We recently connected with Mason Aksamit and have shared our conversation below.
Mason, appreciate you 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 am currently in production of my first feature film “Drepper | The Happiest Man on Earth” this is without a budget so I have been filming in 1 minute segments with minimal cast and crew to post as reels for social media. I am now getting streaming on prime and tubi so I’ll continue to build the film as short episodes on there. This industry has shown to promote fame over talent so as I build this film I’m working to build my social following to over 1 million followers. Feel free to message me with ideas. I’m willing to experiment.
Logline…
When Lennon tells his 3 brothers his plans of suicide, he is gifted a pair of magic glasses that transport him to a world that will teach him what it means to truly be happy.
Mason, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I have been acting since the age of 12, going all the way through high school doing 4-5 shows a year and winning many awards through the National and Colorado Thespian Conventions as well as Bobby G Musical theater award for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for his portrayal of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. After high school, Mason tested out of Bachelor’s Degree in one year for under $10,000. He then used his left over college fund to travel Europe and learn German and French. After my return to the U.S. I picked acting back up and went to film school. It was there I began my filmmaking journey which has lead me to create 2 short films, 2 TV pilots, and 2 feature screenplays, all of which have won film awards on 6/7 continents.
Currently I am producing a feature film with a minimal budget and I have been building it via social media to build a following before final release.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Throughout the course of COVID the film industry was shutdown so I honed in on my writing, I read screenwriting books and took multiple courses on powerful storytelling and created “The Fool | A Villain’s Story”. A script that has now won screenwriting competitions on every continent but Antarctica. I started pitching the script to production companies and would get no after no, until I got my last no… The producer read the script and called me back, he said, “Mason, I’ve been in Hollywood nearly 30 years now and I need you to know that this is one of the best scripts I have ever read.” I was giddy with excitement and responded, “Thank you! Do you want to fund it?” He said, “No. You’re not famous. I cannot make money off you.” and hung up. I then realized a hard truth about this industry, it is not how big you are, it is how big you seem. People care more about clout than talent. So I decided to build my own clout. I am producing my first feature film on my own Drepper | The Happiest Man on Earth. It can be expensive at times and luckily money seems to keep floating my way as I go. I have been able to get some financing for smaller bits based off of the work that I have already created. To be an artist you have to create your own work. It’s a do it yourself project, and I have been having so much more fun being able to create work that holds deeper meaning to myself. All of my actions have me meeting phenomenal actors and people who want to help make the film better. I even get a few thousand dollars on occasion from Producers.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
The way you can help support artists and small business owners alike is buy their product and share it on social media. Help spread the word of artists that you like, the more we get talked about the more jobs come our way. For me for example, I sell merchandise with QR codes that link back to the film. This helps build new following and gets a shirt out of the deal. Support your artist friends as much as you can. They show us the beauty of life.
Contact Info:
- Website: linktr.ee/drepper
- Instagram: @mason.aksamit
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mason.aksamit/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxM0GMpqnW4&list=PLFXBITaczd8K1L9CcTtcztWIIalwwFbeb