1. Dr. Newsletter
Why is David Bush in My Inbox?
Because at some point in the past you worked with me, or taught me something, or nodded to me in passing. And I remembered it. And you. And apparently your email address.
And because I just turned 33 and am having an existential crisis. Why? Because at 33 Jesus got himself crucified by the Romans, but me, what have I accomplished? So, I figured, what better way to encourage a large group of people to want me dead than by sending out a mass email? If you can’t be Christian, be Christ-like, no?
(EDIT: It’s been called to my attention that this email is way too long. So, if you don’t have time or inclination to read it, still DO check out Phony on Amazon! And PLEASE leave us a review. Apparently, they’re crazily important?)
It gets worse. Assuming you fail to arrange my execution, there will be more of these emails to come. Not too many, I assure you. I promise not to email en masse more four times a year (what adults apparently call ‘quarterly’), but if this is too much for you, please just shoot me a polite ‘piss off’ and I promise I’ll be totally unoffended once I’ve Eternal Sunshined you from my memory.
So, what sorts of pollutants can you expect these emails to dump into your inbox? These sorts:
1. Things I’ve found cool, impressive or useful. My main areas of interests are Film (obviously), Productivity, Biohacking, Writing and Reading. Perhaps those interests interest you as well? Have you seen Pig? See Pig!
2. Shout outs to people who are doing awesome stuff. Mostly this will be folks I know (almost certainly some of you), but a few others will sneak in as well. For example, Michael Sarnoski, I don’t know him, but he directed Pig. And if the Academy won’t give him a nod, then at least I will here.
3. Updates on where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to. Definitely gonna be some crossover between all these categories, as hopefully lots of these wheres and whats will involve the whos from numero two.
4. Puns. Because… me. (this is where you go: Oh! That David!) Not their own category, just peppered throughout. Maybe a random etymological insight here or there too.
5. And finally, a bit of shameless self-promotion. (EDIT: This will now already be obvious) Because the cool stuff from categories one and two will be so incredibly useful to you that I will have earned it. Sidenote: No, I was tragically not involved in the creation of Pig.
Productivity!: Here’s a handful (one per finger) of recommendations:
1. The Pomodoro Technique! I now live my life by this time-blocking method, cycling 25 minutes of working exclusively on one task with 5-minute breaks to do something, anything else. For this I use this badass little TimeCube. Seriously, I think I have one of these in almost every room of the house.
2. Tabata Sets! Sort of like Pomodoro but tinier and for your body. Basically, pick an exercise, and do it for 4 minutes, cycling 20 seconds on and 10 seconds rest. Incidentally, these fit nicely into the 5-minute breaks that Pomodoro affords.
3. Things 3 App. I’ve been a To Do lister forever, but this program is appsolutely amazing for keeping track of everything. It pairs perfectly with the book Getting Things Done by David Allen. Yes, writing this newsletter has been at the top of that list for 14 days now.
4. Daily Rituals by Mason Currey. This book gives brief summaries of the working routines of countless (by me at this moment) creative people throughout history. Some of their methods are inspiring. Some are cautionary. And others make you feel great about whatever it is you’re doing.
5. Say no. No, that’s not the name of a book that I forgot to hyperlink. Just a piece of advice. I have to remind myself that not every email deserves a response. For example, think of all the time you’ll save by not telling me to delete your contact info and forget your name.
People who are crushing it:
1. Fran Kranz. Go watch Mass. It’s his directorial debut, and an absolute acting masterclass. On top of that, it asks some awesomely difficult but very important philosophical and moral questions. And yet somehow the Oscars ignored it. Just like Pig.
2. Deborah Riley Draper. Long time expert author and documentarian (check out both the book and the film Olympic Pride, American Prejudice). She’s also got some awesome upcoming screenwriting and directing projects in the works, and this year nabbed an NAACP Image nomination for her work on The Legacy of Black Wall Street, a nomination which put her up again the also amazing PA to Director success story, Cierra Glaude for her work on Queen Sugar.
3. Laura Cassidy. Up and coming New Orleans based producer and networker extraordinaire. Not only did she just produce the Juggalo film Off Ramp but she also spearheaded getting Phony off the shelf and onto the internet. More on that in a bit. (EDIT: And earlier as well)
4. Malcolm Goodwin. In addition to being an absolutely delightful human being, he’s also a crazily prolific creative. Check him out right now in Reacher on Amazon (along with the delightful Willa Fitzgerald!). And soon in Mike Flanagan’s Fall of the House of Usher and two films by yours truly.
5. Emily Holden. One of the only newsletter-type emails I allow into my inbox, and the karmic reason I don’t feel too awful sending this one, is Floodlight, created by exceptional journalist and environmentally aware good human, Emily Holden. She was once a classmate and co-student journalist of mine, but unlike me, she went on to make a tremendous positive impact. Meanwhile…
Where I’ve been and what I’ve done:
1. Santa Tereza, Costa Rica. I spent a few days there in December and will be going back for a month later this year as a sort of writing retreat. To this place.
2. St. Francisville, LA. Specifically, the Greenwood Plantation, because right now I’ve again un-retired from Script Supervising to work on Paul Schrader’s Master Gardener.
3. Natchez, MS. This wonderful historical town is one of the major settings for a TV show I’m writing (on spec), so of course I’ve spent some time there studying up. Huge thanks to Carter Burns of the Historic Natchez Foundation and Kerry Dicks for their invaluable help.
4. Krewe de Vieux. Mardi Gras is back! And were it not for the wonderful night I had Saturday and subsequent recovery period, this Newsletter would have gone out yesterday.
5. Writer’s Groups. I’ve started having writer friends over once or twice a week to sit down together and get some words on the page. In fact, that is where I wrote most of this. If you’re in New Orleans and feel like coming by, let me know. If you’re worthy of this email, you’re more than worthy of an invitation.
David Bush trying to get you to check out things by David Bush:
1. This Newsletter. Hopefully it finds you well. And hopefully you find it good. Please take a moment to appreciate how it was artfully crafted to contain exactly five lists of exactly five items each. Or at least it would, except that to avoid over-promoting myself, I’m not going to mention…
2. Something Here, a musical I co-wrote for Monarch Media, director TK McKamy and the band Florida Georgia Line, which wrapped production late last year.
3. They Whisper, Viridian, and Half/Lives, which I’ll be promoting to death later this year.
4. Fannie and the Firearms Factory. (Yes, I am the Reald Deahl)
Nope, this time, other than this email itself, the only thing I’m going to promote is…
5. (EDIT: Unsurprisingly…) PHONY! Along with an on-set crew of just 5 people, and a cast of 22 incredible actors, I shot this bizarre metamentary (trust me, you’ll NEVER guess how where this story goes) five years ago, and thanks to the above-mentioned Laura Cassidy, it is finally out in the world. Yes, this film was microbudget, but I’m as proud of it (more, honestly) than most of the substantially larger projects I’ve done.
And now you can go watch it on Amazon! If you do (and please do!) and you enjoy it, I humbly ask that you leave us a review. Turns out that those reviews are incredibly important for getting independent movies seen, and so it really would mean a lot if you gave us some stars. And please do feel free to hit me up and let me know what you thought! But don’t ask me about that one shot, because I won’t tell you.
OK, that wraps it all up. Five fives complete. If you made it all the way to the end, I’m incredibly grateful, and I hope that you’ve gotten a little bit out of it as well.
Again, please let me know if you’d like to be removed from future emails.
Or… ideally, give me a shout and let me know what you’ve been up to and how you’ve been. And if you’ve got recommendations for people or places or books or anything that I should check out, do let me know.
Happy Valentines Day everyone, I love you all.
Cheers!
David