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Damon Hayes came to prominence as a star football player for Rutgers University. Playing Defensive Back for the Scarlett Knights, Damon knew that he must work hard to achieve his goals. His football ability afforded one of the greatest gifts in life, a college education. When his career was over, Damon chose to take a new path and follow the road less traveled. An aspiring Film Producer and Movie Director, Damon found a love and a passion out of his comfort zone, but his coachable attitude and work ethic will assure that in whatever venture life throws his way, it will end in success.
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This is gone. It's time for the sufferings podcast podcast. In the past, we travel have many bends and forks in the roadway. opportunities arise. And we can make the choice to go right or left, never knowing that if we are on the path that we're supposed to be. Often there are big neon signs on the side, telling us to take the road that everyone else has taken. But something in our stomach tells us that path is not for us. We decide to go down the road less traveled and see where it goes. The Road Less Traveled has very little light and can be frightening. It's dark, because very few have the guts to take it. For those that are willing to take this direction. There is very little lead way between failure and success. I'm Kevin Donaldson here with Mike Felice and on this episode of the suffering podcast we sit down with Damon Hayes to discuss the suffering of a movie director. Damon's taking the road that's left less traveled, but with his background, he's almost assured himself success. So Damon, thank you so much for coming in. I appreciate it. You've been I was telling Mike about you. You've been this gentleman like this honest gentleman from the first moment we met when another diploma,
Mike Failace:another diploma one another despite is not from Hoboken. I'm surprised you're still
Unknown:talking to him. And he's cool.
Kevin Donaldson:Before we get into anything, let's talk about our marquee sponsor. That's Toyota of Hackensack. We don't trust anybody, but we do trust her out of Hackensack. So if you're looking for a car, go to Toyota hackensack.com Let them find you a car. So how's your riding buddy?
Unknown:It was nice little traffic to start with a smoothed out
Mike Failace:come up on like three and 46 that's a pain in the ass.
Kevin Donaldson:Getting in and out of so they just met
Mike Failace:me in my house like we could have drove in together. Had to come home was right through Linares
Kevin Donaldson:Damon came from Jersey City and every time I got to go into Jersey City, I curse like a sailor. Because I just I can't take all that traffic and congestion. That's tough man
Mike Failace:for 40
Unknown:Yeah, thank God I work remote.
Kevin Donaldson:You will you just so you work remote you you don't have to go out at all. And
Unknown:I only go for like groceries or to get a haircut or like something film related, which we'll get to.
Mike Failace:It'll have a barbershop in here. Yeah,
Kevin Donaldson:that's a nice to get about everything but a barbershop. That's a nice segue into theirs. I just got to movie director. So every week, Damon, we take a question from our audience. This question is from true Ryan, Mac. And that is what is your what is the most creative thing you've done to date?
Unknown:I'm a film director. And I wrote a script probably about my finished it probably about like a month ago. And I started in October and my first time and it took some real brainpower. But yeah, find most creative for sure.
Kevin Donaldson:That's it's got to be an interesting thing. Write in a script. Did you have a background in how to write this script? Are you just like, This is what
Mike Failace:I'm gonna write off the cuff? Yeah, right off the cuff? Yeah.
Kevin Donaldson:Mike, what do you besides growing your hair out? What's What else creative? Have you done?
Mike Failace:Oh, you know, I mean, I think I may defer this one because I'm not done creating yet. I really haven't created anything yet. Except for my two kids.
Kevin Donaldson:But that's not true. That's not true at all. You just haven't you just haven't put the thought in. Because I know for a fact that you have created it created
Mike Failace:a lot of things in my head. But no, I mean, like law enforcement, you got to be creative. You know, you got to figure out scenarios and make up scenarios in order to figure out a scenario if you know what I'm saying, when you're in a br You get to make up a scenario and be creative about it. And I'm really not a situation. Yeah, exactly.
Kevin Donaldson:With with me, Listen, there's a part of me that's always throughout my life, being creative. I like to create stuff, I like to build something out of nothing, whether it's with my hands, building a house, or a piece of art. And the funny thing about my kids is both of them got their equal parts of me, but they're just separate, like my youngest is ultra creative, loves to paint loves to draw, loves to do projects, sculpt, whatever. And my other ones, the sports guy. So there's these two things that have come together perfectly for me. But aside from this show, which was just sort of an idea, like, oh, by the way, thank you, aside from this show, it's been a pursuit of creativity. You know, you go into something very idealistic, like, Hey, I'm going to write this movie script. I'm going to, you know, I got this idea in my head. But then when you start learning the mechanics behind it, that's when the real creativity because you got to work with nothing, you know, and you can be told all day long that it's got to have three parts and you gotta have a main character here and this person is going to enter in here. But until you get into the real minutia of what it is to create things like that with this show. Just to give you an example. I knew nothing about podcasting. So I started reading how do you how do you publish a podcast? What do you do? And how do you drive it out there? And it was just something fun and creative to do. And then it became this whole different thing. So then it doesn't stop. Like it's how do you create video clips? How do you create social media posts? How do you create just everything out of nothing? And how do you do that you watch people that came before
Mike Failace:you. And it was really just a whim out of boredom.
Kevin Donaldson:It was a it was a continuation of our onboarding. It was it was it was a continuation of our group therapy. We were you know, I was working, but we were working split shifts. I wasn't a cop. We were working split shifts. So it was off three days. And so I had all this time to. And I'm not that idle hands are really bad for me, because then I stuck to idle mind is the devil's playground. And that's it's a bad playground when I had that. So that's a tough question, Ryan Mack. For me, it's the show, filmmaking, Mike. I'm telling you right now you just haven't thought of the answer. And it's not just creating your kid's creation takes a little bit of suffering.
Mike Failace:All I saw.
Kevin Donaldson:Keep sending your questions, and we'll try to get them on the air. So Damon, I've been reading a lot about you. There's a lot of stuff out there on you. I don't know if you understand that or not. Google is
Mike Failace:gonna say you Google his name and everything pops up.
Kevin Donaldson:Yeah, like, whoa. So why don't you tell our audience a little bit about yourself?
Mike Failace:Just start from the warmer and yeah,
Unknown:I'm just starting right now after it. We'll get to the past stuff. But right now I'm a real, introverted, obsessive maniac when it comes to like my work. I was saying that's like me in a nutshell right now.
Kevin Donaldson:Where'd you grow up? Maryland, your Maryland Prince George's County. And you came up here for college? I'm assuming? Yeah.
Unknown:Can you play football?
Kevin Donaldson:Timeout? You moved from beautiful Maryland to New Jersey? Yeah. It's a matter with you. He went backwards.
Unknown:Yeah, no, that was the goal was to plan NFF. So
Mike Failace:when he came up to the banks of the old, rare and did their best, but come on, man.
Kevin Donaldson:Well, so when you when you first started playing football, you know, just to let everybody in. Damon played all four years at Rutgers University. But when you first started playing football, what was football was just like everybody else. You want to give it a shot? And when did you develop a love for
Unknown:it? Funny story. My father used to force me to try to watch NFL games and I was younger, I would hate it. I'll get tired. They would come home late, I get tired. I was kind of a bad kid, like, terrible class clown. And my father just kind of forced me one year. And I was like, pretty good play running back. And then it was fun. You know, you go to school till girls happy football, stuff like that.
Mike Failace:They look a different way.
Kevin Donaldson:You know, the funny thing about football, football is the one sport and it's different than baseball. It's different than hockey. It's different than basketball, with football, because you're around those kids so much. That becomes a real family. And when I know I don't know if it was like this in Maryland, here in New Jersey, the football team. You guys all look out for each other. You know, I can I can tell you every person I've ever played football with. Yeah,
Mike Failace:you're in the trenches with them. And baseball, you're not a trenches, you know, you're in the on deck circle. Yeah. And then you get off the bat. You're in football, you're fighting against another team and fighting with each other to you know,
Kevin Donaldson:was that the same way down there? When like little league or like college, just junior league football. Yeah. Yeah.
Unknown:I mean, it was kind of like a bunch of middle schools scattered around. But whoever was at your school yeah, typically you stuck together.
Kevin Donaldson:And that's that's the beauty of football as opposed to everything else. I mean, your your practice and also five, six. You know, it's a six or seven day a week thing with the games on the weekends and practice during the week
Mike Failace:films.
Unknown:Yeah, well,
Kevin Donaldson:when you got to high school, I imagine. That's when your talent really started to shine. Yeah. Would you play in high school?
Unknown:Where what did you pull when I play? Wide Receiver? Yeah, start off. Wow. Obviously you're gonna safety. And then safety, then corner.
Kevin Donaldson:So you went right over? You just dropped the offense? Yeah. You just dropped
Mike Failace:it. That's what I always said when I played semi pro. I played corner because I was sick of getting hit. That was a wide receiver in a corner and I'm sick of getting it and realize I'm only five nine and I'm too slow.
Unknown:It was yeah, like it was more of a future Ristic choice. Just you know, what do I have a shot at succeeding? And then
Kevin Donaldson:as you start to matriculate through high school, people are starting to take notice you're starting to get some press you're getting eyes on or you're getting taught and the I know you can't see it, but Damien's a tall guy and he's a big guy. And you and I Just safety at your height. I know it's ultra important. You always put the fastest kid so I'm assuming you were lightning, right?
Unknown:Yeah, that's pretty fast. Yeah, that's pretty fast.
Kevin Donaldson:You don't put us there pretty fast. I
Mike Failace:bet she's under four, four.
Kevin Donaldson:I don't see too many slow safe
Mike Failace:or slow corners for that.
Kevin Donaldson:They weren't putting. They weren't putting linemen back anytime soon.
Mike Failace:So you never played safety and you're saying
Kevin Donaldson:Never. Never was a tough few. Listen, I can I can run whatever like a four 820
Unknown:It's not that every run in that though.
Kevin Donaldson:Now, what schools were looking at you in high school?
Unknown:It wasn't many. Top of mine. Purdue Wake Forest. Maryland. Rockers Old Dominion. Boston College.
Mike Failace:Boston College gonna say Maryland had to be looking at you. Yeah. Maryland never offered
Kevin Donaldson:Boston College. Again, why Rutgers? Was it just the best deal that
Unknown:now? Yeah, Boston College was top two. I went on a visit. Loved it. I just couldn't see myself going there as a student, like, for some reason, the demographics
Mike Failace:to get a feel for place to Yeah, did you? Did you feel like more at home at Rutgers?
Unknown:Well, I went on. Plus, it's closer to home.
Kevin Donaldson:Plus, it's where the first college football games played.
Unknown:I want to like an official visit. So you know, they lay out the red carpet for
Kevin Donaldson:you. So it was announcing your name in the state. So it was a real like experience.
Unknown:And then I had already kind of like, knew some of the guys there. So
Kevin Donaldson:that's why you chose it? Well,
Unknown:the head coach Jack came from Ohio State. And Chris is right. Chris is a good guy. He coached a lot of people that played my position. And that transitioned to the NFL. So yeah, I just looked at it the smartest choice. As far as like all my options
Kevin Donaldson:where you could get the most visibility or the most playing time is that that's not just that takes that you got to take that into account too. Like if they got to, if they got a safety, that's a sophomore who's a who's a stud. Yeah. Why would you go there?
Unknown:Yeah, I mean, I'm not gonna say I was thinking about that too much. It was more so like, I looked at it as I can get the teachings from somebody that taught somebody that got to where I want to go.
Kevin Donaldson:That's a different. That's a very mature way of thinking about that. Yeah, this is where I'm gonna get the best football education. Because in reality, I mean, I think you'll feel the same way in reality College. Unless you're going to Ivy League, which again, people who went to Ivy League who I know, the hardest part about an Ivy League school is getting in once you're in. It's no big deal. Just like every other college, even Harvard that way.
Mike Failace:I mean, you played with some of the defensive backs that made it though, right, like, blitz on Austin was on your team wasn't as my
Unknown:close friend. He's a character too.
Kevin Donaldson:So you come on as a freshman. What was it like the first time you ran out of that tunnel?
Unknown:It was surreal. But it was bittersweet. So funny story. The The only time I didn't play my Oscars my freshman year first game. So it was better. Because we were in Washington, and it looks amazing out there. I'm 17 years old still at time. But I knew I wasn't gonna play just as just one game. So it was like fun not to be there first time. But you know, you're a real competitor. You want to be out there. So
Kevin Donaldson:that part was me, but you're on the sidelines.
Unknown:I was just that one game though.
Mike Failace:That that's gotta suck though. You're used to be in the star your whole career and kids high school all of a sudden. Yeah, on the sideline like this.
Unknown:I'll tell you a funny story. When the story. My father came to the game. And my father lives in Texas. I don't see him that often. I've seen him. Probably like couple years, but he came to watch the game. And I didn't play. So after the game, he was just like, you know, say hello to your parents and stuff like that. I just get on the bus. I'm like, man, like I don't want to talk to nobody. People like telling me hey, if I was gonna talk to you, just tell me go home.
Kevin Donaldson:My son ever does that. And as he's going to a D one school yeah, we're gonna have some words. He was upset for sure. But that that roar that crowd unlike anything that and that's what I always think about with with D one when you played in those big stadiums. So storied stadiums. Yeah. And you come out of that tunnel, and all of a sudden, it's 20,000 30,000 people, sometimes more than that. And I just, I don't it was never an intimidating thing to you.
Unknown:I'll be honest and say my first play was really intimidating the first play. And after that, I was like, Okay, it's just football. But the first play it was like yeah, it's people yelling in the TV cameras are on you and you don't really see those as much but it's just the people least like for me my first game it was like wow, it's a lot of people watching and I play corner so you're on an island. There's a lot of eyes when you
Kevin Donaldson:first play. Yeah. So then did your father ever get chance to see you again and see you
Mike Failace:when I went down to Texas.
Unknown:No, no, he came back. Okay. We made up.
Mike Failace:You get off the bus and say on this day
Kevin Donaldson:well out of your college career, what do you do you have one or two highlights that you are most proud of throughout your college career. Highlights.
Mike Failace:I know one. Pick six your freshman year.
Unknown:Oh, yeah. Yeah, I almost forgot about that. That was That was insane. I was 17. And it just happened to okay, we had this one.
Mike Failace:How far was how long of a ROM was
Unknown:I think was like 55.
Kevin Donaldson:It was 55 and two tenths. That's what it
Mike Failace:was 50 but and you're running in hallways. I don't catch me motherfucker.
Unknown:Cuz I was already shocked. I caught it. I mean, it was just happening. I was like, Oh, wow. Like, it was fun moment.
Kevin Donaldson:Well, you touched on something earlier, Mike, you go from this incredibly big fish in a smaller pond to a small fish in a big pond. And I know a lot of people don't transition to that very well. As matter of fact guy I played when I played d3. Alright, the guy guy on my team who actually ended up getting drafted by the Raiders. He was he was at a very, very big D one school and he was that small fish in a giant pond. And he couldn't take it. So he came to a d3 school and he shined. I mean, he really did. But he shouldn't have been playing d3. I mean, this is guy who held he held the NCAA Division Three punt record for I think, close to 20 years. That's how long 20 years. God damn. Damn. But you know, that's, that's a so now you start developing this talent. You're playing all four years. It has to be in the back of your mind. I'm gonna get picked up. I'm gonna get picked up. So what was that? Like?
Unknown:Yeah, we're here to talk real, real authentic. Right? Yeah, it started to get to me my senior. It was it was nice, Jr. Because you can't even imagine like, NFL Scout to like I practice watching you, you kind of know they're watching you. Yeah, that's why I'm a big like, advocate of like checking in on your mental health because I was kind of like, some of the negatives in my senior year, like just thinking about futuristic. Like, knowing every player, there's a magnifying glass. And you want it to be like that. What? You know, you've never experienced that you don't really know too many people that experience that. And then you just have like, in your face like, Hey, I just talked to Scott about you like he wants to know this. You know, that kind of stuff. Started with me a little bit.
Kevin Donaldson:So you played in an era where social media was was present? And did they did the team ever get on you about your social media?
Unknown:I wasn't really like a social media guy. I made a Twitter for football. For like, I suppose I never had days.
Mike Failace:I'm sure Yeah, I'm sure you had a huddle. Yeah, but that's really not social media that just highlights Yes,
Unknown:I currency for
Kevin Donaldson:high school before. Well, how out of control Did Did it get? Because you got it. Mike and I grew up in an era where I don't know if you've ever seen a movie called the program. You ever see I saw it a long time ago, a long time. That's the era that we came up in. And all the right moves D one D one would get out of control with their players like that was the days when NCAA NCAA violations were rampid. And then the players get these egos. They're already superstars before they're superstars. Did you see that? On the field? Did you fall into that trapping? A little bit? Yeah,
Unknown:how that wasn't even like a projected superstar, but I just kind of had a inclination that I would get drafted. But um, yeah, just being honest, a little bit. Just knowing that was my spot, it's probably not gonna get taken. Just knowing that like, from a scheme from a schematic standpoint, what I do is pretty hard to like, just not pick me up. So like, yeah, that kind of played a role for sure.
Kevin Donaldson:But at some, at some level, you have to have that ego. You have to you have to you have to know your best. Remember. So a friend of ours is a guy named Billy Russo and played on the ad plane, the ad is on the Giants. And he played in the balloon, great game. And he got on the bus in the front seat. And he sat next to this guy, and the guy turned to him and says, I am Jerry Rice. I am the greatest wide receiver The NFL has ever seen. And it wasn't even in the NFL. Yeah, I remember the story. Yeah. Oh, do you listen to Lee.
Unknown:Now somebody came and did a speech I record one time and told the story. Yeah, that's
Kevin Donaldson:that's the truth. And then Lee was sitting right next to Jerry Rice when that happened. And I don't know whether that was ego or confidence. Like there's that fine line
Unknown:between I think it's
Mike Failace:ego competence or cocky. Yeah. Yeah,
Unknown:I think it's more so like having a whatever you want to call it ego, whatever. having me here and being able to like tame it to a point where it's like respectful to You know, tour started because at a certain point you don't really need for it to be respectful to like,
Mike Failace:look, I would have looked at the guy like the fucker you but he's exactly yeah a lot of people that shoot their mouths off that are still walking the streets today that never made it right
Kevin Donaldson:in the NFL. Oh yeah, yeah. What, who Ricky Waters was it? Was it Ricky waters who was playing? Who played he had his salary on how he did was that well who was my only remember that? Yeah he based his salary in the NFL he's like, and it was it was it was it would have been a smart move if it would have worked out for him but he said, you know, I'll be a performance based player where my my salary will be based on my performance and he never really did anything. Now he's selling weed a couple of years. Yeah, nice Notre Dame guy. You know, he's selling weed the other day and go to that. You stepped on the field when you stepped on the field at Notre Dame couple times. No, you never did. Big 10
Mike Failace:I went to I went to Notre Dame for one game. No, it was Penn State you guys play right? Yeah, he played Penn State, Notre Dame, Rutgers. 1992 or 93. The one Rudy it was it was close. It was close. Notre Dame beat him 62 Nothing. Close. It's funny because a guy went to high school with his brother was the coach of Rutgers back then. So it was a good trip.
Kevin Donaldson:Now, you start getting into that senior year. How close did you make? Did you make it to go into the big show?
Unknown:Now literally on draft day, my agent texted me he was like today's today Yeah, I was hearing at worst. At worst six months. Yeah, that's pretty good spirits
Mike Failace:and how did it go? Didn't get a call didn't go
Unknown:at all and I can laugh and smile doing stuff out you know,
Mike Failace:I had to be gut wrenching now.
Kevin Donaldson:Yeah, that's that's a Field of Dreams experience where you know your dreams are just this close to they you see in brush right by like a stranger in a crowd.
Unknown:Yeah, I will say that was probably the number one hardest day of my life. And it was one of them days where it's like, it took a few days after for it to like suddenly
Mike Failace:just get any free agent stuff or anything like that. Or no
Unknown:CFL. But none. NFL No, yeah, we
Kevin Donaldson:saw it. We saw the splash page for CFL. But there's nothing there's nothing there
Unknown:to talk about. Not too
Mike Failace:many stats on that page.
Kevin Donaldson:So it wasn't a what next type of situation like? Well, I kind of I'm sure you were hoping to go into NFL.
Unknown:What happened?
Kevin Donaldson:Like, how did how did that recovery process? How did you pick yourself up from that? I don't even say it's defeat because you played for years at a top D one school? How did you pick yourself up off the ground?
Unknown:Yeah, well, I ended up getting to the CFL after that. But then between that time period, yeah, I was just fighting to try to get a workout in and trying to stay in shape. And I had a period where you kind of somewhat lose hope like nothing's gonna happen. And he just, you know, kind of stopped doing things and pat that period. And yeah, eventually just something clicked. My mind was talking to me like, hey, like, I don't think it's over. So I just start trying it again. And usually when my mind is on a decimal, I can do it. So I just got my mind back fixated on like, number one dream I used to have in the CFL, that was the next thing. But then there's like another life after that. That was what went on with the CFL. Yeah. Oh my god. So I played corner my whole career safety, nickel, but basically when I get to the CFL, they put me a linebacker. linebacker. Yeah. And I'm just the tallest DB there. So it was by default. And I remember we were in camp. It was probably like day four. What team? BC Lions? Yeah. So it was like day four, I text my coach and went, Hey, can I get a shot at my natural position? Like, can I play corner and he was just like, it is not an option. So it's long story short, I end up being cut. And that was when lifeguards said like, I thought life was here. So I didn't get you know, picked up. But that's all like I said, we um, they flew us in, like all the way there from the airport when I was when I came from Maryland to get to Canada, but I had to leave the next day at 6am on a van, like four hours to the airport. And it's like six of us in this band packed up and I'm looking out and you're
Kevin Donaldson:all cut everybody out everybody on the vans cut so everybody's probably not the most talkative person in the world.
Unknown:It's funny though, like it's a lot of different personalities. Some people like optimistic I'm like a realistic person. I like the CFL. You know, for the fact that I've noticed like your second chance at the NFL. So for me, I told myself growing up I would never be that kind of guy where I didn't know when to move on to do something else. So for me that was the point. Where I was like, Alright, it's time to like, grow up. But I remember looking outside and just being like, we got to figure something out, get creative. Didn't
Mike Failace:know when you were at Rutgers, did you take your schoolwork? Like, did you graduate and everything? Or were you just saying I'm going to the NFL? I don't have to study.
Unknown:Well, I took my schoolwork somewhat serious. I didn't have to pass. But to your second point, yeah, I was thinking as well. So
Kevin Donaldson:you but you, you walk to graduate and I graduated with a degree in
Unknown:Bachelor of Science in labor studies.
Kevin Donaldson:So the cool thing about the best thing in the world about playing D one football that in my mind, you got your education paid for. Yeah. So no, you didn't know I said, Okay. Okay. So I was gonna say, okay, they change the rules. Because that right there put you ahead in life, and at the time you don't see it, because you didn't get your dream of going into the NFL, even the CFL. But you understand you got a four year degree from a top university. For free.
Mike Failace:Yeah, get put, see now they got NFL money. Name image and likeness. These guys, these guys are making money hand over fist. And
Unknown:that's why I said okay, I feel like it's a lot of perks.
Kevin Donaldson:That you Oh, yeah. I can guess grass arrest nothing for free. I get that. I understand that. But that is so you didn't fail? Oh, no, you didn't fail. You got to education. Because listen, when I came out of school, I was after my master's degrees. I was so far in debt that, you know, I had this huge hole to climb out of. Yeah. And I always say that if you can get out of college without debt. You're already ahead of the game. You already got a leg up for it. Yeah. Now one thing I want to ask you before we move on from this nonsense football. You know, everybody knows about the Erica grand incident. And I always obviously it affected the players he played with emotionally but I always wondered what impact did that have on the program itself?
Unknown:Yeah, I would just say the way we structured practice because yeah, he was a bit before my time. But um, that injury definitely left the impact as far as like, structure and layout because we would always kind of mention him when it came to like camp and just like talking safety and stuff like
Mike Failace:that. And he was around the program a lot. Still almost always a broadcaster and all that guy. He's
Unknown:always in the building. Yeah.
Kevin Donaldson:We we we actually we're gonna have him on the show. Believe it or not, for sure. Well, we we got there's some there's some logistical problems without being cruel. I mean, yeah, we got stairs. That's a problem. And that chair he's got looks pretty damn heavy. So yeah, carry that stuff up.
Mike Failace:But he's doing very well for himself. He's doing coffee opened up coffee shops. He's got his own line of whiskey now or bourbon or something like
Kevin Donaldson:you want it to Yeah, grand coffee house in Rucker stadium,
Mike Failace:and Greg Schiano signed them as a free agent to the the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Yeah, but
Kevin Donaldson:then he's got to play with Brady. Now,
Mike Failace:this was long before breaking
Kevin Donaldson:Oh, okay. So there's the ripple effects of that injury. Went down the line, not just D one football, NFL, like
Mike Failace:it was wonderful. But little kids football, everybody. You know,
Kevin Donaldson:who's the guy that just had the I can't the names escaping me know? The hardest?
Mike Failace:Damon Damar. Hamill tomorrow.
Kevin Donaldson:Tomorrow. You know that. I'll tell you how far that ripple effect came. For my for for the program who one of your old roommates Billy Taylor came from it. That's where my kids play. All of a sudden, they're checking the defibrillator. So I go in the field house. And there's the box. There's no fucking defibrillator in it. They're like, Oh, now what? Like we've been playing it I you know, I'm not I'd look at it. I said, Okay, there's a defibrillator. It's no problem. There's no defibrillator. And so the ripple effects of those industry injuries are always they bother
Mike Failace:me and beat someone over the head with the box.
Kevin Donaldson:That's when the precordial thump comes in. So your dream as ended. Now, what a film director, film, but it was it like, no, no, no. There has to be many different things in between, you
Unknown:know, when you send this podcast kind of came about out of boredom. I do kind understand where you're coming from, because that's kind of where to the new venture came from two. I've just like, stable. And I'm like, I'm so used to having something to do and keep my mind busy. And one day, I was watching a bear, I've always loved movies, my whole life. I've always loved movies. But one day, I was watching a bad movie, and this is just like, authentic, realistic stuff. Not to say, but I'm watching the bad movie. I'm just like, why can't I try to do this? I can do better than I can do better than this. And I turned it off and I was just like, You know what?
Kevin Donaldson:You got a movie. And then you just started scribbling.
Unknown:So where are
Kevin Donaldson:you? Where are you? First of all? How old were you at this time?
Unknown:24,
Kevin Donaldson:you're 24 years old, trying to make your way in this world. Most people will be like, I'll get a job. And I'll try to do this on the side. And is was that you?
Unknown:So yeah, we kind of bring that lineage back a little bit. I did try to get a job and just say, hey, I want to just be stable. But I couldn't imagine just sitting at a desk, nine to five jackin dilution papers. Yeah, so I didn't get fired. So a funny little story is I was supposed to quit my job anyway, to go back to the CFL actually got another opportunity with Edmonton. And there was some, like, mix ups with like, V's or something. So I couldn't go into getting fired, right. Then I moved to Jersey, I was going to be a model. Everybody was like, Hey, you should ma somewhat okay. I love fashion. So I was like, No, Brandon's got to get the New York majority city. Got a new job get fired. From there. I just could not do it. I was like, there are people that work remote, right? I'm like they have to be like faking this. There's no way they're at home working hard. But
Kevin Donaldson:remote work is by far the hardest work because you have to stay focused. And that's like, if I had to walk past a faucet that's leaking, and I'm working remote. Guess what? I'm not doing work. I'm gonna fix the faucet. Yeah, I can't do it. It's hard. It's hard not to detour. So that's why I have to physically go
Mike Failace:to the ice cream truck, go by the bells, jingle. And you run outside my
Unknown:job now because I get to give the off and do what I really want to do.
Kevin Donaldson:Right? You need the freedom. But you build a lifestyle around that for sure around that job. So when you first got us, I'm going to do this. I'm going to do a movie script. I'm going to write this thing I can do with these people. Yeah, can do your first dip into your first toe into the water there. When did you hit the reality like oh shit, this ain't that easy.
Unknown:First time trying to write because you're writing a script, you have to have like different characters. So if you're the sole writer, you have to literally be thinking in different my frames at the same
Mike Failace:time your people in different put yourself in people's shoes.
Unknown:This is absolutely time to have a bounce off because a lot of people have co writers, so it'd be two people. But um, that was a big wake up call. But it was fun. That was okay.
Kevin Donaldson:And then how did you how did you immerse yourself in the learning process of it? of writing? Just just writing a screenplay? Yeah, right.
Unknown:Well, it was more so I had to just have that moment happened a couple of times. And then okay, let me just really just try to squeezed and it just got better and better and better. Over time. Well, your first draft. The first draft surprisingly, wasn't that bad. Really? Actually. Yeah. It wasn't that bad. It wasn't it was like more formatting issues. But storyline and plot because I just know, movies. It wasn't that bad.
Kevin Donaldson:But then it's trying to get it in the right hands. Right. Yeah, that's where the difficulties come in. Yeah.
Unknown:So Fantasia, LM actually meet with the producer tomorrow. And that's the right hands for me right now. So
Kevin Donaldson:if you need some muscle, you want us to rough him up a little bit?
Mike Failace:We know people.
Kevin Donaldson:Listen, you're gonna give Damon this deal? Well, you
Mike Failace:know, you had a big Rutgers graduate that was a big actor to James Gandolfini. That's right, but he's not around anymore. Can can't lean on him. Just
Kevin Donaldson:don't go there. Don't go that direction have a heart attack at 50. It's not it's not a good look, especially in Italy. But how many times did you have to put this in front of people? Well, there let me back up a second because you got this this beautiful script written? And I guess you got to be careful that your intellectual property? Yeah. So do you when you hand it off to people? Do you make them sign an NDA or something like that?
Unknown:Yeah. So I got a copyright. Oh, you did? Yeah.
Kevin Donaldson:That's smart. Yeah. See someone
Mike Failace:take your idea and run with it. I went to
Unknown:a networking event in New York City. And this Italian guy actually told me he was like, Yeah, that's fine. First thing, get a copyright.
Kevin Donaldson:Well, there's there's several different ways. I mean, you can do the official copyright, but I think these days, intellectual property falls under if they can prove that it was your idea. You know, even back back in the day, they proved that movie ideas were thought up in another way. And people sued and got rights and stuff like that. Because that happened to Matt Cox. Yeah. So one of our friends, he's a criminal. He's calls himself a criminal. He was actually number one on FBIs most wanted list, but he started writing when he was in prison. And what was the money movie War Dogs? So Matt Cox, World War Dogs while he was in prison as your friend, that's friends, a loose term associate. He's the only guy he's the only criminal who I know. And we know a lot of them. He's the only criminal that I know, that I'm genuinely afraid of. And Matt is like a slightly taller than a little person. I mean, he's a little guy. very unassuming, very meek. That's
Mike Failace:exactly what I was gonna say unassuming. He He's very meek, but he will
Kevin Donaldson:rob you blind and have you thank him for it because he's a financial genius he just sort of figure stuff out finances okay? Yeah, so had a totally different picture my Mom No, no, he's not a thug mortgage. He's not a thug but he defrauded they don't even know how much money he he stole but it they think it's upwards of 50 million from the from the mortgage business and then when when he went on the run he developed a way to make fake IDs and fake identities and then he would call the people looking for him. The the FBI looking for him and say you're not gonna You never can just turn turning. Have you seen in Kashmir if you can? Of course that same? Same? James Abigail? Yes. Very, very similar, very, very similar. And you know, he was on episodes of locked up or not locked up abroad. Was that one of those criminals shows on TV, but he's an interesting guy, but he's the only criminal that I know that I'm genuinely afraid of. Because I walked out of his house we did we did his show him and I walked out of his house. I checked my wallet.
Mike Failace:Let's we've we've had mafia hitman in here. And I feel more comfortable around them. Yeah.
Kevin Donaldson:100% 100% Cuz I could see those guys coming a mile away this guy you'll never see coming. Like he went while he was on the run till he went to traffic school. He flew out of the country. Like he did it his life's insane. But you know, it's it's that ability to pivot and turn when necessary that I think is is your gift. You know, you had this this very broad dream. And it seemed like a reality. Like, it's not like you're far fetched you were not that little league. You're not that literally kid who hit hits his first home runs. I'm gonna play Major League Baseball. Yeah, you were playing at a top level. And now you're left out in the cold and you just develop this new thing. And it's, it seems to come and come into some sort of passion for you. Oh, it is because I hear you talking about and I hear you talking about with such zest and verb that's, it's actually kind of, I think I'm gonna write a script in it.
Unknown:Yeah, yeah, it's a beautiful thing to be able to like, crossover and kind of, because I'd be telling people now like football, like that used to be my world for sure. But like, film now, that is like the knuckleball?
Mike Failace:We were saying that before. That's athlete. And yeah, that's a no quit attitude, ya know? And is that athletics you can't you can't quit you know, now you just put your your passion to something different. And now Now you run now you're running with that ball?
Kevin Donaldson:Well, that's the funny thing. We see it a lot in in high level athletes, especially in college athletes. So if you get to the college level and athletics, you're coachable. Okay, you you will learn your sponge. You know how to take direction? Yeah. And that usually carries on into the business world. So did you have any mentors? Trying to help you along trying to? Or did you were you just all on your own with this? Yeah, with it with the film, making
Unknown:the creative space is not really as collaborative as you think. But it's, it makes sense, though, because it's such a delicate form of art seriously. So no, I mean, I have a few that helped. But there's always to like a certain extent. But you know, me going through this process I definitely understand that notion. Because it's so like, what I create I kind of really want to be really particular with like, who was a part of that? If that makes sense? So no, but
Kevin Donaldson:they have to share your creative vision in some in some manner
Unknown:that people involved with my with my creative vision. Yeah. But from the jump, I will say, YouTube the books like no other
Kevin Donaldson:the unit. God. You guys are so lucky with his damn YouTube this
Unknown:week, like people I don't think people will take advantage. Like, it's literally like a teacher says,
Kevin Donaldson:You look up anything, anything, you know how to tie a shoe, something as basic as that there's 5 million videos on how to tie a shoe for sure. We had to learn, you need to go to the library and read a book about it. And now you can actually watch a video, but you can absorb that information a little bit more, and you can see it, you can see it. Yeah,
Mike Failace:that's why the sneakers I buy now don't have laces. So they just belongs I never didn't have YouTube to learn how to tie your shoe.
Kevin Donaldson:So I have Daymond I'm gonna give you a little window into your future. So as you start approaching 50 Because I'm almost 50 And he's over 50
Mike Failace:B 57. Tomorrow,
Kevin Donaldson:happy birthday. Happy Happy birthday this you will be 57 by the time the seven and a month by Dennis airs. One of the things that teaches you you're getting older you cease buying shoes with shoe laces say Warthen if you cease buying shoes with shoe laces. Yes, yeah, there you go. I'm still holding on because my my Adidas shells have shoe laces. I'm Run DMC all the way. But what those people that that helped you out and that's why they don't understand that that's what I do love about the podcasting world, as opposed to your industry. Because there's only so much space in your industry. Where the podcasting world there's so much have room for everybody to collaborate. And you know, you go on my show, I go on your show and we'll cross promote each other. Yeah. That doesn't seem to happen in that entertainment industry.
Unknown:It's really hard. And there's a lot of people that want to stay there forever, too. So it was tough. Well, that's
Kevin Donaldson:you have one hit movie. And then what's what's next sophomore curse? Yeah, you know? Exactly.
Mike Failace:So when you're writing like a screen prep play, that's your baby, right? Is it almost like a micromanaging thing where you don't want anybody to put their hands in or you just want to do it yourself? And then there comes a time when you ask for help for someone?
Unknown:Yeah. How can I say this? And would you do it that way? So I just feel comfortable writing it myself. I really believe like, it's a gift of my just understanding point of views and dialogue. I really do. So I wouldn't, you know, I just don't want anybody else to
Kevin Donaldson:know, let's say you you create a success out of this passion of yours, right? Would you do it the same way? Would you would you would you take on somebody younger in your position, and try to mentor them? Do you think that's the right way to do things where these other people are like, Yeah, I'll give you some pointers, kid, but I'm gonna leave you alone.
Unknown:Yeah, I definitely would. But I mean, like I said, I understand because it's so competitive. And if, like, there's some people where they have a couple ideas as far as they have a couple movie ideas. So they're writing on these two. So anybody that is like, on the way after, like, oh, I don't want you to mess up because I only got two ideas. I truly believe like, this is a gift of mine. So like, I'm not afraid of any competition. Like I will definitely help for sure.
Mike Failace:Because now when you do right, that number one movie, you're gonna remember the suffering podcast.
Unknown:Hopefully I got a little bigger studio by
Kevin Donaldson:with your crew, with your way home with your entourage. Yeah, exactly. You just you all you did was trade one limelight for another. Now. Have you seen the ugliest ugly side of this business yet?
Unknown:I have a half. Yeah. Already? Kinda.
Kevin Donaldson:Yeah. Without giving names or anything? Can you? Can you give us a little bit of the ugliness?
Unknown:Yeah, how I put it. So basically, I ran into this guy that wanted to kind of help me solve I was aspiring. And I'm like, you know, right now I need help for sure. And he was supposed to be shooting a movie in May. This man I don't know if he is anymore. But um, he said he needed a hands on deck. He was like, it'd be a good learning opportunity for. And everything happens for a reason. So I'm telling my mom, like, Hey, I met this guy was supposed to go over his house, start going over a shot list, things like that. And I was like, I don't really trust that. Like, it sounds so weird. How it happened. She was like, send me a picture of him. So I have follow me when I first met him. So I go to Instagram. And I'm seeing like, obscene kind of stuff that you're not really supposed to be seeing. So also, should I call I'm like, Hey, man, like, if I'm gonna be a part of this, I want to make sure we present myself in the right way. Because he's telling me how I want this to be like a Tyler Perry. No, I'm okay, that's fine. But we got to make sure we present ourselves a certain way. And he was kind of like back and forth. Like, hey, if you want to, you know, succeed. And this business is gonna. So
Kevin Donaldson:next thing, you know, you're directing porn movies.
Unknown:And you're done. Yeah,
Kevin Donaldson:that's it. You're you're pitching Oh, you probably make a lot of money doing that. But that's not really a Passion Driven industry. I, I'm assuming
Mike Failace:it is kind of passion, but not the real passion. Not the passion that
Kevin Donaldson:Damon is gonna train. There's a different type of passion involved. Let's set that straight. Are you able to? Well, I want to guard against I want to guard your property. I would, I would love to know what it's about. Like you gave me a little window into it, but I'm not gonna I'm not gonna be the one to give it up.
Unknown:Yeah. What I can kind of say is, as far as pot, you have a woman who has pure heart, and you have a person who's pure hearted sweetheart, who just gets kind of pushed to the edge. And you know, there's some people where they get pushed to the edge, and they go to the other side, or they get pushed to the edge. And they like, just curl up for life. So she takes the path of just seeing what else is out there. See what else is out there in the in the world, right? And she loves it. She gets introduced to a world she never could imagine. But in the end, it jeopardizes her fate. So she either has to choose whether she wants to go on this new path forever, because it's a fun path. Or go back to the old self, which is more safe.
Kevin Donaldson:Sounds like a Reese Witherspoon movie.
Unknown:It's pretty deep. Wait,
Kevin Donaldson:that's that's pretty cool. But that's that's kind of what your path is. Right? Yeah. You could have curl up and die out up. Yeah, absolutely. You just change the male to the female and just whole new demographic.
Mike Failace:The stars name is Damona. I kept a
Unknown:little synopsis PG 13 is to be already. Okay.
Kevin Donaldson:Somebody's getting laid in there.
Mike Failace:Have you ever think about writing like a sports related movie? Since that's like your background?
Unknown:Yeah. So I plan on making 100 films. I'm convinced I'll get I'll get there. But I don't want to just start off like David Hayes ex football star. He's coming out with a sports movie.
Kevin Donaldson:Smart. It'll be it'll be cool. Don't get me wrong, but you make it. But you always get pigeonholed. You always draw on your experiences. You know, you that's, that's if you're if you were going to write about, you know, astrophysics, you're not an astrophysicist? Right? How the hell are you going to write on that? You know, when we talk to people who have the perfect life? You know, it's hard for us to relate to them, because we haven't had perfect lives. Many of them. Yeah, nobody, nobody has, nobody has now
Mike Failace:is Speak for yourself.
Kevin Donaldson:Where would you like to see this? If you had a crystal ball? And you had you had three wishes? Where Where do you want this? Is this an Oscar worthy film? Or is this? Is this a just a labor of love? Because well, actually, Oscar don't don't even think about Cannes Film Festival, actually make a movie that nobody watches and then it'll win an Oscar. That's pretty much. That's pretty much it. But where would you like to see it? Received?
Unknown:How would I put this? Anything I'd be I wanted to be the best. So first off, I want to be the best short film have should probably come up like 2024. So if we do that, it'll go where it needs to go. I feel like but it's more. So just in the work. Like, I'm really passionate about it. And building a really good team. And the store is there. Now we just kind of bring the marketing and all that kind of stuff. But yeah, as long as it's the best of that year, it'll go where it needs to go. Sure.
Kevin Donaldson:The one thing you have working for you is the many outlets of distribution. You know, it used to be you got to get picked up by one of the studios. Yeah, but now you have Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, and you have all these different streams of success. Yeah. I mean, the movies that these these places, they're getting top a level stars.
Unknown:Yeah. And it's kind of it's, it's bittersweet for a person that loves going to the movies. I just I used to love a new movie coming out and going to the movies, but it's dying out. But it's a good thing, though, for us because we get more from the stream.
Mike Failace:I went to the movies last week, for the first time, probably 20 years. i i There's time to harder problem.
Kevin Donaldson:I do disagree. I agree. I disagree with you in one respect. So I just I took my kids to go see, I hadn't been in the movies. I'll tell you right now. I went to go see, like the day after my shooting. I went to go see a Seth Rogen movie. And I hadn't been back to the movies after that. The first movie I went back to see was Maverick with my kids. Okay. And then I realized I'm like, oh, yeah, this I used to love going to the movie theaters. Because it's an experience. And while people are sitting home and Netflix and chilling. I do believe people will get reintroduced to the theater because there is literally nothing like sitting in a movie theater. Can I ask? How do you think we'll get there? I just think people are gonna get tired of being trapped inside their houses. I really do. But when there's something good now the movies that are go out that people go out and say there's a Draw tool. They're like, so you've watched movies your whole life, and there's movies, you were like, I want to see that in the movie theater. And that's where I think we're every movie or film director, Movie Maker screenwriter. That's where they want to see their they want to see they want to have that movie where people have to go see it in a theater.
Unknown:It's hard, you know, we're competing with technology. And it just keeps advancing keeps making it easier and easier. And the thing is
Mike Failace:total movies are so expensive these days. Tom that too.
Kevin Donaldson:So again, I'm going to this so I the tickets for Maverick were $14 apiece. Do you know what I paid for to go see return to the Jedi in the movie theater? I can remember 525 Where was this? This was 1983 Okay, turn that a Jedi this was returned to the Jedi. This is 1983 this is like a couple weeks ago. No, no, this is this is 1983. So $5.25 to go see return to the Jedi in 1983 You should
Mike Failace:be able to take a girl back home in 83 were like in our dating days were in high school. You could take a girl to movies for $10
Kevin Donaldson:I was I was nine.
Mike Failace:I was a junior and senior in high school and
Kevin Donaldson:I was nine. But so if you look at inflation $14 versus 525 It's not all that bad.
Mike Failace:1550 per ticket for the movie I want to say
Kevin Donaldson:Oh, you went to one of those special ones with the reclining
Mike Failace:popcorn Yeah. Well forget about you know I suffered from popcorn overload for three days after that movie.
Kevin Donaldson:Are you kidding me? You go to the movie theaters with cargo pants on always Vegas know everybody you gotta go to the movies like what a bulky Jack. I don't care if it's 90 degrees outside. You gotta have a bulky jacket and cargo pants and slide in the
Mike Failace:cheeseburger in one pocket Sakhalin. Here's my other.
Kevin Donaldson:Exactly.
Unknown:I love movie theater popcorn. Yeah.
Mike Failace:And I can't stop eating it, but it's an overload.
Kevin Donaldson:So your your fight for that experience. Oh, and if your vision is what you're telling me your vision because you gave me a little bit more of a in depth breakdown. Yeah. If you're if your movie is one of those movies where people go you know what? I gotta go see that
Unknown:every movie I want people to? I can't watch it down. Yeah, it's gonna be a slow like drive to it. Like opening weekend. I'm rolling it out came out like it took the first kind of two days for people to start. Let's go. So.
Kevin Donaldson:And I still think the thing that killed movies was that Batman? What was it the the Batman movie with a kid shot up the theater? No. Yeah, I that did it took put a hurt
Mike Failace:on the little one in Colorado. A couple of them
Kevin Donaldson:was Aurora. Aurora was the Joker one. Yeah, I think I heard about it. Oh, yeah, he went into the movie theater and just started shooting. But you'll get there. You'll get there with patience. You know, it's you get that one foot in the door. And you get those steps going in there. Now compared to your passion for football, your passion to filmmaking which one you think is heavier if you had to compare apples to apples? Have anybody? Which which is a stronger passion in your life right now? Well, not right now. Because obviously right now it's filmmaking. But if you had to look back at the sophomore, Damon Hayes versus where you are now? Are they on level playing fields? Or is one heavier than the other?
Unknown:Yeah, filmmaking heavier. And I will say that because I'm more mature now. I know myself. Now I know why certain things happen. And I will say this, like football, I was a pretty good player, but I got there more so like, hard work. And I was blessed me and tall, stuff like that. But the filmmaking side, a lot of that stuff is just natural.
Mike Failace:Because you can make your own way now in filmmaking, you know what you're like you said, You were you were blessed to be tall. And I was I was cursed to be short. So you know, I had to get in a different field than football. But you know, now you could, you could be five foot two and be a filmmaker. It doesn't matter about your stature. It's all upstairs now even playing field.
Kevin Donaldson:But you were humbled? Oh, yeah, definitely, you were humbled. But out of that humbleness came. What it sounds like, is what you were meant to do.
Unknown:And I know how to go about this new journey with the humbleness for sure. Because I wasn't the most humble when I was in America. So now, meeting people, you know, I know how to conduct myself at all times. So it's always like a silver lining. For sure.
Kevin Donaldson:If you had to see somebody in your position, so like, say, you went back and spoke at Rutgers when you're Mr. bigshot? You know, when you're the Harvey what No, I shouldn't say with if you were to go back and speak to football players at Rutgers, what do you think, some advices that you would give them? If this
Unknown:is what you want to do? Give it your all. If you you know are kind of hesitant, explore that. See what else is because football is going to take a lot of your life, it really didn't have to start completely over. As far as like, building up a vernacular, other than just the football players I was with, like, things like that. So if you're going to play college football, there's a lot of people that are in your position that they want to go to NFL not saying you have to. But if you want to go to the NFL, give it your all. If not, you know explore that.
Kevin Donaldson:What do you think about having a plan B while you're playing college ball?
Unknown:Usually not. I'm not a believer, not a believer, not like I surely because I'm my story. I never I always went at it with the this is my plan A and literally up until draft night. You know, it was so I'm not a believer. That's a good question. I'm glad you brought that
Kevin Donaldson:up. Plan B's Plan B is a surefire recipe for failure. Yeah, just
Unknown:it just is just basically saying I'm not gonna give 100%
Mike Failace:Alright, was Isaiah Pacheco that good when he was in college? Who was? I saw him play a couple games in college. He was he was just a little younger than you'd all right?
Unknown:Yeah. But he always he's killing it now. Yeah.
Kevin Donaldson:So Damon, we're coming to the end of this thing. And already five minutes that they're gonna they're gonna be done.
Mike Failace:And you even forgot the mic was in front of you after a little while.
Kevin Donaldson:There's a question that I always, always end with. You've gone through different levels of suffering from not reaching your initial dream to finding a new one and finding the pains involved in there. But there's a lesson in everything. What do you think all this suffering has taught you?
Unknown:It's helped me so many things. Trust your process, trust your journey, you know, as long as you're going about it with the mind frame of I know whatever situation happens is apparently for some greater as long as you're viewing it like that. Don't even stress like it's kind of get greater later as they
Mike Failace:get greater later. I like to get
Kevin Donaldson:greater later.
Unknown:I never say that out loud. It's kind of cool to
Kevin Donaldson:get greater later. Where can our audience find you?
Unknown:You can find me on Instagram, underscore 22 forever. And if underscore two two, f o r e. Va,
Kevin Donaldson:we'll put links, we'll put links in our show notes. Is there a place they can go for? I'm sure you're trying to raise funds.
Unknown:Yeah. So you can go ahead and start. You'll start seeing some marketing stuff on my film, when it knocks. We're going to be shooting later this year, late fall, probably late October, and I'm on my Instagram. That's when we start driving traffic out for marketing. Well, we're
Kevin Donaldson:certainly going to share everything we can and make this as successful as I know it can be I appreciate
Unknown:you plan on shooting around here. Yes, some here. Somebody probably let us know.
Mike Failace:Yeah, yeah. Like to come out to a movie. Yeah. Last time, the Big Shot.
Unknown:I mean, almost set for a day. Yeah, there'll be you need some extra shit. No, no.
Kevin Donaldson:I was an extra one movie when I was a kid. It was the movie that your father screwed up was. So it was a movie called wiseguys. With Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo. They shot some of it in New York and then they shot I'm Atlantic City kid. So they shot some of it in Atlantic City and it was a house in Ventnor. vent and right next door to Atlantic City. And there's there's two fishermen on a beach. Father in his little kid, I'm a little kid. But yeah, he's like, he's like he's like a little kid. A little kid. of cool. Yeah. Now no, really wasn't until you can't even see my face. You wouldn't recognize me you wouldn't look twice at me got it into your face. But that St. But incidentally, and this is, this is what binds us together. His father took his brother and me. Were you there to? Yeah, and they walked right through that movie set when they were filming in New York. Same movie, same movie. And here we are.
Mike Failace:I fall into one of the producers and we met the guy says, Hey, want to bring your kids down. You'll come in. We're filming a movie in New York. We walked right onto the set. Oh, yours caught caught. The guy goes, Yeah, you just cost us 20 grand.
Kevin Donaldson:So it's funny how you come in contact with this small world. It's really cool. Damon, thank you so much for coming in today. I really do appreciate this. Thanks for having me. Yeah,
Mike Failace:it's great story. And that's all the best and when the movie but listen, I could just tell by your attitude. I think you're gonna you're definitely gonna make it because you got it there
Kevin Donaldson:when the movie premieres we'll invite you back. We'll do all the promo that we can for it because I want to see this thing successful. Yeah, I appreciate it can't wait combat. All right, and that's gonna do it for this episode of the suffering podcast the suffering of a movie director with Damon Hayes. And as always, let's think about all the stuff that we learned. There's a fine line between ego and confidence. The loss of a dream can create a passion. Plan B is a sure recipe for failure. coachable athletes become successful adults. Humility can open doors, but most importantly, trust your process. Don't forget you can always listen before you watch all of our episodes air on Sunday at actually 4am If you want a nice free digital, not a free, almost free digital business card go to paypal.com put in tsp 20 for 20% discount. Don't forget to follow us on all social media tick tock LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram follow Mike at Mike underscore Falaise. Follow me at real Kevin Donaldson and of course, follow the suffering podcast. And we will see you
Mike Failace:whenever whenever follow us on YouTube. Comment.
Kevin Donaldson:Yes comment because we do read I read every single
Mike Failace:comments good, bad, indifferent, we read every one of them. And don't
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