IFH 290: How I Almost Directed a $20 Million Film for the Mob

Alex Ferrari 1:57
Well, today is the day guys I have been teasing you for weeks, if not months now about this big project, which now you know is a book that I've written called shooting for the mob. Now at the end of this episode, I'm going to tell you how you can get free access to the book early before it gets released. But you're going to have to stay tuned to find out now I'm just going to read you the synopsis of the book because it's generally the best way for me to get across what this book is about. a bipolar gangster, a naive young film director and Batman what could go wrong? Alex Ferrari is a first time film director who just got hired to direct a $20 million feature film. The only problem is the film is about Jimmy and ego maniacal gangster who wants to film to be about his life in the mob. From the backwater towns of Louisiana to the Hollywood Hills, Alex is taken on a crazy misadventure through the world of the mafia and Hollywood, huge movie stars billion dollar producers studio heads and of course, a few gangsters populate this unbelievable journey down the rabbit hole of chasing your dream. Would you sell your soul to the devil to make your dream come true? By the way, did I mention that this story is based on true events? No, seriously, it is. Now while that settles in, in like seeps into your mind. I'll tell you a little bit about the backstory of this book. This story chronicles the darkest time in my life without question. It left me without a girlfriend. It left me almost bankrupt. I was in a depression for over two years. And it took me a long time to come out of this. This this kind of black hole that I was stuck into for almost a year of my life. I know a lot of people listen to me and listen to the way I talk on this podcast and the kind of work I'm doing with any film hustle. And you can kind of sense that there's a little bit of a grizzled, you know, battle hardened filmmaker on this other side of this microphone. And this story is the origin stories of that for for you guys to to listen to and to hear and to read. shooting for the mob is it is a true story. It is based on true events. And it is honestly the craziest story I've ever heard about trying to make a movie in Hollywood. Every time I've been at a party at Sundance or at AFM or, you know, many film festivals or any Hollywood parties. You know, I get asked about this, this event because it's kind of known with a few of my close friends. And they would always ask me like this. Is this a real story? I'm like, it absolutely is. And I would tell stories of parties and people were like, Man that would make an amazing movie. You should really write that one day. I'm like, Yeah, one day maybe I'll write a screenplay. But but a year and a half ago. A friend of mine, who's in the book, his name is Boris, in the book, he called me and told me to turn on the radio. And I hadn't even thought of Jimmy the gangster. for probably about a decade, I really just haven't thought about him. But I did turn on the radio and he was him. He was on the radio. And I could not believe it in all this fear, all this pain, everything came rushing back into my life. And I let my daughters and my wife go into target, I sat in the parking lot of target, and listen to the rest of his interview where he was talking about God knows what. But I, I was just in awe of it. So I called back my friend, Boris and I said, I can't believe he's still doing this. And Boris told me, you have to write the screenplay. And I'm like, I'm not going to write a screenplay about this, who's going to give me money to make this movie. It's a period piece that takes place in the early 2000s. About a gangster in a film director. It just doesn't seem like anyone's going to give me money. And I don't want to chase money, and try to make this movie right now. And he said, Well, then you can write the book. And at that point, I said, damn it. He's right. I can write this book. And I started the journey of writing, writing this book, which is, I can't tell you one of actually the most difficult thing creatively I've ever had to do. This book is extremely raw. I, I literally am completely naked in this in this book. I have no armor whatsoever in this book. Because I said, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to go all the way. Because I hope my hope for this this book is that it helps people out there. It helps other filmmakers, it helps other screenwriters helps other artists not to make these mistakes. Now, of course, you know, not many of you are going to meet a gangster who wants to make a movie about your life, though I have heard that that has happened here and there. But I hope it It teaches people not to sell their souls, really, to the devil in the chase of that golden carrot. And my friends, I had that golden carrot really, really close. I mean, during my adventures of hanging out with mobsters and gangsters in, in our production offices, which I won't tell you and I don't want to give away too much of the book, but I was in the production offices. And then Hollywood actually took this gangster seriously. And then I was flown out to Hollywood to meet billion dollar producers and I'm talking about if I named them you'd be going oh my god, you were sitting in their penthouse. My Yes, I was talking I had meetings with huge movie stars at the Chateau Marmont, at the IV at Spa goes, I'm 26 as green as they come. I had directed a few commercials. And, you know, I've been editing for a while but I was by no stretch, a seasoned, you know, professional by that point when when Jimmy got a hold of me. And, you know, I met studio heads, I met heads of agencies, you know, some of the biggest agencies in town I had meetings with, you know, dinners that I just can't just as so many stories, so many things that could that are in the book that I want to say but you have to kind of read the book when to get the whole the whole story but it was a wild wild ride. And and Boris who was with me for probably around two and a half months of that almost year putting everything together. He was one of my few angels that helped me through this extremely difficult time. I mean, I had my life threatened. every week or every other week. You really never knew what what Jimmy was going to do because Jimmy was bipolar, undiagnosed bipolar. Because one moment he would be the happiest, coolest dude telling these amazing stories of when he was with the mob. And another time he would be the most, he'd be the scariest human being you've ever been near. He was very similar to the character that Joe Pesci played in Goodfellas. You know, at one moment you're like, Ha ha ha ha ha and the next moment I my clown Why Why am I a clown to you do make me laugh. I do I make you laugh. That kind of thing. That kind of serious. That kind of like, tension is what I was dealing with day in day out for almost a year of my life. And it was absolutely brutal. But again, I wanted to bring this story to the world in this fashion and wanting to write a book because That was the only way I was going to be able to get everything out. And I tell you, there was moments while I was writing this book that I was crying while I was writing chapters that I avoided writing, like I would skipped a chapter and not want to go there because I knew what I was going to have to write, I knew where I had to go emotionally, to write those scenes. And I mean, who in their right mind wants to go back to the darkest time in their life, revisit it live in it, and you know, kind of just bathe yourself in that, that horror. for months and months and months at a time, it is not a very easy thing to do. It's extremely difficult to do. But the one thing that writing this book has done for me is kind of exercised all the demons out of me in regards to this, I had no idea how much weight was on my shoulders from carrying this story with me for so many years, and how it affected me psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually, like how it affected me and the decisions I made for the past 18 years, once the book was done being written, and I sent it off to my publisher, it was kind of like an immense weight was lifted off my shoulders. And I was extremely open to talk about bunch of details and talk about the story like it was any other story, where before, I would tell just a few things here and there about the story, but not really go into a lot of detail because it was just painful. I just didn't want to go there. And it is been an amazing journey so far. And it journey is just about to start because the book will be released on February 22. It will be available on Amazon and online. And then we're going to roll it out to bookstores, Barnes and Nobles and, and independent bookstores throughout the country. I will be doing book signings, I will be trying to do a tour, we're going to be doing a lot of signings, and kind of talks and workshops here in Los Angeles around the book. And I'm going to really honestly try to go to a bunch of different cities around the country. I know we're talking about doing something in Colorado, of course, New York, and Austin and a few other places that I really want to go and visit because I want this book to get out there as much as humanly possible. And then of course, I will be doing the audio book version of the story in the coming months. And that'll be released soon after the book is released. But the book will be released first. Now, as promised, I'm going to tell you how you can get a free copy of the book before it gets released publicly. Now I'm going to be creating a launch team or a street team to help me launch shooting for the mob. And if you want to sign up for that, head over to shooting for the mob.com that's shooting with two O's, the mob.com. And once you sign up, we will be creating a private Facebook group where all of us will be able to talk. And I will be sending you guys early copies of the book for you to read. And then hopefully review on Amazon, on Barnes and Noble on Goodreads and many other places. You'll also see my strategies and how we're able to launch not only a book, but a lot of the things that we're going to be doing in the launch team is also can easily translate into how to launch an independent film or product. And I want to hear your advice, your ideas, your thoughts. That's the point of creating a launch team. It's kind of creating like a little mini tribe, to help get the word out on this book. And this book is so so so important to me. And I really wanted to get out to as many people as humanly possible, because I really hope this book helps out a lot of people and also entertains them with this insanely crazy story. I don't ask very often, for things from you guys. I always want to give and give and give. But this book, this story is so so important to me. Not for financial reasons I can you know, if we make money with it great. It's not my goal. My goal is to get the book out to as many people as humanly possible because I really want it to be a story that will help teach people how to stand up for themselves, how not to compromise their morals in order just for the chance to achieve a dream that they think is that that important that they're willing to compromise who they are as human beings to do so. La and Hollywood is full of people like this and I tell you from experience when you Do that it is a dead end road, I promise you, at a certain point, you will hit a wall. And you will not feel good about how you got wherever you get to. And it generally doesn't last. I've seen it happen many, many times in my career. So I really hope that this book is a beacon of hope to let people know that they can get out of bad situations, whether it be in your job, in your relationships, in bad situations, that you have a choice, you can leave those situations, it is in your power to do so. And that I hope this book in this entertaining, yet horrific story, it will will help you guys get through that and help anybody who reads it, get through tough times and stand up for themselves and how to how to do things right. And and then by the way, it is not all doom and gloom. It is hilarious. This book is hilarious if I do say so myself, the stories in it are read Dick aeolus. Like the stuff that we went through the people we met, the situations I was put in. It is such a ridiculous story. I mean, I laughed that many places in this book, and I cried in many places in this book, it's just, I really am proud of the work, I really am proud of this book. I cannot wait for you guys to see it and to read it, and to talk about it. And I'm going to be talking more about the book going forward on the podcast. I'm not going to beat you guys up about it. But I will be talking about it because it is that big of a deal for me. And I really hope it's a big deal for you guys, the tribe. Because again, I don't ask very often for things. But I am asking now to please help get the word out on this book. So once again, head over to shootingforthemob.com that's with two O's sign up there to be part of the launch team and get a free copy of the book early before it gets released. And if you guys want to see the book cover and get a little bit more information, go to the show notes at indiefilmhustle.com/290. There you'll be able to see the the book in in its all its glory, as well as a link to preorder the book on amazon.com. And it will be available for kindle and nook in all those digital ebook versions as well as a paperback version. And we're going to be working on hardcover versions in the future as well. And then, of course, my audio book version where I'll be narrating and reading the book to you with the voice that you have been so accustomed to by listening to this podcast on a weekly basis. And if this wasn't enough of a big news announcement, Monday is going to be a huge podcast episode. And it is something that I've been working on as well with a partner of mine that is going to give you guys access to the upper echelons of Hollywood. And I'm so excited to bring this opportunity to you guys. I was approached about it. And I said oh hell yes, I want to give this opportunity to, to the to the tribe to help them get to where they need to be. So I'm excited. So so so excited about Monday's episode. So please definitely check out that episode number 291, which is going to be pretty epic, to say the least. Thank you guys for listening. Again, I really appreciate all the support and all the help that the tribe is given me and is hopefully going to give me on the release of this book. It's so so important to me. And I can't wait for you guys to read it. I can't wait for you guys to read it. And to let me know what you think about it and share stories about hopefully not gangster stories, but stories about you overcoming a lot of things that I overcame in this book, and I really hope it helps some people out there. So thanks again. And as always keep that also going. Keep that dream alive. And I'll talk to you soon.