Meet Greg Cebulski | Producer, Writer, Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Greg Cebulski and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Greg, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started Pine Rider, Inc. this year to brand myself and my work. After working for multiple production companies on a litany of shows for the past 15 years, it felt like the right time to formally establish myself and give myself a piece of bedrock to jump off from on my own. It’s a scary thing deciding what you stand for, but I’ve also discovered that it’s emboldening to establish a business in order to represent what kind of projects you’re interested in, what you can represent as a creative contributor, and give yourself a sort-of backbone for producing the kind of material you believe in. My ultimate goal is to have people regard the Pine Rider brand as something that stands for quality and enjoyment.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
There is one truth about the entertainment industry: it is hard. So many things are out of your control: popularity of ideas comes and goes with the seasons; strikes bring work to a halt; changes in distribution may “invent” or “retire” entire genres; nobody knows what anybody wants; nobody knows anything; at the end of the day, you’re just another voice trying to get your ideas out into the world. My intent from the beginning was always to be useful, do whatever it takes to survive, and work hard. This also is easier said than done, I realize, but also think it’s the only way you can “make it”.

I have goals I want to achieve in my career, for sure, and things I want to do, but it was always more important to stay in “the game” than be out of it. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been able to build a relatively stable career in the industry over the past… oh… 17 years? And I’ve done that through determination, hard work, getting lucky at some points, but then also by being willing to outwork others. It’s time: time in the office, time on set, time in the editing bay, time with the colorist, time with the mixer. You can be there earlier than the ADs. You can close up the shop long after the caterers have left. You can go a few weeks without seeing the sun on your own time.

When I first started editing, I would go to work at about 9am, work there until about 7:30pm, then come home, and cut music videos and short films on the side until about 1-2am. This is not an “easy” schedule, but make no bones about it, that’s what it takes. I’m glad I pulled that schedule off before I had kids, ha, because now I would be incapable of handling that turnaround on a consistent basis. So I guess the advice I’d offer here is take advantage of your hours when you’re young.

Through it all, you have to keep a sense of wonder and enjoyment about the whole thing. This is, after all, the industry of entertainment, and I think I’d like the world to know that about my brand. It’s about doing everything it takes (all the hours, all the work, all the behind-the-scenes stuff) to accomplish the ultimate goal: entertaining an audience. I like to say that you do a job in order to do it again. You do something once, you impress the right people, and if you’re successful, they’ll let you do it again, maybe a little bigger. The goal is the next job. Same goes for audiences (and we all know this): if you like a movie, or show, or whatever, you watch it again. So that’s the goal, too: to create something that people want to keep coming back to. Something they get moved by, or emotionally charged by. Something they connect with. Those are the best things that I remember. I still get choked up during Field of Dreams, and excited during Jurassic Park, or awed by the scope of The Lord of the Rings, or totally gleeful during The Rocketeer. That’s what I’m after, and that’s what I want people to know me by.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am in no way a go-to for up-and-trendy locations around LA, haha. What I DO have, are favorites, no doubt. I love “Tacos Hell Yeah” in the Valley. I love the Studio City Jinkies Cafe and the Alfreds coffee. In Burbank, there’s a totally underrated submarine sandwich shop tucked off Olive near the 5 called Submarine King that is just fantastic. I love finding new coffee shops; Black Heart Coffee in Lake Balboa is great, they currently have my favorite breakfast sandwich in town. But then again, the best breakfast burrito might still go to Corner Cottage in Burbank (just get there early, there will be a wait, and it’s cash only).

In terms of sights to see, I’d just put some “classics” on the list: lunch up at the Getty, walking the bluffs in Santa Monica, driving Mulholland Drive and pulling off to some overlooks, taking in some movies at some of the best theaters in the world. Personally, I love a morning stroll around Huntington Gardens in Pasadena. There’s a lot to do, and honestly I’m still finding new things, too.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people I can think of that have been integral to my work here in Los Angeles. I’ll do my best to put a few in order of when I met them, starting with my lovely family and wife Sara, who’s been my #1 cheerleader for the past 22 years. Everyone needs a good partner in crime, and I’ve gotten away with a few with Bryan Koss, a fantastic DP and owner/operator of Housefire Films. Peta Peterson is an EP who helped me climb from the proverbial mailroom of unscripted post-production all the way to Supervising Producer and Lead Editor. Molly Mayock, another EP, took a leap of faith and let me cut episodes when I was in my last career crossroads (like so many) in the heart of the COVID pandemic. There are countless more, but I can’t imagine I’d be where I am now without these listed here.

Website: pineriderinc.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-cebulski-87547810/

Image Credits
Graham Washatka, Jaclyn Charais, Bryan Koss