Creative Space with Jennifer Logue

On today’s episode of Creative Space, we have the pleasure of chatting with Mariano Mattei and Fabian Farina of Four Olives Productions, a Philadelphia-based production company that has produced over 10 films and won over 26 film awards from festivals all over the world. Their first feature, One Night, is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and their second feature, Sacrum Vindictae, recently had its theatrical premiere.

I always like to say, “Friends who make stuff together, stay together,” and Mariano and Fabian have such a beautiful creative friendship that has spanned decades, from their early years growing up together in South Philly to their first band—which stayed together for 20 years!

These days Mariano and Fabian are focused on film, and in the last six years they’ve produced over 10 films through their company Four Olives Productions.

We cover a range of topics, including their unlikely friendship (at first), making the transition from music to the world of film, and the keys to a great collaborative relationship.

For more information on Four Olives Productions, click here.To sign up for the weekly Creative Space newsletter, visit: eepurl.com/h8SJ9b.
To become a patron of the Creative Space Podcast, visit: https://bit.ly/3ECD2Kr.
SHOW NOTES:
0:00—Introduction

2:00—Growing up in South Philly

4:00—Mariano’s musical family

4:46—Being 4’9’’ as a highschool freshman

6:12—Learning how to fight back

7:27—”I wouldn’t change growing up in South Philly for anything.”

8:08—What is “deadbox?”

12:28—How Mariano and Fabian first met

14:55—Life before cable and the internet

15:30—As kids, Fabian was jealous of Mariano initially

19:00—Fabian joins the army and Mariano starts writing letters to him

17:15—How Mariano and Fabian’s friendship began

21:45—Mariano’s band that almost made it big, The Edge

23:05—Fabian joins Mariano’s new band

26:39—Learning the drums in 3 months

28:09—”Performing live is better than any drug that you can ever have.”

29:24—The transition from the band to making movies

32:17—”With acting, I can be whoever I want.”

36:12—’One Night’ was our film school.

38:26—The budget for the first film.

39:25—Lessons learned from their first feature film

35:31—The day Fabian decided to write a movie

40:58—Preparation is key

46:01—The importance of backstory in creating characters

50:12—Mariano and Fabian’s definition of creativity

54:27—What drives them as artists

58:00—”You either want someone to love it or hate it.”

59:00—The keys to a great collaborative relationship

1:04:11—’Sacrum Vindictae’

1:10:00—What’s next?

On today’s episode of Creative Space, we have the pleasure of chatting with John Faye, a recording artist, producer, and recently retired songwriting professor from Drexel University in Philadelphia, whose career spans over four decades. His various music projects—the Caulfields, John Faye Power Trip, IKE, John & Brittany, and his solo works― have yielded over eight hours of recorded music, song placements in film and TV, and radio airplay.
With the release of his book, The Yin and Yang of it All: Rock n Roll Stories from the Cusp As Told By a Mixed Up, Mixed Race Kid, John can also add author to his list of creative achievements.
We cover a range of topics in this conversation, including the incredible highs of being one of the only Asian American rock musicians in mainstream 90s rock. We also talk about arguing for the validity of the music middle class, which often gets overlooked in today’s fame-obsessed society.
For more on John Faye, visit: johnfaye.com.
To sign up for the weekly Creative Space newsletter, visit: eepurl.com/h8SJ9b.
To become a patron of the Creative Space Podcast, visit: https://bit.ly/3ECD2Kr.
SHOW NOTES:

0:00—Introduction

1:19—Meeting at Mariano + Michelle’s

4:42—John’s early life growing up in Delaware

6:41—Getting inspired by his family creatively

10:44—Being mesmerized by the B52’s

12:30—Writing song parodies as his first outlet

13:18—There was a songwriter in me before I played an instrument

17:09—It’s never too late for anything

18:26—Dealing with racism from an early age

23:29—Getting signed to A&M records at 27

29:30—Asian representation back then vs. today

31:40—”We don’t know how to market you.”

35:18—Back-handed compliments + preferring to be invisible

39:59—John’s definition of creativity

44:30—Plans to adapt the book for the stage

46:30—Where John finds inspiration

51:57—The importance of being a good observer

54:54—The inspiration for ‘The Ying and Yang of it All’

1:00:00—Doing do diligence on memoir writing

1:09:00—Arguing for the validity of the music middle class

1:14:00—Maintaining the artist life for the long haul

1:15:59—What’s next?

On today’s episode of Creative Space, I’m sharing a new step in my creative journey: freeing my voice. For 8 long years, I didn’t talk about my epilepsy diagnosis publicly, and repressing it had a lot of unintended consequences, including blocking my creative flow.
I hope my experience and insight can serve to help anyone else out there who may be feeling stuck creatively.
I only went public about my epilepsy a month ago, with an article I wrote called “What Living With Epilepsy is Really Like,” and you can read that here if you’re interested.
The minute I took that scary step, I felt so much freer. Like a huge weight was lifted off of me.
And the more I allowed myself to examine the impact of hiding my story, I saw how it changed my whole creative trajectory—I gave up music slowly, which really hurt my soul. (If you’re interested in hearing about this, check out the podcast episode all about it, “The Impact of Epilepsy On My Creative Journey.”)
So now, I’m in the process of freeing my voice, both physically (by working with a vocal coach for the first time in decades) and creatively (by being unafraid to write through what I’m going through).
I also found a little inspiration on the day of recording this podcast when I listened to Jay Shetty interview Paris Hilton about her memoir, and how she turned pain into purpose. His podcast is incredible, one of the best, and this episode is so powerful. You can listen here.
For more on me, visit: jenniferlogue.com.

To sign up for the weekly Creative Space newsletter, visit: eepurl.com/h8SJ9b.
To become a patron of the Creative Space Podcast, visit: https://bit.ly/3ECD2Kr.
SHOW NOTES:

0:00—Introduction

0:54—The freedom of opening up about epilepsy

1:20—The fears I fought through

2:25—We all heal in different ways at different paces

3:11—How giving up music chipped away at me

4:13—Burying my own voice

5:00—The journey to reclaiming my voice

5:22—In vulnerability comes healing and empowerment

5:32—Jay Shetty + Paris Hilton interview about turning pain into purpose

6:37—How sharing our story can create a better world

7:40—Asking God for guidance

7:57—Getting on the mic at Ron DiSilvestro’s Studio 4 Workshop

9:00—Making the decision to resume vocal training

9:21—Freeing my emotional AND physical voice

10:00—Why we should all train our voice to open up creatively

On today’s episode of Creative Space, we have the absolute pleasure of chatting with Shadae Lamar Smith, an old friend of mine who is doing incredible work in film.
As Creative Director for the Grammy Award winning artist and entrepreneur, will.i.am, Shadae has directed a number of music videos and branded spots, including his music video for “FIYAH.” He also directed the short film “Miss Famous,” starring Kristen Wiig and Jimmy Kimmel, which screened at a number of festivals. Shadae’s upcoming feature film, Throw it Back is currently in development.
On the podcast, we talk about the importance of exploring things you’re passionate about, not letting ego get in the way of opportunity, and so much more.
For more on Shadae, visit: shadaelamarsmith.com.
To sign up for the weekly Creative Space newsletter, visit: eepurl.com/h8SJ9b.
To become a patron of the Creative Space Podcast, visit: https://bit.ly/3ECD2Kr.
SHOW NOTES:0:00—Introduction

0:58—How we met

2:43—Shadae’s early life

5:13—Don’t let your training limit you

8:40—Transitioning from acting to directing

14:30—Shadae’s definition of creativity

18:24—How creativity comes into play as a director

23:34—A day in the life of Shadae

27:18—Staying motivated

32:13—From receptionist to creative director

34:32—The importance of lowering the ego

37:30—The director should be the strongest collaborator

39:08—Shadae’s favorite directors

41:44—Working with will.i.am

43:43—Working with Kristen Wiig and Jimmy Kimmel

46:30—Best practices for bringing a writer’s vision to life

48:16—’Throw it Back’

49:30—The future of the film industry

53:02—Advice for aspiring directors

Are you ready for an upgrade in the way you perceive your creativity? In our latest episode of Creative Space, it's all about embracing a transformative perspective: the growth mindset. I'll walk you through the process of cultivating this mindset, equipping you with the tools to turn your intelligence, abilities, and talents into learnable skills that can adapt and evolve.
Discover the power of staying present, seeing errors as learning curves, refining your work, and building resilience. Look at failures with a new lens and understand how these supposed 'roadblocks' are actually stepping stones in your creative journey.
So, tune in to this enlightening conversation, and see how you can better embrace a growth mindset in your creative journey.
Don't forget to share your thoughts, experiences, and leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts—your support is much appreciated!
SHOW NOTES:
0:00—What is a growth mindset?

2:00—Staying present

2:38—Seeing mistakes as learning opportunities

3:30—Refining the work

4:45—Helps you build resilience

5:54—Helps you develop patience

7:15—Helps with decision making

8:08—Makes you a better collaborator