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

Michael, appreciate you joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

You know, I hate to be that guy, but I think Argyle Rebel Films—and now even our newest company, Argyle Rebel Capital—was born from the idea that I couldn’t do something.

We—me and my best friend, Robert Hatfield—started writing plays because we were told we couldn’t. That naturally turned into making films when Lab! Theatre at UNC said they wouldn’t produce one of my scripts. So we said, “Cool. We’ll just do it ourselves.” And we picked up cameras from the Undergrad library and started making short films. GDI, our first full-length comedy film, came from people saying, “Yeah, y’all are funny, but there’s no way you can actually make a movie.” So we made one. And before we knew it, we had a company.

That company—Argyle Rebel Films—grew out of a desire to tell organic stories and the need to prove to that we could make world class films here in North Carolina. Like, anything. We believed if we just worked hard enough, we could build something. We could start a film festival in Chapel Hill—and four years later, sell it out. We could take the winner of that festival, raise $1.5 million, and then launch a company like Argyle Rebel Capital to revolutionize the entertainment industry from the inside out.

So from idea to execution? Honestly, that part was relatively easy. I’ve always known I wanted to own a company and create. Getting there was as simple as saying, “I want to do this,”. The hard part was spending years figuring out how to actually do it. I’m still learning how to do it—even though I’ve been a CEO for most of the past decade.

If I had to give one piece of concrete advice, it would be this: start. Start fast, start now, and learn quickly what it actually means to do something. The faster you start acting on your dreams, the faster you’ll understand what it takes to fulfill them.

Those first moments after launching? They’re not glamorous. They’re mostly stressful, full of realization that you don’t know as much as you thought you did. But to loosely quote a movie I love— you’re in the endgame now. You just figure out how to survive.

And survival—not genius or luck—is how you actually achieve success.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Michael I. Washington. I’m a filmmaker, storyteller, and founder of Argyle Rebel Films and Argyle Rebel Capital. At my core, I’m just a kid who believes in the power of North Carolina storytellers to disrupt, to heal, and to move people to action. I got into this work because I didn’t see myself—or people like me—reflected in the stories being told around me. So I decided to change that.

I started in theater, writing plays with my best friend because we were told we couldn’t. That rejection led to us writing and producing our own work, and eventually making films because nobody else was going to hand us the opportunity. Our first feature-length film was a comedy called GDI. It was rough, hilarious, heartfelt—and it proved to us we could build something real. That’s how Argyle Rebel Films was born.

Today, Argyle Rebel Films is North Carolina’s premiere independent production company. We produce narrative films, documentaries, branded content, and live events. But what sets us apart is how deeply we care about storytelling and the rights of the storytellers. Every project is built with intention, with soul, and with a commitment to helping creators tell their truth. We don’t chase trends. We chase authentic stories that resonate with a real audience. We pride ourselves on creating spaces for emerging, independent, and often overlooked filmmakers to be seen and celebrated.

Argyle Rebel Capital was born out of the desire to take things further—to not just make films, but to build the infrastructure that funds and supports them. ARC is our private equity arm, designed to acquire and support undervalued creative companies, inject capital and strategy, and create a vertically integrated storytelling ecosystem. If Argyle Rebel Films is the heart, Argyle Rebel Capital is the engine.

What I’m most proud of? Giving opportunities. The moments when someone watches a film we made and says, “I saw myself in that.” Or when a young filmmaker tells me they finally feel like they have a seat at the table. That’s what this is all about.

If there’s one thing I want people to know about our work, it’s this: we are all about giving more than we get. We believe storytelling is sacred. We believe in ownership. And we believe that if no one’s telling your story—you have to tell it yourself.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

My wife and I bought our first cameras and lenses using our tax return. Two used Canon DSLR cameras off Amazon. At the time, I convinced her that we needed a good camera to take pictures of our newborn son—but truthfully, I also wanted to slowly get back into filmmaking. I had been focused entirely on my full-time job and not enough on my entrepreneurial dream of owning Argyle.

From there, it was brick by brick. I’d book a gig—early on it was a wedding here, an Instagram video there—save what I could, and then reinvest in the business. Sometimes it was another tax return, sometimes it was the leftover profit from a shoot. And with that, we’d buy more gear. It’s funny—I was just talking to a filmmaker friend about this the other day: in the beginning, the profits don’t go to you. They go back into the business. You keep building until you have what you need to really move.

Those early profits funded everything: the formation of the LLC, a 27-inch iMac, the editing software, and eventually, enough capital to throw events, host screenings, and pay other artists to create alongside me.

I also ran a few small crowdfunding campaigns to get projects off the ground. Nothing huge, but enough to test ideas, build community, and gauge interest. And while I respect people who go all-in with big loans or heavy funding upfront, I really believe in avoiding debt until you know what your business actually is. Try to stay away from loans. Grow slowly, grow steady. Don’t spend more than you make. Be patient, be resourceful, and make the most of what you have.

That’s how Argyle started. Not with a big check, but with love, a tax return, and the stubborn belief that if we kept building, we’d get there.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I listen to a lot of books and used to watch a ton of vlogs and interviews. Back when I was first growing as an entrepreneur, Casey Neistat and Gary Vaynerchuk were huge influences. Their “started from the bottom, hustle-until-you-make-it” mindset really resonated with me. I was also deeply inspired by Pat Flynn—his story felt honest, simple, and attainable. I owe a lot to those three. As a young husband and father in my late 20s trying to build something from nothing, they gave me the spark I needed to just keep trying. I’m genuinely indebted to their blueprint.

I listen to a lot of audiobooks. The biographies of the Wright Brothers, Jim Henson, Steve Jobs, Reginald Lewis, and Walt Disney have all had a major impact on me. I’ve also taken a lot from Simon Sinek’s Start with Why, Ray Dalio’s Principles, Alex Hormozi’s $100M Offers and $100M Leads, and Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog. And I’ll be honest—I’m a huge fan of The Art of War. Sun Tzu is timeless.

Those are some of the most impactful books for me over the last few years. But I listen a lot. I think the key is to stay focused on what you need to learn right now—and use that knowledge to keep pushing toward greatness. At the end of the day, it’s your work that leads to success. You can read and listen your life away, but if you’re not applying it, it doesn’t matter.

Study. Act. Learn. Repeat. That’s the recipe that’s worked for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.argylerebelfilms.com
• Instagram: @argylerebelfilms
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-washington-6075a445

Image Credits

Deandre Sawyer, Tyler Pollard, Tina Telep