You can find or introduce solutions for life and businesses through films! Solution film is a new genre that helps people get fascinating solutions and get uplifted.

Our guest today is Eugene Mandelcorn, a producer and screenwriter at First Features. He ran an International Organization of Filmmakers for 20 years and a Sales & Marketing Company, that sold films around the world, for 11 years. He's now forming a New International Studio Without Borders or Walls with talent from around the world. Eugene wrote and produced the first narrative feature film in the solution genre entitled, “Lee’d the Way.”

Listen to this podcast as Eugene Mandelcorn introduces a new film genre that inspires and provides people with solutions to everyday problems. He discusses how business owners can market their businesses by introducing their solutions through films or games. Tune in as he shares his business journey and why this new film genre differs from documentaries and other films. You'll also hear about how collaboration and partnership helped him become successful for he has people who had qualities contributing to his great films.

Eugene's Email: firstfeatures@mail.com

Eugene's Book Recommendation: The Little Prince

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Until next time, keep moving forward!

Chuck Anderson,

Affiliate Management Expert + Investor + Mentor

http://AffiliateManagementExpert.com/

All the young up and coming filmmakers. They usually do films in the horror genre, they tried to scare people who can scare people out of there with, you know, who's the best at doing that. And so they're all competing with each other, making horror films. And in fact, the first film I made as a young filmmaker was a horror film, because I didn't have any money. And I couldn't afford to get stars into the film, you know. So we said way, this is a new genre that also doesn't need stars, we have no stars in this film. And it doesn't need a lot of money to make it because who are the stars of the film, the solution was are the stars of the film, because that's what's going to change people and make them Oh, uplifted, inspired, believe that anything is possible.

Hey, it's Chuck here, and I'm so glad that you're listening to this episode. And I just want to take this quick moment right now to let you know about our Free Collaborators Toolkit. And this episode is all about partnership and collaboration. And our guests share many resources, tools, and things that you can use to make collaboration and partnership easier in your business. So if you're looking for better ways to grow, and scale your business, through collaborations, and strategic partnerships, this free collaborators toolkit is going to contain the best resources from our workshops, as well as contributions from our guests. And these tools could be the missing link that you've been looking for. And they're going to help you to solve everyday business challenges, and access, highly effective ideas that can help and grow your business exponentially. I know they've helped me and I know they're going to help you as well. And the best part about these tools is that they're completely free. And our gift to you for being a valued member of our community, and a subscriber to the show. So you can get access to all of the resources contained inside the collaborators toolkit today by visiting the website at WWW.collaboratorsunite.com/toolkit. That address again is www.collaboratorsunite.com/toolkit. Go ahead and register today get access to all the resources and I'm gonna see you on the inside. Now. Here's the episode.

Hello, everybody. And welcome back to the show, Chuck Anderson here. And I've got another amazing episode for you. And listen, if you've ever had a problem that you tried to solve, and you needed a creative solution for you really want to lean into this episode, because not only are there solutions, but my guest today is the master at finding people with amazing solutions, telling the stories in a very unique and creative way. And really finding a way to get the solutions that the world needs to everyday problems in a very interesting, entertaining, very informative, and I would say very impactful way. So I'm very honored to have Eugene Mandelcorn here with me today. Eugene, welcome to the show.

Hi, thank you very much, Chuck. I'm delighted to be here.

Awesome. Well, likewise, I'm delighted to have you here. And I've been aware of what you've been up to now for probably about six months. And it's it really stands out to me because you're all about solutions, which you know, entrepreneurship, and business is about solutions. But not just about that. It's really in the uniqueness to your approach to this. So now I'm not going to try to butcher your introduction, I'm going to let you introduce yourself. So why don't you tell everybody, first of all about yourself, what you do, and a little bit about the solutions that you've come up with here, which is very, very creative and interesting. And then we'll launch from there.

Okay, thank you very much. Well, everyone, my name is Eugene Mandelcorn. I'm, as far as I know, I'm the only person with that name in the world. So I'm easy to find. It's not like, you know, John Smith or something. And I am a producer writer in the entertainment industry. And what I do is I highlight people's company's products and services in my films and games. So they're basically a whole new solution. You in the entertainment industry, a new genre called the solution genre. And that's what we've invented. And we have a whole studio now to keep that genre alive and to spread it around the world. So we have an international studio without borders or walls to specialize in this new genre. And basically, okay, go ahead. Yeah, well,

I was gonna say, I mean, you call it a new genre. And I agree with that. 100%. It's so cool that what you've done, because within conversations you and I have had in the past with, with the feature films and the games and the things that you're you're doing, you've got a very unique approach in how you communicate and present the solutions, but also how solutions are created. So maybe you could talk a little bit about that, in how how you use feature films and games, to, I guess, communicate the solutions, but also to create the solutions as well.

Right? Yeah, I've talked to a lot of people in the industry told me that this was impossible to do that. That's not what films or entertainment was for. They basically felt that entertainment, first of all, entertain, and then to make people forget about the problems that take them away from the world that they're living in. And we decided, well, a film and games can do much more than that. Okay. And a lot of them are very viable. So we thought, why don't we come up with a new genre that not only entertains, but actually offers possible solutions to the problems that we solve that I mean that we solve the problems that we have every day, and that have solutions to those problems? So that's what we did, we reached out around the world to find solutions to different problems, and wove them into the fabric of a film or a game. So that's, that's, that's what basically what we do. Yeah.

Well, a few things I love about what you just said, first of all, you mentioned that, you know, films and games are often thought of as an escape, or as entertainment. And I think for many that is true, but it doesn't have to be that way, what you did is you looked at this differently instead, wait, it doesn't have to be entertainment, this can be a whole new medium, to not only educate, what solutions are available, but in some cases, actually creating new solutions, as well. And, and I actually look at, you know, some of the games that my teenagers play and stuff, there's a lot of creativity that goes into, you know, goes into this, and it's not, it's not far fetched, for me at all, to think that solutions can actually come from being in that environment, that, and it could be something that, you know, you wouldn't normally think of so. So I love that. And, you know, so really speaking to the fact that it does not have to be, it does not have to be and just entertainment or an escape. Now, you and I were talking last week. And you know, we had that conversation about documentaries, and it would be unfair to categorize what you do as a documentary, because it really isn't. It's way beyond that. Can you speak to that a little bit? Because I think that people might make the same assumption.

Yes, many people when I describe what a solution film is, they said, Oh, it's a documentary. And I would say, well, actually, the only solution films I've seen in the past, were documentaries, they came this closest to a solution film. So what I figured is well, that we can have a genre that is a meld of the of the documentary, and the narrative fiction film. So that's what we actually did. And in the film behind me that what we call the first solution film, and the history of the cinema, will lead the way. We actually show possible solutions to problems. And one of the things in this poster behind me what he's wearing 99.9% of the people think that those are VR glasses. And the main character is called Patrick Lee. He is legally blind and autistic, the perfect candidate for President of the United States. And in this scene, he is standing on a soapbox on a corner in Los Angeles, announcing his run for the presidency. And people are avoiding him because they think he's in some muscle A world they think he's got these VR glasses. He doesn't even know where he's at. Okay. But the truth is, this in the beginning of the film is we're introducing one of the solutions, because what he's wearing is a new invention called new eyes, that allows them legally blind to see, sometimes for the first time in their life, they see their spouse or their children, and it can be a very emotional moment. And this new invention is woven into the story of the film, because that's the only way this candidate can actually see. So that gives you some idea, but we have many more solutions, you know, in our films, but that's one, just one.

Yes. And you know, that's what I find so fascinating. Because when you told it to me the first time, I'm like, oh, okay, right. So it's this hybrid between fiction. So you're telling a story, but you're communicating something real world through the fiction. So the fiction part is that he's running for president. But the nonfiction part is that those are not VR glasses, those really exist as a solution to blindness so that I find extremely fascinating.

There's over 250 million people in the world that could be considered legally blind. And they don't know about this invention. And this film will be streamed around the world. So they're going to find out.

Yeah. And that's that, right? There is a solution that's been needed for a very, very long time. And so, so were to come up with the idea for this. I mean, here, here's an invention that's amazing. in its own right. And then where did you come up with the idea to communicate the solution in this very creative way?

Well, what I was actually working on the documentary for three and a half years, and we were interviewing people about new inventions that solve major problems in the world. And we were very upset. During that time, our director and editor passed away. Okay. And we were, we couldn't shoot any more because of COVID. Okay. And we were just saying, what are we going to do with all these material we have, and several companies, we people we have interviewed in several companies we have talked about in the original documentary, they either went bankrupt, or no longer existed for one reason or another. And we I thought, how can I use all this research that we did, and put it into a film, get it out there, because we don't have the documentary we were working on anymore. So we put together a screenplay. And we shot a feature film during the pandemic, and 12 days. And that became lead the way. And we said, Oh, my God, not only is this a new genre, but all the young up and coming filmmakers. They usually do films in the horror genre, they tried to scare people who can scare people out of there with, you know, who's the best at doing that. And so they're all competing with each other, making horror films. And in fact, the first film I made as a young filmmaker was a horror film, because I didn't have any money, and I couldn't afford to get stars into the film, you know. So we said way, this is a new genre that also doesn't need stars, we have no stars in this film, and it doesn't need a lot of money to make it because who are the stars of the film, the solution, the stars of the film, because that's what's going to change people and make them Oh, uplifted, inspired, believe that anything is possible.

So this is where the marketer in me gets really turned on. Because a big part of selling and marketing is storytelling. And, and where a lot of people go wrong is they'll take a product like that, and they'll start listing off features, features and benefits and and you know, copy that is boring, it's easy to ignore, or just fails to communicate. And, and this is why infomercials were born because anything that's new, right? Anything that's new takes explanation, and education before people actually get it. So So you have a couple of choices. And you know if you could do an infomercial, sure, but or demonstration, or you could, again, you have the challenge of really explaining what it is and what it can do. And what I love about what you're explaining here Yuri is through the power of story. Even though it's a fictional story, it's it very closely mirrors something that could be real. Because of the technology is real, that solution is real. And it really speaks to the possibilities, which is really marketing, it's really getting people opened up to those possibilities. So how do the challenge of how do we get people to pay attention? First of all, get their interest, pay attention, and then hopefully to take some sort of action at the end? So is this is this something that you intentionally built in? Or is it kind of evolved? Or like, what what, you know, what are your thoughts on that?

Well, um, you know, that's what we were trying to do all the time. And people were always saying, well, we don't know how to sell this film, you know, it's so different. Okay. And what we were thinking is, well, like, you're talking about infomercials, you know, to sell a product. And we're thinking, you know, something's very interesting. We've had the, the trailer around for over a century. And that has been the way to sell a tool for selling our film, for you know, we get that trailer can get an audience and build an audience. But we were figuring all the big studios, all the major production companies, they tie up all of the good times and venues for their trailers. So nobody's ever going to see these trailers, no matter how good they are, from these low budget independent films. So we figured, okay, we're gonna have to invent a new way to market and advertise a feature film that is from an independent. Okay, so we, we came up with the vramer, V R A, M, E R, it's a vramer instead of a trailer. And it frames your story and characters in an immersive, interactive game that can be streamed around the world. So all these people will be when they play the game, they'll be able to interact with the characters, they'll be immersed in the story. And now they want to see the film. Now, they're either actively involved, they're not just watching a trailer, they're interacting. So that's what we came up with, we said, We've got to have a new marketing tool for this new genre of film. And that's

So not only did you create a new genre of film, you created a new marketing tool as well, that didn't really exist. And you know, that fits so well into this direction of the meta, the metaverse that is taking shape, gradually, or maybe not. So gradually on online, I mean, the internet is changing. And this seems to align very, very well with where things are going. And as entrepreneurs, as business owners, who and marketers, we need to pay attention to this kind of thing. And, you know, start utilizing this kind of technology, because it's a, it's where the interest lies right now. It's very hot. And it's where attention lies. So I think for anyone who, you know, is, is struggling to get eyeballs on what they're doing, and to communicate their solution that may not be easy to communicate in an elevator pitch, or in a sentence where it requires some explanation like this, it seems to me like this solution film, and also this, this framing thing that you've come up with that that to me, it's, it's amazing. It sounds like this is where business owners should be really paying attention to, and potentially utilizing in their marketing.

Thank you. Yeah. And we've been talking to a lot of people in the industry, you know, in the entertainment industry. And I think I mentioned to you before that, we talked to this one lady, that was very much against the whole idea of the solution film. She said, You know, you can, you can entertain people you can offer, you know, possible, you know, solutions to problems. But the people watch the film, they can take action, but you cannot actually take action, in a motion picture actually solve a problem. And so I took that to heart and I said, well in our first film and lead the way, we're hoping to lead the way for other filmmakers to work in this new genre, but something is missing. And so In the sequel, we're not working on the sequel, we decided we're not only going to just show solutions, possible solutions to problems, but we're actually going to implement one of the solutions in the film. So we have to tackle a very big problem in Los Angeles, because that's where we're shooting, we're going to attempt to solve the homeless crisis in Los Angeles. But we're going to take the first step, we're going to break the ground, we don't have enough money available to make the next film to actually solve the problem. But we can start it, and we can actually make it look using movie magic, like wood to actually solve the problem entirely, you know, so it inspire people to say, Oh, my God, this is really happening. This is really a way to solve this major problem. And that's, that's what we like to do. I mean, we want to take it to the next level in the sequel. So

And that's where the subsequent steps will, will come in, right. And so if what you're doing takes the first step, and you used a great word there, and that is inspire, if if you do that, and you take that first step inspires people to get on board, to take that idea and run with it, and and then to add their innovations to it, then, you know, that may very well be the catalyst that's needed to really, you know, solve the problem. And this is where this is a great lead into our show, because our show is all about collaboration and partnership. And no, really, nobody really accomplishes anything alone. But and no one thing are no one person is going to solve the homeless problem. But if we all get involved in it, and collaborate, this could be very well, one of those ways to inspire that collaboration, to actually see the problem through to the end.

Yeah, I agree. And that's one of the reasons when people ask me, you know, everybody has an ego, but I always say, my background is much important, much more important than I am. And that background shows, is representing the work of a lot of people, a lot of people, not just the casting crew, but a lot of inventors, a lot of thinkers who have come up with solutions that make this film possible, you know, not just the acting and the, and the directing, and the, you know, and the camerawork and all of that, and the editing, but the story behind the film itself is bigger even than the film, you know, because all these people gave their lives and all their time to develop the solutions. So that's what's important.

Yeah, and so building upon that for a moment, because I love this because anyone who's ever watched a film or a TV show or, or anything, at the end, there's a very, very, very, very long list of credits of people who contributed to that. So it's definitely a team sport. It's, it's not something that just happens in one person makes it happen, it takes definitely a village of collaborators to make that happen. And so, you know, I'd love to hear a little bit more about because one of the things that we want to do is inspire our listeners to do more collaboration, look for partners, versus trying to figure out everything themselves. So I mean, did you figure this all yourself? Or did you have a team of collaborators?

Yeah, of course, I have a team of collaborators. And like I said, I don't have the solutions to these problems. People tell me about the problems, oh, I have this problem, I have this problem. And then I we search out the solutions. And we've traveled all over the world to find different solutions to the problems. Once we have verified that this solution really works. Then we incorporate it then we weave that into the into the fabric of the film, or the game. So

So to make something like this happen is is a huge undertaking, probably more so than a lot of businesses that that we ended up working with. I mean, it definitely takes a lot of people. When it comes to finding sources of partnerships or collaborations or some sort of missing piece. You identify some missing piece in this that you need, what's your go to method or place or whatever for finding that piece or that collaboration or that partnership that brings in that missing piece into your business or Where do you where do you tend to look?

Well, I tend to look and I do a lot now on the computer, because you can't actually find people working in the area that you're talking about, okay, then you've got to contact them, you've got to get in contact with them. If you can't get in contact with them, you have a team of people that might have more access to them, there's something called Six Degrees of Separation. So because we have an international studio, we have creative people around the world. And when we were putting together this feature behind me, we I had a dream list, you always have a dream list of your cast and crew. Okay, so I had a dream list of actors, I wanted to play certain parts in the film. And I was trying to get a hold of these people, and it was so hard to get hold of them. So I told one of our producers that lives in France, why don't you try it because this actor who has won an Academy Award in the United States, is probably more likely to respond to a French producer, that contacts of some buddy from outside the country. And he's gonna see Oh, my God, maybe this is a project I should look at. So he contacted him. And he responded right away. And he, they, he came in discussion with my partner in France. And then he introduced him to me. And then I gave him a part of the script to read. And he says, Yes, I want to be aboard this project. Okay, so and then he gave us permission to use his name and his picture, and advertising the film for raising money. You know, so in other words, seeing this snowball, once you have a team, and you have it in place, that you can go to someone else, if you fail, you can go to someone else. I'll give you a story, that kind of kind of representative. When I was a young man, many, many years ago, I was interviewed by a writer for Time magazine, I don't even know how BIG TIME magazine was at that time. And it still is big. But anyway, so she interviewed me for a story. And when I read the story, she wrote, I was very depressed, because she said, This guy has a lot of great idea. But he doesn't have something very important to be successful in this industry. He has no charisma. So I really took that to heart, it really saddened me. And I decided, well, I have to find a solution for this. If I wasn't born with charisma, I've got to surround myself with people who have. And that's exactly what I did. And that's how I became successful by surrounding myself with people who had qualities that I didn't have, you know, that bolstered me and lifted me up, you know. So that that's one story.

Why I love that story, because it speaks to a very important partnership lesson that I learned very early on. And I learned a painful way, and that I would partner with people just like me, and I liked them. And why did they like I liked them, because they were just like me. And we had that similarity. And so but it ended up in disaster because we were both strong in the same areas, and both weak in the same areas. And so it was really just two similar people failing at the same things, succeeding at others failing at at some of the same things. And it was a very important partnership lesson, and that is find someone who is strong, where you're weak or has the strength in a certain area, that skill that you really need. And so in your case, you mentioned the charisma, you went looking for someone who has it. And that's, that is the missing piece of a puzzle. That's the thing that, you know, if we're bringing that in, you know, it makes a huge difference. So I love that story. Speaking of which, and you know, kind of taking the lessons out of this, I mean, a huge part of entrepreneurship is is, you know, learning and growing. A huge part of it. We've already established that nobody really accomplishes anything alone, especially not a feature film takes a tremendous amount of collaboration to make that happen. I would say that, you know, a big part of my journey has been mentorship and I have been blessed with a number of really great teachers and mentors along the way, having the right teacher in the right mentor at the right time. So I like to ask all my guests while I have them here. You know, who's been the most influential in your life that maybe others could learn from as well?

Well, I would say for the solution film itself, I think my mentor, the person that I follow most closely would be Darrell Davis. And if you ever seen the film, accidental courtesy, it is amazing film. Okay. And it is shows a possible solution to the the racism in the United States. It is amazing film. And I think Minh, many more people should see it. But the problem is, it's a documentary, and documentaries do not get the exposure, exposure, that a live action, a fictional film does a narrative fiction film, which has a much larger audience. So that's, that's why, you know, I've watched a lot of documentaries, and some of them are excellent, they really inspire people and make them like, like the woman was saying, make them take action, you know, and, and really inspire them. But I think the film can do more than that, especially the narrative fiction film. So because you can change the story, you know, you can make it happen, even though in the film, we're in the documentary, you can't actually make it happen. But in a feature fiction film, you can use Movie magic to make it look, wow, this is amazing. It's happening right now, you know? So yeah,

I think what's really cool about that is that plants, the seed of creativity in your audience, right, because if you actually show it being solved, if you show something actually being done, whether it's been done or not, just look at all of the derivative technology and solutions that have come from watching Star Trek, right. And so, so much inspiration that has come from that. So I think that's another byproduct of what you're doing is, is you're inspiring a new level of solution, you're at a new level of creativity, and a new level of collaboration, potentially, in the work that you do, which I think is it's a natural ripple effect of what you're doing, which is, which is really cool. So now carrying on in this whole theme, and we want to we like to help our audience, you know, with resources that can help them grow. And, and one of the things that has also helped been helpful for me is books, because there's so much information, so much of the knowledge that we're seeking is contained in books, even though you've come up with a really creative way now to communicate solutions in a new way. But let's face it, books are, you know, books, that's where that's been the genre of the past for getting information. So if there was a must read book that you would recommend to our audience, what would you recommend?

Well, I don't think I told you this before, but for many years, I was a librarian.

You know books very well.

And but the book I would pick is probably by many people consider it a children's book. But I think more than a children's book, it teaches adults as well. It's called The Little Prince. And that film, that book was been made into a film too. But that book really inspired me. Yes, I really love that.

What would you say would be the biggest takeaway from from that story?

The biggest takeaway is that every one is related in some way or another. And if you can communicate with with others, then your life will be embellished. The more people and in their account includes animals to that you can communicate with and it they can you can befriend them and they will become you will become one with them. And that that is the old thing, which we have to see in Darrell Davis is film. Accidental courtesy the same thing as in as in the little print, you'll see a connection between them. Yeah.

Wow. What an amazing recommendation. And I doubt we'll ever hear that recommendation come from anyone else because most people will recommend their favorite nonfiction book. I love this for so many reasons and the takeaway, brilliant and that just makes me want to go sit down with my four year old right after this and and go and read that book. So. So Eugene, thank you so much for being on the show, explaining about your very creative and innovative solution. It's groundbreaking. And I think we've only seen the beginning of what it's capable of, and what the derivative work will be from all of this. So thank you for sharing all of that. If any one of our audience members was inspired and wants to get a hold of you, maybe they have a solution or an idea or an application, or maybe a way to get your film out there, whatever it is, whatever the collaboration, whatever the idea, they want to get a hold of you, where's the best place to do that?

Well, the best place to do that is to contact me at firstfeatures@mail.com. That's my, my email. It's just mail, no G, no Y. And first features is plural. And it's spelled out Firstfeatures@mail.com. That's the easy way you get a hold of me. And once I have your email, then we can communicate on a regular basis. Yeah, or you can also go check me on search engine. And because my name Eugene Mandelcorn, I'm the only one in the world, you can find out how to contact me. There.

Okay, fantastic. And we'll link to all your appropriate places in the show notes and make it really easy for people to find you. But I do sincerely hope that our audience was inspired by your story today, he is hugely inspiring. And so Eugene, I want to thank you very much for being here today. And I do highly recommend that if anyone was inspired, and would like to connect with Eugene, please do it. And, you know, let's see what new creativity what let's see what new kinds of solutions can come from that. And with that being said, Eugene, if you were to leave our audience with just one final piece of wisdom, words of wisdom piece of advice, what would you tell them?

I would say never give up on your dreams, and even movies. If you want to make movies, we have a saying at our studio. It doesn't take money to make movies. It takes talent with passion and a dream.

Wow, talent with a passion and a dream. Right. That's amazing. I love that. Eugene, thank you so much for being on our show. And I think those are great words to end our episode with today. So to Eugene, thank you to our audience. Thank you also, do reach out if you've been inspired. And make sure you come back here for our next episode, where we'll have another amazing guest with more solutions and more ideas for to help in your business. And in the meantime, keep moving forward and and keep moving forward in that pursuit of your big dream. And like Eugene said, never give up on that and keep moving forward. Till next time. Everybody. Have a good one.

Thank you. Thank you.