Carin Smolinski: From actress to indie vertical producer

_English captions file from the edit (carin-smolinski-ep4.en.srt), grouped into paragraphs._ [00:00] I think it was day five that I realized the cameras were turned sideways. Hello. My name is Carin Smolinski. Thank you for joining me at the Micro Drama Summit. Thank you, Chi, for asking me to speak. I am a vertical actress, writer, writer director producer in the space and it's been a fun journey getting to where I am definitely if you had told me three years ago that I would be here I would like there's no way there's no way I was one of the very OGs that really believed in verticals when other people were looking down on them and and it was a little shameful fact I was like this is the best thing ever so how I got involved was at 50 I decided to go back to [00:56] my childhood love which was acting and I've been living in a small town and I got back to Vancouver and went to an audition and I thought maybe I'd get a part maybe one maybe two and I showed up on my first set and I was Nick Westway's mom and it was pretty funny because I think I was like day three and he said to me is this your first vertical and at that time we were filming a scene where he was on the stairs and I was running up the stairs and pushing past him saying get out of my way and I thought he meant going up the stairs so I was like vertical okay yeah I'm going up the stairs I was like yeah it's my first vertical so I think it was day five that I realized the cameras were turned sideways I [01:49] was wondering why the script was so bad that you know we had I think five first ADs quit in the span of the thing and that was right at the inception in Vancouver, I June of 2024. And since then I have been absolutely blessed to have acted in 29 vertical series which is insanity I really really even think I'd get a part when I came back to it so if you were to tell me then that I would be back and forth between LA and here going to red carpet events being nominated for the Vertical Drama Love Awards, for the Verdies, for two different categories that I would be producing, executive producing, writing, I would have told you you were insane, [02:43] you know, so super grateful. So that's kind of my path through. But I do know that a lot of people come to these summits to hear about the business of verticals. So why did I transition from actress to the production side? So a woman, as you can see. I'm a mother, I'm a sister, I'm a daughter. And I just don't like how women are represented in a lot of verticals. [03:19] And I feel that it's a step backwards in terms of where women have fought so hard to be and you know more youth are watching them and I think the normalization of abuse against women non-consent misogyny is extremely detrimental and that it shouldn't be normalized even though it's fiction you know I also feel as actresses and actors repeatedly putting our bodies and our nervous systems through abuse scenarios has to take its toll on us so I wanted to advocate for better scripts better sets better mental health better intimacy stunt coordination all of that. [04:06] So I had produced a bunch of short films. And the other part of my huge why is that my son, Indiana Wilson, is my partner in crime. And he is always the director of photography, the DP, and I'm the director. So I get to work with my which is one of life's biggest pleasures you know and gifts and so I wanted to create opportunities for us to work together as well so when you put all those together we had made a bunch of short films that you know won awards at film festivals and you know my business experience my background is in business I'm a serial entrepreneur that has spent many different kinds of companies [04:59] but my main one has been in private early learning centers and so I've built seven-figure companies, and managed staff up to 50 and 60 so that leads very well into project management and production is project management ultimately you know also I'm giggling because if you can see my chain here, ADHD, this is my superpower, and, you know, it's neurodiversity, and my brain works in very magical ways, and so, you know, keeping my house clean is one of life's biggest struggles, you know, it looks really good here, but if you can see all around I've like put things around and like shoved them everywhere but yes I'm human [05:52] my house is not this clean so you know simple tasks you know can be quite challenging but I get when I lock in and when I'm in ADHD hyperfocus, I can move mountains and I can keep 18 balls in the air I like to say that my brain has 18 tabs open at the same time which so does my unfortunately and so with that I'm able to be having so many conversations in my head and tracking so many different parts of a project at the same time so all of that said Indy and I were sitting down and we were like you know what let's make our own vertical you know we can do this you know we've got the skills, we know the right people to form an amazing crew let's do this and so it started out because I have a house in Nicaragua that I thought [06:46] oh okay we have the location and that you know can lower our budget dramatically so we'll film there and we'll just have a tiny little crew you know like me Indy a few of his friends we'll get you know some friend actors keep the cast small all of those things so we started to investigate filming in Nicaragua and it is a lot harder there's no rental houses gear rentals and bringing it over the border there was a few you know challenges with that and we were already going to fly into Liberia in Costa Rica so I just pivoted shifted and we're like now we're filming in Costa Rica because Costa Rica has a film commission and they want foreign film companies to film there so it's pretty cool pretty amazing so that [07:40] was decided and so the story that was developing in my head you know was all grounded in things that have come from my life I've traveled around the world solo since I was 18 and you know what you see in every tourist town is you know it it starts as a beautiful humble little town and then you know the developers come the you know the all the western influences and then next thing you know there's no private beaches it's all been taken over by evil developers which comes in Victor Graves so that's kind of where it came from also there's an amazing turtle rescue organization in Nicaragua so I wanted to bring in the environmental aspect of it so Tides of Desire was born and created you know it [08:38] is grounded in strong female characters a mature single mother a widowed father all of my female characters are educated smart my male characters are emotionally and mature but there's still spice there's still drama there's still romance you know all of those things so with that all of a sudden next thing I know we had a crew a cast and crew of oh my gosh how can I forget already I was gonna say 21 and then I thought is it 30? [09:16] International people from Canada, US, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. I cast some amazing established actors like Jada Stevens, Jordan Frank, Mark Stevens, Natasha Reimer and then I also welcomed some newcomers. I cast people of color diversity was very important we had leads who spoke with accents we had people speaking Spanish in it we employed local people so it was pretty special and so it was a crazy time from start to end from the very start it was insanity Indy was at the airport with all the people they got through security and I got the call so [10:07] all of our flights have been cancelled I'm like no what oh my god our shooting schedule was so tight but it it was phenomenal these people were such troopers they you know they packed into hotel rooms in Vancouver they got on red eye flights they all were on different flights all around and they got off the plane in Costa Rica did the two hour drive got out of the vans right onto set and we started shooting right into a pickleball scene which is you know absolute insanity but they were amazing all of our cast and crew were phenomenal it was such a fun experience not without challenges the heat the bugs the torrential downpours I'm like what kind of insane person for their first production decides to just go for it [11:04] and decides to do an international production but hey there you go and there we have it so yeah filming was amazing and then it went into editing it was a big learning curve and a big process with editing so as you know some verticals can be edited in the shortest two weeks but we were four months so took a long time but you know we just needed to make sure to get the pacing right and that the story was being told correctly and we wanted to bridge a balance between vertical and and something you know not as fast-paced but still kept their attention so we were always kind of flirting between the two and then came distribution and at that time you know there was Red Talons, Love and Blood. [11:56] And beyond that you know I didn't know of any other independent verticals and and I didn't know of any that had written directed produced self-funded and got through all the stages and then it was like okay now we have to get it on a platform and when I started there was such desperation for kind of these new western ones so there was all these great stories that no problem can get a non-exclusive and you'll be paid 180 grand and you know one platform will keep it or you can go you know with you can get five different platforms they'll pay you thirty to forty five thousand dollars each and I was like this is great well by the time got to distribution that was not the case and so there was also no playbook there was [12:52] no vertical distributors there was no LA vertical drama market you know there was nothing so it was literally looking up apps and trying to find contacts and cold calling and getting no replies and all of this like it was soul crushing you know because you do all of this and then you get this amazing product and then you're like yay the world's gonna see it you know and everyone's watching because they're like well if she can do it you know I can do it too right and I want to keep people encouraged to do it but it's definitely it was forging a path it was trailblazing you know shortly after Julie Bruns approached me and she had this incredible idea to make Beneath Crimson Sails first pirate vertical and she was like can you come on board you know we need some [13:48] financial support and I was like this is another vancouver-based female indie producer hell yes of course I'm gonna jump on board so that's been another incredible collaboration but also it's been so great to have Julie because know just having that person to commiserate with when you think oh I can't do it I'm done I'm just walking away you know we would lift each other up so that was always super sweet and we still do you know as we try to enter into our next phase it it was all a little disheartening you know I think I got to January and it was like know I just want to get this locked in but things take time right but I was so grateful to Dana for starting the LA Vertical Drama Market because I went there last fall and I met so many people. [14:43] It was really the catalyst. You know, I met apps from all around the world, but I really was interested in the new independent apps that were coming out of North America. And ultimately, that is who I ended up signing with. I'm really, really excited. You know, I can't say that it was like this, but I'm really happy with where I've ended up now. So I've signed with three independent new apps in the States. [15:18] The first one is John Lewis from MoviePix. You know, he was the first one to come out of the gates and say, I believe in you. I love Tides and I want you on MoviePix. And so I was part of that launch, which was super exciting. It's been incredible working with John every step of the way. So collaborative, so, you know, so straight up. Everything has been really amazing. [15:50] And then the second is Inverted app with Jason Siegel and Matt Rainey and that is really exciting as well they're going for really alternative titles they're really championing the independent vertical producers by trying to get investors to fund our projects by doing crowdfunding and all of that so really excited to see where that's going to go as well and then the third one is Viu, the brainchild of Tommy Harper, and he is known for producing Star Wars, Top Gun: Maverick, Wednesday, Star Trek. [16:31] Like sometimes I look at my inbox and I'm like are you kidding me like is this really happening like am I getting messages from like this big Hollywood but once again so kind so humble so lovely to work with and you know that's launching soon as well so really excited to have Tides of Desire on those three apps and then you know while all the apps are giving revenue share you know they're newer apps so you know I'm there I want to support and everything but also I gotta pay back you know I've gotta make some ROI on my investment so what's next for me? [17:15] We filmed another kind of pilot so we filmed the first 13 episodes of second chance with my first love and that's starring myself and Mark James and it's a beautiful western love story well set on a ranch where she comes back to find her first love on her family ranch and there's a few little secrets and intrigue along the way so we filmed the first 13 episodes and we're looking for some brand sponsorships to finish that I am a pickle-holic love pickleball and I also think it is freaking hysterical so in the same vein as best in show kind of with the same tone of The Office, Abbott Elementary, I'm doing a eight episode branded micro drama series that I'm going to self-release [18:11] on socials to create the metrics that I can then bring to brands and apps to get the rest funded so season one the first episodes is called the Newbie and it's focusing on all these pickleball stereotypes season two is the tournament and then we're gonna go into a full length feature series which is going to be a pickleball mature love romance story set in the tropics so you know looking for some resorts to sponsor that one but I've got some good leads so stay tuned for that and I'll be the lead in that one as well which brings me to mature romance like we are not dead after 50 you know and I'm tired of 35 year olds being cast in the love after 50 roles you know I think viewers want to see that you [19:08] know single parents can have love after that loss that women after 50 aren't dead and there could be a little spice and romance in our life so also hey pickleball tropics oh my gosh what could be better romance intrigue all of that and now I want to go to some of your questions what was the biggest challenge in making Tides of Desire would say felt extremely responsible for everybody's safety in Costa Rica you know between scorpion stings surfboards smashing people in the face getting them sucked under in the waves so I would say the safety element and feeling responsible was the hardest part for me How did I manage the budget? [20:02] Well, having been a solo mom and having been a lifetime entrepreneur, I know how to stretch a buck. So, you know, I did a lot of cost-saving things example locations you know what in the end you know the resort that's built in the end was a beach bar that cost me fifty dollars for and they said yeah just buy the cast and crew lunch here so that saved me five grand all of our beautiful villas were actually the accommodations that we were staying in and they let us film thank you so much you know and that was done through house swaps well which was great but other than that you know I spoiled everyone as much as I could you know we had sunset drinks and a great wrap party and all of these things but every single person [20:58] every single person was working for a reduced rate so you know people just believed in it and they wanted to be part of something different and and at the start of the independent movement so I'm super grateful to everyone okay another question what was it like working with your son and how do you separate family and creative roles to be honest fantastic I just love working with her we have such a great respectful way of communicating we know each other so well that we can you know he can just be like ah and I'm like yep got it he's been raised in a household of honest communication open respectful communication so you know we create really beautiful sets environments we keep calm under pressure and then you know of course [21:54] there's always going to be you know little things but we just step out and we're like take five and we go out and we talk it through and then come right back on so it's the best part of all of it to be quite honest and when people ask him all the time oh my god what was it like working with your mom and his answer is the same like we both just feel extremely about that so really really cool with that how does it feel to be nominated for three awards this year like mind-blowing who'd have thought you know I'm super grateful to Jen Cooper Vertical Drama Love for doing such a phenomenal job on the Vertical Drama Love Awards I was nominated for Best Matriarch and then now for the Verdies, I've been nominated for part of Best Ensemble cast for Beneath Crimson Sails and Lady Regent for myself which is like [22:49] really good tickled pink absolutely humbled and grateful and tickled pink and Beneath Crimson Sails which has garnered a whopping 14 nominations for the Verdies. Like what the hell that's like Titanic of the vertical world right we're all super appreciative because you know it's showing the industry like the little trains that could that you know that independent verticals can create something awesome okay the industry's future where do you think the vertical micro drama industries headed and how do you feel about AI in this space what am I supposed to say about that it has really impacted the Vancouver industry here I worked back to back for two years was crazy amazing phenomenal and then nothing I get maybe [23:47] one audition every month and a half now so I'm really grateful that I got into producing earlier so I'm creating my own work what I do think is that everyone's trying it now but at the end of the day I don't know if audiences are going to resonate as much but on the same hand like I can't afford to hire an airplane that someone's jumping out of a parachute in you know I think it needs to be handled ethically and of course it's scary hear about you know people's images being used for unauthorized intimacy scenes and everything so for actors out there I've been putting AI riders on my contracts since like for the last year and a half nobody's not given me a role because of it [24:40] actually no that's not true I lost a commercial over it but you know they wanted me to sign off that said that they own the rights to my image for now until eternity in all known and unknown forms of entertainment no thank you for them no no thank you anyway so be careful be protected is the vertical drama a trend or a permanent shift it's not a trend it's here to stay we all know that look at Disney Fox like everyone that's coming into the states the space look at the brands that are jumping on board I mean verticals are here to stay and I think it's really exciting I'm blessed and grateful to be part of it and yeah I am team vertical all the way I actually don't even audition for non-verticals at this point [25:33] but you know I've been busy in pre-production so I'm pretty lucky in that respect and what advice would I give someone entering the vertical micro drama world stay true to yourself you can say no to anything find a mentor find someone to help you advocate if if you can't I'm always here and go for it you know the sky's the limit don't put your family or your security in danger by doing things but be creative to get things done and go for it I think the future is vertical and I'm gonna go out and say that independent verticals are going to kick some butt they are growing their the genres are changing. [26:18] It's so exciting. So jump on the ride and keep going. So thank you so much for your time. I'm extremely grateful to be