As is our usual custom, my wife, and more recently producing associate, Silvia and I put our three kids to bed (or tried to at least), and sat on the couch to watch the events of the 80th Golden Globes on NBC unfold, along with the various pre-shows on E!, Variety, etc. Many thoughts crossed my mind. Would it be just more of the usual celebrity gossip and banter, or addressing the recent HFPA elephant, dare I say “herd of elephants” in the room? Without going into much detail, the Globes new host, Jerrod Carmichael, seemed to address the latter straight away in his opening monologue with what Variety referred to as “brutal honesty.” Enough said on that front…
I did feel though that this “brutal honesty” defined this year’s Globes in many ways beyond the host’s particular jabs, and spilled over into many of the night’s featured speakers and award recipients. That will be the main focus of this piece. Three categories of sound advice, shared through the series of quotes below that I believe should be written on every Miami director, filmmaker, writer, actor, producer, artist, or as we like to call them our “Creatives Miami’s” daily affirmation board…the “3Ps,” as in Patience, Persistence and Perseverance.
The night’s first award went to Key Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once, for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture.” After thanking Steven Spielberg for Quan’s first “big break” as a child actor in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the actor made an emotional point, mentioning that “more than 30 years later two guys thought of me. They remembered that kid and they gave me an opportunity to try again.” If you do some digging on IMDB you will learn Quan never really disappeared entirely from the entertainment industry. After the Goonies in 1985, Encino Man, and a short-lived sitcom in the early 90’s, the roles did dry up, but rather than walk away all together, he instead got a film degree from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and worked as a stunt coordinator and assistant director. And yes, almost 40 years later, Quan’s patience, persistence and perseverance would finally pay off for the previously mentioned Golden Globe winning performance. This has also led to other acting work in streaming television with an entree into Marvel’s “Cinematic Universe” where Quan will be featured in Loki Season Two later this summer on Disney Plus. Kudos to Quan for having a 3P mentality along with a great acceptance speech…short and sweet!
When Billy Porter did the honors of introducing Ryan Murphy, recipient of the night’s “Carol Burnett Award”…a yearly recognition given for “outstanding contributions to television on or off the screen,” he revealed a 3P journey not only for his own career but for the hit F/X series Pose as well. The Emmy winning actor and previous Globe nominee claimed, “I spent many a year teetering on the precipice of obscurity.” He added that “it was you, Ryan, and your fearless art that spoke to me, comforted me, and let me know that if I could just hold on a little while longer, my time would come. Fast forward to 16 years later – I got the call for a ground-breaking series called Pose.” But, as the charismatic performer would emphasize, even after his initial introduction to the series, over 160 producers ultimately passed. And it was only after “the 163rd meeting with Ryan” which “turned out to be the singular yes our community needed to finally have our stories, our lives, our souls honored,” Porter concluded. For all you Miami creatives hustling your next project or wondering if you too are “teetering on the precipice” let this be a reminder that in the vast ocean of “nays” we experience, it only takes one “yay.”
This point hit home once again during the acceptance speech for “Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television” by Mike White accepting for the acclaimed series White Lotus. The teary eyed, and comically tipsy, creator doubled down on Porter’s 3P proclamation. After thanking HBO, White pointed at the Hollywood heavyweights in the audience claiming “we went out with a show we wanted to do with me and Jennifer [Coolidge] and everybody passed. I know you all passed. You all passed on this show,” before adding, with a bit of defiant swagger, “and so yes it’s very gratifying to have this moment.” I bet it was. And I am sure equally as gratifying, and none the less representative of the 3P’s, was the aforementioned Jennifer Coolidge, who also won “Best Supporting Role” for White Lotus, as well as my own prize for most hilarious speaker. She made a point of showing gratitude for those who supported her long journey by stating “I just wanna say…there were like 5 people that kept me going for 20 years with these little jobs…these little jobs that kept me going.” And that is, with all honesty, the secret sauce to surviving a long and arduous 3P journey. That closely knit network of colleagues, friends and family that offer that little bit of support, a life raft if you will, to get you to that next port of call.
So with that, thank you to my family and everyone who has supported MMFM’s journey, along with the tireless dedication of MMFM co-founder and chief exec Patty Arias, and the support of CAMACOL, Miami-Dade County, Find Your Muse Entertainment, sponsors, partners and of course our loyal MMFMer’s, have made this 12 plus year journey look like an overnight success. And lastly, to our greater Creatives Miami community, remember those 3P’s, whether you find yourself at a peak, valley or somewhere in between, you’re just one yay away.
Jose Luis Martinez
Co-Founder & Creative Director
MMFM