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

Hi Mike, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I finally knew I wanted to pursue filmmaking as a career when I was in my last semester of receiving my bachelor’s degree in psychology. Growing up, I was always making home movies with my friends and family and knew I either wanted to be a filmmaker or musician (or play professional sports, but I quickly learned that wasn’t going to happen). I never enjoyed school and when I went to film school right after graduating high school, I had that same unenthused feeling. So, I falsely equated that to believing I didn’t really like film as much as I thought. After some soul-searching years of a stagnant life, the motivation for schooling had finally arrived and I decided to seek a doctorate in sports psychology. Until my final year of undergrad where I needed an elective. So, I took a screenwriting class that changed everything for me. It was like flipping a switch of passion I thought didn’t exist anymore. Coincidently, a friend of mine was making a short film at the same time and asked me to help with it. The stars seemed to align and from then on, I knew this was the only life I could satisfying live.

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?

Born and raised in Hollywood, Florida, I moved to Georgia in 2021 to get an MFA in Film at SCAD Atlanta. I am a freelance Writer, Director, Editor, Producer who loves to tell mind bending stories. I gravitate to characters with psychological depth in stories with philosophical dilemmas within a variety of genres. My production company Creatures and Habits has produced a plethora of short films and now venturing into features. As a filmmaker we of course always wear many hats, but my primary position of passion is Directing. My entire life I’ve had to deal with intense anxiety amongst other mental/physical illnesses. When I Directed my first short film, I experienced something I never knew existed. I experienced something I now call, positive anxiety. The seemingly same negative symptoms, but they weren’t bothering me because I was so damn excited to be doing what I was doing. Directing has elevated my chronic anxiety to a more positive experience in my life and I am forever grateful for that. However, to experience this positive anxiety, I must be the most prepared version of myself during each production (which tends to work out for everyone involved).

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

When you break down what it takes to complete a movie and screen it with an audience, it’s truly mind boggling. Especially when there is no budget involved. So, selfishly the most rewarding aspect of being a filmmaker is when I have gone through hell with fellow filmmakers through pre-production, production, and post-production on a story that was extremely personal to me, and it exists now on a screen. Just that alone is implausibly rewarding. However, the more unselfish aspect of that (and truly motivating facet) is when an audience comes to you after the screening and explains to you how deep that story resonated with them. How it changed or confirmed their thoughts and feelings. How it simply impacted them with profound complexity. I am then causing the result of the same passion I love to get from movies. And that is unbelievably rewarding.

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

The intersection between Psychology and Philosophy has greatly shaped my views on life and motivation for telling stories. I would say, it all started from the first movie that got me fascinated with movies which was The Matrix. What is reality? How is reality? Why is reality? Where is reality?! The terrifying truth is, we don’t really know. Rene Decartes, “I think, therefore I am” is the best we’ve got so far and what that provides us with is that we are unique individuals with singular perspectives. I cannot experience your life, and you cannot experience mine; we can only have sympathy for each other in our shared reality. I used to get extremely frustrated when I would have an idea for a story and then find out it’s either already been made or somehow about to come out. Humans have been telling stories for thousands of years. With this understanding about perspective, I now live by the mantra of, EVERY story has already been told, BUT NONE of those stories have been told by YOU. It allows me freedom to let go of the ego and proceed with my unique version of whatever story I intend to tell.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mikegreenefilms.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikegreene_filmmaker/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-greene-53513b71/