really figure out who and where I wanted to be. So I took a big chance, moved to Los Angeles in the spring of 1997 and the rest is history.
The other really big risk that I took was filming one of my latest film projects entitled Enipheres. I wrote the script with enormous passion and had such confidence in how well it would be received. I didn’t realize how expensive it was going to be to film.
But I decided that it was all or nothing. I needed this project to be without a doubt exceptional and beyond what most independent filmmakers would attempt to do. So over time I used every ounce of savings and maxed out my credit cards with a total investment amount of $30,000 to complete the film. That’s just not something you do at my age LOL.
Lynne, 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?
HOW I STARTED OUT
I started out as an background actor doing student projects just to learn how things work on a set. I took acting classes and studied for a couple of years until I was confident enough to submit myself for supporting roles in independent films.
For 18 years, I auditioned and booked good acting roles and had some great success. But then a good friend of mine asked if I wanted to write, co-produce and shoot film projects with him. And the answer was a resounding yes. Being my own boss, creating and working on my own timeline was very appealing to me as I was beginning to experience burnout from auditioning for acting roles. Fast forward to today, I am a actor, producer, writer and now author.
BOOK- HIGH YELLOW: CREATIVES MEMOIR
And speaking of being an author, I published my first book last year. My book entitled High Yellow: A Creatives Memoir is a combination of my family history and ancestry along with memoirs chronicling my life. The book ends with my current day view and perspective on life as well as what life has been like in Hollywood as a filmmaker. There’s also bonus materials such as family recipes, poems I’ve written over the years and many family photos.
I didn’t write the book with the intention of it being a bestseller. My purpose for writing the book was to not only chronicle my life but to leave a history document for future generations. It took 15 years to write and I’m proud and pleasantly surprised to say that I’ve sold over 50 copies just from word of mouth. The book is now available on Amazon.
I’m very proud that my book is now featured at my high school (Northeast High School in Kansas City Missouri)
It makes me truly honored to see my book enclosed in a beautiful glass case in the alumni association section of the school where current high school students can witness what is possible.
The next phase for the book is (but of course) a screenplay adaption and a option to be produced and filmed.
I’m already advocating for family members to play some of the roles. LOL.
OTHER FILM PROJECTS
Currently I have several film projects in various stages of development. One is entitled Eternal Oath, a dramatic vampire horror concept that I’m in the process of pitching. Me and my production team was fortunate enough to be able to film some of the scenes from the script as a proof of concept/trailer to present when trying to acquire financing and investments.
The other project is fairly new and is entitled Double Back. A action environmental suspense thriller. I’m super excited about this one as I have not written in this genre before.
I also wrote a Christmas movie script. There’s a few more that are just concepts and too early to speak about. But the point is to have multiple projects happening simultaneously as you never know which one will take off.
WHAT I AM MOST PROUD OF
Quite honestly I’m proud of many things. First I’m proud of how I have been able to set my life up in a way that allows me to pursue my dreams while also making sure that I practice self-care. Finding joy and passion for what you do, staying humble and in a state of gratitude is not always easy to do when you also work a full time day job that commands your brain space. Finding that time and bandwidth to constantly create is not just a goal it’s a lifestyle. For me, things like designing marketing materials for your brand, submitting your film project to festivals, attending festivals to support other filmmakers, networking events, writing or simply getting together in Zoom with like-minded people to collaborate IS creation.
The second thing I’m most proud of is my short proof of concept that I filmed entitled Enipheres. With 32 actors, 20 crew members and only 2 days of filming, it was an absolute incredible feat. From the concept/writing, to the costumes, sound design, special effects, the delivery of the dialogue from the actors and the direction from the directors. In spite of the numerous obstacles that had to be overcome, to this day, I still don’t know how it came together so beautifully.
To date the film has won 74 awards and 13 nominations in the film festival circuit.
The other thing that I am most proud of is being in a position to give an opportunity to a film cast or crew member who is wonderful at their craft, but may not get a lot of opportunities. I have repeatedly work with the same people and make a point to include new talent as well. I work with some of the most amazing and talented people in the industry.
And lastly, I’m grateful for all the incredible people I have crossed paths with in my lifetime as well as the opportunities I have received throughout my career, including this amazing magazine article for Canvas Rebel.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
One particular goal/mission that is driving my creating journey currently is learning and soaking up as much knowledge as possible on the business side of filmmaking. This is new territory for me and I’m just beginning to touch the tip of how films really get made.
We creatives tend to dive right in when we have an idea or a concept without understanding that we need to have a business plan and budgets in place to show to potential investors. It’s been a challenging learning curve and a bit overwhelming at times. But I’m determined to stay the course as I will have my first chance to pitch the projects I’ve been working on at the upcoming American Film Convention in Los Angeles. Fingers crossed.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
The way I have built most of my social media following is through word of mouth. The people I went to high school with, people I meet in grocery stores, People that I’ve met at networking event, festivals and on other film sets. I stay in touch with those people and I equally give back to whatever it is they’re working on, that’s really important.
If someone is investing in you and your career it’s important to equally give back to that person and their career (within reason and as much as you can.) That’s how the world works. It should never be a one-sided “me…me…me…” kind of mindset. You will go much further in life when you are lifting other people up. And those same people that YOU lift up will turn around and tell other people about you and what you’re doing and that’s how you build your social network.
Having a enormous respect and praise for other people while they build and or sustain their careers, goals and aspirations is what it’s all about. That’s the formula to live by that’s worth it’s weight in gold.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/lynnenewton
- Instagram: @lynne.newton
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynne.newton.71
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynne-newton-03b990109/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@eyeintheskypictures
- Other: Amazon
High Yellow: A Creatives Memoir
amzn.to/3GLCy41Illumination Paradox
https://www.illuminationparadox.com/
Image Credits
Robert Waldman-Photographer