I'll warn you that I might upset some with my feature article in this edition of our newsletter.
I'm violating the "stay out of politics" rule I've followed since launching my business, but all rules have exceptions. Extraordinary circumstances demand that I speak out.
I'm not okay with what is happening and you shouldn't be either.
While I've never hid my beliefs which are deeply rooted in my moral upbringing, I don't typically share them on an unsolicited basis.
I share them today because it is imperative we not acquiesce.
It's also relevant to the purpose of this newsletter, as well as our direction as an independent film studio committed to sharing true stories that matter.
I'd welcome your feedback.
1. Feature Article
Truth & Treason in the Era of Trump
I didn’t expect to get emotional in the movie theater that afternoon. But as the credits rolled on Truth & Treason, I sat in the dark with my wife, profoundly moved.
The film chronicles the real-life courage of Helmuth Hübener, a German teenager who defied Hitler’s propaganda by distributing leaflets of truth. He was executed for treason at seventeen.
It is one of the best films I've seen in a long time.
Watching it, I realized that the film wasn’t just about Nazi Germany. It was about what happens when fear, fatigue, and convenience persuade decent people to stay quiet while bad things happen around them. In a sense, it was a message to me about what I need to do as a filmmaker, a business owner and as an American.
That is why I've decided to violate one of my Cardinal rules of business with this article.
For years, I've believed in civility. Diplomacy. I built a career around respect, meeting people where they are, avoiding politics, and finding common ground.
My diplomacy-first approach has served me well for most of my life. But my conflict avoidance is a fault.
Lately, I’ve started asking a harder question: At what point does restraint, conflict avoidance, and silence become complicity?
In the digital media age, outrage is currency. Not just emotional currency, but authority, engagement, and sometimes market value.
What if the anger you see bubbling up on your social feeds isn't purely organic, but instead the product of a manufactured campaign, run at industrial scale with bots, trolls, and fake accounts fanning the flames?
That's the story behind two recent flashpoints: the Cracker Barrel logo debate and the Charlie Kirk killing in Utah.
