Meet Cole Goslee | Podcast Creator

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

Hi Cole, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
It was in the midst of the Covid pandemic that I began producing audio dramas. A longtime friend and avid fan of fiction podcasts approached me with a pitch for a story he had been thinking about for many years. Because I had moved to LA to pursue screenwriting, and I was fortunate enough to still be working in television but on the development side, he thought maybe I’d want to scratch my own storytelling itch by helping him write his story– which ultimately turned out to be the nucleus of a much larger story we’ve discovered together. It was through developing, writing, directing, and producing the pilot for our first series that I realized a path forward for myself as a creative where there seemingly wasn’t one with the state of the entertainment industry being what it was and the struggles it’s continued to endure.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was born and raised in the South — the Horse Capital of the World. There was never very much to do growing up, and my family is working class, so vacations and adventures that weren’t in our own backyard were rare. I spent a lot of time in the woods and on my bedroom floor playing make-believe with sticks and toy soldiers. When I was eight, my parents separated and it uprooted the foundation of my reality. Where I’m from, at the time, having divorced parents was its own scarlet letter. My parents divorce became my new identity. Suddenly playing make-believe wasn’t so much fun. But I discovered a new route of escape through music. And I was coming-of-age in peak Myspace era, so the Pop Punk/Emo subculture was a huge draw for me. I learned enough chord progressions on a cheap guitar I bought with money from a summer of doing yard work to start writing my own songs, and then performing them whenever someone was charitable enough to listen. At home, I was told to close my door a lot. Never got too far from my bedroom floor where I was dreaming up ways to escape my circumstances. Didn’t matter. I was convinced I was going to be a rockstar. Move to LA, sign with a major label, make millions of dollars and never look back. But college was never a question of ‘if,’ so I had to get through that first. I played in a couple bands in college while I was studying Creative Writing. I was sharpening my storytelling skills on all fronts. And then in my last semester of college, I discovered screenwriting when I acted in a few short films. I loved movies almost as much as music while I was growing up, but it had never struck me that there was this literature underpinning each one. At this point I’d pretty much realized I wasn’t going to be a famous rockstar, so I took a chance and applied to film school. I was one of eight selected for Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts Screenwriting M.F.A. program that year. It was a rigorous two-year program that turned me into a cinema snob and a much better screenwriter, even if I was really just okay. A week after graduating, I was engaged to my now-wife — whom I met in film school — and we were moving to LA with our two dogs to share an apartment with two roommates. I wasn’t coming to LA to sign a major record deal, but I was coming nonetheless! I struggled a lot at first. I worked two unpaid internships the first four months, and strung together enough gig economy jobs the next four months to pay for rent and groceries. Eventually I was able to spin one office PA job into another until finally I landed at a production company. I started work there on a Monday, and by the Friday of that same week, we were all quarantining at home and frantically watching the news to know more about Covid. I thought I’d lose my job after the first month. Who needs an Office PA when there’s no office? Fortunately, I remained employed for the entire two years we worked from home, and then another two years after that before leaving on my own terms. But during those first two years, I was desperately trying to figure out how I was going to make it in an industry that had very few signs of life and seemingly no opportunities. The decision to co-create an audio drama seemed like, if nothing else, a way to pass the time without feeling like I was just twiddling my thumbs. Becoming an independent writer/director/producer as a consequence of that decision is one of the things I’m most proud of, especially as it’s meant getting to work with friends who have similarly struggled to find their footing in the entertainment industry and getting to meet incredibly talented artists whom I wouldn’t know otherwise. The series Don’t Write Me Off — which I co-created, direct, and produce — sets the brand apart from others because it invites writers and actors into a sandbox in which we build something together, and it gives them ownership of something fully-produced so they’re not also stuck feeling like they’re twiddling their thumbs. At the end of the day, that’s what the brand is — a no-thumbs-twiddling, get-shit-done factory.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of the things I love most about Los Angeles is the city’s restlessness. There’s always something to do. I often say that you choose boredom when you live here. It’s a choice to spend your Saturday on the couch rather than doing one of a thousand things around town, even if it’s just walking around a neighborhood you haven’t explored before. Which is shamelessly something my wife and I love to do. It also means that there’s really no one-size-fits-all itinerary. That said, there are a few to-dos that I try to work into plans for anyone visiting.

Hike the Backbone Trail in Malibu starting at the Ray Miller Trailhead and then pop down to one of the state beaches like El Pescador or El Matador. On your way back down the PCH, grab a breakfast burrito at Lily’s Malibu.

Rent bikes in Venice and ride north along The Strand. Spend the rest of the day on the beach in Marina Del Rey. If you get hungry, Fig Tree in Venice is a nice, breezy joint with great food.

This one might get me branded as “basic,” but the Westfield Century City Mall is an entire day unto itself if your guest loves to shop. Finish the day off with dinner at Eataly or Din Tai Fung.

If your guest is a foodie, you can’t skip Grand Central Market with its many, many food stalls. My go-to is Ghost Sando. Pair that with a visit to The Last Bookstore.

As an East LA guy, I try to spend at least one day showing off the attractions in my own backyard. But with so many options, it’s really a choose your own adventure. Start the morning with coffee/brunch at Lamill and a walk around the Silver Lake Reservoir. Or head over to Frogtown to walk along the LA River and pickup a breakfast burrito from Spoke or drive to Clark Street Diner for anything that’s on the menu. Then work your way over to Los Feliz and explore all the boutique shops along Vermont. If you get hungry – which you will – grab a stool at Guac Daddy’s or a booth at Ye Rustin Inn for wings, then follow it up with any baked good at Alcove or a milkshake at Fred 62.

I try to incorporate one big event into everyone’s visit, be it a concert or baseball game or studio tour. There’s nothing like spending an evening at The Greek or Dodger Stadium, even if the concessions are outrageous.

Honorable mentions: Griffith Park, Flea Markets (Rose Bowl, Melrose Trading Post), Comedy Shows (Comedy Store, Largo, Dynasty Typewriter), estate sales, and unique movie-going experiences (Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery!).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, I’d like to shoutout my wife, Laura, who epitomizes what it means to be a partner in the truest sense. Her patience and caring regard when I’m at my wits end with a project, her genuine investment in my ideas even if 99% of them die after I’ve pitched them to her, and her encouragement to take risks when I’m feeling encumbered or unfulfilled are only a few of the ways that she expresses her love and faith in me, and I could not be luckier than to share my life with her.

To my longtime friend and creative partner, Chase Anderson, I would say thank you for first approaching me about creating something together, which gave me an on-ramp to start writing when I was stuck, and for continuing to challenge me through your own unyielding commitment to our projects.

To AJ Lubecker, thank you for asking me to help produce our hilariously bizarre show. It may be called Wunmor (pronounced One More), but I hope for many, many more.

To Cat and Alina, thank you for everything, always. This is me keeping my promise to express my gratitude wherever there’s an opportunity.

To Mom, thank you for all the times you’ve said you’re proud of me, even if you have no idea what it is I actually do.

To the Lucky Ducks, thank you for always being an incredible support system.

Lastly, I want to shoutout all the writers and actors I’ve had the opportunity to work with since starting down this path. Your talents and your willingness to work with a fledgling independent creator are forever appreciated.

Website: https://dwmopodcast.com/

Instagram: @cole.goslee