How Do Filmmakers Build Community in a Changing Industry? | George Ellzey Jr

PROFITABLE TALKS...

In this episode, Christian Brim interviews George Ellzey Jr., the founder of Cottage Grove Productions, who shares his journey as a director and screenwriter. They discuss the significance of the name 'Cottage Grove,' the importance of storytelling in exploring identity, and the challenges and opportunities in the current film and television landscape. George emphasizes the need for community engagement and specificity in storytelling, as well as the importance of adapting to changing market dynamics and audience expectations.

PROFITABLE TAKEAWAYS...

• George founded Cottage Grove Productions after his successful thesis project.
• The name 'Cottage Grove' holds personal significance for George.
• Storytelling can explore universal themes through specific identities.
• The film industry is shifting towards community-driven projects.
• Building trust with the audience is essential for success.
• Experiential marketing can enhance audience engagement.
• The traditional business model in film is evolving.
• In-person connections are increasingly valued by audiences.
• Specificity in storytelling can resonate with a broader audience.
• Cottage Grove Productions aims to create impactful stories for the community.

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Transcript

George Ellzey Jr (00:00.236)
Me too.

Christian Brim (00:01.653)
Welcome to another episode of the profitable creative, the only place on the interwebs where you will learn how to turn your passion into profit. am your host, Christian Brim. Special shout out to our one listener in Delaware, Ohio. Oftentimes I see cities duplicated in other states, never seen a state duplicate another state for a town. So congratulations, Delaware, Ohio.

George Ellzey Jr (00:12.738)
This is what I'm trying to explain in a little bit of a panel.

George Ellzey Jr (00:23.939)
never seen a state duplicate another state or county.

Christian Brim (00:30.987)
and thank you for listening. Joining me today is George Elze of Cottage Grove Productions. George, welcome to the show.

George Ellzey Jr (00:32.43)
Thank

George Ellzey Jr (00:40.61)
Thank you for having me, Christian.

Christian Brim (00:42.239)
Absolutely. So why don't you give the listeners a brief CV of what you do.

George Ellzey Jr (00:50.062)
Sure. So in a nutshell, I am a director and screenwriter. I recently graduated with my MFA in directing from DePaul University in 2023. And from the success of my thesis project called Cottage Grove, I founded a production company here in Chicago with my producers. And we are creating original content in the city.

Christian Brim (01:01.805)
Congratulations.

George Ellzey Jr (01:16.684)
mostly my projects at this time, but eventually we will branch out into movies and televisions and web series. So that's who I am.

Christian Brim (01:25.747)
Why the name Cottage Grove?

George Ellzey Jr (01:29.394)
I have deep connections to the name. It's based off a street here in Chicago. I was raised in Chicago. I went to school, high school on Cottage Grove. So I went to all boys Catholic high school called Hills Franciscan High School, RIP. It is no longer with us anymore. But that street just has a special meaning to me.

Christian Brim (01:36.054)
Okay.

Christian Brim (01:49.166)
okay.

George Ellzey Jr (01:55.439)
Like I said, I went to high school there, but then also my grandmother lived right across the street from my high school. And so I was learning, growing academically, but then I spent a lot of time with my grandmother after school, helping taking care of her when she was ill. And so funny enough, know, 10 plus years later, I returned back to that street with another real life experience. So my...

Christian Brim (02:00.064)
Nice.

Christian Brim (02:06.538)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (02:21.262)
MFA thesis film was based off a moment I had with my estranged father, who I had not seen post my parents divorce. So I was like an infant. But prior to reconnecting in 2019, he wasn't in my life. somehow or another, funny enough through YouTube, because of one of my projects, his girlfriend found me and we reconnected. And so in 2021, he had a stroke.

Christian Brim (02:31.105)
Mm.

George Ellzey Jr (02:50.482)
and I picked him up from University of Chicago and took him to a Walgreens to get him some supplies. And it was the first time my dad and I spent time together in a confined space and it was on Cottage Grove. It just had such a big impact on me and my identity and manhood that I named my film after it and my production company as well.

Christian Brim (03:04.158)
Hmm.

Christian Brim (03:15.18)
I love that. I love, I love that, you know, I, I, there are these things, these themes that weave through our lives. which the quote I, I had from Oswald chambers, was that life can only be understood looking backwards, but it has to be lived forwards. But

George Ellzey Jr (03:36.206)
Yes.

Christian Brim (03:42.295)
But being able to look back and see that theme that's woven through your life, I think is real important. And the impact that it has on us. So I love that you have that insight and that drive around it. So what kind of productions do you focus on?

George Ellzey Jr (04:08.866)
Yeah, so going to the name, although it's very specifically Chicago, one of my producers coined this slogan that all of our stories could happen right around the corner from where you live. I wrote the project to really show the beauty and challenges of the South Side of Chicago that I did not see in film and television. But with our projects, mostly again, my projects at the moment, it has a sp-

Christian Brim (04:21.772)
Hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (04:38.242)
very specific location or identity to the works, but it has a universal themes that anyone from any place around the world can connect to. So Cottage Grove is about a son and father reconciling or another project that we had made in previously called bosom is about two sisters reconnecting after their mother dies on the South side. So it has the specificity of a location, but again, I think it's

Christian Brim (04:41.942)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (04:47.381)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (05:00.341)
Okay.

George Ellzey Jr (05:08.526)
The beauty of our work is that anyone can come to it.

Christian Brim (05:12.288)
I love that. It's actually a theme. I just finished writing my novella. Thank you. I'm in the process of selecting editors. Originally, okay, I'll give you the background on this story so you understand the context. I'm Choctaw, my wife is Choctaw. I grew up in Oklahoma, not...

George Ellzey Jr (05:21.787)
congratulations. Yeah.

Christian Brim (05:41.639)
really identifying as Choctaw. As a matter of fact, in my family, they would do a survey every year at school, asking if you had native family. Because I guess the government got funding for it. But I remember asking my dad, you know, aren't we Indian? And he's like, No, we don't we don't know we don't do that.

George Ellzey Jr (05:45.87)
Thanks.

George Ellzey Jr (06:00.91)
Okay.

Christian Brim (06:11.092)
And so like there was this strange disconnect from that part of my heritage. I got hired as a professional witness in tribal court in Mississippi, which is where the Choctaw are originally from. And so I go there and I go to their tribal court and their facility on their reservation in Mississippi. And I'm like,

George Ellzey Jr (06:24.302)
Wow.

Christian Brim (06:40.64)
huh, I didn't even know guys you guys were still here. Like I thought all of you all got moved to Oklahoma and that's, you know, I knew the Choctaw tribe in Oklahoma, but I didn't know there was a Choctaw tribe of Mississippi. And it planted the seed. like, I wonder how that happened. Like, cause I really didn't know any of the history, right? Unfortunately.

George Ellzey Jr (06:43.982)
Mm.

George Ellzey Jr (07:00.962)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Christian Brim (07:06.762)
Fast forward many years and I'm talking to a local producer, film producer who had put together a screenplay for a period film set in the Civil War. And we're kind of chatting and I'm like, he was potentially doing some work with some of the tribal film departments here in Oklahoma. And it prompted this thought, I'm like, you know,

George Ellzey Jr (07:25.292)
He was innocent.

George Ellzey Jr (07:31.694)
Thank you for watching.

Christian Brim (07:34.285)
I had this experience about the Choctaw, the state in Mississippi. And I have this idea that they were like, fuck the feds and they were hiding in the hills and they were like these rebels, right? That didn't want to get relocated. And I'm like, I think that'd be an interesting story to tell. Right. And so we just talked about it. I'm like, so then I am like, well, maybe I should write a screenplay.

George Ellzey Jr (07:40.096)
This is what we did in my first class.

George Ellzey Jr (07:49.016)
Okay.

George Ellzey Jr (08:01.518)
Thank

Christian Brim (08:03.532)
And so I went and I did research on the relocation of the Choctaw tribe. And it wasn't what I thought. Unfortunately, it wasn't, you know, rubbles in the hills, but it was a fascinating story. And I was looking around and I'm like, there's no film that has been produced about the Trail of Tears.

or set in the Trail of Tears. There's lots of documentaries on it, but there's no story. And so as I start to write this screenplay, I'm like, this shit is hard. I don't know how to do this. So then I was like, well, maybe I'll just write a novel. And then as I start writing it, I'm like, we'll go with a novella. And it took me two years to get that done.

George Ellzey Jr (08:33.518)
I'm from... yeah.

George Ellzey Jr (08:52.334)
Thank

Hahaha

Christian Brim (09:02.43)
I don't know really where I was going with this except I now okay, so I've set the stage for this that what what what the what I was connecting to Cottage Grove and the stories you were talking about is that that one of the themes in this novella is what is your identity? And and really your identity we usually identify strongly with where we were raised and and who you know the

George Ellzey Jr (09:20.248)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (09:31.964)
that impacts us, but that the reality is it is the people that were, you know, the people are more important than the place. Although the place is what we identify with. Yeah. So I guess I say all that to say, does that resonate with you with what you do?

George Ellzey Jr (09:50.413)
yeah, mean that given the current landscape of like film and television, how everything is shifting, audiences now connect with people instead of brands. We've seen the shift, especially on social media, how companies are now having founders become more forward on their social media presence or studios or execs are engaging in social media because audiences are

are scared, they are.

They're not trusting of established institutions anymore. And so what I am focusing on with my own projects with my team is like, how can we lean into our identity to foster community with our audience? Because if you can do that, have a very loyal client base or community that is behind a project for film or for business, any business aspect, I think that's where the return comes from.

Christian Brim (10:40.629)
Hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (10:53.432)
people invest in other people, not necessarily products. And that's what I've just been working with my team. like, how do we navigate this new landscape of film and television? Because with streaming services changing, film festivals not being a viable source anymore, and now the creators are really having the power to create revenue, how will we distinguish ourselves from other people?

Christian Brim (10:53.548)
Mm.

Christian Brim (11:21.298)
Yes, it also that that resonates with me around this, theme that I've been working on. and I'm sorry, if you're listening to this episode, and I'm talking about this subject again, because it seems like I've, I've gone back to it the last several episodes is this idea that now that content production, whether it's audio written word video,

George Ellzey Jr (11:40.718)
Mm.

Christian Brim (11:48.875)
The cost has been driven down to essentially zero. I'm not going to write. Anybody can create anything they want. There's this, a tremendous amount of crap out there. And the need for a human curation of that content to say, yes, it's worth my trust. It's worth my time. It's worth my money.

George Ellzey Jr (11:49.006)
Sure.

George Ellzey Jr (11:54.702)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (12:18.016)
to watch or read or listen to. That's the piece that I think is missing. And that sounds very similar to what you're trying to do there is that you may be producing the content, but it's specifically curated around a specific community.

George Ellzey Jr (12:39.17)
That's true. Going back to specificity of story, that's where you build audience. Like when I created Cottage Grove, I knew when I was writing it, the first page I dedicated to brown and black boys who need their dads. And so that was my thesis going into making that short.

Christian Brim (12:48.042)
Hmm.

Christian Brim (12:59.809)
Mmm.

George Ellzey Jr (13:07.318)
It's also stuck with us when we went into post-production and marketing. Now, what I found was through that specificity of the story, the theme rang out truer. So even though I was writing for Black boys and brown boys for their dads, I've had white older men come to me crying about the story, Latin men, Asian men, and even women talking about their parents' relationship.

Christian Brim (13:11.126)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (13:29.685)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (13:34.751)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (13:35.916)
And so I realized like, okay, that is the key. How can each project that we make from Cottage Grove Productions be hyper-specific, but really allows for that universal theme to come out?

Christian Brim (13:48.873)
Mm hmm. Yeah, because you can you can dissect that a lot of different ways. It's a very interesting thing that's coming up to me now right now is that the hero in my book is an orphan. And I find that very odd having this conversation with you. You know that there's like, okay, looking for the theme. Yeah, right.

George Ellzey Jr (13:56.578)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (14:11.486)
Okay.

Serendipitous.

Christian Brim (14:19.078)
but one of the things he struggles with and the is like, what is a man? Right. and you know, like that's a whole separate thing, you know, that's, that's a component, but it's also like, you, you can explore the, how, how does the lack of a father impact a daughter? Because that's, that's, that's a completely different impact, right? Same in some ways, but like, yeah.

George Ellzey Jr (14:41.176)
Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (14:48.076)
So, so curating and focusing on that, uh, you've got, uh, you know, A plethora of, of options.

George Ellzey Jr (14:57.838)
Very much so, and I think it's going back to just like...

for any business models, like what is your impact for your audience? Like how do you want to change their lives with this product, with this movie, with the services you're offering?

Christian Brim (15:07.841)
Hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (15:21.122)
And that's what we have been trying to figure out. Like we're a relatively new company. Like I said, we started in 2024, mainly out of just like, we had so much momentum with this short film and realizing that post-strike, writer's strike, that the industry was not the same. And those pipelines for exposure and...

the next step up in the career wasn't happening. So we really thought like, okay, how are we going to move our careers forward as a team? Well, we have to rely on community. And what we found is like, if we make community impact or stories that have community impact, then audience members will follow us more diligently and more loyally than just going to a film festival or just putting something out on a streaming platform.

Christian Brim (15:53.419)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (15:58.977)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (16:19.604)
somewhat similar to like the early 2000s Indie Boom, both music and for film. They really had a grassroots movement that galvanized people to break new actors and directors and screenwriters. But through, you know, the 2000s and 2010s with the integration of streaming, we lost that. But now we're getting back to that again. But it's more of a Wild West with the integration of social media.

Christian Brim (16:27.904)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (16:49.422)
Christian Brim (16:51.678)
Yeah. And that's kind of a nice segue into the business conversation. Cause we've talked about the passion part, right? We got that. then like, okay, how do we make this a business and how do we make money on it? And it sounds like you're still working through that. And I think here's the reality. I think all the businesses, whether they're creative industries or not are experiencing some of that shift, right? Like it's, it's a question we, we as entrepreneurs,

George Ellzey Jr (16:58.444)
Yeah, sure.

George Ellzey Jr (17:05.548)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (17:16.888)
Yes.

Christian Brim (17:20.83)
all have to ask. And I think you nailed it with your initial question, what's the impact you make? I phrase that as what problem do you solve? Now, entertainment is an interesting thing because most people wouldn't look at entertainment and say you're solving a problem, but you foundationally are, right?

George Ellzey Jr (17:29.026)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (17:47.47)
Yes, we're building community and in some aspects.

Christian Brim (17:50.347)
When when when well, yes, but just think think about it like why do people go to the theater and watch a movie right? Like what is it that they're getting from that that they'll trade their dollars for it? And and that you know that is foundationally not what you are right like you're not you're not looking to be in theaters on a thousand screens because that's not I mean it may evolve into that.

George Ellzey Jr (17:59.044)
Yes.

George Ellzey Jr (18:15.672)
Mm.

Christian Brim (18:20.022)
But that's not what you're, that's not the problem you're trying to solve. So if I were to phrase that question that way, what problem are you solving?

George Ellzey Jr (18:20.226)
Yes.

George Ellzey Jr (18:32.792)
That is a great question.

George Ellzey Jr (18:39.158)
Our team is focused on...

George Ellzey Jr (18:44.878)
creating cinematic experiences that you don't receive at a traditional theater. Meaning, having smaller gatherings or smaller local screenings for our film, but making an experience and incorporating dinners with our movies, if it ties in with the themes, having...

Christian Brim (18:51.542)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (19:14.326)
not therapy sessions, but like body exercises that go with it. Cause I think audiences are tired of the same old, same old. They go to the theater and they pay like 30 bucks, maybe 40 bucks if you can count parking and concessions and stuff like that. What is the return on it? And that's what we're trying to think of. Like how, what is the return of experience for an audience member? Not just like,

seeing the movie, but what are they getting from it? So are they getting a dinner? Are they getting community from this? Are they learning something about themselves that they didn't know prior to? I think that is the new wave that filmmakers should lean into.

Christian Brim (19:50.796)
you

Christian Brim (19:57.389)
Yeah. Yeah. I think, I think one of the things, you know, people, I don't know so much in cinematography, but a lot of creatives, designers, marketers, videographers are like terrified of AI and, and, you know, I can understand what their fear is, but, but I think really what you hit on is the empowerment of the technology.

George Ellzey Jr (20:15.369)
You hear?

Christian Brim (20:26.852)
is that it allows us to do things that we couldn't do before, not necessarily replace us, but I guess what.

What also came to mind and I'm going to try and tie these two things together was Angel Studios. Okay. And you know, I don't know a lot about them, but I have observed and I'm like, this is, this is very interesting because they tapped into a community. I would say primarily Judeo-Christian watchers and they gave them content that they wanted.

George Ellzey Jr (20:50.872)
Cheers.

Christian Brim (21:14.014)
Right. So, it was, it was, it's a very big and broad community. Right. But I'm sure they didn't start there, like trying to, make the chosen or, you know, that's not where they started. Right. But, but this, this idea that, I know, I, this is how I was going to tie it in. What, what you're creating.

George Ellzey Jr (21:19.8)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (21:29.678)
in its strength and strength.

Christian Brim (21:43.061)
with what you're describing is something that AI can't touch. And it's an experience, right? The experiential economy is 100 % insulated from AI because you can't replicate it. And so I think leaning into that absolutely makes sense.

George Ellzey Jr (21:49.752)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (22:05.038)
I think very much so. Audiences are hungry for in-person connection. We see the rise of, since like 20, 2007, like the rise of vinyl again, and it really started bolstering again in 2014, 2013, really. People want to experience things together in more customized spaces. So like in Chicago, they have...

Christian Brim (22:10.901)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (22:19.766)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (22:33.666)
vinyl listening parties. And it's hard to get a ticket to go to those experiences now because they realize, yes, you can listen to music by yourself, but how can you share that with one another and how that birth community post COVID, our society has been like destructured and fractured, if you will. And I don't think the same practices of breaking a movie.

Christian Brim (22:56.844)
Hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (23:02.1)
of like a press junket and sending it straight to like AMC plus is going to work anymore.

Christian Brim (23:06.848)
Right. Well, it'll serve a certain niche. But but but what you're you've identified is that that is not the trend. That's not where right. I mean, there's always gonna be people that want to there's always gonna be people that want to go see a Marvel movie, right? Like I want I want to do that. That's that but that's not the itch you're scratching.

George Ellzey Jr (23:15.438)
And it won't give opportunity to, sorry.

Sure.

George Ellzey Jr (23:26.754)
but it won't present, it won't break new voices. Like we'll get another Marvel movie from like Safdie Brothers or, you know, Ryan Coogler, which is great, but early 2000s where we had Sundance or Tribeca or South by Southwest was a really, you know, leveling playing field for filmmakers to present new work and to get attention. Now that's not the case.

Christian Brim (23:50.38)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (23:55.659)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (23:55.789)
Unless you go through a lab or you have an industry connection to, you know, rally that into your next project, you're not getting exposure. So instead of chasing after these antiquated models, we're doing something that most studios are trying to do is like get butts in seats, building audiences, getting ticket sales. And if we can do it on a smaller scale and do it consistently.

Christian Brim (24:10.198)
Yes.

George Ellzey Jr (24:25.912)
then we don't have to rely on, let's say Paramount or Warner Brothers to hand us something. We can go into a deal potentially, I'm just speaking hypothetically, with partnership and statistics that shows, we have done this over a year with these small experiences and there's a viable audience for it as opposed to just like, here's a script, let's put A-list talent in there.

to make this project. It becomes very cyclical and that's not what I'm interested in as a business owner, as a creator.

Christian Brim (25:02.696)
Yeah, because those, those institutions were developed around, like you said, an old model and they're hard to kill. Right. I mean, and there's a lot of momentum behind them, but I equate them. People are going to say I'm crazy for this. A lot, a lot of these, these models in the content space. And I would even throw YouTube and Facebook and these mega

George Ellzey Jr (25:06.442)
have a look at this.

Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (25:28.47)
you

Christian Brim (25:32.013)
platforms in there is that their, you know, Facebook is what 20 years old, like it's an old model, right? And they have not adapted well, but the replacement hasn't really shown itself yet. And I'm not saying that it's a replacement that is a new Facebook. I'm talking about the replacement is something entirely different. And I would equate that to

George Ellzey Jr (25:41.288)
Yeah.

George Ellzey Jr (25:57.143)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (26:01.292)
Kodak was is the best story, right? Like they made money for a long time selling film and when digital came, were not able. It's not that they didn't know that it was new and that you know they attempted to move into that space, but what what what why they failed is because they made so much money off of the film production. You know manufacturing the film they couldn't let it go.

George Ellzey Jr (26:03.97)
Yes.

George Ellzey Jr (26:22.222)
Why we play is because we're just serious about the...

George Ellzey Jr (26:30.67)
No.

Christian Brim (26:31.55)
And I think that's what these legacy industry models are going to be stuck with. There's a reason why Netflix is trying to merge. There's a reason why Amazon got bought MGM. It's because those models are now on the decline. And that's why they're merging.

George Ellzey Jr (26:52.898)
Yes.

George Ellzey Jr (26:57.592)
Yes.

Christian Brim (26:59.306)
That's why they're because they understand that they can't grow it organically anymore.

George Ellzey Jr (27:06.914)
Very much so, and that's why even with those deals, they're still fighting for theater runs, but I feel like they're still missing a gap on that. Yes, I still love going to the movie theater, but that experience has to change.

Christian Brim (27:11.5)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (27:22.816)
Yes. Yes. And Netflix, Netflix saying, well, we're going to change the model of how, you know, how we release films, you know, and all this and that. And I'm like, no, you guys are still stuck there. Like you're still stuck in the old model. And it's hard sometimes to look at these megaliths of companies that make all these hundreds of millions of dollars and say, that's a, that's on decline. But, but that, that is the reality. I, as I see it.

George Ellzey Jr (27:35.33)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

George Ellzey Jr (27:51.105)
Yeah, and that's where the market has allowed for content creators, independent filmmakers to really push through on our own and using TikTok, using Instagram, you know, going back to like analog ways of like communicating with people, you know, I was recently at a screening for an event and I got like a handwritten invitation to it and that just

Christian Brim (28:02.294)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (28:09.1)
Hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (28:20.546)
barked such joy in me that I wanted to go to that event in the middle of a Chicago snowstorm. I found my way there. And again, it goes back to that personal touch of just like.

Christian Brim (28:28.199)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (28:34.882)
this film or this project is specifically for you and you're invited to it. And I think one thing that we've been trying to, well, we've been applying into our own work is like, we have to invite our audiences into the work, into each film. It's not enough just to publicize it. What is that invitation to our audience?

Christian Brim (28:40.619)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (28:48.652)
Mmm. Mmm.

Christian Brim (28:56.66)
Yeah, and there's a lot of different ways that you could do that. You talked about, you know, events around the event. So a dinner, a group session of some kind, but it doesn't have to be coincidental to the thing. could become a series. could be, you know, and it, I mean, like the ideas are limitless, but it starts with not being focused on the old model.

George Ellzey Jr (29:04.994)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (29:25.068)
Yeah. And then just being consistent with it. Like, we are not, since we are early on in our stages, we're not doing a lot, Christian. We're like, what we do very well is like, we make stories that are for Black and Brown, well, specifically Black community on the South Side of Chicago. And we are going to screen them on the South Side of Chicago and consistently do that. And what we found, our numbers have been raising of intendances.

Christian Brim (29:28.278)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (29:42.251)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (29:52.779)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (29:54.787)
We've built community trusts, good word of mouth, press from that, as opposed to trying to like, all right, we're gonna screen everywhere around the city. That's not feasible, that's not sustainable.

Christian Brim (30:08.04)
Well, it's not the problem you're trying to solve. the people the people on the North sure don't give a shit. mean, like, why would they go see it right?

George Ellzey Jr (30:10.38)
And yeah, but I think.

George Ellzey Jr (30:15.64)
But that's like the pool for, I guess, trying to be everything to everyone, but nothing to know someone, you know? And it's like, that's, we're not doing that. Mainly because we don't have the resources for it, you know?

Christian Brim (30:21.29)
Yes. Yes.

Christian Brim (30:26.086)
That's a very common allure of trying to be everything to everyone, regardless of your business, but that's a recipe for disaster. You become nothing for no one eventually.

George Ellzey Jr (30:37.293)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (30:41.89)
Yeah. I mean, shout out to my buddy, Armin. Like that's, we've been having several conversations about that, specifically with his series on Filmmaker Fridays. Like he has a once a month for filmmakers at one location.

Christian Brim (30:56.21)
You need you need to get I've been offering to come up there. I may just have to show up. I've offered to do a presentation or a speech. I don't know. I'm not don't know the format. I don't know. But I guess I'm just going to have to come up and experience it and and maybe then I think because that here's what what it is for me and switching it to our business model.

George Ellzey Jr (31:12.962)
Yeah, come on.

George Ellzey Jr (31:23.688)
Mm.

Christian Brim (31:24.28)
You know, we have targeted, as our target customer, the, the creative professional, right? Well, what we know about the creative professional is that you, you have to be present to be relevant. Like you, you can't use the traditional, models of marketing to reach people like you. Right.

George Ellzey Jr (31:45.038)
Thank

George Ellzey Jr (31:52.734)
Yes

Christian Brim (31:53.325)
I can't do Facebook ads or YouTube ads or, you know, it's very heavily community driven. And so, you know, that's an example of doing exactly what you're doing only in a different space.

George Ellzey Jr (32:02.605)
Yes.

George Ellzey Jr (32:14.094)
That specificity again is like, I'm trying to get my uncle to come see my movies and using him as a profile. It's like, well, how does he receive information or what is that invitation to him? Well, he reads the local paper from the South side. Well, we need to be heavily integrated in that paper or have a presence in the community to do that. So it's just like understanding who your customers are. So whatever those are and then

Christian Brim (32:19.232)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (32:25.654)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (32:43.296)
attacking ways of getting them to your place.

Christian Brim (32:44.864)
Yeah. Yeah. Yes. I mean, that that's the thing is there's the marketing landscape has shifted foundationally. you know, it did 25 years ago with the advent of the internet and it's changed again now with, LLMs. but the principles don't change. It's it's who's your, who's your target customer? What's your messaging and what are your channels? Where are they?

George Ellzey Jr (32:55.219)
yeah.

George Ellzey Jr (33:05.432)
Mm.

Christian Brim (33:14.828)
I mean, that will not, cannot change.

George Ellzey Jr (33:14.882)
Mm-hmm.

No, it won't change. So I used to work in marketing for Broadway in Chicago post undergrad. And we would often break new Broadway shows before they went to New York. And it was always a case study around like, how do we bring black audiences to come see this black show downtown? And a large part of it was just like knowing the historical element of

the city, the current state of those neighborhoods and those demographics and what reaches them and as opposed to what you think is the method. So we can't say the show, but they have this marketing plan and they asked my opinion, like, what do you think of this Jordan? Like, well, that's not gonna happen. Where are you advertising? we're doing buses and trains. Like, okay.

Christian Brim (34:00.736)
Mm-hmm.

George Ellzey Jr (34:17.004)
Yeah, they'll watch it, but they won't rely on that messaging. You have to go to their community centers. You have to go to their churches and religious organizations. You have to go to the schools. You have to go to the liquor stores and grocery stores to get the messaging out there. But that information comes from actually being in that neighborhood or specific, wherever your customer is, you have to be on the ground with them.

Christian Brim (34:33.964)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (34:44.564)
And I'm guessing they didn't listen to your advice. Yeah. Well, right. And, that's here's, here's the reality as business owners. We have a real bad habit of turning inwards. You're still new and you're hyper focused. And so maybe you won't get to this point, but if you, if you're in business long enough,

George Ellzey Jr (34:47.362)
They did not. And that show did not do well.

George Ellzey Jr (35:04.982)
Mm-hmm. Yes.

Christian Brim (35:13.708)
it's real easy to ignore the customer. I mean, and it's not intentional. It's not like we don't care about the customer or we're not trying to take care of the customer. It's that we get inward focused on how we're doing things and what we're delivering and the mechanics of running a business. And you just lose sight of, well, what does the customer think? What's their perspective? What's in their head?

George Ellzey Jr (35:40.056)
Hmm

Christian Brim (35:43.789)
Um, I think it was Jeff Bezos, uh, that famously had an empty chair at all of their board meetings or all of their team meetings. And, and it was for the customer. And, and that was just to remind them, I'm like, okay, what does the customer think? You know, we all have our opinions, but what does the customer think? They had, they had the benefit of having a potential target customer.

George Ellzey Jr (36:04.686)
Great. Yes.

Christian Brim (36:11.788)
involved in their marketing plan and what did they do? They ignored, they didn't listen to you. Like that just seems stupid to me.

George Ellzey Jr (36:17.095)
Yeah.

Well, happens more than, you know, yeah, it happens a lot. But I think at least for where my mind is and what I see five or 10 years from now for our production company and staying here in Chicago, it's like we have to stay on the ground. If we're in, you know, we right now, the team and I, meet virtually and we meet in like small, you know, work sharing spaces and on the South side.

Christian Brim (36:38.316)
Mmm.

George Ellzey Jr (36:49.614)
It's like if we starting on the South side and work share spaces, then we have to continue being in those spaces to keep in touch with our customer. Yeah.

Christian Brim (36:57.707)
Mm-hmm.

Christian Brim (37:02.22)
How do people find out more about what you're doing at Cottage Grove?

George Ellzey Jr (37:06.392)
Yeah, so they can go to our website, is cottagegroveproductions.com or all social media platforms. I am hyper involved on social media. I prefer not to be on social media, but we are in the space where you have to be. You have to be forward, again, to build the trust with the audience. So on all platforms, on the website, and yeah, they can reach out, DM us, leave us a comment.

Christian Brim (37:36.268)
Perfect. Listeners will have those links in the show notes. If you like what you've heard, please rate the podcast, share the podcast, subscribe to the podcast. If you don't like what you've heard, shoot us a message, tell us what you want to hear and I'll get rid of George. Until then, ta-ta for now.

George Ellzey Jr (37:52.492)
Hahaha!