In Development

So after months of writing, re-writing, kick-starting, casting, meetings, preparation and scheduling , we finally wrapped In Development late Sunday evening. I'm so ecstatic over the story we were able to tell, but I'm also pretty sad to say goodbye to these characters (and of course the talented cast that brought them to life & crew that worked so hard to capture them.) Eric & I truly believe we'll have plenty more stories after these initial episodes and I think you guys will really like what you see. There's just nothing like it out there and I think we might have something really special on our hands.

We had such an amazing camaraderie on set, almost like a fun film summer camp with everyone continually asking when we'll be doing more. It's a great feeling to have the almost the entire cast ask where their characters will be in future episodes and crew members telling us that they've never laughed so hard on set from the performances or writing of a show.

Just for an idea how hard everyone worked on this, we only shot for 4 days. Our cast & crew knocked out almost 30 pages of script; that's basically 25%, or more, of a feature film in FOUR DAYS. The cast put in such phenomenal performances and the crew worked their asses off to make this happen in such a short amount of time. I am so proud of everyone that was involved in this. A huge thank you from us to them for allowing us to be able to tell this story at such a high level.

Later this week we'll be delivering the footage to, the more than capable hands and skillful eyes of our editor, Chris Ninness of I Can Fly Pictures. As you can see I linked his Twitter, but he literally will not follow you no matter how much you love him, no matter how many horrible films he'll make you watch. After compressing the files, syncing the sound and other editing magic, he'll start cutting everything together and putting his awesome skills to the test. We are hoping for a Holiday 2012 release and I just can't wait to see it or show it to you guys ... and the world, let's show the world too.

We were able to pick up actual behind the scenes interviews for a small featurette, and a ton of production stills, which we will compile and put up on the Make Believe Facebook soon, but I've put together a small video of our time on set just to show you guys and keep you in the loop. Please note this is just iPhone footage and the actual show will look NOTHING like this. Hope you enjoy the tiny peek inside to the inner workings of Mike Bay Productions.

Thanks for reading & watching. Share with your friends, enemies, immediate family members, pets, little old ladies crossing streets (as long as they don't mind cursing) primates and anyone else ... or EVERYONE else.

Kyle

Kyle: Year One

Exactly a year ago today, I hopped into a pre-loaded Honda, pushed play on the first of many epic road trip CD's and started one of the biggest adventures of my life: moving to Los Angeles to finally give my dreams a run for their money. (you can find out all about that right here.)

I said tearful goodbyes to my wife, daughter & family; the people who raised me, shaped me, loved me and helped foster these fanciful dreams into a possible semi-reality. Thankfully, I was reunited with Amanda & Madison after four months (still ridiculous to think about missing 1/3 of a year of our lives together) but it's been a year since I've seen the rest of them, and I miss them more than I can explain.

But just like every door closing is another opening, those goodbyes brought on a new set of hellos.

I was saying goodbye to my past and hello to my future.

Goodbye to everything I had ever really known, and hello to the reality I was setting out to make.

In a lot of ways I was saying goodbye to the Kyle I used to be, and hello to the Kyle I'm meant to be.

Don't get me wrong, I'm the same guy that I've always been at the core: I make jokes, I love movies & music, I'm inappropriate and I write (yeah ... that's about it.) But things change when you take on something of this magnitude. You shed away all the things that have stopped you from REALLY BEING YOU.

You're taking on the world! Not just a job, or your dickhead boss at work giving you hell or even just your normal day to day routine. You're raising the veil on what reality was, how you were told to perceive it and what it actually is. Yes ... just like The Matrix. Just without Keanu and the pink slime from Ghostbusters II.

Sadly, there's no Vigo, The Scourge of Carpathia either

Life blows by so quickly. You guys know this, you've seen your kids grow in front of your eyes, all the good times you had in school just yesterday are fifteen years ago. Life isn't waiting on you. And by falling in line, and doing what we are raised to do, what we "want" to do, we only help it go that much faster.

Life isn't about where you end up; it's about the adventures getting to that end and who you became and helped others become while doing it.

It's about growing into YOU! About having goals and accomplishing them, then doing that again and again and again. Why waste time on things that aren't making you happy? I can't say for sure we are only on Earth once, but I'm gonna make the absolute most of it while I'm here. I'll be that party guest that won't leave, I'll ride this shit till the wheels come off. All these things you say you want to see and do, figure out how to see and do them! Talking about what you want to do, turns into regrets about what you wish you could've done. Don't let that happen.

You shed a lot of fear doing this, a lot of rules you've been told to follow don't matter anymore. From a kid into adulthood you get told "You can't do this. You shouldn't do that" and we accept it as the norm. I say screw that, question everything, ESPECIALLY "Why CAN'T I do this?" "Why SHOULDN'T I do that?" In fact, WATCH me do it.

Of course I don't mean the commonsense things like, why can't I rob a bank (...no really, why can't I rob a bank?) but the general rules of life. Who you can become, what you need to do, where you need to do it. When those rules stop having meaning, you're free.

I'm not saying stop paying your mortgage and run off to the islands, (really don't do that, there's so much paperwork and inoculations, bleh.) I'm just saying, take an assessment of what is holding back your happiness and change it.

I'm not on this quest to make a ton of money or become famous. I honestly don't care about any of that. I want enough to take care of people I love and fame can suck a dick or if you are a Kardashian, many dicks until you get a reality TV deal.

I have a desire to tell stories and to connect with people. I feel that is what I'm here to do. This isn't vanity. This isn't for fun. This is a need, a desire, a thirst that can only be quenched by doing this. It's a spark inside me and I hope I get to share it.



I've gone through hell and I'm expecting heaven. I've had so many downfalls, disappointments, heartbreaks and shortcomings in this past year, crazy things I wouldn't have written to put "our hero" through. But I stay and I grind away.

Persistence is my best weapon and I use it like it's going out of style. Reasonable men and women, wouldn't do this. It's damn hard. Harder than expected and I expected it to be EXTREMELY rough. Thankfully, I've always been stubborn and I'm just not one for taking no for an answer (rape joke? you decide.)

It's a challenge; none of this has come easy and I have to keep working at it daily to continue this outlook. Life likes to have it's hooks in you and it's easy to let it, but this can be done. All you have to do is try and keep trying. And it also helps to have people that believe in you, pushing you to be the best you, you can be too.

I'm doing this because I love it and I can't imagine not doing it. To show Madison, and myself, that dreams can and do come true, it just takes will & work. I'm not doing this to prove other people wrong, I'm doing it to prove myself right.

I know that sounds a lot bigger in scope than what I did but in all reality, that's what happens, or at least what happened to me. It was life changing. I'd been on this path since 2002, aimlessly walking it until I found people that inspired me and challenged me and had that same passion that I did. Since then it's been a whirlwind of change, some bad but mostly good. It all leads to the same conclusion; that this was inevitable. This is where I'm supposed to be.

On this anniversary, I can happily say that I live and am settled in Los Angeles. I wake up everyday and go to work in Beverly Hills, not doing what I want to, but closer than I've ever been. I see my amazing wife & daughter every day now. I not only talk to but see my best friend all the time. No more working across country, through late night phone calls and skype sessions. We are in the process of doing everything we ever set out to do. And we will.

To put it in a better perspective: I arrived in LA last year in the wee hours of August 11th. Scared, missing home, and wondering if I had made the right decision for my family and myself.

Do you know what I'll be doing in the wee hours of August 11th exactly a year later? Filming our first day on our first project here. With your help, we're making In Development into reality. We'll be making Make Believe.

Putting aside the struggle, it's been an amazingly positive year for us creatively. We finished 3 full projects, begin filming one in just a matter of a few short days and we've planned out so much more. We are mapping out our futures, one story at a time.

I'm lucky that I have such amazing and supportive people around me, to help me stay focused, to keep my drive alive, and when it's all said and done, to help me look back on what we've done and celebrate what we will have accomplished.

Here's to my first anniversary in LA. Here's to dreams and MAKING them come true.

Thanks for being there guys, I love you to death. I want to make you proud.

And thank YOU for being here, reading this and for supporting us on this fantastic journey.

This is just the beginning.

Kyle

The Thank You So Much Blog

35 Days

53 Backers

$5,366.50

107% Funded

When the dust settled last night at 11pm, that is what all the posts, all the pestering, all the likes, all the shares and all the donations amounted to.

Success

While it may have been a plot hatched from our evil brains, you guys carried it out. YOU guys are the ones that said "we would like to see what you can do and we'll put our money where your mouth is."

YOU got us the funding we needed.

YOU helped The Make Believe Picture Company get on the path to showing the world a different kind of entertainment. 

YOU did it.

And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts ... well heart and Central Oil Containment Center, because as you all know, Eric is a cyborg from the future.

So what now?

Glad you asked... we should receive our funding from Kickstarter in the next two to four weeks, so we will be looking to film our three episode arc of In Development in August.

90% of our cast has already been locked down, so we will finish securing the remaining actors in the next week or so. We really couldn't have asked for better and more talented actors. Honestly. I'm not saying that because I have to, I'm saying it because you're gonna love them and it's true.

We've got an massively talented Director of Photography. This guy does magnificent work and is gonna make Mike Bay Productions, look like a billion brand-spanking new Ben Bernanke bucks.

And on the post-production side, we have an editor that  ... words can't describe how talented the guy is. His work looks so amazing, better than so much of the professional stuff out there it's just ridiculous. 

So between making final arrangements with our locations, getting a finalized shooting schedule and making sure all of the technical aspects of the project come together, the Make Believe team will be hard at work making sure every penny spent will make it to the screen and that we are putting out the best possible product that your money can buy ;-)

But until then ...

You've helped out two struggling filmmakers in Los Angeles and made a huge contribution into bringing their dreams to reality. 

To tell stories that people can relate to and connect with, just like we did and still do to this day. 

To turn the world into our backyard so we can all continue playing Make Believe together. But be home before dark, we don't want to piss off your mom.

To help us change Hollywood one story at a time.

We could not have made In Development without your help; your drive to get our message out there, your generous donations and of course, liking the video and sharing the project.

Thank you guys so much for all the support!

This is where the fun starts.

@MakeBelieveKyle

The We Need Your Help Blog

I talk ... a lot ... and I talk a lot about good things coming up and big things ahead, but unfortunatly for you invisibles, you really don't get to see the behind-the-scenes triumphs and all the plots and plans  Eric and myself have.

That changes today.

Today you do get to see it.

I'm talking about our project, In Development, which we've recently launched on KickStarter.

Not only can you see it, you can be apart of it.

We need your help.

And your money.

Preferably both.

In Development follows Aaron, Mike Bay's new personal assistant, and the trials, tribulations and explosions his famous boss can cause.

If The Office and Entourage got it on, shacked up, popped out a loved but bastard child, In Development would be it.

We have 27 days left as of this blog and we are a 38% of the way there! That is AMAZING but there is still a long way to go to ensure In Development actually happens.

If we aren't 100% funded by 11pm on July 15th, all of your gracious contributions will be returned to you. 

That's why it's some important that you become involved.

Share the project. Like the video. Donate a couple bucks. It all adds up. And you won't be out a dime until July 16th!

The reality of this is, we can not do In Development without you. We need you. And we know that it's something that you can be just as proud of as we are.

In the past week we've received almost FIVE THOUSAND (yeah ... 5,000) submissions from talented actors and actresses who want to be a part of the project. Our first casting session was a major success and just seeing how some of these amazing artist's brought our characters to life was awesome.

Hell, even this guy's agent submitted him to be in In Development! 

For realsies ... THAT Andy Dick. 

We've locked down an amazing director of photography, who is going to make everything you donate to In Development look like a million bucks and a fantastic editor who can take that footage and make you think you're watching a prime-time TV show instead of a web series.

The actors we've already cast are some of the best unknown talents in Hollywood, on the verge of breaking into the big time.

We've been working towards showcasing our talents, and others, for a long time and this is finally our time to shine. Help us take advantage of it. Help us change Hollywood one story at a time, starting with In Development.

Help us. 

We have 21 backers at this point and have had TONS of our friends share the project and like the video. We've come such a LONG way in a week but there is still a long way to go.  

All of your support means so much to us, we would've never dreamed that so many of you guys believed in us and wanted to help us do what we were put here to do (not counting dishing out vigilante justice and synchronized swimming.)

We thank you from the bottom of where our hearts would be if Eric wasn't a cyborg and my heart wasn't being eaten from the inside by heart disease. 

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Kyle

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/789635101/in-development?ref=live

An Evening With Kevin Smith ... blog

Last night, writer/director/my-personal-hero, Kevin Smith was set to have a book signing at The Grove's Barnes and Noble. He had been shilling it on his twitter account for a while and I happily counted down the days, in hopes of getting a copy of his new book signed and to be able to personally tell him what he has meant to me.

It's such a strange phenomenon that a stranger can loom so large in your life, but in all honesty, Kevin Smith has for me.

And I planned to tell him so.

Until I got to Barnes and Noble for the signing of course.

The friendly fine book purveyor told me in no uncertain terms that Kevin Smith's assistant said their won't be a signing at all, you can trade in your book for a signed copy and it would just be a straight Q&A.

If you've never seen or attended one of Smith's Q & A's they are amazing to behold. Hilarious stories and antidotes about his life, scattered with his trials and tribulations in the entertainment industry. Check them out, there's even one on Netflix (Too Fat for Forty) so you've literally got no excuses.

Last night was the third such event I've been to and as great as they are, I had my heart set on telling this famous stranger how much he had inspired the course my life had taken.

So, like Kevin himself, I took to Twitter to express my feelings.

I sat and stewed, listening to the other fans telling their own stories, laughing and gossiping like twelve-year-old school girls about the latest goings on of the man himself.

Then it was announced that he was coming early to start signing so that he could devote a much longer period to the Q & A. I grumpily acknowledged that it was a very cool gesture, but I'd be lying if I said I  was still more than just a tad disappointed.

Right around 7pm, the blur of orange and blue swooped around the corner and everything changed; in my mind, just the sight of the man of the hour, wiped away all the bad feelings I had harbored about tonights change in plans. I didn't need a personally signed book, this was going to be fun.

I smiled as he happily greeted the fans and posed for media pictures with the book.

He told the crowd that tonight was his and Jennifer Schwalbach's anniversary of the first time they fucked, so this was a special night for him too. He was all smiles ... until he pulled his phone out.

And then he mentioned two Twitter posts...

Kevin read aloud the first twitter post, speaking of "no personal signings" and that all "he wanted was a hug." He searched the room, called the man "a squeaky wheel" and said he would indeed get his hug.

Then he proceeded to read my tweet. I held up my hand and owned it as he finished reading it to the crowd. He acknowledged me with a smile and said something to the tune that he would get to me.

If my interaction with Kevin would have ended there, I would have been a pretty happy guy.

The questions started to flow in as he went over his fan's questions, some really good ones, some repeats from prior Q&A's and everyone was laughing and feeling good, when it suddenly dawned on me: Everyone that knows me, knows what Kevin Smith is to me. They know that the path I'm on has been directly influenced from him. Why don't I just tell him? Who gives a shit if it's in front of a hundred or so other Smith-philes.

So I bided my time, waiting for the opportunity to strike. It came in the form of a fan that literally had 6 questions. Each time Kevin answered, in his awesome drawn out way and each time the fan had a rebuttal. I knew that my comment would be a nice change of pace.

Up went the hand and Kevin pointed to me.

I said I've just got a comment if that's cool, to which he offered up the mic, but I didn't want to make an even bigger scene. I pushed forward.

I told Kevin Smith that I started writing in 2003, because of him. He showed me that a guy like me from the middle of nowhere could write his thoughts, feelings, jokes, and interests and have the chance of telling stories that people can relate to and connect with.

He nodded, even seemed as if he geniunely appreciated it. I continued on.

I told Kevin that because of him, I too, had given independent film a try, even if it had been a massive failure, he gave me the target to shoot for, using my ambition as ammunition to take on such a monumental task, because where I'm from, people just don't do such things. You settle down, you work at Publix, you have a family then you follow in your family's footsteps, kinda just waiting for the next big event in life.

He gave me the courage to strike out and follow my dreams because, hey if he can do it, why the fuck can't I?

His smile grew bigger as I told him this, his eyes beginning to twinkle like a much younger & higher Santa.

I pushed on, telling him that I am here now because of him, not just at this Barnes and Noble, but in Los Angeles, California, following my dreams with my best friend and writing partner, beating the preverbal streets, writing and dreaming, going after it with all we have.

He spoke earlier of a fire to tell stories, to feel like you have to tell this story or die, and that is me, us, The Make Believe Picture Company, personified.

I thanked him for the opportunity to be on his S'Modcast's the first week they were up and running last May. He smiled and asked who we were and seemed to genuinely remember it, recalling it like one of my own friends would.

I finished with another overall "so ... thanks." feeling great; knowing that I had gotten to personally tell him what he meant to me, as personal as speaking over a crowd of people can be.

I was happy to get it off my chest. As a celebrity and filmmaker he probably hears this everyday, so it wasn't new to him, but he acted as if it were. He treated that moment as if it meant as much to him as it did to me. I will be forever grateful for that.

And then he invited me up for a hug.

You better believe it was the quickest I had ever jumped to hug a sweaty man in my life.

He whispered a "thank you" & "good luck" to me, and I whispered can I get a picture to which he happily obliged.

This was just a small thing to him but such a huge moment to me. Cementing that I did the right thing coming out here. The struggles, the being away from my family to establish myself, the fight to live here and try to pursue my dreams. Ringo said, "it don't come easy" and that ain't the half of it.

Sadly, that photo op. opened the floodgates to where everyone began to ask for pictures, and never once did he say no, inviting people up and letting them get a little bit of him to take home.

I walked out with Eric as a line of at least 40 people began to form for pictures after the show. There's no doubt in my mind they all left with the moment they were hoping for too.

I was going to be a life-long fan to begin with.

I've followed Kevin through thick and (not so) thin. Maybe not always agreeing or totally convinced that he was doing the right things or making the best decisions but firmly standing by my man.

Last night, I became a bigger fan of Kevin Smith the writer, director and best selling author. But I also became so much more appreciative of the man himself. He is exactly as he sells himself to be and that's an amazing thing in a town littered with fakes, phonies and pretenders.

I've been on this path for a long time, trying to make lightning strike, and following in the footsteps of Kevin Smith, Tarantino, Rodriguez; all self-made filmmakers and visionaries, all guys who did/do it their way. I'm happy to say that now more than ever.

They say you shouldn't meet your heroes. You'll come away disappointed. In this case it was the exact opposite. Thanks Kevin.

There has been a palpable shift in our fortunes over the last two weeks, thanks to a lot of hard work and a never-say-die attitude, we have started seeing the ground moving above the seeds Eric and I have been planting for the last 3 years.

We're ready to take that fire, these stories, and this drive and start making some real headway. It's coming  guys.

Thanks for being here with us as it's happening.

@MakeBelieveKyle

A Year in Movies

2012

In my mind I think it's still around 1998, maturity level only, and it's crazy to think it's 2012 (much less that 1998 was 14 years ago, but I digress.)

I'll bypass all that world ending talk and run on about something I actually care about which is movies.

I love them. I write them. And subsequently, I watch a ton of them. 

With that said, I'm going to keep track of every movie I watch this year. Every single one. There are gonna be some I'm probably ashamed of watching, perhaps even owning, but I'm putting it out there regardless.

Hopefully it'll stimulate a nice conversation about film, either the ones I've watched, the ones I'm gonna watch or possibly you can recommend some. It'll also show that I watch way too many movies, but for posterity's sake, we'll just call it research instead of entertainment.

So let's do this: The list is below, I'll keep it updated and you guys supply the talking.

And ... go!

1. Back To The Future

2. The Big Sleep

3. Dragnet (1987)

4. When Harry Met Sally

5. The Invention of Lying *

6. Happy Gilmore

7. Raiders of The Lost Ark

8. Foo Fighters: Back and Forth

9. The Longest Yard (2005)

10. The Odd Couple

11. The Apartment

12. Mister Roberts

13. American Beauty

14. Shaun of The Dead

15. Hot Fuzz

16. Billy Madison 

17. Scott Pilgrim vs The World

18. Man on The Moon (1999)

19. Moneyball

20. Catch Me If You Can
21. Double Indemnity
22. We Need To Talk About Kevin *
23. Red State
24. Back To The Future II
25. Die Hard
26. 50/50 *


February:


27. Big Miracle *
28. I Love You Phillip Morris *
29. The African Queen
30. Biloxi Blues
31. The Bodyguard
32. Scott Pilgrim vs The World
33. I Am Legend
34. Warrior


March:


35. The Days Of Wine And Roses *
36. OSS 117: Le Caire, nid d'espions *
37. That Thing You Do!
38. The Blues Brothers
39. Sweet Home Alabama
40. The Help *
41. I Am Bruce Lee *
42. Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom
43. The Descendants *
44. Masters of The Universe
45. The Assassination of Jesse James by The Coward Robert Ford
46. Midnight In Paris *
47. The Smurfs *
48. Clerks II
49. My Week With Marilyn *
50. Night Of The Hunter
51. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011) *
52. The Muppets *
53. Key Largo
54. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
55. Drive *


April:


56. The Captains *
57. J. Edgar *
58. Arsenic and Old Lace
59. The Town
60. The Social Network
61. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
62. Dick Tracy
63. Zombieland
64. Sleepless In Seattle
65. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
66. Silence of the Lambs
67. Dawn of The Dead (2004)
68. Bad Boys
69. The Karate Kid
70. Forrest Gump
71. Mrs. Doubtfire

MAY:

72. Pulp Fiction
73. Hannibal
74. Star Wars
75. The Departed
76. High Fidelity *
77. Signs
78. The Hunger Games *
79. The Sixth Sense
80. Sister Act
81. Three Kings *
82. Transformers
83. Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey *
84. Steel Magnolias
85. Memento
86. The Truman Show
87. Due Date
88. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
89. Fight Club

June:

90. When Harry Met Sally (2)
91. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
92. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
93. True Grit (2010)
94. Rango *
95. Girl Interrupted *
96. The Conspirator *
97. Star Trek (2009)
98. Lady & The Tramp
99. The Iron Giant
100. Chinatown
101. The Two Jakes *

July:

102. 21 Jump Street *
103. A Face in the Crowd
104. Independence Day
105. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian *
106. The Bourne Identity
107. Super 8
108. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
109. Batman (1989)
110. The Exorcist
111. Batman Begins
112. The Dark Knight
113. The Dark Knight Rises *
114. The Shawshank Redemption
115. Missing * (1982)
116. 30 Minutes or Less
117. Captain America: The First Avenger *
118. My Cousin Vinny

August:

119. Rocky
120. Dogma
121. Office Space
122. Lethal Weapon
123. ...

Happy New Year!

Putting the wraps on another year full of ups and downs (thankfully many more ups) and I just wanted to quickly tell you guys & dolls (and invisibles) that I hope you have a Happy New Year!

Make Believe has big plans this coming year and I know that 2012 will be amazing; full of following, pursing, catching and accomplishing our goals and dreams. That's not saying it'll be easy, it's just saying that we are determined to do anything we have to do to get where we are meant to be.

Even kill.

Okay, perhaps there is a small list of morally objective things we won't do, but we aren't talking about that.

I'm personally re-energized, reinvigorated, possibly reanimated and definitely re-ready to get this going. It took a lot to get me to this place, physically (Los Angeles) and mentally, but I am excited to start facing these hurdles one by one.

I've got everything I need here, an amazing group of family & friends, and we've got a full slate of projects to work on. In essence things have never been better and it feels like it's all coming together at just the right time.

I hope that your New Year is everything you guys want it to be and I wish you the best in making it happen.

Now go get it, and don't let the fact that the world is ending December 21st 2012 stop you from making this the best year ever.

@MakeBelieveKyle

I'mma be, what I set out to be, without a doubt, undoubtedly 

Thanksblogging

So, I'm sitting outside of L.A. on a cold and rainy day.

I'm here to continue going after a dream I started chasing years ago. Before I knew I was actually chasing anything. Before a failed independent film back in Florida that brought me a relationship that I would come to love, then hate, then cherish above almost all. Before I ever knew I wanted to tell stories the rest of my life.

I guess I'm gonna catch you guys (all 6 of you) up on how I got to California and what I'm thankful for.

Day 1:

I left two days after my daughter's 9th birthday in August. I had three days to get from Polk County, Florida to Los Angeles. That was 2,529 miles in 72 hours.

Daunting? Absolutely.

Impossible? Nah. Just a Sunday drive ... and Monday ... and Tuesday.

Why only three days to cross the bottom of the United States? Promising job interviews to start my/our new life off right. I mean, I'm here to write but until that pays the bills, something has to.

After years of trying to get to California, years of talking about following dreams, a few false starts and blown chances and after a handful of heartbreaking & tearful goodbyes, we were on our way.

We.

Not my girls and I: I was heading out on my own to get things set up for us. It was only for a month. I'd arrive a few days before my birthday in August and the girls would follow me out in early September.

But I digress. We. Me, one half of The Make Believe Picture Company, and Fluffy.

Screw The Rules.

Madison lent me her favorite puppy to make the trip with me, so I wouldn't be lonely. So I decided if I was gonna have company, he was going to be a participant in this trip. 

Not only was he the little stuffed dog that reminded me of what I was leaving for a month (and why it was so important to keep going no matter what), but he was my partner in crime, a reason to document where I was going and where I had been.

Day 1 was to go from Central Florida to Louisiana. Not a bad beginning leg, especially since I was gonna have a quick pit stop with one of my best friends in Alabama. 

Fluffy and I roared down the back roads to the interstate in FL, sappy tunes blaring for about the first hour: oh, how we wore out The Scientist, Times Like These & Breathe Me (damn you Six Feet Under.)

Such as segregation.

Luckily throughout the trip, I had Amanda and Eric and a few others to talk to and the first day seemed to roll by pretty quickly and without issue. I was a little behind where I wanted to be and more tired than I had expected when I got to my friend Holly's driveway, but I had made it to Mobile.

Fluffy & Friends, only on the Double U Bee.

An hours worth of good talk, spaghetti and ribbing of horrible TV shows and Fluffy and I were off. 

We left heading into a beautiful sunset. It was breathtaking and it really kind of clued me in that I was seeing some truly amazing things. It made me feel a little better about my first real night away from my girls if that makes sense.

Mobile. Day 1. Also, who knew they had a tunnel?

But, dear readers, as you can figure out, the sun may have set on day one, but I still had two states to go to be on track. 

I made it into Mississippi before I totally lost the sun for the night. I was getting sleepier by the hour and was kicking my ass for not leaving a day sooner so I could've crashed with my friend.

All smiles, but he still couldn't spell it right on the first try.

Alas, I did NOT make it into the land of bayous and Swamp People. I called it a night in Diamondhead, MS and figured I would make up my lost time tomorrow.

DAY 2:

Plan was to go from the western end of MS to El Paso Texas.

We actually went: Diamondhead, MS to Fort Stockton, Texas: 889 miles.

MS to LA flew by and things were good, I was rested and renewed for the longest day of the trip. 

Fluffy did NOT get to attack the pelican.

And honestly, LA to Texas went by faster than I thought. I saw some amazing looking scenery going from the flat lands of Florida and Alabama (it was dark, Mississippi just looked black) ... (racist) to the swamps and bayous of Louisiana. 

Luckily a Cajun saved Fluffy before his untimely demise.

Texas was a different story. I was happy to get into it. I looked forward to crossing it. Eric had made this drive in 2009, so I knew that it wasn't all fun and games. I was warned that Texas was boring, to say the least. Regardless, I knew it was a state I was gonna have to blow through and because of their 80mph speed limit, that was exactly what I planned to do.

Use the Schwartz, Lone Star!

Shit really is bigger in Texas. And dumber.

I absolutely loathed Texas. From east to west, top to bottom. I hated it. I don't know if it was being in the car alone, sorry Fluffy, or if it was the fact that I had a thousand miles to go, but it was complete torture.

Nothing but smiles from Fluffy. Bastard.

Somewhere in Texas. Or Hell. Can't be sure.

San Antonio.

San Antonio was the one bright spot in Texas for me. I got off the interstate and circled the Alamo a few times before heading back into the wild frontier. 

Day 2: Outside San Antonio

The landscape was starting to change, get mountainous as the sun went down and I was happy to see that. What I didn't realize is that, although I had been through tons of mountains as a kid, I had never driven them and at night. 

It was brutal doing so. I was trying to stay up around 80mph but it was no use as the last half of Texas is up and down and apparently the deer there are hunted so hard that the safest place for them is literally ON the highway. 

So many close calls with these idiotic beasts. I'm totally with Louis CK. At one point I wanted to place Fluffy on a dead one at a rest stop. Better sense and Amanda got through to me. 

I was angry, tired, scared of demolishing my car on one of these creatures. And I still had six hours to go to get to El Paso. 

Spoiler Alert. I didn't get there. It was the closest I think I'd ever come to experiencing cabin fever. I was breaking.

Unfortunately. there seems to be only about 4 towns in between those two cities. I stopped around 2am half way between San Antonio and El Paso and it wasn't pretty.

Screw Texas. It is now North Mexico to me. I'll X out a star on the flag if need be. I will indeed Mess with Texas. 

Anyway, my hotel room was fine enough on the outside, but on the inside one bed was sticky, I was too tired to complain and I just went to the other, and as I found out in the morning, I was sleeping with a tiny scorpion/alien thing. 

Documented proof.

A little bit of bitching about sticky beds, that I didn't cause, and a deadly bedtime beast to the Senorita at the La Quinta in BFE, Texas and I got my money back as Day 3 was beginning.

Day 3:

Fort Stockton, Texas to Los Angeles: 1,052 miles.

Last day, it had to be, I had an important job interview tomorrow at 9am. No dicking around, I HAD to be in LA at the end of the day. 

Also, I woke up in some sort of awesome desert/mountain area. It looked like something out of Red Dead Redemption and almost all of John Wayne's movies. 

As much as I hated Texas, I have to say I had somewhat of a spiritual experience listening to Mumford and Sons album while driving up, around and through these giant desert rocks. 

North Mexican Mountains.

Like good Americans, Fluffy and I ran all the Indians off and took their stuff.

Mexico is scary. 

Four hours of that and I was done with North Mexico forever. 

Enchantment is a stretch but whatevs.

I'd like to say I enjoyed New Mexico but honestly I just enjoyed getting through it. It was just "eh" I was excited to be close to my destination and to be done with Texas. I couldn't believe I was only hours away from Los Angeles and my best friend. 

A few hours more and we were into Arizona. The excitement was building. 

This asshole's never-ending enthusiasm wasn't always infectious. 

I really liked Arizona. More mountains. It stormed in the desert, both wind-storms (awesome) and thunderstorms and there were beautiful spots that I so look forward to visiting properly someday. 

Windstorm. This was the middle of the day.

We busted ass and made it to Phoenix as the sun was going down on Day 3. 

Another phenomenal sunset. Outside Phoenix.

California Love was locked and loaded as we crossed over the Colorado River and then into California. 

Fluffy and I intelligently conversed about how I had been in the game ten years making rap tunes, ever since honey's was wearing Sassoon as we barreled up mountains, into valleys and finally into Los Angeles. 

It was close to 2am as I pulled onto Hollywood Blvd and saw my friend, at his home, for the first time ever. 

It was a moment, in a trip that was full of moments, that I'll never forget. 

It was an end of one journey and the very beginning of another. 

Day 106:

I thought, like many people I assume, that I would come out and L.A. would welcome me with open arms and thank me for blessing it with my genius. It hasn't. It's a fight. It's a struggle and you see that everyday in the people that this city, these industries, have chewed up and spit out.

It's a totally different world. 

My girls didn't make it out in only a month. In fact, as I'm writing this, they still aren't here. That will change soon but not soon enough. 

That job interview I rushed out for didn't work out, nor did the other twenty I went on from August to the end of September. 

I was told time and time again that I had what it took to be at their respective companies and that people loved me (such a good fit) ... (That's what she said), but there was always somebody that edged me out. It was a pretty tough pill to swallow. 

Until October where I found an amazing place to work. They cared for me, wanted me there and are genuinely good people. Everyday is a good day. 

And now I'm just slowly logging time, waiting until Eric and I can make that big break happen and waiting on my girls to get here.  

Both are coming soon. That's a fact. 

Creatively, I don't think things have ever been better. Eric and I are in the midst of working on and developing lots of promising things for you guys and for the first time ever, I know that you'll get to see them. Maybe not as soon as I'd like but it'll happen. 

I've also seen things and had experiences that have been life changing. Bittersweet but very important to me. I can't wait to share them with the girls as well. 

Personally though, I had many more downs than ups in the first two months here. Lots of rejection, disappointment. I missed big moments in time, birthdays, anniversaries and time that I will never get to make up with my daughter. 

There were nights were I was convinced I was gonna pack up and do the entire trip you just read in reverse. I was ready to give in. I was ready to go back to the known and the less-scary world I had grown up in. 

But I didn't. 

I didn't give in because I couldn't. I couldn't look my daughter in the eyes and tell her sometimes it's okay to give up, to not do what you think you can do. That's not a conversation that is in me. 

And this brings me to my last point. This is the reason I wrote this blog this week to begin with.

Since it's Thanksgiving, I'd like to do some giving thanks of my own. 

I'm thankful to have Madison in my life. She's the best thing that ever happened to me and the reason I want to be everything that I can be. Every night that I laid there thinking I was gonna take my ass back to Florida, I envisioned telling her why. And I couldn't. She will grow up in a place and with parents that will tell her and show her that anything is possible if you just keep trying. 

I'm thankful for my wife, Amanda. Through thick and thin, great times and bad, she's been the one constant in my life. She's backed me and believed in me when no one else would, she chose to share her life with somebody who didn't want to settle for less and that's not an easy thing. There have been hard times, especially these last 4 months but we've always made it through and been better for it. Everything I do is for them. 

I'm thankful to my best friend Eric and his fiancee Lauren. They took me in, gave me the opportunity to be here in the first place and honestly they were the first people who believed in me that didn't have to. They believe that I can accomplish what I think I can and they help every step of the way. I couldn't have done what I've done here and accomplished what I plan to accomplish in life without them. 

And I'm thankful to all the friends and family that have offered encouragement, checked in on me, and that have helped shape me and pushed me to be what I want to be. 

I hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving. Safe and happy, celebrating with friends and family. 

Be sure to let the people that are important to you know how important they are. That you are thankful that they are in your life. 

Thanks for reading guys and dolls and now that we're caught up I'll try to stay on top of this better. 

Kyle

Fluffy and The City of Angels