Finding Mentors (and Inspiration) In The Film Business by Rhys Thomas and Brian Gatewood of Comrade Detective

Film Courage: Lastly, was there anyone, a mentor or someone that you’d admired or watched from afar, maybe you just liked how they handled situations or you liked how they did things, their mindset? And what was that which always stuck with you even if you didn’t consciously realize it?

Brian Gatewood: Well I would say I had a personal mentor. Jerry Kass was a playwright from New York. He was a professor that Alex [Alessandro Tanaka, Comrade Detective’s co-writer] and I had at Columbia who was a near and dear friend who unfortunately passed away some time ago. He was sort of a huge influence because when I got to film school he was one of the first, older, seasoned writers to come to you and say “I think what you’re doing is great work.” And he was incredibly encouraging and we sort of became family.

He then introduced us to his wife who is Delia Ephron, who is one of the Ephron sisters and she’s amazing. Jerry was my son’s Godfather and Delia was my son’s Godmother. And so I am still very close with Delia and she’s definitely filled some of that space of Jerry’s that he used to occupy. They’ve both been great to us over the years.

So yes, we’ve had a personal mentor. And in terms of mentors from afar, there’s…(Watch the video on Youtube here).

Selling A Television Show To Amazon Studios –

The Story Behind COMRADE DETECTIVE

Check out Amazon Studios new series Comrade Detective directed and co-executive produced by Rhys Thomas and co-written by Brian Gatewood (along with Alessandro Tanaka).  Rhys is known for his work on Saturday Night Live, Staten Island Summer and Documentary Now! Brian is known for his work on Dice, Animal Practice, and The Sitter

Synopsis: In the 1980s, millions of Romanians tuned in to Comrade Detective, a gritty and sleek buddy cop show that not only entertained its citizens but also promoted Communist ideals and inspired a deep nationalism. It has now been digitally remastered and dubbed into English for the first time by a cast featuring Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon Levitt.

Director and Co-Executive Producer:  Rhys Thomas

Creators: Brian Gatewood, Alessandro Tanaka

Stars: Channing Tatum, Florin Piersic Jr., Joseph Gordon-Levitt and many more

WATCH COMRADE DETECTIVE
https://amzn.to/2hDbNGE

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