Meet Colin Lawrence | Filmmaker and Executive Producer

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

Hi Colin, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
There’s an ungodly amount of worker and employee churn in Entertainment. Executives and workers turn over every year, companies shut down, or new players emerge from the ether. This is one of the reasons the business can be so tricky. Outside of talent and Content knowledge or growth, most of what you’re spending your time on is networking, building relationships and continuing to be part of a social community. It’s really the lifeblood of Entertainment. And if you stop networking, or building your community, that’s usually when work slows down. Unless you’ve got a powerhouse team of reps that can do all of that for you, which is unlikely, you’ll have to dedicate about half of your time to maintaining and building connections. It’s especially important right now, since the Entertainment industry was hit with multiple black swan events over a 4 year stretch. The business is crumbling, but also rebuilding into the next version of itself. And I’d like to be part of the leading edge going forward, so I’m putting myself out there as much as possible right now.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a Writer/Director and Producer in the film, television, digital content businesses. I pride myself on telling universal stories with a modern and original perspective. But mostly, I’m a truth finder. Doesn’t matter what genre or medium I work in, I’m finding the truth in the story. Whether that’s finding the best laugh, scariest set piece, or most uncomfortable confrontation, I’m a master at finding the spark and turning it into a flame that burns through the whole of the work. I started writing creatively in elementary school. I was immediately good at it. Got published in the newspaper, had teachers asking me how stories I’d write for assignments would end. All of that. But it took me a while to realize just how good I was, and how that skill could be integral in building my career. I’m also a strong leader. I always have been. At one point in high school my teacher put me in charge of discipline for the year. I could hand out detentions, keep people after, etc. etc. In another class, I had a bad morning so I rushed to my desk to avoid chit chat with other students. My teacher handed me a detention. I was angry and baffled. She told me the other students look to me to set an example. I walked in angry and disruptive apparently, and she wanted to let everyone know it wasn’t okay. Whatever I did, or whatever happened to me, made an impact on them. She said I was a standout leader. It was the first time I realized the impact I could have. So I fit into the job of Director well. Especially on larger projects with multiple stake holders. My professional path to get here has been circuitous, difficult, torturous, inspiring, exciting and at times scary. Nothing is ever easy in Entertainment. The goal posts keep moving. The only thing you can do to overcome challenges is to keep trying. The moment you give up is the moment you fail. I want the world to know that I’m a talented singular storyteller, but more importantly: that I’m a good person who loves what I do, I love my friends and family, my community, and that I want to keep telling stories that allow the every-person a short escape from their problems.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since I’m a movie nerd and beach lover, I’d probably start there. Our first morning we’d hit Zuma Beach for some surfing or swimming. Then grab some lunch at Malibu Seafood. That evening we’d go to the Aero or Egyptian theater for an American Cinematheque screening. Grab a burger and beer at Father’s Office, then do it all again. To mix things up we’d go to a few museums – LACMA, the Getty, then the Academy Museum, where (after checking out the exhibits) we’d see a screening in the beautiful screening room downstairs. At some point we’d have to go downtown, walk between Arts District Brewing and Angel City, then pop into the Alamo Draft House for another beer and movie. We’d check off the touristy boxes of doing a hike at Runyon and the Hollywood sign, then spend the rest of the afternoon at Shudders in Santa Monica for a few cocktails and appetizers. Then we’d hit Olivera Street for perusing and some tacos. We’d pop over to Eagle Rock Brewery RIP, then go to Griffith Park for a hike, and to Vidiots theater for another screening. And finally, we’d go down to Venice Beach for a morning walk along the boardwalk and to play some basketball, we’d grab a slice at Prince Street Pizza, then we’d head up Pico for a double feature at the New Beverly.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The Producer’s Guild of America. They do so much to help build communities in the major production and business centers around the US. There’s always an event, seminar, class, screening or happy hour to go to. It’s a great place to start growing your community, and I’ve made some great friends and found fantastic mentors in the guild.

Website: https://www.celfilms.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colinedwardlawrence/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinelawrence/

Twitter: https://x.com/ColinEFLawrence

Image Credits
Clair Chang Films for my headshot