He’s an actor and filmmaker who dies a lot for a living, but he’s alive today to talk about it. Please welcome Drew Marvick.
Amanda:
I’m going to jump right into the obvious here. You love horror films and have made them a big part of your life and career. And I realize I don’t know too much of your backstory. How did that all start for you? Did you get interested in production because of your love of horror, or is it completely unrelated?
Drew:
I think they’re unrelated, as far as just me getting into production. I’ve been into horror movies since I was a kid, like a child of the 80s and the in the early 90s, horror was a big thing. Like Freddy Krueger was a hero of mine, which sounds weird to say. But yeah, my mom was into horror. Not like me – she didn’t wear Killer Klowns from Outer Space t-shirts and carry severed heads around with her – but she was a big fan. And so we had horror movies on our movie shelf, and she rented the new ones when they came out. And luckily for me, she didn’t police what I watched at all. So I could watch anything. I mean, aside from porn, that was all just there on the shelf. And then she wasn’t worried about it.
So, I’ve been watching it my whole life and been fascinated by it. But separately, I just also loved movies and photography, and wanted to do one or the other. I didn’t think production was a real, attainable job. Like, I don’t know why. I even grew up in Southern California. I was an hour away from LA, but it felt like it was still another planet and that there was no way I could do it. I thought you were born into it, or made in a factory or something. So, I just didn’t think it was real. So, I was going to be a photographer. That was my goal. And then I kind of did neither, and then fell into this.
Amanda:
First, I haven’t thought about Killer Klowns from Outer Space in a very long time, and that made me very happy. I also saw on your Instagram page a photo of you and Howard the Duck, which also made me very happy.
Drew:
Yeah.
Amanda:
So I think everything that you do somehow brings back some nostalgia for me, even though I don’t keep up with modern horror. I don’t really keep up with classic horror either. But it’s still there, that little piece of my childhood that it still fits in there.
Drew:
Well, I’ll keep reminding you through my social media.
Amanda:
I appreciate that. So how did you actually get into it then? I also fell into production by no doing of my own, and I’m always curious. Because some people it feels like they’re, it’s just in them. That’s what they want to do. That’s what they were born to do. Like you said, maybe they were created in a factory and I just don’t know that part of their story. Mine was completely random. It was just a job that I was offered when I moved to LA, and that kind of turned into everything. What got you into it?
You’re gonna need the business sense.
Drew:
Well, like I said, I wanted to do it from an early age. Like all through high school, I took photography classes, and I actually took a night school program on video television production, when I was in high school. I got to leave school three days a week and have to get a ride across town to a different high school and sit in a classroom for three more hours to learn video television production, editing, and shooting, and everything from this, like, weird ex-hippie at this other high school that ran the TV station and taught me everything he knew. And I got a certificate that essentially had zero value in the real world, but it had a lot of value to me. It was important to me.
So, at that point, I still thought maybe there was something, and maybe I could go to film school. And then my dad actually kind of talked me out of it. He just didn’t think it was a good idea. And he basically said, “If you’re really passionate about doing film or photography, get a degree in business. I will pay for your college if you get a degree in business. And then if you’re still passionate about it, I will pay for you to go to film school or photography school after that. But you’re gonna need the business sense to do either of those jobs. If you don’t have it, you’ll fail. But also, you want to make sure that you’re passionate about it before you waste four years to be a waiter.” That’s what he said.
And I thought about it. And I hated him and thought it was a stupid idea. But I couldn’t afford to go to film school without his help. And, you know, I think in the back of my mind, I knew he was probably right. So, I went. So, I did get a business degree from UNLV. And when I finished, I had zero interest in going back to college to get any other degree, no matter what it was. And so, I just, I went into the management world. I managed nightclubs and bars. And while I was the general manager of, I cycled through a bunch of casinos as food and beverage manager, and I ended up as the general manager of Coyote Ugly in New York New York on the strip.
I still don’t have a real job.
And I did that for a while. And one of my employees was going to film school UNLV at the time. So, I would pick her brain constantly and talk about what she was working on, and what she was doing. You know, she would be a PA on random commercials here and there, and projects, and I was super jealous. So, when I was leaving Coyote Ugly, I happened to mention to her that if you ever want a job, and they need a PA, give them my name, and I’ll do it. Like, I’m going to take a couple months off. So and she called me like the same day, or the very next day. And said, “Hey, there’s this‚ I’m working on a commercial and they need someone. If you’re serious, call this guy, Matt. Here’s his number.” And so, I called him.
He answered. He said, “Production!” And I said, “Hi, my name is Drew. I was told you were looking for a PA.” And he said, “How soon can you be at the Tropicana Hotel?” And I said, “20 minutes.” “Call me when you get here.” Click. And he hung up on me. So, I drove to the Tropicana, called him. And he said, “I’m in, whatever. The Copacabana ballroom. Do you think you can find it?” “Sure.” “Okay, good. Bye.” Click. And I found it.
And there he was, sitting at a desk with this massive printer next to him, and papers scattered everywhere. And he ended up — Actually I have a funny story — ended up handing me like $2,000 or $3,000 in cash and a list of things to go buy. And then sent me on my way. And I remember walking out the door, I turned around and said, “Do you want my last name or a copy of my driver’s license or anything?” And he looked at me and said, “I don’t have any of that?” I said, “No, you don’t.” And he just stared at me for a second and said, “I trust you.” Then went back to his phone call. And I walked out the door with his cash.
And, as you know, that started a long relationship, because I ended up being a full-time producer for him for years. And now, I still work freelance for him to this day. And that was, oh my God, 18 years ago, I think. That’s really how it all started. I was supposed to just be, I was taking two months off from‚ I was burnt out working in nightclubs and bars seven days a week till six in the morning. So, I was going to take two months off. And I told my girlfriend at the time that I was going to take two months off and then I’ll get a real job again soon. And I still don’t have a real job.
Amanda:
Real jobs are overrated. I worked at them for too long also. And it was actually the same Matt. The way the timing works out, sometimes. It’s always really fascinating to me, because if you don’t try to force things, I think it just kind of lines up the way it’s supposed to be. I had been thinking about getting out of my job job for a while. It had changed a lot. The people who made it fun had left, and then it wasn’t fun anymore. And I was wondering why I was spending so much time not having any fun, because it just didn’t really seem like the way to spend a day or a week or any of that. And I just started thinking.
I’m like, well, I wonder if I could do this freelance. I’ve never done that. I’ve always been employed. It’s a little bit scary, but I think I could make that work. I see other people doing it. There’s no reason why not. And on my list of people to reach out to was Matt. You know, this is Matt Wilkinson from Abe Froman Productions, who has always been my favorite company in Vegas just because of the way Matt is, and the way he handles his business. But also the way he treats people was kind of unique in production. Sometimes the experiences were not as good. So, I really took notice to the way he did things differently from other production companies that I was working with. And it just happened that he reached out to me, and he was in the middle of a busy period. He needed some extra help for three months and wanted to know if I knew anybody who could help him. And I was like, “Well, as a matter of fact, I’m about to have some free time available, and I would love to help you.”
And that was kind of the first step into getting out of the job because I had all this PTO saved up, kind of as my backup plan for if I had decided to just leave with no warning. At least I had some vacation pay that I could cash in. And it worked out that I could take days off from my job to go be on set with him for other things. And then that three months turned into almost two years, I think. And it really helped a lot. So that, but the timing. Everything is always about timing.
Drew:
It is. And I remember that period in your career, too, like when that was happening. And so, and it is, it is about, it’s all about timing for sure. But you don’t know it at the time. I mean, in hindsight, sure. And, you know, it doesn’t always work out. And it’s stressful being freelance, especially, you know, for me with two kids. There’s definitely some ups and downs.
Amanda:
Now, in hindsight, was your dad right about going to business school? Did it help you or has it helped you?
Everyone should have a customer service job at some point.
Drew:
I think he definitely was right. I think it was great advice. There are times that maybe I wish I would have gone to film school, or photography school, also I guess. But I’ve also learned that I don’t need it. Especially as I’m being on the production side as a producer, business school, I think makes way more sense than film school. So, I think it depends what your path is. I mean, if I wanted to be a cinematographer, then I don’t know if I would have necessarily, if I would have the same answer. But I think for me, it made a lot of sense. And I’ve learned that over the years that it’s, you know, that film school, 1- film school isn’t necessary. And 2- I think some people come out of film school lacking certain skills that wouldn’t allow them to be a producer at all.
Like, just interpersonal skills, and customer service skills, things like that. That as a producer, you need to interact with people, and people need to trust you, and like you. And sometimes people come out of film school, like complete film snobs, and you can’t talk to them, or they just have no filter, and they don’t understand. I see that in PAs. A lot of times I will bring a PA on fresh out of film school and I’ll make the mistake of letting them pick the client up from the airport. And then I’ll get a whole ear full of what they talked about the whole car ride home from the airport, or back to the set. And I go, “Oh, I forget. This person’s never done anything but been to film school.” So, which is why I also tell people, when people ask, I say that everyone should have a customer service job at some point. Even if you want to be a filmmaker, and you know that’s what you want to do, you should still get a job where you have to deal with people, and you have to take people’s crap, and you have to learn how to handle it. Because if you don’t, you’re going to learn later in life, and that’s a lot worse.
Amanda:
I think it’s good advice. Because I always say that running a production is basically running a mini business. And so, as a producer, especially all of those skills are really important. But I’ve also encountered the same issues with PAs. I’ve had a really hard time finding good solid PAs in town. And it’s for two reasons: They’re either not good because they have the education but not the experience. Or they are really good, and they don’t stay in a PA position for very long. Which is what you want for them, but selfishly you want the good PA to stay a PA forever, because they’re so hard to find.
And my experience with you on set has always been, that you were the guy who would do whatever needed to be done. So you would take a job as a PA, but you could also be a director. And it didn’t really seem to matter what your title was on that particular job. You were just there to do a good job, for whatever needed to happen. You’ve had a lot of job titles in the production world, but everybody always wants to work with you. And I think that’s because we know that with you, we’ll have fun, we’ll laugh, it’ll be entertaining. But also, everything will get done. And you’re that person that we can trust that Drew’s got it. We don’t have to worry about whatever this is because he’s going to take care of it. Is that something you made a conscious effort to do? Or did that come with your own experience of being on sets and figuring out what is good to do and what’s not good to do?
I’ve never had an ego when it came to what title I had.
Drew:
I think it’s a combination of the two. I think it’s just kind of how I’ve always been. Like, I mean, maybe it’s from being an only child. I don’t know exactly, but I’m just kind of used to doing everything myself in a sense. But I’m also, just, I’ve never had an ego when it came to what title I had, or what job I was doing. I’m just there to… we’re all on the same page. And we’re all equal despite where our names are on the call sheet. So, you know, I’m just there to get the best result at the end of the day.
And I think a lot of that I also learned from Matt, because Matt has the same approach. I mean, he owns the company, and he is the executive producer of everything that gets done. But he will also do whatever it takes as well. You know, he’ll sweep the floor, and buy crafty. And so, it’s, I do the same. So, I guess I learned from him that it was okay to do that. And I’ve just always been that way, which has been an issue as well, because Matt and I both work that way. And we work really well together because of it, and people do like to work with us. And I appreciate you saying that.
But it also creates a rift when I go work for other people because other people don’t work like that. And then it makes them look bad, or they think I’m doing it to make them look bad, and they don’t understand. And I don’t have time to deal with that, or to worry about their fragile egos. I’m just gonna do it. I’m just gonna run over and, you know, when somebody standing closer to an object radios me and says, “Will you find somebody to come pick this up?” Before I even answer, I just go over and pick it up because it just makes more sense to me to do that. And so people don’t like that. But It’s just the way I am. And it’s the way I am on all of my sets, like in the indie film world as well. Like, just because I’m the writer, and the director, and the producer, doesn’t mean I’m better than anyone else on the set. I’m still going to be doing. And in fact, I tend to do the dirtiest work myself, just because I don’t want to ask other people to do it.
Amanda:
I think that’s why you and Matt are my kind of people. I’ve always been that way. And I know what you mean about sometimes that works against you. But that’s kind of, just, it’s the way that I am. If I can do something to be helpful, versus I don’t have something to do at this moment and I’m just standing here. I can’t stand and watch people work, while I’m leaning up against a wall, or doing that. It drives me crazy. I just can’t do that. Now, granted, I won’t move cameras or really expensive equipment, because I’m also clumsy, and that’s not what you want. But if I see a bunch of people, and they’re moving some sandbags and other things, I can pick up the sandbag and move it.
And I, some people appreciate it, and some people, like David Dalasta always yells at me. He’s like, “You’re here as a producer. Stop moving stuff.” But I want to be helpful. He’s like, “Yeah. But do what you need to do. Don’t worry about everybody else. That’s what we have them for.” But I was just talking to a coordinator who I know and I’ve worked with a lot. And she had a conversation after a shoot with a DP who told her that she was doing too good of a job and that wasn’t fair to the next person who might do her job. And that was the craziest thing that I’ve ever heard. It’s like, why should she be concerned about the next person? She’s doing the job that she’s doing so she gets hired for the next one. So, it’s not for her to say, “I better dial it back and not do a good job because then the expectations are set too high.”
I think we should be setting expectations that we’re part of a team and we’re there to do good work. Sometimes the hours are crazy, and it’s hard work. And sometimes it’s more fun. And sometimes it’s both. But I always feel with the ego aside, we’re all on the same team. And we’re going to do the best job if we’re working together. And not “I can’t do that, because it’s not in my job title.” Or union jobs, to me, are the worst. When you have to get somebody to go up the ladder because they’re not allowed to change a light bulb themselves, that stuff. That’s a whole other animal there.
Drew:
Yeah, and I don’t do well… I mean, I respect it, but I just don’t do well on those types of sets because it’s not in my nature. Because I am too tempted. I mean, and granted, like you said, there’s a line you don’t cross. I’m not, there are things I won’t move, and there’s things I won’t touch. Like I know what those things are. And I know my way around the set pretty well. But everything else, I’m there to help. But on some bigger sets, especially union sets, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if one person is going to have to do 50 trips to carry sandbags from point A to point B. I am not allowed to help them because I cannot cross that line. And I’m very guilty. I’ve been yelled at lots of times. I’ve had people want to fight me on set for trying to help them, which is mind boggling to me, but it happens. And I just keep carrying their sandbag.
Amanda:
That’s why it’s probably a good thing that Nevada is an at will state and we don’t have, most of the work that comes through here is non-union. It’s much, much easier. Much less paperwork, too.
Drew:
Definitely. And I don’t know. I mean, everyone, well, there’s a common goal on the set. So that’s all. I’m just there to help.
Amanda:
I’ve always been a fan of people who create their own opportunities instead of waiting for them. And you say in your bio that you make horror movies just so you can die in them, which is a pretty unique hobby. But with your love of these 80 slasher films, you made your own with Pool Party Massacre, which was everything we’d expect it to be. What was that experience like in creating your own?
At some point, I just said, I’m not afraid to fail at all. I’ll make a movie.
Drew:
It was amazing. I mean, even though I’d been in production for a while, and I’d worked on a few features and a ton of shorts, I had never taken on anything like that. And the idea of making a feature film just seemed, it seemed impossible for a large part of my life. But then by that point, I kind of, I got motivated by all the people that we work with, in this town especially. We work with so many talented people. There’s so many people that are on set that are so much more talented than I am, and can do everything. I mean people that can shoot, and edit, and light, and know sound, and probably know storytelling, and can write a good script, and they have every single asset that you need to make a good movie, except they’re afraid to do it because they’re afraid to fail.
And they probably have a drawer full of scripts that they’ve been dying to make, but they just are afraid that it won’t be Pulp Fiction when they make their first movie, so, they won’t do it. So they’re stuck in this corporate video world. And I would talk to those people, and I would get on their case, and I would bug them and beg them to just do something, and tell them I would help them in any way they could. And they just still, I could just see they’re afraid to do it. So, at some point, I just said, “You know what? Then I’m going to do it. Like here, the least talented person in the room. I’m not afraid to fail at all. Like, I’ll make a movie. And maybe it’ll motivate you guys.” And so, that’s really what the motivation was. It was kind of just like to kick a bunch of my friends in the butt and say, “Hey, look, don’t worry. It’s okay.”
And I didn’t even know if anyone would see it. I mean, it’s a $6,000 movie that I made in my parents’ backyard. I really thought it was just for fun, and so that I could have a movie under my belt, and understand how it worked. And then that could make a real movie someday, based on what I would learn from that. But I guess it turned out to be a lot more than that. It ended up having a long life. It still has a life. I mean, it’s still, it’s playing next month at another film festival. I mean, it’s five years old, and it’s still playing places. I still get, I just got asked yesterday, if I would come to Long Beach for a screening and do a Q&A at a summer, some kind of summer horror festival at the end of the summer. So, I mean it, it’s turned in, it’s got a life of its own. And it turned into this thing that I never expected it to.
Amanda:
I love that story because of that. I see that with people, everywhere. Everybody wants to make a movie, but there’s always an excuse. They don’t have the budget, they don’t have the time, they don’t have the right people. There are all of these things, but I don’t believe them. And maybe that’s not the right way to phrase that. But I think they’re excuses versus reasons. Because if you really want to do it, especially if you’re in this town… actually, if you’re in any town, but you have the connections, you have those people, and it’s not that you shouldn’t pay people for doing what they do, but there are ways to make a low budget film. Even if it does turn out to be proof of concept versus a real movie, like you said, even though yours was a real movie, but sometimes you have to do it.
And what’s the worst that can happen if it fails? Nobody’s gonna die, except for the people in the film, of course. But in that case, what are the real repercussions? And I think about the documentary that I did. And I never even wanted to make a movie. That was my director friend, and he wanted to make the movie, and I was passionate about the subject, so I told him he couldn’t make it without me because it just made sense. But there was no forethought. And I invested a fair amount of money into that, and it was a great experience for me. And it was that, well, why are all these other people who really want to do this, why aren’t they doing it? And I don’t say that from a place of judgment. It’s genuine curiosity. What is it that is stopping you from just putting yourself out there? If you want to make a movie, go make a movie.
Because there are talented people out there. And I think you are one of them, even though you kind of underplay that a little bit. But you did it. And it worked. And it became something bigger than what you wanted it to be. So, I think that’s kind of where it comes into that balance between, what is your motivation for doing it? Are you doing it to become super famous and rich? Or are you doing it because it’s something you’re passionate about, and you just really want to do it? Because I think if you’re doing it for the love of doing it, you’re going to find some level of success, even if it’s not financial.
Drew:
It’s definitely not financial.
Amanda:
Yeah.
If I can be the person that makes people say, “If this guy can do it, then I can do it,” then that’s fine.
Drew:
At least in my case. But yeah, I mean, those are the questions that I ask people and myself all the time. Because I have not met a single person that I’ve worked with in this business on the commercial side, that went to film school or got in this business because they really wanted to do convention videos in Las Vegas. But all of us do them because we have to pay our bills. And like some of those people, like Brian Mills, who shot and edited Pool Party Massacre and co-produced it with me. I mean, he’s got like a master’s degree in film, and is super talented, but still hadn’t made a movie, and been doing this forever. And I think working with me on Pool Party was his spark. And since, he’s now made, he’s made a documentary, and he’s made a ton of short films, and he’s working on a feature. And I think it took him seeing me do that, and not being afraid to fail to kind of motivate him. And I’m sure, honestly, in the back of his mind, he thought, “If this guy could do it, like, obviously, I could do it.
So, and that’s great. Like, I want people to think that. So, I think it’s just the fear of failure, which is a huge thing. I mean, it’s debilitating for a lot of people. And I guess I’m just lucky enough that I don’t have it. I mean, I don’t like to fail. And I don’t like to be embarrassed, but I’m not afraid of it because I know it’s a part of life, and I’ve done it so much, and I’ve always come out of it just fine. You know, like I fall on my face for a living. So, I’m okay with it. And you move on, and you learn from it. So, I think everyone else, if they could just get past that, they’d be a lot better off. So, if I can be the person that, even if it is them saying to themselves, if this guy can do it, then I can do it, then that’s fine. That works for me.
Amanda:
I think a lot of that ties into what we were talking about, about letting go of ego. Because there are times when you might want to take the convention job, even though it’s not the thing that you’re going to love to do, but maybe it’s a few days of work. And that’s going to put some extra money in your pocket that you can use towards other things. And not to say, “Oh, I can’t take that job because it’s beneath me.” I’ve done my fair amount of convention work, and I don’t love it. But at the same time, I kind of don’t mind it, because I don’t have to think about those jobs before or afterwards. You just kind of show up and have some fun with the crew, and do your thing. And then at the end of it, it’s over. Where commercial, sometimes there’s a lot of post-production involved so it kind of carries on, and there are a lot of different things there.
But I also don’t take any job that comes my way. Because sometimes the people aren’t who I want to work with, or the rate isn’t right, or it just really doesn’t align with something that I want to do, of being able to let go of ego in that sense. But also, when it comes to the failure thing, because there’s a lesson to be learned, if you do mess up on something, or you try something and it doesn’t work, then you can try it a different way the next time, and that might be the thing that works. But I think we all get into our heads a little too much and put all of this pressure on ourselves. That isn’t real as far as — that’s not how other people are viewing you. You could have made Pool Party Massacre, and only done the screening for the people here in Vegas, for your friend, and they’re not going to think, “Oh well, that didn’t go on to be this major blockbuster, so Drew’s an idiot, and he just failed on this whole thing.” They’re gonna say, “Wow, Drew made a movie! And it’s exactly what you would think that a movie Drew made would be. And we enjoyed it. And it was perfect.” And nobody would look at that as a failure. But some people, in their own minds, they turn it into this much bigger deal than it actually is.
Drew:
For sure. I mean, we’re our own worst critic. Always.
Amanda:
You also co-founded the Sin City Horror Fest to give other independent horror filmmakers a place to show their work. And like so many others, you had to go virtual in 2020 due to COVID. Is there anything you learned while everything was shut down, that will help you moving forward now that production is ramping back up?
Drew:
Well, I mean, we definitely had to adjust, or pivot if you will, when everything was going on. And we were still able to have the festival last year, just not in person. So, it shifted to an online model. And luckily, at that point in time, two of the other partners, Mike and Justin, were working for a Horror YouTube channel, who was also a sponsor of the festival. So, at that time, we were able to use their platform and all the tools that they already had in place as a channel with over a million subscribers and a long history. So, it worked out really well, surprisingly. Not that we want to continue to do it that way, but it actually worked out really well. And we learned how to use that.
Now, in the future, we can still use it as a tool and kind of integrate it into the in-person festival so that people around the world can participate, at least in some way. So, we’re kind of trying to figure out that balance as we’re now shifting back. I mean, it’s only really recently where we realize that we can pull off an in-person festival this year. I mean, even less than a month ago, we were still talking about having to do it online again. And now all the sudden, it’s like, “Oh, I guess, this might actually” — because we’re not, it doesn’t happen till end of September beginning of October. So, we have still have plenty of time. And all of a sudden, things are opening up. So, I assume by then we should be able to do it. So now, we’re adjusting back. But we definitely learned a lot.
Amanda:
I imagine that people are very excited to do that in person again because that horror genre, it’s a very niche community. And I know you kind of do the convention circuit to some degree now. I don’t know if you do that as a fan, or related to the movie, or other things. But what is your experience in… how do I word that? What is it like working with other 80s slasher horror fans? Like, what do you get there that you wouldn’t get anywhere else on the planet?
Horror fandom is something that is so very unique.
Drew:
Well, I mean, it’s… horror fandom is something that is so very unique, especially if you’re gonna compare it to other movie genres. There’s really nothing like that, other than like horror and sci-fi, if you love. In the comic book world, of course, that’s just as rabid. But horror is this, it’s a niche. But the fandom people are so loyal, and so rabid. I mean, there’s no other genre where there’s conventions. I mean, you don’t have like rom com conventions where people wait in line for hours to get in. So, it’s fascinating. And like I said, these, the fans are really loyal, and really rabid, and very active. So, it’s great.
And it’s a community. And surprisingly, most of the fans are really nice, which I think people on the outside wouldn’t expect when they see a bunch of people in black t-shirts with decapitated heads on them, and people wearing makeup and blood all over their face waiting in line to get into to a convention hall. They look pretty scary, but they’re not. They’re just people like us. This is just what they’re into it. To me, it’s the same as a person that paints their face green and yellow, because they’re a Packers fan. Like, there’s really no different to me, because that’s just as weird. You know, writing/spelling out somebody’s name on yours and your friends’ chests, so that you can all stand shirtless together and root for your favorite quarterback is kind of the same thing to me as dressing up as your favorite horror celebrity or character. So that’s the way I see it. It’s just a way of showing your support.
And I don’t judge the people that are painting themselves at football games, just the same way as I wouldn’t judge the person that’s dressed up like Freddy Krueger at horror conventions. But they show up in numbers, and I love being a part of it, because I was a part of it as a fan. I mean, I already was going to horror conventions as a fan, and I was such a big part of it anyways. So now to have kind of blurred those lines and be paid to be at a convention, or be a guest at a convention, and have people waiting to talk to me. It’s really strange, but it’s also really fun.
And now I get to do, I mean, I get to be on stage with other horror celebrities that I have looked up to my whole life. And now all of a sudden, I’m sitting in a chair with them in a panel, or I’m speaking to an indie film panel, when I used to go sit in all the indie film panels, so that I could try to get tips on how to make a movie before I made one. So, it’s really cool. And now that suddenly things are opening up, there’s a ton happening, and people have been kind of lying in wait, and really itching, you know, to put their masks back on and hop out in public. So, it’s been great.
I mean, I’ve done two conventions in the last three weeks, and I think I have six in the next two months. I mean, I will be gone pretty much every weekend for the next two months, somewhere in the country, at a convention. And I love it. Like if it wasn’t for missing my kids, then I would probably be a carny and just completely live on the road. And I’m actually bringing my kids. Like I’m taking my kids on a 14-day road trip so that we can hit multiple conventions, because I couldn’t leave them for that long. So, I’m throwing them in my van and we’re hitting the road.
Amanda:
And what do they think about what you do? Because, again, their dad doesn’t have a normal career, if that’s what you want to call it. I don’t necessarily think it’s abnormal, but I’m kind of in this world. So, when I see, again on your Instagram, when I see photos, and there’s Drew bloody, or there, oh, Drew died again, all these things. To me, it’s just part of who you are. But how does that work into their world? What do they think? Are you the cool dad because you’re doing all these things that other parents definitely aren’t doing? Or are you the weird dad? Are you both?
I am definitely not the kind of dad that’s trying to get them to like what I like just because I like it.
Drew:
I think I’m both. I think it goes in waves as they grow. Like my son is 14 now, so he’s a teenager and I don’t think it’s… I’m definitely not cool. Which hurts my feelings because I’m like, “Man, of all the other, I met all your friends’ parents. They’re really nice, but you know, they’re like bankers and lawyers, and I was just on set with some horror celebrities and cut off their heads like two days ago. That’s really cool.” But he, I still have to drop him off like a block away from school because he’s embarrassed, like things like that. So, no, I’m definitely not the cool, necessarily the cool dad to him. Unless the times when it works out in his favor when he gets to meet, you know, Corey Taylor from Slipknot, because I happen to know him probably because of what I do. So, then all of a sudden, I’m cool for like three seconds. But then I’m back to not being cool on the drive home. And he’s telling me to turn my music down or roll the windows up because people are going to see him, things like that.
My 10-year-old daughter, on the other hand, is still in this great phase where it is cool, and she wants to be a part of it, and she wants to be on set, and she wants to make movies, and she’s writing scripts now. In summer school, even, she’s writing a script right now, and she’s really good at it. Or she’s at least good at, she’s very creative. I’m like stealing some of her titles. She’ll come home from summer school and like, “Dad, I’m working on a new movie. It’s called” – she’s working on one called – “The Sleepover Strangler.” And I was like, “Oh, cool. I’m stealing that. That’s now my next movie. Sorry, you’re gonna have to change yours.” So, she still thinks it’s cool.
But they, and they’re all, they both are fascinated by it. And they’ve grown up around. I mean, they’ve been on sets of some kind. They’ve both been in tons of commercials, and been on commercial sets, but they’ve both been on movie sets and at horror conventions their whole life. So, they’re immune to it, but they’re also fascinated. So, they’re excited to go to the conventions and honestly see their friends. Like some of those horror celebrities like Felissa Rose, who is in the original Sleepaway Camp and has been in a ton of movies since and is a huge celebrity in the horror world, and has lines that wrap around the building. But my kids have known her for years. And like she’s played my son’s mom in a movie just recently. And so, though, they’re excited to go see her and just like, hang out with her, and sit next to her at her table while she signs autographs, things like that, that are pretty unique to our world. And they are also excited just go buy random things at the convention, and spend all my money. That, too.
Amanda:
Of course, that’s part of being a kid.
Drew:
Yes, yeah. And I fall right into it.
Amanda:
Now, do you encourage them? If your daughter, for example, decides as she gets a little bit older, that this is the path she wants to go down, do you encourage that? Do you let them figure out what they want to do? Or do you have opinions, like your dad did, that you should do this first and then figure out if that’s what you want to do?
Drew:
That’s tough. I mean, it’s tough. I definitely have opinions. I mean, as their dad, I definitely want what’s best for him. And I want to be able to give them good advice and help steer them in the right direction. But I also love letting them figure things out on their own. I’m not the, like, I’m a single dad with two kids. So, I spend a lot of time with them. And I am definitely not the kind of dad that’s trying to get them to like what I like just because I like it. Like I don’t force my music on them. I don’t force horror movies on them. I, in fact, I’ve oddly, I don’t even let them watch horror movies until I feel like they’re ready, or I take introducing them to them very seriously.
I see a lot of my friends in the industry, you know, they’re showing The Exorcist to their five-year-old, and dressing them up like Reagan from The Exorcist, and putting them in a wagon and pull them around, which is awesome. And I’m gonna get a photo with your daughter and that wagon, but it’s just not me. That’s not how I’m raising my kids. So, in my in my van, every morning, I’m listening to One Direction and Five Seconds of Summer. Like that’s my life.
Amanda:
I can’t picture that.
Drew:
Like I’m, whether I like it or not, that’s what I do. I don’t tell my daughter that she has to listen to Slayer and buy her a Slayer shirt. I’m no. We’re listening to Justin Bieber. And I’m scream singing along with her, with the windows down, all the way to school. And sometimes on the way back, even though I’m alone. So yeah, it’s just, that’s just the way I am and the way I want them to make their own decisions. But, at the same time, I get excited. Like my son went through a phase, too, when he first in sixth grade, he wanted to be a filmmaker.
He actually started the cinematography club at his middle school. He had to petition and get a certain amount of teachers to sign, and a certain amount of kids to sign up. And it was this big ordeal, especially as a sixth grade, as a first-year middle school, and he actually started the club. And it had like, I believe it was like the largest attendance of any new club in the school’s history to like 60 kids in there. And I helped them collectively make a short film throughout the year. So, they wrote it. They kind of started writing it together at their meetings and then planning it out. And then I brought in some friends, and helped them after school, and actually made a short film. And by the end of the school year it was completed and they screened it in the classroom. And it was about a lunch lady that like cut off the bad kids’ fingers and cooked them, cooked them in her sloppy joes. And I think it was called the Lunch Lady. But yeah, it was fun.
And I loved that he was excited about it. But he’s now grown out of it. And I don’t know what he wants to do. He wants to be a pediatric neurosurgeon one minute, and an FBI agent the next minute. So, I’m not sure. But he still acts in a lot. I mean, he’s been in two movies in the last month. I think my daughter was in a movie last month. So, I mean, they’re both very active in it. I think it’ll be a part of them no matter what.
Amanda:
Maybe if he stays down the acting path, he can be all those things. He can be an FBI agent and a neuro whatever.
I think it’s really hard for people to figure out what I do, which I like.
Drew:
Yeah, I have. I’ve been an FBI agent. I’ve been a doctor. Now granted it was in a garage with a drill, but I was a doctor. I’ve been a lot of things. Which is also, like my career, is very schizophrenic. I definitely make my living on the production side as a producer, in the commercial world. But now that I’m starting to do so much more in the feature film world, and with horror projects, and then acting has now taken over. At least 50% of my work is acting now. I mean, I haven’t been able to complete another movie because I’ve been in so many other people’s movies. So, I think it’s hard. I gather, from what people that know me ask me when I see them, I think it’s really hard for people to figure out what I do, which I like. That’s fine.
Amanda:
I understand that very well. When I was leaving… so I go to the grocery store at the same time every week, and it’s the same girl at the self-checkout. And this time, I was mentioning something about a client, she said, “What do you actually do?” And I’m trying to leave and I realize there’s not really a short answer. The short answer is video production. But it’s, I’ve evolved into so many different things. And I still do production, but then I have other things going on for when production is slow. And I’ve yet to figure out how to succinctly explain to anyone what I do. And outside of people like you, I have friends that I’ve had since I was a teenager who still don’t understand what I do. Like he or she does something with TV, maybe. I… nobody really knows. But I kind of like that, too. It’s that element of mystery that I’m able to maintain that. I’m always doing something, but nobody really knows exactly what it is.
We start a completely functioning and successful business over and over and over again for just single days at a time.
Drew:
Yeah, exactly. And even if I only did the one thing, production is hard to explain, anyways. And I often, like when I’m at a family reunion and people ask me what I do, I usually focus on just the production side in general. And I usually explain it to them as commercial production is basically starting a business from the ground floor, doing everything you need to do to start that business. You’re hiring, you’re finding a location, you’re getting all the equipment you need, you’re working out your business plan, and then you’re going to execute it for one day. And then you’re going to fire everyone. You’re going to liquidate all your assets, and you’re going to vacate the building. And then you start over in a whole new business the next week.
And then if any of them have ever started a business, like a sandwich shop, or a dry cleaner or anything, they think about that, and they go, “Holy crap. Like, for one day?” I’m like, “Yes. Sometimes it’s two, sometimes it’s five. But essentially, yeah, we’re doing everything we need to do to start a completely functioning business, and often it’s for one day. And then we literally just tear it all down, and burn it to the ground, and start back over again.”
Amanda:
That’s a perfect explanation though. I had never put it into those terms. I think I will steal that from you. Just like you stole the script from your daughter, I will steal your description from you.
Drew:
Yeah. But it’s exactly what we do. We start a completely functioning and successful business over and over and over again for just single days at a time. Which is why my beard is gray now.
Amanda:
It is because of that, all the hiring and firing.
Drew:
The stress of having to deal with all of that.
Amanda:
It makes sense. If you had one piece of advice for other self-employed creatives out there, what would it be?
Don’t quit your day job, until you can’t possibly do both things successfully.
Drew:
Well, if they weren’t self-employed creatives yet, I would tell them not to quit their other job until they really need to, which is something I also say all the time. I have people that want to make films come up to me at conventions, or in panels, or send me messages saying, “Hey, I want to be a filmmaker. I think I’m ready to quit my day job and make my first movie. What do you think about that?” or “Isn’t that awesome?” or “What’s your advice?” And my advice is always, “Don’t. Don’t quit your day job, until you can’t possibly do both things successfully.” Like, there’s no reason to quit.
But most of them want to quit before they make their first movie. And I say, “Don’t do that. Figure out a way to do it while you’re doing that other job, so you actually still have insurance, and you still have a paycheck, and you have some form of stability. Like, literally wait, even if it’s years, wait until the day when you can’t do both things because it’s affecting your quality of life. And then if you still have the same amount of passion for the creative project, quit your day job and do it. But there’s a chance you won’t still have that passion because it’s sucks and it’s heartbreaking and hard. And yeah, so then you might realize, “I think I still want to be a dental assistant, actually. And that was fun.” So, if they haven’t already gone down that path, that’s my advice for sure. Because you’ve got all the time, just assume that you have all the time in the world, and so there’s… you don’t need to rush into it.
Don’t be afraid to fail.
But if you’ve already, like, pulled the ripcord and you’re in it, I guess my only advice would be, don’t be afraid to fail. Because you are. You’re going to fail a bunch of times, and you’re going to have really bad days. And you’re going to work on really bad sets and work with horrible people. But it doesn’t matter, that’s the beauty of this. Unlike any other job I’ve ever had, if you are on a bad set, or you’re working for a bad producer, or with a horrible director, or a client that just sucks, it’s all temporary. Like, unlike any other job, there’s an end date. Like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. And sometimes it’s just the next day.
And, you know, if you really just stop and step back and say, “I just have to deal with this person till tomorrow at 6pm.” Like, “Okay, I can do that. There’s no problem. And I never have to see him again. I don’t ever have to accept a job with them again. I can make sure they’re never on a call sheet again, or I can never hire them again,” or whatever position you’re in. So, I think that’s the beauty of it. Just know that you don’t have to deal with that. You’re not stuck. You’re gonna work on a lot of jobs, with a lot of people. And you’re gonna find your family. And once you do, it’ll be awesome.
Amanda:
I agree with everything you said. That’s how I look at it. It’s one of my favorite things now. I have a lot of favorite things, as everyone knows, about working for myself, but it’s exactly that. If there’s somebody that doesn’t align with the way you like to do things, you get through the job that you’re on with that person, and then you don’t have to do it again. The difference when I worked at the job job, I was stuck with whomever the company had as a client. And that usually worked out pretty well, but sometimes there were those people and I would think, “Oh, I don’t want to work with that person today.” Now, I don’t have to.
Drew:
No.
Amanda:
I can say, “Who’s on the crew?” or “How does this client handle things?” And it’s, there’s so much more freedom in that, for me at least. And I don’t say no because of people very often. I like most people. But there are a few who I did one job with and that was enough. That was enough.
Drew:
Sure. Yeah. And that’s what a luxury to have. I mean, you don’t get that if you’re stuck in a day job. And honestly, even in a lot of other self-employed jobs, you still would have a hard time being able to do that. But in this, you can.
Amanda:
And if it weren’t for that job job, I would not know you.
Drew:
That’s true.
Amanda:
There are good things that have come out of it for sure. But I had to live through those years of doing it for somebody else to get to the point where I was ready to do it on my own. So, still grateful for it, even though at the end, it wasn’t the best.
Drew:
Yeah, it’s all part of the journey.
Amanda:
Where can people find you on social media and elsewhere?
Drew:
Just @DrewMarvick. I’m lucky enough that my name is not very common, so I don’t have to have any numbers, or hashtags, or anything like that. So just @DrewMarvick. I’m on everything, mostly Instagram and Facebook. And of course, you can go to poolpartymassacre.com and get a copy of Pool Party Massacre if you’re looking to ruin a day.
Amanda:
It’s only a few hours. It’s a good way to ruin a good day.
Drew:
Yes. If you’ve got 80 minutes you just want to ruin, then check it out. Or if you’re a fan of 80s, low budget ‘80s-style slasher films, maybe you’ll even like it. And if so, you can pick up a t-shirt, and a lunchbox, and a hat, and look like a weirdo. But yeah, I’m just, I’m always out there. I got a lot of stuff. I got a ton of projects coming down the pipes. I have two features that I’m directing in the next couple months, including Pool Party Massacre 2. I’ve been acting a ton. I think there’s like five features that I acted in that are, which should be coming out in the next couple of months, actually. So, people are going to get sick of me, soon.
Amanda:
I’m okay with getting sick of you. I look forward to seeing all these projects and what unfolds next. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me about it all today.
Drew:
Yeah, of course. Thanks for having me.
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Connect with Drew @drewmarvick