The Mountain Out Of Hell

To get out of Hell, you have to climb your own mountain. That’s what I have learned.?

The mountain height is what you set for yourself. No one else can climb it for you, but you can find genuine helpers along the way.?

You can make ladders. You can buy rope. You can even trade for the more gripping shoes of a dead climber that you woefully pass along the way up.

You fight your fight against all odds. And still there is no guarantee. But there is no other choice but onward and upward, even when you fall.

For me, ever since I recorded my first song in 1998, I set my sights on being a rock star.?

Frankly, I receive sheer joy in creating music, have a knack for song writing, and love performing on stage. AI won’t ever replace that at the soul level.

I also love public speaking, and get a rush from seeing lights go on in eyes and brains when something I say or do connects with people who have gathered.

Born in the 70s, raised in the 80’s, and adulthood in the 90’s… I know the America that Hollywood built.

Fame and fortune is something that so many humans on earth are attracted to that they flock to this city called Hollywood, CA to take pictures of themselves standing along a sidewalk with the names of people who have “Made It”, depending on whatever that term might mean to anyone.

I guess I've always been one in my heart to admire Hollywood and all of the stuff that it produces. Never mind the dark side, plenty of famous stars are still living in their own hell and kill themselves. Their mountain was too high as well, so fame and fortune alone cannot and will not not prevent anyone from remaining in Hell.

Now, let’s be clear… I am not famous. I haven’t “Made It” yet. But some kind of bell has rung.

My mountain climb is ongoing, but I feel somehow closer to a summit. A major milestone has been achieved. With the premiere of SPYRAL, I know of at least one person who hugged me and said after viewing the film, she would no longer continue on her path to suicide.

That’s a victory right there.

Each person my new film SPYRAL helps will be another foothold upward on my own steep cliff. My goal is to help as many people as possible before we all perish in a nuclear fire storm of our own collective societal making. I feel the western world is in collapse: economically, mentally, and spiritually. So my joy comes in fighting back to restore those things in people. I figured maybe this movie could help do that, in addition to my ecological activism. Did you know I also co-founded America’s first Eco-shitter company? We turned poop into fertilizer for tree farmers. People like our portas better than the nasty plastic things with the blue goo - but that’s another article. Oh, and one more thing - also started America's first hyper-local social network with community mobilization teams - shout out to Colonel Arnold Strong.

A few people have asked, "How did you get to premiere your life story SPYRAL at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood?"

It really comes down to a zillion custom life factors for any one person of how they get involved, but I have found 9-steps that seem to work, even if cliche:

1 - Face To Face Networking

Showing up to real world networking events and meeting people face to face will always dominate any electronic format of communication.

In my case, I had spent a year with a bottle of wine per night and my laptop, organizing what media I had to piece my life back together to understand what happened after my late wife Michelle completed suicide.

It was time to get social again, so I began attending networking events around Austin, Texas where I had moved to after living in Portland, Oregon for 17 years.?

2 - Be Genuine

I might be a quirky creative. But you get the real me every time. So when attending any event, I love meeting people and asking them about themselves because I’m so bored with myself. I genuinely love networking but believe it or not I’m shy, so I just overcome that and strike up conversation anywhere with anyone. People are awesome one-on-one.

3 - Remember Names

It kills me when I misplace someone’s name in my mind. I will say it multiple times in my head when greeting, and if you repeat it back out loud to verify you are saying it right, that’s a memorization technique. Knowing someone’s name are steps up on their mountain.?

4 - Build A Professional Team

The personal journey out of Hell, again, is a steep climb.

I once asked “Killer Dave” of Dave's Killer Bread how he got out of Hell and he quipped:

“Go to prison, get out. Go to prison, get out again. Go to prison, get out again. Then go to prison a 4th time, and get out. Then I’ll tell you the secret.”

I made his first video, a mini-documentary as he was riding his star to fame.?

His mission: “To make the world a better place, one loaf of bread at a time.” Dave built a killer team, one that was attracted to his mission of the best organic bread and by hiring ex-felons. It works.

My team? I owe my mountain climb to another climber who I met through networking. Jennifer Hutchins is a Producer, and instead of asking about what she could do for me, I just got involved with All Entertainment Business (AEB), and started volunteering with audio / video work since I geek out on sound boards.

Over time, Jen discovered the story I was working on, and she saw the potential social impacts of such a raw look at each emotional angle when it comes to mental illness over time.

From there, we added Lee Rothenflue, who joined with video editing skills to create a trailer, which with the trio’s efforts attracted double Academy award-winning and three-time Emmy winner Bill Guttentag as Director.

But making a film costs money.

5 - Bootstrapping

There it is. No trust fund. No money. Just starting from zero.

I’m lucky to have a loving family and friends who kept me from falling deeper into the pits of Hell when my life fell apart in Oregon.

But this project was for me to fund. Via networking I was able to befriend some early investors with a few thousand dollars, enough to secure some professional up front needs to build even more of a team.

Producer, editor, director, sound, research, legal, acting talent…? now it was real. Then the film finally resonated with an infusion by Executive Producer Jason French, allowing us to begin production.

Of course, Hell is running out of money. Which we did.

We needed to raise an additional $25k or so for finishing costs, so we ran a successful Kickstarter which is another article itself (Rewards are being shipped out ASAP, thank you to our backers!).

Again, find your helpers on your climb. Give them a positive reason to be supportive.

Finally, when actress Michelle Trachtenberg voiced Michelle’s diary and social media posts with a wrap on production, we knew we had made something unique.

6 - Launch Your Thing

Here is the secret to this article.?

At first we failed.

We launched, and frankly, the subject was too controversial, the market timing wasn’t right, the film is amazing but “just not a fit for us”.

When you have put your entire existence on the line, and you are told “not good enough”… what do you do?

7 - Luck

I don't know how that one works, but you definitely need it.

8 - Pivot

When your plan goes wrong, that’s you tumbling back down the mountain.?

Retool. Re-approach. Re-ignite your passion.

And even if it’s not your dream job, apply yourself fully to whatever work you have to pay the bills while you work on climbing your mountain. Make all work part of your joyous climb upward, and change as needed if it’s not helping you climb anymore.

9 - Repeat

The way things are headed, the west seems destined for the flames of Hell to lick at more and more people’s feet. Maybe you need to change things up to get to the next summit on your mountain.?

But to get out of Hell, you have to climb that mountain. That’s what I have learned.?

I hope you get to see SPYRAL. For Private events and speaking, we are looking to get the film to organizations, universities, conferences... wherever we can make an impact. Contact us at www.SpyralTheMovie.com.

- Randall Scott White