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A Creative Duo

We’re making a movie and want to involve you. We believe filmmaking is for everyone and advocate for social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. We want to share these important issues and weave them into the filmmaking process. If you want to be part of a fun, inclusive project that cares for your overall wellbeing, we’d love to welcome you.

Matt and Joehey, founders of A Creative Duo — building a film in public with you
Featured Post

How do we combine our passions?

Thanks for joining A Creative Duo! This is the first edition of our weekly newsletter, and we're happy you're reading! Please reply anytime — we'd love to chat with you. Merge our passions into one lifelong project How do we combine filmmaking, education, holistic well-being, and social justice? We don’t know yet, but we’d like to find out together—with you. Because when we tried to do them all separately, it was overwhelming and felt nearly impossible. On top of running Matt’s existing...

Body of email with 6 short paragraphs, annotations on blurred sections of the image

When we're creating something new, we have a tendency to analyze, plan, and think about all the details from the beginning. We prefer to be thorough. This happens even more when we feel like we need to perform or prove ourselves to someone. Our perfectionistic mindset often makes projects take longer, with unnecessary work and inefficiency. It gets frustrating. And exhausting. We're actively working on changing this pattern. We try to recognize when we are leaning into our default...

A child playing with a wooden trinomial cube

Many relationships never develop beyond small talk. That's okay for a while, but what about when someone asks, "how are you?" and you want them to stop and listen? We have been feeling isolated over the last several years, especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's been challenging to find, build, and nurture lasting relationships. We know we're not alone in this feeling. Plus, it seems there's a cultural shift (at least in the U.S.) toward a more individualistic, fend-for-yourself...

a person holding a violin on a trail in nature

When's the last time you engaged in a creative project and let yourself be fully immersed in the experience? No expectations, no "right or wrong," no guilt or shame. Maybe it's been a while. Maybe it's hard to remember. Maybe it's Maybelline. 💋 Or, maybe you have so many other obligations and responsibilities that creative projects get pushed until "someday." That happens to us, too. What is one creative passion you'd love to start or do more often? And, what's stopping you? We'll share...

a collection of 3D illustration about LIfe Balance and priorities by Galina Nelyubova

It was 2 a.m. Matt was sitting on the couch. With one hand on his laptop, he was designing a website for his first client. With his other hand, he was cradling our swaddled newborn, who would only stay asleep while being held. At this time, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we had no options for family or community support. Joehey was on unpaid parental leave from her nursing job and would likely not be able to return—her unit was the main COVID unit at the hospital. Matt was determined to find a...

A halved papaya showcasing its vibrant orange flesh and black seeds, placed on a wooden surface. The tropical fruit is fresh and ready for consumption, emphasizing its natural sweetness and health benefits.

"Saving $30K is hard, but does it need $30K upfront?" This is from a reply to our email last week about the common challenge of needing money to make a film. We loved this question! Our answer? Definitely not. Here's why... Making a film can be a long and complex process. It's very similar to running a business. Yes, it's hard. 😮💨 Fortunately, you don't have to do everything at the same time. The filmmaking process, like building a business, can be split into stages, each with their own...

Baby climbing stairs to get toy

Let's say you came up with an idea for a new film that you absolutely love. It's unique, it's meaningful, it's inspiring. You care so much about the film's story that you tell yourself, "I'm going to make this one myself!" Then, what's next? How would you get started? What would be the first big hurdle you'd have to jump? After many years talking with independent filmmakers, it seems they often face the same major obstacles. One big hurdle: making a film requires time and money (and usually a...

The Outrun, Anora, and 1917 - combined movie posters

We felt inspired to watch movies this week. (Surprise, surprise. 😜) Specifically, we wanted to reenter into the mindset of filmmaking. What goes into making a film? All three films we watched together evoked our emotions and creative energy around using filmmaking as a tool to tell stories. Highlights of our inspiration The Outrun (2024), Anora (2024), 1917 (2019) The Outrun — This is a women-driven film (e.g., writers, director, producers, lead actor) with a focus on accurately portraying...

Child wearing red boots jumping and splashing in a puddle. Image Credit: Rupert Britton

In our first newsletter, we said we would spend two weeks deciding our next step for A Creative Duo. Specifically, we wanted to use the Shape Up method to choose what to commit our time, energy, and resources toward for the next six weeks (a six-week cycle). Shaping our next six weeks So, how did it go? Well, messy. First, we had discussions to identify our more pressing challenges: 1. we need to extend our financial runway (make enough money to pay our bills for a few more months) and 2. we...

A hand-drawn illustration of a forest during a thunderstorm and the Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse taking cover with the words "When the big things feel out of control   …focus on what you love right under your nose."  from the book, The Boy, the M

Many people in the U.S. and around the world are experiencing intense emotions today in response to the U.S. election results. Shock, grief, disheartened, anger, despair. These feelings are valid. They're real. They matter. Many people worked hard to advocate for changes to the U.S. government and culture that they truly believe would save people's lives and our planet. It makes sense why not getting the desired election results can feel like a complete loss of control or powerlessness. If...