Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rob Zazzali. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rob, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

My business partner, Justin Shilton, and I have been working in the entertainment industry for 25 years. We met each other in acting school and then pursued different careers within the industry–he wrote a number of scripts that were produced and was hired to direct projects as well. I was an executive producer and showrunner at a reality TV company.

Two years ago, we joined forces and started our own production company. Previously we had learned that there are countless gatekeepers who decide if your project makes it to the screen. So we decided to shoot our own films and better control our access into the industry.

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?

Our company, Swim Swim Entertainment, specializes in indie thrillers and horrors. What sets us apart is doing high quality, high production value work on a smaller budget. I think we’re able to pull this off for a couple reasons.

We’re resourceful and ego-less. My partner and I will wear any and every hat necessary to make a film a success in an affordable way. We did every job on our first film (SHARK GIRL) ourselves. We wrote, directed, shot, coordinated, managed, edited, color-timed, sound-mixed, music-scored, and produced every square inch of our film. We can now apply that intimate knowledge of every facet of filmmaking to all our projects. A cinematographer and editor will have much more respect for your direction and vision when they know you’ve done it before. It’s all about mutual appreciation and respect.

Also, we are actor’s directors. Our experience in front of the camera has given us an understanding of how to get the best performances out of our cast. We know how to create a safe place for them to explore and execute.

If your cast and crew are in good hands–and your script is half decent–your chances of an entertaining and successful film increase dramatically.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

We self-funded our first few feature films. We are now securing outside investment for upcoming projects.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/SharkGirlMovie

Image Credits

Rob Zazzali