Yourcinemafilms.com | Caleeb Pinkett discusses producing one of Netflix's biggest shows 'Cobra Kai' and navigating the studios in the ups and downs of Hollywood.
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Check out last week's episode on having slow success in the industry with actor CJ Beckford too!
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Are you ready for the truth?
Check out last week's episode on having slow success in the industry with actor CJ Beckford too!
Listen on:
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0K6ugRFXfgZ4B3jeWEWQTU
Apple podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-your-cinema-podcast/id1712678244
’Welcome to Your Cinema'
Follow us on socials:
Tiktok: @yourcinemafilms
Instagram: @yourcinemafilms
Twitter: @yourcinemafilms
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FunTranscript
00:00 Now everyone's making it in film and TV, but we don't really know how.
00:05 Here we uncover the truth.
00:07 Welcome to the Your Cinema Podcast.
00:09 So, welcome everybody to another episode of the Your Cinema Podcast,
00:18 episode 3, yes we're cracking on, we're cracking on.
00:21 And for those who it's their first time joining and being on a journey with us,
00:27 the Your Cinema Podcast is simply the place where we explore the truth about the film and TV industry
00:34 and hear it directly from those who are smashing it in their respective fields.
00:38 And our guest today is no different, a critically acclaimed actor, producer, creative, storyteller,
00:49 you know, projects for YouTube, Netflix, feature films, like you name it, he's been there and he's seen it.
00:59 And I'm really excited about this interview and intrigued because,
01:06 like a lot of our guest success we've probably seen in like the past few recent years,
01:14 but he's been doing things for quite some time.
01:18 And all the way from Hollywood, so it's a pleasure to introduce Khalid Pinkett.
01:29 Thank you, thank you.
01:31 It's a pleasure, it's a pleasure.
01:32 And just so you know, my dad added an extra E in my name so it's pronounced Caleb,
01:36 but it's spelled Khalid, so trust me, I get it all the time.
01:39 No, no, it's fine though.
01:40 No, no, no, it's all good, you didn't know that.
01:42 You know what I mean, but yeah, just so you know.
01:44 But yeah, thank you for having me, it's a pleasure to be here.
01:47 Can't complain.
01:48 All good, all good.
01:49 Do you know what, I'm so happy you said that, right, because in the lead up,
01:52 in my mind I kept calling you Caleb and I was like, no, there's an extra E.
01:56 No, it's always thrown people off.
01:58 Since I was in first grade, I always had to, so yeah.
02:02 It's all good, I'm used to it.
02:04 All good, man, all good.
02:06 Thank you, thank you, Caleb.
02:08 So, right, just so people can get like some context and some background on you,
02:13 could you give me like a rundown of some of the projects that you've done?
02:17 Well, most recent, I mean, shoot, I've been on tons of movies, you know,
02:22 for my whole career, that's how I got my start.
02:25 Most recently, the most successful project that I've done and had has been
02:30 Cobra Kai, started on YouTube Red and is now on Netflix,
02:34 we're about to start our final season.
02:36 Well, we already did, but had to stop for the strike and now gearing back up.
02:40 As soon as the actors come back, we can do that.
02:43 But that's been wonderful.
02:45 But Cobra Kai is my most renowned thing that I've done, like that is my own thing.
02:50 I've done a movie, I did a movie called Charm City Kings that I really,
02:53 really love.
02:54 It's simply just because it was shot all in Baltimore on location.
02:57 It's about the illegal dirt bike riders.
02:59 It's a coming of age story about three friends making a decision and it
03:03 changes their lives and relationships forever, which I just love.
03:08 And like I said, shot it in the city.
03:10 That's where my family is from, at least my father's side is from Baltimore.
03:13 So being able to take a movie there and shoot that and do what we did and
03:17 nobody's able to do that and they will never be able to do it again.
03:20 Because the city is like, all right, after that, we're never allowing people.
03:23 We're never having that many bikes legally on the street and all of that.
03:26 So we got in and got out, but it was a wonderful experience.
03:31 So like those two, I'm really, really, really proud of.
03:34 I've been on Men in Black 3.
03:38 I did that one.
03:39 I did After Earth.
03:40 I did -- I was on Bad Boys 3.
03:43 I was on, shoot, Collateral Beauty.
03:50 Will did that one.
03:51 I was there for that.
03:52 The Suicide Squad.
03:53 We were there six months in Toronto doing that.
03:55 Like I've been on some of the biggest movies in Hollywood.
04:00 And what I mean by big is I'm not solely meaning on box office success.
04:03 I'm just meaning on the amount of money that is put into a project.
04:08 When you're on a movie that's $100 million, $150, $200 million, that's a
04:12 different type of set and a different type of experience than somebody that's
04:17 making a movie for $500,000 or a million.
04:20 You know what I mean?
04:21 So there's levels and differences in that.
04:23 And so I've been on some of the biggest movies, like, ever made.
04:26 And so that experience really, really -- you learn how to do this job.
04:33 You know what I mean?
04:35 Like you learn it for real because everything means something.
04:38 Everything.
04:39 You know what I mean?
04:40 When your days are $350,000, 500 grand, like, a day.
04:47 You know what I mean?
04:48 Like things like that.
04:49 Like it's a whole entire different thing.
04:52 So I've had the pleasure and the turmoil of being on projects like that.
05:00 You know what I mean?
05:01 So, yeah.
05:03 Wow.
05:04 Okay.
05:05 Now let's get into it.
05:06 Let's get into it.
05:07 So, you know, like, I know in your career, like, you started off acting, right?
05:11 But how did you get into, like, producing, particularly for, like, your first project?
05:17 Well, just simply because I love storytelling, right?
05:22 It's like there's plenty of means to an end in storytelling, right?
05:26 I just love it.
05:27 So acting was a means to an end, right?
05:30 I was young then.
05:31 I was like 21, 22, right, when I was doing that.
05:35 But it was all for storytelling.
05:38 And I got into producing because I came up with two movie ideas that my brother-in-law was like, "Yo."
05:45 Like, "This is, like, these are amazing.
05:47 Like, did you come up with these on your own?"
05:49 I'm like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
05:50 You know, this and that.
05:51 And he was like, "Well, I think you should make a pivot.
05:54 I don't think your skill is in acting.
05:56 I think your skill is in this."
05:58 And he was like, "And in that area, if you're not writing it, you've got to produce it, you know, if you're not writing or director."
06:03 And so it, I just moved into naturally into producing.
06:08 I didn't even know anything about it.
06:10 But it was what I had to do was help create story, come up with story, break story, as we call it.
06:16 And that just means find the story and the idea and to be able to help a writer by laying it out with the beginning, middle, and end, all the beats and all the emotional turns and all of that stuff.
06:28 And you learned about character and, like, you learn why stories work or the functionality, the how-to, so to speak, right?
06:37 So that is what really, really intrigued me.
06:40 But I didn't know that that's what I really loved because, see, I grew up, my mother is a devout Christian, so I was raised in the church.
06:48 And through the church, I had to be in church Sunday through Sunday is what I always say.
06:52 It wasn't literally that, but it felt like that.
06:54 Like, I always had to go because she was like, she was what they call a mother of the church.
06:58 So that means somebody that's involved in, like, everything from bake sales to Sunday school to, you know what I mean?
07:05 And so but with that, I was in church so much, I always had to know the Bible stories, right?
07:13 And I didn't know learning all of those Bible stories and why and, like, what happened and why, because they're telling you what happened and what was going on because they're trying to show the glory of God, so to speak, right?
07:24 But it's also building your IQ for storytelling.
07:29 It's the same thing that you do to build a character.
07:32 What do they want?
07:33 Why do they want it?
07:34 What's going to happen if they don't get it and what can go wrong?
07:37 And then you're on the emotional journey of their of their experience.
07:40 And Bible stories are perfect.
07:43 They've been here for thousands of years, retold over and over again.
07:46 So they they they're able to work out all the kinks, everything.
07:50 So the story of David is a perfect story.
07:53 You can't you don't need no additions and you can't take nothing away from it.
07:57 It's perfect as is the story of Moses, the story of Jacob.
08:00 Like, they're perfect.
08:02 So Samson, all of that.
08:04 So in that I learned the art of storytelling innately, but didn't know then.
08:10 And then when I was growing up, like in high school, junior high and high school, my favorite subject was history.
08:15 I don't know. I just loved it. But history is story.
08:19 That's all it is. It's about a man or a woman, somebody that is trying to accomplish something and maintain something.
08:26 And you see everything that happened to them in their pursuit of that particular goal. Right.
08:32 They either make it, that's a happy ending or they fail. It's a tragedy. Right.
08:36 So so in that I just had an innate sense of storytelling.
08:41 I just didn't know that that's what I really wanted to do until it was brought to me.
08:46 So that's that's that's what I'll say about that.
08:49 Well, that's how I made that transition.
08:52 That is amazing. I can tell like in terms of the craft of it.
08:57 Yeah. Yeah. You you you're you're echoing some of the things.
09:03 There's a there's a director over here called Kobe Adam and story is so big for him in terms of breaking it down and helping communicate that to so many creatives.
09:13 And you know what? As you were speaking, I was just hearing him.
09:18 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now you've really you've really studied it.
09:22 I'm like, given given like your understanding of story and your clear passion.
09:27 Right. Like what kind of stories do you want to tell? Well, you know, it's interesting because I get that from people.
09:33 And like for me, the the the the the delivery is irrelevant.
09:40 Right. It's just story itself. So here's what I mean by that.
09:44 We can it can be a story that ends up being horror. That's OK.
09:49 The the the the the flow, the the emotional beats, the twists and turns, the desires, all that are still the same.
09:56 You have somebody who's except in horror movies, a lot of times it's the plot is a lot more simpler.
10:02 Survive the night. Defeat the monster. Right.
10:06 Like like but in when the when the plot is that simple, the characters become so much more in depth.
10:13 Like you get into the reason why there's a monster for that particular character.
10:18 Right. And and what they have to do internally to defeat the external monster.
10:26 Right. It's what it's a manifestation of what's happening on the inside that creates the external monster.
10:32 So you can't defeat it outside. You have to defeat it inside. And once you defeat it inside,
10:37 then the means how to defeat it and externally is art is presented to you.
10:42 So. So it's the same journey as somebody that wants to become the heavyweight champion of the world like a Rocky.
10:48 Right. It's it's it's there's really no difference for the story itself.
10:54 The genre that we release it in can be whatever. You can make the same thing funny.
10:59 It could be hilarious. Right. So you think of a movie like Hitch. Right.
11:04 The characters wound. Will's characters wound in Hitch was that he was in love with a girl who was not in love with him.
11:11 And he did everything the right way. And she still cheated on him with somebody else and then made fun of him.
11:18 Right. Because if you remember, he's crying and he's like, just tell me what I did. And the dude leans over, moves the girl.
11:23 So it's even worse that it's the dude she's with. Leans over, says, man, you doing it right now. Damn.
11:29 Right. And he's heartbroken. And the audience goes.
11:35 Right. So you took something that it could have easily been a drama.
11:39 We just change the music and change how we present it. And now the audience is like.
11:45 Right. It's the exact same thing. It's just about how you deliver it.
11:50 So that's a very long way to say for me, it's a relevant how we how we deliver it.
11:57 The work doesn't change what you have to do for the story doesn't change no matter what genre it's in.
12:05 Wow. I love that. I love that. This is a masterclass.
12:10 So I love I love what you said. Right. And even like going through the different the different ranges of of of genres.
12:19 And like I can see there's this like colorful creativity in you that is just bursting where you probably see like everything's possible.
12:32 There's there's nothing that we can't do. And and you you live that because you you you see big productions and you you're involved in them.
12:42 And you're also living in a place where it's normal.
12:46 So I'm guessing in terms of like being in a place where there's so many productions resources and things like that.
12:54 When you, Caleb, come up with an idea like, all right, cool. Yep. This this this is going to bang. Yep. I love this.
13:01 What's what's the process like to go and get it made?
13:05 Because, you know, I know not every idea, you know, is fortunate enough to go into development and then get made.
13:11 But what's that process like for you? Okay. So if it was me first, I have to come up with the idea.
13:19 Then you have to break the story. And it's usually through the character, your main character. Right. So say I have all of this and I got the idea.
13:26 Okay, great. Now I have to find a writer. If it's a television show, I have to find a showrunner.
13:32 That is the person that the network or studio would trust to write and deliver the show, writing it and producing it are two very different things.
13:42 So a showrunner is a person that is supposed to be able to do both things, that they'll trust with a million dollars to make this thing.
13:50 But say if it's a movie, I still need to find a writer. Right. Find a fight. So find a writer to deliver.
13:55 So say now I have the writer and we're going to go. So then this this step would be and I can make attachments in this moment.
14:01 So attachments are not only just your writer. That's a must. But you could attach a director. Right.
14:07 You could attach a piece of talent, which is what. And that just means it's like an actor. Right.
14:11 So and now that does strengthen your package. So when you go to a studio, you make your your meal look prettier than everybody else's because you have a different quality of food on the plate.
14:24 Right. So so say I got a great director, a great actor and a writer attached. Now we still have to go out and sell it. Right.
14:33 And if we sell it, then what happens is they would pay the writer to write a script.
14:38 And that's not always sometimes a writer can write it on spec. And that just means write it for free and go to sell the script.
14:43 But that's a whole other thing. But just to say this is the normal way. So then we go out and we pitch it to sell it.
14:49 So say a place buys it. So a studio wants to make this project. Then they would pay the writer to write.
14:55 If it's TV, a pilot or if it's a movie, the script. Right.
15:00 And then you would write it and take notes and do it until the studio believes it's great and ready to go.
15:06 And that's what they call a green light when they'll make it or tragedy.
15:11 Not going to make it. We're we're passing. Right. And the project is essentially theirs.
15:17 And once they pay for a script, they now own it. So it goes into a place called turnaround.
15:22 So you could take the project, but you have to pay the previous studio their money back for what they spent on it.
15:28 So you need another studio to say, OK, we love it. We'll pay what they spent to get it.
15:34 And that's and then then you go from there. So that's pretty much the process.
15:38 It sounds a lot easier than how it's done because attacking people isn't always easy.
15:45 All of all of those things. But that is essentially what it would be if you have zero attachments.
15:50 You have to have a writer. Right. At minimum, you have to have a writer just to go in.
15:55 You and the writer is the base level and you can still sell and have success with that.
16:00 You know what I mean? It's just but it's it's a lot different now because streaming changed the business.
16:06 See, before streamers, that was more easier to do. Now you you need the package because everything they're getting is packaged.
16:13 Right. Has a director and a list star at minimum minimum B level.
16:18 And what I mean by B, not in the like lower than it's just a different.
16:21 So there's a list is a Tom Cruise. But you could get somebody that is a great actor that isn't as big of a movie star as Tom was.
16:30 Right. But so but they'll still buy it with that person starring because that person still generates views and can get people to turn or buy that certain streamer to watch that movie or that show.
16:42 So like a Kevin Spacey. Right. He's not B in my opinion at all as far as his acting ability.
16:48 But as far as selling, he's not Tom Cruise. Right. So.
16:52 But what he was able to do with House of Cards, he basically built Netflix on House of Cards.
16:59 And that was with Kevin Spacey. Right. So. So it's it's it is long as somebody is famous in some sort of way, like a known face.
17:09 They they they make they matter when it comes to streamers because their business is in box office.
17:15 Their business is is subscribers. So that changes the way it flows.
17:20 And that also changes the movie business on the film side, because now actors are have so many more more options and so many other.
17:30 You know, so it's harder for studios now because a movie studios will always ask when you when you send a project, they'll say, well,
17:38 why does this need a theatrical release? Why can't this just be on Netflix? Right.
17:42 So you have to have a reason to let the executive know why this deserves a theatrical release as opposed to just going straight to Netflix,
17:50 because that's how the business has changed now. That's why you only see superhero movies.
17:54 That's why you only see movies that are like remake or retelling or in addition to a world that you've already known.
18:03 Right, because they need IP that is recognizable because new IP outside of horror or comedy usually doesn't work.
18:12 Like they don't want to take a big risk and fail and lose all that money on something that nobody knows.
18:18 At least if it fails, they can say, well, it was Mission Impossible 35.
18:22 I mean, come on. You know what I mean? So that's just just so you understand what I mean.
18:26 Like as far as the business and how those things change and why it's important to package and have all of those things.
18:33 I love that. I love that. Thank you for the breakdown.
18:37 So as I mentioned, right, obviously, like we're in the UK and whilst there's like loads of opportunities and things are definitely changing,
18:46 like even just down to the size of the population and the number of broadcasters and opportunities here, like it's less.
18:53 But there's still amazing talent, like amazing writers, directors and more importantly, stories that still need to be told.
19:02 Absolutely. I want to know, right, you might not have the answer to this, but it would be just interesting to get your thoughts right.
19:09 Like how would amazing creatives that have got ideas that can definitely travel like get them over to the States?
19:17 Well, one, the best way is through social media because everybody's connected.
19:22 It gets rid of the ocean. It puts everybody on the same time, time, line and everything like through social media.
19:30 So what I mean by that is you can you can shoot something and post it.
19:33 You can you can get on your page and talk about your your your your story, your thing.
19:39 You can DM somebody directly. You could. Ted Sarandos, who is the CEO, the boss of Netflix, is on IG.
19:48 You literally could DM Ted directly. I don't know if he'll read it, but what if he does?
19:53 And what if and what if he sees it right? Like like there's so much more opportunity now.
19:58 Before you had to be here. Now you do not. All you need is a phone.
20:03 You know what I mean? Or Apple Watch or iPad. Like you just need you just need some Wi-Fi and you're good.
20:12 You know what I mean? Like like like it's literally it's literally that right now.
20:15 So that's what I would say. Like if you really believe in something, you have something.
20:19 Use social media. Try to reach out to people. DM people. People.
20:22 Not everybody's going to respond to all that. But you you can actually do something.
20:26 You can shoot something and post it. That's what happened with the show Bel Air.
20:30 The guy Morgan, the creator of that.
20:34 Well, the. Yeah. So what Morgan did was he shot a trailer of what the dramatic version of Fresh Prince would be.
20:41 And it got to Will and Will saw it. And so that's how it got to on Peacock and becomes a show.
20:46 So Morgan essentially changed his life by by betting on himself, creating a trailer.
20:51 And he didn't even do it like to think something was going to happen. He did it because he was like, this would be dope.
20:56 Like, could you imagine this and did it? And then it changed everything. Right.
21:00 So that's what I mean. You you could do the same thing. It's like if you believe in something, you got an iPhone now.
21:06 You you you. iPhone is damn near a movie quality camera.
21:12 You know what I mean? You can definitely shoot a short. You can shoot something on your iPhone.
21:17 And if there's any nugget of talent where somebody sees something, it could change everything for you.
21:24 You know what I mean? And for anybody that's in it, a girl that's pretty, a dude that's in shape, a guy, whatever.
21:32 The DP that lit it a certain way that had to do that on the iPhone.
21:36 Now you got a job like like it changes everything. So I would say through social media could really be.
21:42 It's the best way to to to shrink the distance, so to speak.
21:48 I love that. I love that. Look at the wisdom. So like given all of the different amounts of productions and projects that you've been on.
22:00 And even like the development process, I don't want to ignore that.
22:04 What would you say is the hardest part for you as a producer getting a production off the ground?
22:11 It's getting the green light because the green light is out of your control as a creator.
22:18 Right. Anything can happen to change it. So what I mean is you can have the best script, period.
22:25 It's oh, my God. No, no notes. Everybody loves it. The actors are ready.
22:29 The the the director's ready, everything. And then the studio says, um, I know we were going to make that.
22:35 But the business is kind of changing and this tone of movie kind of doesn't work for the audience right now.
22:42 So we're not going to agree. We're going to we're going to we're going to hold it.
22:46 And now you thought you were about to be working. You were about to make some money.
22:50 You were about to go. You thought it was going to happen. And like that, it changes.
22:54 That happened to me with a project that I had with a studio. It was ready to go.
22:58 I had the actress ready. Every script was fire. It was like, let's go.
23:02 The studio called me the week before, said it looks like we're going to start going in June.
23:06 We're going to need you to go over here, start pre-production. I'm like, yeah, we got everything ready.
23:11 And then I get a call the week before we're supposed to leave from the guy that was running the studio.
23:15 I'm like, yo, yo, what's the deal, baby? He's like, Caleb. I'm like, what's up? He was like, tragedy.
23:20 I was like, like, what you mean, like tragedy, like, like you got fired.
23:25 What was the deal? He's like, no, I'm good. We not making your movie.
23:32 And it's like that's part of the business. And it's like he's like, look, I would love to.
23:36 But this is happening and this is changing in the way this is moving.
23:40 Our projections are. So we had to not. So this one.
23:47 Right. So there it was. Right. And no issue with the script. I did.
23:52 Everything was right. So you can do everything right in the business.
23:56 Can make it so you don't make your movie. Right. Then there could be times where it's like your movie is not even really ready.
24:03 It's just this and that. But they need something. Hey, remember that movie? Yeah.
24:07 We're going to make it. You be ready in three months. Yeah.
24:12 OK. You know what I mean? So it could be anything.
24:16 So I would definitely say the business itself, the green light is always the hardest part because it's it's it's so elusive and anything can change at any moment to make it not go when you thought it was.
24:31 Wow, that is that. Yeah, that sounds like a journey in itself. Oh, yeah.
24:38 And I guess so, like with with Cobra Kai, which you did get the green light for many green lights.
24:46 Yes. Like that, that shows been like a phenomenal success.
24:51 Like, how did that come about? OK, so it happened because my my agency, I'm ripped at CIA and the showrunners, John, Josh and Hayden.
25:01 Shout out to John, Josh and Hayden. They're repped at CIA as well. And I got a call one day from my agent saying, hey, I got these guys.
25:08 Have you ever seen Hot Tub Time Machine? I'm like, of course. They're like, OK, you know, those kids, those guys, they did the Harold and Kumar.
25:15 I'm like, yeah, OK. They got an idea to do like it's like they follow the book.
25:21 I don't know. They just call it Cobra Kai. They just want to do. So will you hear it?
25:25 Right. Because at the time, the company that I worked for, Overbrook, controlled the rights to the Karate Kid world because we had we had did the remake with my nephew and Jackie Chan years prior.
25:36 So Sony, yeah, they'll let that. And we were at the time developing Karate Kid two for my nephew.
25:41 So so so they had to get our permission to basically make the show.
25:46 They couldn't do it without us because we controlled the rights. So they came and and they pitched me.
25:52 And I was like, this is brilliant. I was like, this is going to work.
25:57 We got it. So but I had to figure out a way to get so studios are are you would think they're together, but they're not.
26:05 There's different divisions. So they're separate. So television at Sony is not the same as the film side at Sony.
26:12 So I had to figure out a way to get the film side at Sony to let the to let the television side make Cobra Kai.
26:20 And they could they could have said no. Right. And they did at first.
26:23 And then I had to make I had to make some moves and shower shoes and put some paint where they can make it happen.
26:28 And it did. And so and so that was that was how how that that came about.
26:33 And then we took it out and everybody passed on it except Netflix and YouTube.
26:39 Red YouTube read wanted to go straight to series. Netflix didn't pass, but they wanted a pilot.
26:44 They said write a pilot first and let us see if these guys could write, because at the time, John, Josh and Hayden were not showrunners.
26:50 They had only written movies. And so at the time, then it was still segregated.
26:54 Television writers are not film writers and film writers are not TV writers.
26:58 So what you did on television means I mean, on film means nothing in the TV world and vice versa at the time.
27:04 Now it's starting to blend more because you're seeing social streaming.
27:08 Streamers changed all of that. So now you're having, you know, big time directors, film directors doing TV shows and, you know, like it's all mixed now.
27:17 But before it wasn't. So they wanted to be sure that John, Josh and Hayden could write for TV.
27:23 But YouTube Red was like, we don't care. We want the show.
27:27 And I made the executive decision that that's where we're going to a whole lot of people mad at me.
27:33 And we did it, but it worked out. I love that. I love that. I love that. I love that.
27:39 So, you know, like because starting off on YouTube, I really see that as like one of the shows that if not the show that really helped to propel YouTube Red at the time.
27:52 Yes. I know it's probably not so much a focus for them, but yeah, it was it was phenomenal.
27:59 But like how what was it like going from YouTube over to Netflix?
28:05 Well, the the biggest difference was the power because Netflix was is a conglomerate.
28:11 They're the biggest streamer. Right. It's like because they've been doing it the longest.
28:15 So it's it's like it's it's it's a it's a different experience in the sense of you have a big, big corporation behind it pushing it.
28:26 You know what I mean? Versus YouTube Red. They are because they were owned by Google.
28:30 But Google don't do TV. Google makes maps. Google is, you know, other things.
28:35 So they're like and that's why they let YouTube Red go.
28:39 They're like, you know, it doesn't really, you know, help us in any way. Right.
28:45 So it was it's not their main bread breadwinner. But Netflix doesn't make cell phones.
28:50 They don't make maps. All they make is content, film and television. Right.
28:54 So it's it's way more a thing for them.
28:59 And it's one of their top five biggest shows in the history of the platform.
29:02 So it oh yeah. So it you get a lot of love and a lot of push when you're successful on a conglomerate like a Netflix platform.
29:16 You you you definitely get feel the love. Wow. That's amazing.
29:24 I mean, like five seasons is that is that that's phenomenal to get past two and potentially even three is one thing.
29:32 But five. Yeah, we got five in the can and we're starting and we're on season six right now.
29:39 So what is it is is it ever going to end? Yes. Yeah.
29:43 This is our last season in this rendition. This is this is the last season.
29:48 But the Karate Kid is a universe. It's a world like the guys could choose to do all kinds of stuff inside the Karate Kid world.
29:57 So this may end, but it doesn't mean it's the end of the Karate Kid universe or world.
30:03 You know what I mean? But it's so so it will always exist. It could always, you know, come on.
30:08 But, you know, it's it's it's just everything has to come to an end at some point.
30:13 And then, you know, we we we continue forward. But I'm just happy it was that people told me this was never going to work.
30:19 It was corny. It was whack. Nobody was going to watch this. What am I doing?
30:23 It's the dumbest thing I could have ever done. All of that. Right up until it hit.
30:27 Then it was all I always knew was going to work. When Caleb called me, I just knew it was like, yeah, OK, well, we'll keep that between you and I.
30:34 What you really fit. You know what I mean? I love that. I love that. I love that. That perseverance. Nice.
30:41 Real. It's real. It's real. So you've got the final the final series of Cobra Kai.
30:46 Right. Just for speaking with you with this brief amount of time, I know you're always working on something.
30:55 So what else what else have you got that you can speak about in the pipeline?
31:01 Well, what I'm doing right now, I have I have a feature film that I want to direct that I've been writing for 15 years.
31:11 Like it's just it's one of those that's normal in Hollywood, by the way, that I that I want to direct that I'm that I'm doing.
31:19 It's a Romeo and Juliet type story based in in in Los Angeles in the 90s.
31:28 Just a time period that I that I was a teenager. And so I want I have I have that.
31:34 That's like my baby that I'm working on. But I also have a also have an animated project that I'm super excited about that I created, came up with.
31:42 And I'm currently writing with a writer friend of mine that we are that we're building out that I'm really excited about that.
31:49 I am looking to take out within the next few few months. So that's good because we're getting back on our feet in the business.
31:58 Like where we're starting to get back out and sell. And animation is different. We always could have taken that out.
32:04 But I had to get it, get it, get it together. And I'm actually writing this one instead of giving my ideas to others,
32:12 because I just feel like it's that time in my life where I got to I got to start betting on myself in more in a in a more profound way than what I've done, what I have been.
32:26 I hear you. I love that. I love that. I love that.
32:30 Ah, Caleb, it's been a pleasure. Thank you. I'm sure it's not it's not our last time.
32:37 But yeah, no, thanks for the wisdom that the inspiration, the enthusiasm.
32:43 It's been amazing. And long may your success continue, bro. Thank you, sir.
32:48 [Music]