Humble Pie Tastes Good
We can't outgrow our ego, but maybe we can out learn it.
I started working 1:1 with a coach about 6 weeks ago. It has been a total freakin game changer.
For a while I've had resistance around doing something like this.
Partly because:
I'm pretty self sufficient when it comes to figuring things out.
My ego
See number 2
This is a weird Calebism I've had:
I offer coaching, I shouldn't need coaching
But after 6 weeks of it, I can humbly admit, I was so wrong.
Having a coach doesn't negate my own strengths and abilities. It supplements my weaknesses.
For me that's things like:
Staying on task
Narrowing my focus to one thing instead of 5 things
Having accountability to do the things I say before the next session
And maybe most important, just having another brain to bounce ideas off of that challenges me to draw sharper conclusions
This coaching experience is causing me to look inward at other places I short change myself because of my ego.
If you've been keeping up with me for very long you already know that I'm a huge advocate of learning new things.
In fact, I think one of the greatest superpowers you can possess is the ability to learn.
Back in my training days at 8711, Chad Stahelski (Director of John Wick) used to drill into our heads:
Learn how to learn!
And it's true. Learning is a skill.
Knowing this, I'm surprised sometimes at my own resistance to it.
And honestly it isn't even a resistance to learning, it's resistance to learning around things I'm already "knowledgeable" in.
Filmmaking. Camera stuff.
I get into this mental mode of:
I've been shooting for so long, I shouldn't need a workshop or someone's course
Which is bizarre since I'm in that same business with my own products like Short Form Filmmaker (shameless plug).
But that type of thinking literally costs me. And in the most important currency:
Time
It's made me waste weeks, and sometimes months trying to figure something out I could've learned in a 40 minute video.
I read in a book somewhere that "if you can steal someone's 10000 hours, you should."
I love that.
So much that is actually quoted in the opening intro to my confirmation email when you join the newsletter from my website.
And everytime I allow myself to do that, whether it's asking someone else for guidance, or buying a course on 360 cameras (my latest course purchase)
I realize for the gazillionth time in my life that when it's all said and done..
Humble pie tastes good.
I hope this helps
Caleb
Oh P.S. Short Form Filmmaker is getting a community you gain access to when you do the program. To bounce ideas, collab with other creators, ask questions, it's gonna be rad.
Want to shortcut your own 10,000 hours?
is packed with everything I wish I had when I started.
Fear is Expensive
It's 2011.
I straighten my crooked tie as I enter my AT&T store job through the back door.
Corporate signage lines the walls.
Sales tactics. Approved product phrasing. The newest iPhone features.
I despise this clinical space deeply.
It's been 2 years since I took this high paying commission sales job to save up enough money to finally move to Los Angeles.
I told myself that if I just put in 6 months of focused effort here, I'd finally be able to take the leap.
But here I stand over two years later, starting my shift and already counting down the minutes until I can go home.
This isn't a way to live I think to myself.
My habitual morning mental spiral is interrupted by my boss poking his head through the door to the sales floor.
"Caleb can I talk to you for a minute please?"
We walk to the back office.
"Shut the door behind you and take a seat."
I know what this is about.
My mental state has been bleeding into my performance the last few months.
I've gotten in the habit of only talking to a customer when all of the other sales reps are occupied.
"What's going on man?" he asks me
"What do you mean?" I play dumb.
He doesn't waste time.
"Caleb when you started this job, you told me your goals, and I was okay with them. You said you wanted to bust your butt so you could move to LA."
Like a little kid in trouble I'm avoiding eye contact, a bad habit I picked up in my frequent visits to the principals
office over my school years.
"Listen man, I know you aren't trying to move up in the company. I know this job is supposed to be a stepping stone for you, but as your boss, I still have to hold you accountable for your performance. And as someone who cares about you, I just want you to think about what your bigger goal is. You aren't going to get there like this."
He was right. For the rest of the day on the sales floor I had the same thought rattling around in my head.
I had the job to make the money I needed, and the sales skills to do it too. So why wasn't I?
A Life Not Lived
Last week I was in traffic contemplating what my life would look like had I not ever left home to pursue my dreams.
The thought of still being at AT&T or some other job, and the things I wouldn't have done as a result of that sent a chill down
my spine.
In my mind’s eye, I watched it all vanish:
All the films I’ve worked on… gone.
The skills I’ve built around filmmaking and stunts… erased.
And the passions I do in my downtime: Jiujitsu. Kiteboarding. Photography trips.
They don’t exist in that version of my life.
In that “safe” world, I never meet my girlfriend in LA because I had no reason to be there. I never meet any of the people who’ve become my best friends over the past 15 years.
And in that moment I realized something that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life.
Fear is expensive.
When I was at that old job "saving money," I lived my life thinking two weeks at a time, with fear dictating any larger timeline.
I think a lot of us do that.
I’d tell myself, "I didn’t save money this sales cycle, but it’s fine, I’ll start fresh on Monday."
A week or two isnt that big of a deal after all.
But the problem isn't that 2 weeks. It's the 2 weeks after that that turns into 2 months, that turns into 2 years, that turns into
our whole lives being chipped away at 2 weeks at a time as we convince ourselves that one day we'll take the leap.
And when I look back on it, I can see the self sabotage.
Giving myself endless grace to just recalibrate every pay period in order for this one to be the one I finally start making moves,
allowed me to justify half assing it 2 weeks at a time so I'd never have to make that decision to move forward.
My boss calling me out that day, forced me to look internally at what was really going on.
It wasn't the job
It wasn't the money
It was me.
As a Stuntman and Fight Coordinator in the film industry, I've been fortunate enough to make a good living doing what I love.
But the biggest cost of letting fear dictate my path as I dragged my feet at my old job wasn’t money.
It was opportunity.
And even heavier than that…
It was the most valuable thing we have:
Time.
So if you're where I was, with a big goal or dream, but you can't seem to get moving, I want you to ask yourself:
What is this fear really costing me?
I'll see you next week
Caleb
Short Form Filmmaker
Story Engine Starter
The Cost of Not Following Your Dreams
I turned 38 a few weeks ago.
38.
It's crazy to think about almost being 40.
Like a lot of people, I used to dread getting older.
It wasn't until I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer just before I turned 33 that I realized how much of a privilege it is..
But that's a story for a different time.
Even with that perspective, I'd be lying if I didn't say that it doesnt affect how I view my social media journey,
and in turn how I view myself.
Every time I try something new, whether it be a new platform or new style of content, the insecurities roll in.
Thoughts like:
"I missed the window"
"Everyone who's doing well now started when they were in their 20's"
"Your friends are probably all judging you and talking shit behind your back"
"I don't want to look like I'm trying to be 25"
It's endless.
And if you've had thoughts like this around your own journey, or maybe thoughts like this have kept you from even starting
Keep reading, because there are a couple things I want to unpack here.
First:
These things that I'm most insecure about are often my biggest differentiators.
Thinking back on being 25... I didn't know SHIT.
Being a little older now means I bring substance and wisdom to the table that younger me, and a lot of younger creators
simply dont have yet.
The one thing that you can't buy, gain by reading, or watching a youtube video about is
Experience.
It has to be lived.
A big part of "being authentic" on social media is simply knowing who the hell you are.
And that comes from living.
The ones chasing the next tiktok dance or viral trend, are doing that because they don't have shit to say.
Second:
(and this is a pep talk I've been giving myself since I started chasing my dreams 15 years ago)
What's the alternative?
Well let's play it out:
I accept these self imposed limitations and I continue to ignore my desire to express myself creatively.
I continue to feel these urges and the draw to show up as a creative for the years that follow
These urges eventually turn into deep regrets as I realize at some point that I am actually out of time
I'm guaranteed to see people my age and even older who didn't let fear run their life and built something meaningful
I live a safe but hollow life
I die alone
(okay maybe not that last part)
Now, I don't know about you, but that scenario scares the absolute shit out of me.
And looking at it this way reminds me that the cost of ignoring my creative desires is far greater than my fears around
continuing or not starting.
It also greater than the concerns about my peers looking down on me (probably in my head) for doing something
they will most certainly envy when it all pans out.
The thing I want you to take home is this:
The ultimate cost of not pursuing your dreams is that you spend the rest of your life wondering what you could have been.
And that my friend, is too expensive.
So make that post.
Start the account.
Take that course (shameless plug).
I'm excited to see where it all leads you.
Caleb
From the Back Row to the Red Carpet
I remember seeing John Wick in theaters back in 2014.
I was already living in New Orleans at the time, pursuing being an actor but had recently been introduced to the stunts world.
Seeing this film sealed the deal.
As I watched John Wick debut a completely new type of action and fight choreography, it lit a fire in me.
I wanted to be a part of that world.
That was the beginning of my pivot into stunts.
I knew what I wanted, but I had zero idea how I was going to get there.
And maybe thats where you are, something has lit the fire, but the path forward is still dark.
The reality around that is, you don't need to have it all figured out.
The most important part is to believe that it's possible and then take a step.
For me, this past week marked a full circle moment.
I was able to attend the red (black) carpet premiere of Ballerina, the John Wick Spin off, as the Fight Coordinator.
Surreal doesn't even begin to describe it.
From the outside, someone else's journey can feel like a time machine. And because of the nature of social media and
how we keep up with people, their path can seem like it's just milestone after milestone.
But what people didn't see on my journey to that moment last week:
Moving to LA only to file for bankruptcy almost immediately after
Begging my way into training at 8711 for years while working at theme parks making less than my cost of living.
Training for 6 hours a day for 2 years straight once I finally did get into 8711, pushing my body to the absolute limits.
And this doesn't even include the process of working on the film itself.
The stress of designing sequences worthy of the John Wick Universe
The pressure of working with legendary stunt people with double my experience
The constant internal voice (as well as some real-life external naysayers) telling me "you're not ready for this"
Every step of the way there were reasons to give up. To succumb to the voice inside saying that working at this capacity
is for other people, not a small-town kid from Arkansas like me.
But as I stand on that black carpet last week, living in the moment, you know what I realized?
That you can't pull off anything extraordinary without first believing it's possible, and then breaking it down to the smallest
step you can take to just begin.
I've talked about this before in a past newsletter, The Time Will Pass Anyway, but the one thing that separates people
that are able to achieve extraordinary things from the ones who don't is that they believe deep down that they can achieve them.
Or maybe even to take it a step further, they may even have this underlying feeling that they are meant to.
In my opinion, this is the linch pin of leading an extraordinary life.
Once you have the belief, the rest is just collecting failures to stand on top of until you reach the top of your mountain.
And that’s my purpose now.
Not just to teach storytelling.
Not just to show you how to shoot cinematic content.
Not just to build a brand or make courses.
But to help you believe at your core that you can set yourself free.
That you can build a life around your passion.
That your story, your skills, and your scars are your power.
Everything I share from shooting cinematically to finding the stories in your life, are what I used to climb my mountain.
And I offer them to help you start your own climb.
I hope this helps.
The Best Thing I Ever Did (That Felt Like The Worst)
2016
I'm sitting in my bankruptcy attorneys office.
No pictures on the off white aged walls, no windows.
A prison cell.
And with the way my attorney is talking to me, I feel like I'm sitting in the principals office.
What a giant failure.
"Alright Mr. Spillyards, the process is all done, if any creditors contact you for collections tell them you're in
Chapter 7 bankruptcy and refer them to my email and I'll take care of it."
As I walk to my car, the emotions hit.
Part of me is relieved.
Over $70,000 in debts will no longer be looming over me.
But the other part?
A giant shame cloud rolling in.
After hustling a career as an actor and stuntman for the last 3 years in New Orleans, I've finally made it out to Los Angeles only to
file for bankruptcy 7 months later.
What the hell am I even doing?
I've been building my credit since I was 18 years old.
Never missed a payment, never been late, and now filed for bankruptcy.
That escalated quickly.
How have I ended up here?
The truth is I've been kicking around the idea of just ripping off the band aid and filing for the last year or more.
A business failure, floating life expenses and bills on credit cards, I've been drowning for a while.
And the water has only been getting deeper.
Until now, I just couldn't wrap my head around what it would mean if I did file:
My credit goes down the drain - all my hard work - gone.
No safety nets, cash only.
The ability to get a loan to buy a house is now nonexistent. For years.
I'm devastated. And now, truly on my own.
But it's either this, or go back to Arkansas with my tail tucked between my legs and beg for my old 9-5 back.
Creative death.
But over the last month or so I realized something.
I was never going back.
That it was okay for me to start over in Los Angeles, because I knew I was going to make it. No plan B
I rationalized that by the time I was ready to buy a house, if my credit wasn't where it needed to be based on the
bankruptcy haunting my credit report, I'd just pay cash.
Because thats how much I was going to succeed. I believed it.
Over the next few years I slowly (very slowly) climbed the ladder.
I busted my ass chasing down every opportunity available to me.
I worked at theme park stunt shows for 80 bucks a day after gas, commuting up to 4 hours a day because of LA traffic.
I did countless previz's for free, sometimes pulling all nighters editing or doing sound effects to meet deadlines that weren't
even mine (because I wasn't even actually on the team)
But I was paying my dues.
And eventually... it all paid off.
I got my first big break on a Christopher Nolan movie Tenet (which is crazy to think about really) and that snowballed into
non-stop work for the next 6 years.
Spider-Man, Hawkeye, Guardians 3..
It was like the universe (God in my case) finally decided maybe I had had enough.
Maybe it was time for Caleb to get some wins.
It wasn't until recently that this all came full circle.
It's 2024, and I'm sitting in a different office now.
Ironically it's similar. No art, no decor. Very sterile. Smells like funky old paper.
But this time the reason why I'm here is a little different.
I'm signing the closing documents on my brand new house in Atlanta.
And it's in this moment that I'm realizing that the bankruptcy - the thing I feared so much and that made me feel like I was the
scum of the Earth, was the absolute best career decision that I ever made.
It gave me time.
And over the last decade, having an 800 credit score would have meant absolutely nothing anyway.
Because I was hustling.
And I realize the thing that I thought was the worst thing ever, was actually the biggest opportunity of my life in disguise.
It's funny how life works.
The reality is, when we pursue something that lights us up, we can never really know what "bad things" are actually bad things.
It seems to me that more often than not, the door that closes, or the negative thing that happens tends to have a way of nudging
us into alignment with exactly where we need to be.
After a decade of perseverance and foolish belief in myself, I'm so glad that the Caleb of 2016 had the guts to double down
instead of throwing in the towel.
If I had a time machine, I'd pop into that tiny office to let him know that everything was gonna turn out just fine.
But somewhere deep down, I think I always knew that.
I hope this helps!
Caleb
The Time Will Pass Anyway
We've All Been Trapped
Society has been designed to get you to fit into its neat little paradigm.
Go to school, learn a bunch of mostly useless things (past grade school anyway). go to college where you accumulate debt,
start a career to pay off that debt, work your ass off til you're too old to pursue anything else, retire and live frugally til you die.
No thanks.
But what absolutely blows my mind is that 90 percent of people out there, are going to do this exact thing.
They have this idea in their head that living a creative life, a life where you do something you actually desire is for "other people."
People who got lucky.
People who were raised differently than they were.
People that are naturally more creative.
Well I'm going to tell you something that you need to hear, and if you're not a spring chicken anymore might even sting:
The only difference in you and those people, is the decision to act.
That's it.
They have the same doubts as you do, the same fears, the same imposter syndrome , but that
on decision to act anyway is the only thing that separates you.
The Cornerstone Of Everything
Now it can't be that easy can it? If it were just about deciding to act, everyone would right?
So why don't we?
The reason most people will never act on their desire to live a life of their dreams, one where they call their own shots and don't
wait for someone else's permission to pursue their passion, is because deep down at the very core of who they are lies one
pivotal reality:
They don't believe that they can succeed.
That's it.
The cornerstone in the mindset of the people that go after what they truly desire is that at a fundamental level they believe
they can achieve it. It doesn't mean that they know how they will, or that they have a plan, but they believe that they can figure it
out over time. Before they decided to act, every successful person believed that they could achieve their goal.
But what about those of us who don't? Are we just doomed to be the worker ants, that spend our days summing up to the rest of
the colony? Watching the clock from 9-5 everyday waiting to use what little time there is
left in the day to do what actually lights us up? How can we cultivate this self belief?
The Time Will Pass Anyway
I remember the first time I gained weight. I was 23 years old, I was touring with my old band School Boy Humor and I
had gained 20lbs.
A side effect of touring the country playing in a different city every night is that you for the most part are living a very
sedentary lifestyle.
8-10 hours in a car everyday, gas station food, no real routine.
It's hard not to stack on the pounds.
After I realized things had gotten a little out of hand, I tried dieting.
I'd last a couple days, maybe a week, and I'd fall off the wagon.
Most of the times this resulted in me binge eating my favorite foods, and not only undoing my progress from the last
few days but actually making it worse.
Until one day, I had a realization.
The next 6 months are going to pass no matter what
At the end of 6 months, I'd either have made the decision, and be looking back on 6 months of discipline where I stuck to my
goals and had changed my body. Or I'd have kept making the decision that "I'd just start again on monday" over and over again
and make no progress or end up even worse.
Every day that I wanted to cheat on my diet, I'd try to visualize myself at that 6 month mark. I'd embody the feeling of the pride
and accomplishment I had by being where I wanted to be. I'd embody the pain and regret of allowing myself to continue bad
habits, and allow myself to really feel this disappointment as if it was actually this moment.
And slowly but surely, day by day, I stayed on track. I didn't think about how much time I had left, I just thought about getting
through each day. And after 6 months I'm proud to say, I was able to look back completely changed, both physically and
mentally. So where does that leave us?
You Are One Decision Away
I posted a video about this the other day, but a phrased you see a lot in viral videos around creator culture is to Just Start.
But we both know it's not that easy. So instead I ask myself:
Where will I be in 5 years if I don't.
The answer is always the same:
Eactly where I am right now. Not where I want to be.
Let me tell you something I truly believe.
You aren't out of time, but you do need to get started.
And if you're a part of this community because you want to create content but don't know where to start, thats exactly what
Short Form Filmmaker and The Story Engine Starter are for.
They're your jumpstart into a life of creativity, freedom, and purpose.
Here's What I'll leave you with.
You have to do whatever it takes to bypass your own self-doubt.
For me it's remembering:
The time will pass anway.
For you it might be something else.
Your first task is to solve that equation for yourself:
How can I make myself start?
Ask yourself where will you be in 5 years if you don't.
I hope this helps
Caleb
When you’re posting for your Girlfriend and Your Mom
I feel like I spent the first year or more making things online for my girlfriend and my mom.
Same process every time:
I’d spend entire days hammering away at my desk, trying to craft the most compelling script possible.
Write. Rewrite. Rewrite again.
After a few marathon sessions putting fingers to keyboard, I’d finally land on something I thought was worth sharing.
I’d shoot it, hit post, and wait for the world to tell me whether or not I was good enough for them to tune in..
And nothing.
No views. No traction. Just silence for weeks. Then months.
Cracking the attention code is one of the most challenging parts of existing online.
And honestly? It’s also one of the most soul-crushing.
You try to show up authentically. You pour yourself into stories.
And people just scroll right past.
That’s when it hit me:
I had the stories. I knew how to communicate.
But I wasn’t presenting them in a way that made people stop.
I’ve been a filmmaker for over a decade so why wasn’t I using that skillset?
I didn’t want to make content that looked basic.
I wanted it to feel like it belonged on a big screen even if it was just showing up in someone’s feed.
So I started focusing on how to elevate the look.
Little by little, I sprinkled in more cinematic visuals, images that actually stood out in a sea of instant-gratification trends.
And that’s when everything shifted.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:
Storytelling is the most important thing if you want to build real connection.
But people won’t hear your story unless they stop scrolling long enough to listen.
That’s where Short Form Filmmaker comes in.
After a year of posting elevated cinematic content and watching my audience grow fast, I knew I had to build something to help others do the same.
I spent years learning how to shoot like a filmmaker. Digging through forums, watching hundreds of hours of YouTube tutorials.
But most people don’t have that kind of time.
You’re building this on the side of a full-time job.
You’re doing this because you want to live life on your own terms.
So instead of making a full-blown cinematography masterclass, I built Short Form Filmmaker to answer one question:
How do I make my content look 10x better this week?
The course is designed so you can grab your camera, follow along, and in less than 2 hours—shoot content that looks and feels cinematic.
Once you fall in love with the process, then you can dive deeper into the theory. But this? This is about fast results and unlocking your unfair advantage.
So if you know you’ve got something to say
Short Form Filmmaker is the fastest way to say it and get people to actually listen.
You can check it out here
And as always, my door’s open. Hit reply and let me know what you’re working on or struggling with.
I hope it helps,
Caleb
Making something “wrong” is better than making nothing
Ahoy!
Before we get into this week’s newsletter, I wanted to let you know about a few exciting things.
First, I’ve started going live on YouTube (twitch soon to follow) and it’s been a really fun time.
It’s basically a smorgasbord covering everything from cinematic content creation, personal branding, and stories from the industry… to a whole lot of goofing off.
Think of it like a giant Q&A—ask me anything, and we’ll hang.
Secondly, I had a great response to a recent post about storytelling and a free storytelling lesson I shared. You can check it out [here].
This week, I’ll be launching a mini-course on storytelling (for cheap) so keep an eye out. More on that soon.
Let’s get to the newsletter.
It's a few weekends ago, and my buddy Ben, my girlfriend,and I are having lunch on a beautiful (almost spring) saturday afternoon.
A downside to working in the film industry is that being on separate projects means long stretches where you just don't see each other.
Ben has been shooting in the UK for almost a year, and I was back and forth between LA and Canada.
We haven't even really gotten to talk like this in over a year and half.
The three of us (as well as the dogs below hoping for scraps) sit down at our way too tall table ready to dig into the steaks that Laura made for lunch.
And just like that, we're laughing our asses off, like no time has passed.
We're cracking up, trading stories about everything that's gone on over the last trip around the sun.
We talk about our wins, some side quests and some upcoming opportunties.
As we transition to some of the more challenging times, we're talking about the prep stage of production. It's the
pre-production part of the movie making process where the stunt team is building choreography, testing wires gags, and shooting previz for pitches to the director and producers.
And for me, it's probably the most challenging part of the entire process.
You see, I'm really terrible when it comes to prep because of the blank canvas aspect of everything.
I feel like I need to be in a little bit of a box to be creative. The first week or two of prep you really don't have much direction, so for me, this means HEAVY analysis paralysis.
I lose a lot of sleep during this part of the process and spend a lot of time questioning myself, especially when I'm fight coordinating.
My brain is on a constant loop:
you're in over your head
you shouldn't have said yes to this one
you have no idea what you're doing
what if you blow it?
No matter how many times I've done this and pulled it off, the self-doubt is real.
Ben is talking about a more challenging part of the project he was on where they were trying to find their groove for designing some of the fights. He says:
"Honestly, at that point I was like... can we just shoot something? ANYTHING. At least we'll know what not to do."
That last line stuck with me.
It gave me a huge realization about not just prepping fights, but about just creating in general.
Whenever we feel stuck creatively, picking a direction, even if it's the wrong direction, is progress.
I think a lot of the time I get hung up on the idea that I have to get it right the first time.
After all, who wants to spend time doing the wrong thing?
But the truth is, when I don't get started, I end up spending way more time doing nothing.
And no matter how many times I talk about this - with my friends, or even in my content - It's so hard to internalize the idea that,
our successes are built on the backs of our failures, not in spite of them.
We wrap our lunch. I give him a hug as he walks out the door and I find myself thinking:
Man, I sure hope it isn't another year before we get to do this again.
If you find yourself stuck in this Analysis paralysis loop, you're far from alone. But remember, picking a direction, even if it turns
out to be the wrong one, is still a direction. And that's progress.
I'll see you this week.
Caleb
P.S. This newsletter is a real example of the kind of storytelling we focus on in the mini course dropping this week. Stay tuned!
The Night I Almost Gave up
It's a few years back (maybe more than a few), and I'm living in a tiny little town called Abita Springs just outside New Orleans, Louisiana.
It's one of those summer nights where the air just feels thick. The humidity here is no joke.
I pull into the Johnny's Pizza parking lot with my buddy Tyler and turn off the car. Besides us, the parking lot is deserted.
Tyler gets out but I just sit there, silent.
The Neon Johnnys sign buzzes as it pulses on and off splashing red light across the lot and into the car, old cheap pizza smell seeps through the windows
And I'm just sitting there thinking, "What the hell am I even doing here?"
Tyler pops his head back in breaking through my trance.
"You comin dude? Whoa what's wrong?"
It's not like me to mope like this.
I don't wanna say it, but I crack:
"Do I suck dude? Am I just a terrible actor?"
I had just bombed the biggest audition of my life. I'd been in New Orleans almost 2 years now and haven't booked a thing.
"Be honest man, do I suck?"
Tyler just shrugs.
"Nah man you don't suck, you're good, you just haven't come across the right thing yet."
I remember sinking deeper into my seat, thinking, what if I never come across the right thing
I had given up everything for this, I moved away from my family, spent every last dollar I had saved on acting classes, left a long term relationship, all pursuing this one goal I was failing miserably at.
Tylers stomach growls breaking the silence and snapping me out of it.
I decide to get out. I figure I can sulk while eating pizza.
We pop into Johnnys, this retro little pizza joint we go to a lot. They have "cartoon pizza" the kind where the cheese stretches for a mile when you pull it apart.
We finally get up to the counter and the guy taking our order looks like he's straight out of a movie.
Bright yellow shirt. Red sleeves. Johnnys Pizza hat. Absolutely miserable.
Tyler says, "Large cheese pizza, please"
The dude punches in our order like a robot. Doesn't say a word.
I slide a dollar bill in the tip jar. It's all I've got, but this guy looks like he's seconds away from a breakdown.
We eat. I fell a little better.
I drive us home on a long stretch of single lane highway and it's quiet again, but this time the silence feels different.
All I can think about is the pizza guy. How dead his eyes looked. He clearly hated being there.
Then it hit me:
That used to be me.
I used to wear that exact same face everyday that I was at my old job because I literally felt like I was wasting my life.
And in that moment I realized something:
I may not have had much success just yet, I may have been broke, but for the first time in a long time, I was happy.
I was in it.
And I realized that I’d rather spend the rest of my life pursuing the things I Iove and am passionate about, even if I was failing at them, than go back to my old life asking myself what could have happened.
I'll never forget what I learned that night.
You can be broke and struggling and still be aligned.
If you find yourself in the middle of your own version of the Johnnys Pizza parking lot, don't quit.
You're closer than you think.
I hope this help.
Caleb
The 1% Rule. What Jiujitsu taught me about Filmmaking and Content creation
Because I did gymnastics and all kinds of sports growing up, I’ve always maintained a level of athleticism.
Gymnastics alone set the foundation of making me strong and nimble, which gave me a decent head start when I started pursuing stunts.
But when I started training Jiu-Jitsu?
I got smashed. Every. Single. Roll.
For what felt like an eternity, I’d show up, take class, roll. And get absolutely annihilated.
And this went on for months.
My competitive nature (and the fact that I tend to get a little obsessed with things) made me keep coming back—but I’ll be honest, I got discouraged. A lot.
But every day, I tried to focus on getting just a little bit better.
• I’d try to use 10% less energy on my escapes
• I'd focus on anticipating the sweep before it happened instead of reacting late.
• I'd try to hold my guard just 5 seconds longer than last time.
And after a few months, a new guy came in. He was former military and a lot bigger than me.
At this point, I was pretty used to getting my ass whooped so I figured, why not?
We slapped hands and started to roll.
Then something amazing happened.
I was flowing and transitioning like never before. It was like I was rolling like a different person.
I didn’t realize that because I was consistently rolling with people at a higher level than me, I was still improving—even when I felt like I wasn’t.
It took a new guy coming in, someone who was where I was when I first started, for me to see how far I'd come.
That moment changed the way I looked at progress.
Growth doesn’t happen all at once.
It happens by getting just a tiny bit better every day, from putting in reps that compound over time.
Filmmaking and Content Creation Work the Same Way
You aren't going to start creating cinematic masterpieces and gain a million followers the first time you pick up a camera.
The people you look up to will feel like they are light years ahead of you
Just like my Jiu-Jitsu on day one was garbage, my first pieces of content were also garbage
And yours will be too.
The good news? thats true for everyone
But if you keep showing up, if you make your next piece of content just 1% better than your last, you’ll slowly but steadily make progress
One day, you won’t just be making better content—you’ll be a completely different creator.
When you first start training Jiu-Jitsu, the hardest part is that it’s so broad—you don’t even know what to focus on to get better. Filmmaking is the same way. That’s why I created Short Form Filmmaker—not to make you a black belt overnight, but to give you a clear roadmap so you know exactly what to work on and what will make the biggest impact.
But no matter what—keep showing up.
Even when you feel like you’re getting smashed.
Because every rep counts.
Caleb
I’m nervous about the future
Welp. It’s 1AM
My girlfriend is asleep (in classic fashion with 3 pillows on her head) the dogs are asleep, and I’d be asleep too if it weren’t for that late afternoon coffee. (I do this to myself often unfortunately)
It’s pitch black except for the light of my cell phone shining on my face as I write this.
And as I lay here my mind is reeling, mostly about the future.
Some of you already know this but I still make my primary living as a fight coordinator and stuntman in the film industry.
And after the strike in 2023, it hasn’t really been the same.
Jobs are scarce, and even though thats had the silver lining of giving me more time (a lot more) for my content creation and business, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t stressed about the future.
But the thing about stress and something I sometimes forget, is that stress exists to move us.
It’s our minds way of letting us know that we need to take action.
This stress about the future has had the happy side effect of giving me all the motivation I need to get my ass into gear to take that action.
To take my products like Short Form Filmmaker and 1 hour to infinite ideas to the next level. (yes that was a shameless plug)
Also… I’ve kind of…missed this in a weird way.
Having made a decent name for myself in the film industry I’ve been pretty comfortable the last few years
but before that, my entire story was basically a grind.
It was kind of all I knew.
Touring with my best friends in my band, eating scraps and old venue pizza, barely making enough money for gas to the next city.
Then moving to LA and working odd jobs and doing live shows at theme parks.
All in pursuit of doing the things I love.
I almost forgot what this feeling was like..being hungry again. Almost
I love it
The moral of the story is that we can either let the stresses of life immobilize us, or we can allow them to be the catalyst for change
To make us hungry for something different.
It’s the reason that instead of tossing and turning myself into oblivion I decided to pick up the phone to write this news letter.
I may be nervous about the future, but history has proven that I’ll be just fine.
I hope this helps
Caleb
PS early bird pricing on Short Form Filmmaker ends Sunday!
Calibrating the internal meter for greatness
Hey there! Happy Monday.
I wanted to share a little creative wisdom I picked up yesterday.
This past weekend, we celebrated my girlfriend’s birthday with a fun vintage store crawl through Atlanta.
One of the stops along the way was this neat little bookstore. We were just casually browsing when The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin caught my eye.
I’m only a few pages in, but I came across something that’s been lodged in my brain ever since, and I wanted to share it with you.
It’s about submerging yourself in great works of art, not to mimic greatness, but to “calibrate our internal meter for greatness.”
Rubin says:
“If you make the choice to read classic literature every day for a year, rather than reading the news, by the end of that year you’ll have a more honed sensitivity for recognizing greatness from the books than from the media.”
A simple concept, but it makes so much sense.
Let’s apply this to creating elevated cinematic content.
If we spend time studying and analyzing outstanding compositions, it naturally teaches us what to look for in our own work—and just as importantly, what to avoid.
We calibrate our sense of what is great by absorbing from the great.
This isn’t about copying what we like.
It’s about learning the creative language that relates to what we want to create. It’s associative.
The more we immerse ourselves in visually stunning work, the more naturally great composition starts to feel like second nature.
It reminds me of the idea that we are the sum of the five people closest to us—except in today’s world, that extends beyond real-life relationships.
With the internet being what it is, we can choose our digital mentors.
The people we learn from and the art we absorb all impact us. We should be intentional about these choices.
This is a concept I’ll definitely be adding to the composition module in my digital course, Short Form Filmmaker, and I hope it helps you too.
Caleb
The trap that keeps you stuck
Man, I almost forgot how to start one of these…
I haven’t sent out a newsletter in a hot minute, and I must have sat down to write this at least a dozen times.
Each time, the process was the same—I’d stare at my screen, check my phone, then suddenly decide that right now was the perfect time to clean my desk and studio space. (And somehow, it still looks like a tornado came through here.)
“I’ll do it tomorrow.”
Then tomorrow turned into next week… then the next… and now it’s been over a month.
The last few weeks have been crazy—I launched my first live course, Short Form Filmmaker, I’ve been developing a new idea generation course, 1 Hour to Infinite Ideas, and I’m also just trying to keep up with lifeoutside of all this.
And honestly? This whole process feels like being on a boat full of holes.
You patch one leak, and two more pop up. You plug those, and now the first ones are leaking again.
The Trap We Fall Into
And that’s the trap—the idea that if I can just work hard enough, if I can just grind a little longer, I’ll finally get a handle on everything and be able to cruise downstream.
But creative work doesn’t work like that.
It’s an ever-evolving process.
By nature, there will always be new holes to patch, new projects demanding attention, new ideas pulling focus.
So if you’ve been feeling stuck—if you’ve been waiting for things to slow down so you can finally create… let me tell you: that moment isn’t coming.
And that’s okay.
Because feeling stuck isn’t a sign that we aren’t creative—it’s just part of the process. And the way we get through it isn’t by waiting for the perfect time. It’s by taking action, even if it’s messy.
This is something I talk about in the mindset section of my 1 hour to infinite ideas course—the idea that creativity is all about momentum.
In Japanese philosophy, there’s a practice called Kaizen—the idea that tiny, incremental improvements (even just 1% better each day) compound into massive growth over time.
So if you’re feeling stuck, forget perfection. Forget waiting for things to be calm. Just start. Make something today.Even if it’s small. Even if it’s rough.
I’ll be doing the same.
Hope this helps.
Caleb
What if your Passion could fund your life
One day in 2023 I was sitting on the couch, doom scrolling and watching tv.
The film strike was in full swing and I hadn't worked in 4 months (for those that don't know, I make a living as fight coordinator and stuntman in some of your favorite films).
As I sat there struggling to find a series I hadn't already binged on Netflix I was paralyzed by two thoughts that wouldn't stop echoing in my brain:
"What if the industry just never comes back?"
"What will I do if it doesn't?"
I started taking inventory of my non stunt skills, and I remembered something:
I'd always wanted to take content creation more seriously, but just never had the time.
I decided right then and there I'd start creating content around the things that I love, and eventually, turn it into a business.
I never wanted to feel like my destiny was in someone else's hands again.
The Journey has been more challenging, frustrating, fun, and inspiring than I could have imagined, all at the same time.
And just shy of 2 years later, it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.
I've talked before about how the Creator Economy is the future. In 2024 alone it generated 250 Billion (with a B)
And its only gonna get bigger.
Businesses that effectively leverage social media generate something like 300% more Leads and drive 30-70% more traffic to their website than businesses who don't.
But if you're anything like me you're thinking:
"Who cares about businesses?"
"I'm not a business."
But here's the thing, you should be.
The last few years have shown us that if you have an interest, you can build a business around it, and fund your life with the things you love.
Love yoga? You can teach online.
Love Jiujitsu? Create instructionals.
Love Woodworking? build and audience, host workshops, teach essential skills.
For me: I love Cinematography, photography and storytelling, so I teach it online.
And if you do have a business, you definitely need to be creating around it. Remember what I said earlier about 300%
In tangible terms that means if your business generates 200k in Revenue without leveraging socials, it could be generating more than 800K with it. Thats a whopper with cheese of a difference.
Being a video creator is literally a superpower.
Why?
2 reasons:
We are a visual culture
By learning to create videos you will also stack pivotal skills in the process like:
• Storytelling (the foundation of business)
• Marketing and branding
• Communication
• Writing
Have a physical product? You can shoot a content around it (the new commercial)
Have a skill to teach? You can shoot content for it yourself.
The best part: You can do this without relying on anyone else.
Knowing how to create films and tell stories put me on the fast track in the stunt community leading to me making multi-6 figures in the film industry after sleeping on the floor because I couldn't afford a bed.
It's the single best skill I've ever learned.
And if you don't know where to start, thats what I'm teaching in Short Form Filmmaker.
And you know what? I'm gonna let the cat out of the bag with what my future plans are for this.
I intend to turn this into a full blow multi-week cohort this year. The price point when that happens will probably be somewhere around 500.00 and increase as time goes on and I add more to it.
Right now? It’s 99 bucks.
I’ve priced it low because I want to make it as accessible as possible, gather your feedback, and make this program one-of-a-kind.
I'll see you there.
Caleb
I hate the word hook. Im serious.
I hate the word hook. I'm serious.
A big challenge for me with the content game is the ick factor that sometimes feels like it comes with the territory.
Hooks, funnels, lead magnets, conversion rates.. gross.
And I get it. That these are just marketing terms, but for me, they make things feel slimey. I hate them.
It's funny because even though these are necessary parts of the process, my aversion to the terminology really held me back in the beginning.
Not liking the idea of a hook made me rebel against trying to create one.
"I want to make art" my brain says.
"Not trick someone into watching my video."
But of course, that means noone was watching my content.
Things shifted when I stopped fighting the process and started reframing it. I replaced the cringey marketing terms with their storytelling synonyms.
That way it can be about connection and not manipulation.
Here’s how I started thinking about it:
• Every good story starts with a compelling opening—a moment that pulls you in. (That’s the “hook,” but it doesn’t have to feel salesy. It’s just a good setup.)
• Our content can then include story themes, delivered through different methods and mediums. (What some people call “content pillars.”)
• And the goal? It’s not to trap people in a “funnel.” It’s to take them on a journey—The Hero’s Journey. Your content is the story arc that helps your audience go from point A to point B in their own life.
My goal as a creator isn't to "convert" anyone. It's to connect with them. That may look the same on paper, but the intention matters. At least to me.
This little shift as really helped me feel better about the process, and about creating products and things around my content.
Because I want to teach people the things I know, so that they can create a life they want, and not the one society wants to assign them. That's why I do things like my upcoming Short Form Filmmaker workshop.
So if you’ve struggled with these same things when it comes to creating, I invite you to shift your mindset. Start viewing the things you’re making through the lens of storytelling.
When you do, it’s no longer about chasing leads or ticking boxes—it’s about inviting someone into your world for a shared experience.
I was recently doing a 1:1 coaching session with a student, and a little nugget came out of our conversation: when you visually show something you’re describing in a voiceover, the storytelling impact doesn’t just double—it’s more like five times better.
It’s bigger than the sum of its parts.
This came up because of a common idea floating around about content creation: you can just slap random B-roll over a voiceover to boost audience retention. And yeah, that does work. Unrelated B-roll over your audio or a talking head video is better than nothing.
But when you can marry the two—cutting to visuals that emphasize or enhance what you’re saying—the impact is exponentially greater.
It’s shouldn't just be about keeping someone’s attention; it’s about pulling them deeper into the story you’re telling. When your visuals and audio work together, the audience feels the message more than they simply hear it.
Confession: I'm exhausted. I'm really trying to make 2025 the year my primary income source comes from the things I create, so I don't have to depend on anyone else for my financial security.
The film industry has been super slow, and the savings are slowly diminishing. The last two weeks have been a sprint to finish creating some products and things I haven't had time to pursue. And lemme tell you it is an UNDERTAKING.
I don't wanna just slap some shit together and put a price tag on it. I want things to help people grow and take control of their own lives and incomes. So yeah it's been a hustle.
I did finally revamp my Cinematic LUTs. I'm super proud of these so make sure to check them out if you want to elevate your color grading by clicking a button. They also come with a free 30 minute video companion for Premiere and Resolve to help you get the most out of them.
Until next time,
I hope this helps!
Caleb
Does the gear ACTUALLY matter?
Years ago when my band was on tour, we made a pitstop in Illinois to do a photoshoot.
It was almost winter, but my band mates and I were submerged up to our necks in a murky creek holding colorful umbrellas over our heads. (we were a pop punk band iykyk)
Because of our reflections in the water, the photo was a perfect half and half split.
The pictures turned out amazing; well worth shivering for the next couple of hours as we warmed up.
I wish I still had them.
Our photographer had all the toys:
A Canon 5D (a high end professional portrait camera at the time),
A bunch of lighting and softboxes
Portable batteries, the works.
This photoshoot is what gave me the photography bug. I wanted to create images like that.
So I saved all my money, and bought my first camera ever. A Canon 5D. The exact model we used in our photoshoot.
I flipped the setting to auto, went out with my friend and snapped my first photo.
It looked..... like shit!
I remember staring at the screen frustrated. How was this the same camera from our photoshoot just a few weeks earlier?
It was in that moment that I realized that there was more to taking excellent photos than buying the best camera and pulling the trigger.
Does Gear Matter?
It's the age old argument.. does having better gear actually matter?
The answer? Yes and no.
Is gear going to make the heart and soul of your content and storytelling better? (which is most important)
No.
No amount of Sony FX3's or Canon R5's or RED Komodos is going to make you a better storyteller.
No amount of those things is going to make you better at connecting with your audience.
Will better gear help you elevate the visual quality of your work? Absolutely.
But here's the thing. You have to know how to use it.
Someone with an iPhone and a knowledge of lighting and composition will easily out perform someone with the latest and greatest with none of that knowledge.
I'm proof of that. I thought if I spent the big bucks I'd get big results.
But that what a tool is capable of, and what the operator of that tool is capable of are two completely different things.
That's why I created Short Form Filmmaker.
In this live online workshop, I'm going to give you my entire process for creating cinematic videos. From storytelling fundamental and lighting, composition and camera techniques.
No more endless hours of piecing together tutorials online. I’ll give you the tools, tips, and confidence to create scroll-stopping, cinematic content.
I'll see you there.
Caleb
Life Lessons From a Shark Attack
I had no business being a quarter mile out from the beach in La Jolla cove.
After being chewed up and spit out over and over again by this salty washing machine, I've finally made it out past where the waves are breaking.
My lungs are on fire.
As I try to catch my breath floating on a surfboard thats barely bigger than my 16 year old body, an eerie chill comes over me.
Up to this point, every ounce of my attention has been focused on avoiding getting pounded by monster waves and swept back to shore.
Now all I can focus on is the stillness around me. How when I look below me into the ice cold water of the pacific it's no longer blue, but fades into blackness.
As I bob up and down like a fishing lure I can practically hear the Jaws theme song pounding in my brain.
I look around and find two other surfers nearby waiting for the next set. I paddle over a little closer.
I don't want to crowd them, but if the monster I can sense circling in the depths below me decides its lunch time, I at least want it to have options.
Here come the waves. Thank God.
I may have spent an hour getting out here, but now all I can think about is how these waves are my one way ticket back to dry land.
I turn my eyes back to the horizon and the two guys behind me and wait for the moment to start paddling.
As the wave gets closer and grows larger I can almost taste my salty salvation.
And just before the wave gets big enough to eclipse the horizon, obscuring my vision of everything behind me, I see a dorsal fin breach the water.
Holy shit. SHARK.
My mind is an explosion of color. Adrenaline starts pumping through my veins like hot motor oil through a supercar.
I am activated.
I start paddling like my life depends on it. Because it does.
As the wave closes in my forward progress grinds to a halt as the suction of the wave keeps me suspended in place.
The wave begins to crest beneath me, and I paddle harder. I'm giving it everything I have and just as I reach the point where the wave should take over and begin rocketing me forward…it rolls right out from under me and continues on.
I'VE MISSED IT!
I'm no longer suspended in place. Now I'm sliding down the backside of a mountain, picking up speed toward that dorsal fin, and toward my maker.
Why the hell was I even out here?
I’ve always had an irrational fear of sharks. How stupid could I be to deliver myself on a surfboard shaped platter straight into Great White territory?
As the momentum takes me closer to destiny I only have one option left. I’m going to have to fight. I steel myself. With a surge of energy I clench my fists and…
Who am I kidding.. I PANIC!
Pure instinct takes over. I paddle even harder only this time it isn’t really paddling, it’s more like flailing.
And then somehow, over the roar of the ocean, over the sound of my splashing, over my racing pulse pounding in my ears, I faintly hear one of the other surfers excitedly say to the other:
“Bro! Look! There’s a dolphin over there!”
A dolphin.
As the threat diminishes the adrenaline turns to lead. The lactic acid in my muscles feels like it solidifies And I now weigh a thousand pounds. After what I’ve just been through I’m practically catatonic.
The other two guys realize what I’ve just been through and boy do they think its hilarious.
I start laughing too. I don’t think its funny but at this point I’m pretty sure my brain is just short circuiting.
After I decompress a little, I’m now floating peacefully on my board.
In that instant I realized that by being fixated on what I feared most, I was blind to any other possibility.
Feeling pretty foolish but grateful to be alive, I paddle back to the beach to return my board and change my underwear.
As I reflect on this experience I had as a teenager, the lesson I learned that day is powerful. When we let our fears take over, we can no longer see possibilities, only what we fear most.
As we pursue our dreams the fear of failure can blind us from seeing opportunities that would lead to our success.
As we pursue a business our worries can begin to eclipse our strengths if we allow them to dig their hooks into us.
I’m not saying we can’t feel fear.
That’s impossible.
We’re going to feel fear. But we can’t let that fear consume us and prevent us from seeing reality.
After all, failure isn’t just okay, it’s inevitable. The formula isnt Fail or Succeed.
The Formula is Fail then Succeed.
When writing a story, a good question to continually ask yourself is:
“Is the reader seeing a movie in their heads as they read.”
If they aren’t chances are the writing is more informative and less narrative. Neither is right or wrong, but telling a story visually puts the reader there with us, and has a greater chance of having an emotional impact.
The “movie in their heads” tidbit is something I got from The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr. It’s a great single tool to tell if you’re on the right track.
I’m pumped to hit the ground running this year. We are finishing up our time in Puerto Rico for the holidays, and I have a lot of exciting things in the works.
I’m leveling up my mentorship program to equip you with the tools you need to take things to the next level. I hold nothing back. No secrets, just direct tailored access to everything I know about cinematography and filmmaking, social media, the tools and techniques I use, as well as helping you with the mindset you need in this competitive space.
I’m working on finishing my “Short-form Film Maker” course, which is an A-Z on my exact technical process to making high quality impactful videos to grow your audience around your passions.
Drop me a line with any questions you have about what I have going on or just to say hello. I’d love to hear from you.
I hope your year is off to a great start
Caleb
Why Most People Quit (and how not to)
Inspiration is in the air
It's that time of year again.
The time between Christmas and New Years.
When we start looking forward to the goals we want to set and the things we want to accomplish in the coming year.
During this time of year it's not hard to be inspired.
We've (hopefully) had some time to rest and recharge, eat a bunch of tasty treats, and spend time with the people we care about. And right now, everyone around us has the same mindset.
Let's get better this year.
I kind of like to think that this time of year is like when you're super motivated to start your new diet, because you've just finished stuffing yourself with your favorite meal.
For me, It's never easier to think it's finally time to commit to getting ripped than after I'm full up to my eyeballs with sushi and chocolate chip cookies. (which sounds oddly disgusting next to each other)
Just like how right now it's not hard to fantasize about my future sitting in literal paradise as I write this in Puerto Rico.
And the same way it's easier to start the diet just after our favorite meal, right now it's as easy as it will ever be to set lofty goals and daydream about the future.
It's in the air.
The Reality of The Work
Here's the thing:
It's easy to imagine achieving a goal from this perspective, because we get to dream about the future without being realistic about what the work itself is going to feel like.
I say "feel like" and not "be like" here because thats what matters.
We all know in theory what the work toward our goal is going to "be" like
We just have to make sure to get to the gym everyday
Or we just have to meal prep every weekend
Or just have to count our calories.
Or just post x amount of times a week.
And these things are easy to imagine and prepare for mentally because they're just facts.
They're the Logistics of what trying to reach our goals will look like, but that isn't what matters.
What does matter and the thing that I'm trying to spend some time preparing for is how that work is going to Feel.
The feeling of waking up at 5 am to get an early start to make time for everything. (It feels like shit)
The feeling of trying to pursue Youtube this year knowing that for the foreseeable future those videos will require a ton of effort but have little to no audience. (It will feel like shit)
The feeling I have now of setting the goal to make a million dollars this year from my social media business (with things like my 1:1 consults that's price will double in january) and the overwhelm that comes from what it will take to achieve it. (It feels impossible and that feels like shit)
The feeling of wanting to quit. (you guessed it)
I have to prepare for those feelings because I know they're coming.
Because no matter the goal they always do.
Change is hard.
And in order to truly change, we have to find our why.
Finding Your Why
We have to ask ourselves what the deeper personal reasons for the goals we are setting for ourselves are.
That way when things do start to feel like shit, we can find it in us to do them anyway.
I want to pursue Youtube because I want to be able make a living creating freely without limitation, to connect with other people through my work, and ultimately create change for other people.
I want to make a million dollars because I know what it feels like to get hit with a life changing medical diagnosis and have to spend every penny I have.
I know what it feels like to live on other people's terms and work yourself to the bone because that's what it takes to pay the bills.
It feels like being trapped.
And as I write this I realize that that thing all of my goals have in common is that:
I want to be free.
Free to express myself how I want to.
Free from worry about the future and being blindsided financially.
Free from someone else assigning me my lifestyle.
And if you're reading this I have to think that you probably want something like that too.
So find your why.
Because this year when reality sets in, and your fun new routine becomes a chore, your why is the thing that's going to keep you pushing forward.
I say this all the time, but the thing that I remind myself of when I feel like phoning it in (which is often by the way) is:
No one's coming to save you.
It's up to you. And thats powerful.
And this year you better believe you're going to hit road blocks.
Moments when whatever goals you have feel impossible.
When your mind tries to convince you that "you didn't really care that much about that goal anyway" or that "you can just try again next week, or next month, or next year."
It's these times that your why will be what makes the difference.
And just remember:
Pushing forward when it's easy is, well, easy. But pushing forward when you want to quit is when it counts.
Mastering the 180 degree rule can help elevate your storytelling, especially on social media.
When most people begin, they tend to shoot from different angles randomly, without focusing on any sort of screen direction.
While it is social media and there really aren't any rules, observing the 180 line will give your videos a more professional narrative feel. This concept is a bit vague and difficult to explain in writing so check out this video I made here that dives deeper.
We are currently in Puerto Rico seeing Laura's family for the New Year, we had a great time seeing my parents in Arkansas and got to spend some quality time with them, but unfortunately I spent a lot of our time there sick with a cold of some sort. I'm feeling a bit better now but still not 100 percent.
Overall trying to be more intentional about being present and taking the time to recharge.
I hope everyone is getting some quality time with their loved ones, and looking ahead to an awesome new year.
And as always
I hope this helps.
Caleb
When Hearing “You Can’t” is Just What You Need
Sometimes, all it takes to ignite your fire is someone saying, “You can’t.” Their doubt can then becomek the fuel that drives you to prove them wrong.
When I was 16, I played in a local band in Little Rock. We had big dreams—get signed, tour the country, and make music our careers. In our world, there was one venue that symbolized being a true part of the local scene: Vino’s.
Vino’s was a dive bar and pizza shop, but it was legendary. When big national bands would come through town, they would still stop at Vino's, drawn by its history and intimate atmosphere.
For local bands, playing Vino’s was a rite of passage.
To be able to play here regularly, you had to perform at a Thursday night showcase called “fresh blood”and impress the promoter. If you did, you’d get invited back. Wellllll our promoter wasn't impressed.
Looking back, I can admit our band probably wasn’t that great. But I was determined to get us to the next level.
A few weeks after our showcase, I messaged her about getting on a show coming up. She didn’t sugarcoat it:
“You’re not playing here. Your band sucks.”
I was furious. I told her, “It doesn’t matter what you think. One day, we’re going to get signed, and my band is going to make it.”
Her response?
“Hahaha, your band is a joke. You’re never going to make it. lol.”
That was all I needed to hear.
For the next few years, her words fueled me. I practiced guitar relentlessly, wrote better songs, and pushed through every moment of doubt or burnout.
And five years later, my band signed a record deal. We made an album and spent the next few years touring the country. That journey eventually led me to the film industry, where I’ve built a career I never could have imagined back then. You can read more about that here.
But here’s the thing:
I don’t know if I would have made it without her telling me I couldn’t. The moment she doubted me, she sealed my fate to prove her wrong.
Doubt Is a Fork in the Road
When someone challenges your dreams, you have two choices:
Believe them and give up.
Let it piss you off and get to work.
Every time I’ve faced this kind of doubt, it’s been a turning point that pushed me to the next level. Every time it's been the thing I needed at that time to turn the corner.
Someone expressing doubts about my ability is actually what motivated this email. That tells me that no matter where we are in life, there will always be someone to naysay us and give us the opportunity to prove that we are who we say we are.
So, the next time someone tells you, “You can’t,” ask yourself: Are they sealing your fate too?
Have you ever bought a LUT pack from one of your favorite creators and just couldn't get them to look right? A lot of the time these LUTs are created to be intense because its easier to dial the effect back when color grading than it is to make the effect stronger.
That's where LUT intensity comes in. I made a video this past week on how to adjust the intensity of your LUT in both Premiere Pro and Davinci. This is a super easy way to dial back your LUTs to your taste, combine multiple LUTs and styles together, and have more overall control over your final look.
LUTs are tricky because they are designed to give you a specific look, while at the same time have to be usable in a variety of scenarios to be useful.
My Cinematic LUTs are what I use to colorgrade a lot of my work. Always remember LUTs are just the finishing "Look" aspect of your grade. You still need to adjust your exposure, white balance, and contrast (since these will be different everytime) according to your scene before applying the Look LUT. Use intensity to dial the effect to taste.
The past two weeks have been a doozy.
I got promoted to Purple Belt in Jiujitsu! (more on that soon)
I flew to Atlanta to start the drive to Arkansas for the Holidays.
I spent 14 hours in the ER after my leg randomly swelled up, only to walk out after being discharged and find my car had been broken into. Fun times.
Bought a new window for my car (naturally)
Drove to meet my girlfriend in Arkansas to go to my parent's for the first leg of our holiday travels.
It's busy.
I hope you're getting some rest and enjoying some downtime and as always..
I hope this helps.
Caleb
How a Youtube Sketch Comedy Channel changed my life
In 2010, after touring the country for a few years, I quit my band. And honestly, I had no backup plan. The thought of not being a musician hadn't occured to me until that's where I found myself.
I've talked before about how during one of our touring adventures we ended up stranded in new york which had the silver lining of sparking my desire to become an actor.
The problem? I had zero idea where to start.
I was living in Arkansas—no film industry, no connections, no clue what I was doing. But I needed an outlet, a way to make progress and get in front of the camera while I was figuring it all out.
So, I started a YouTube sketch comedy channel called Step Brotherly Love (some of these are still up if you're curious.)
Looking back, It's funny how random that decision was. But what I didn’t realize at the time was that it was setting me up for everything I do now.
I wasn’t just learning to act—I was teaching myself how to shoot, edit, color grade, troubleshoot all kinds of problems (there were a lot), and even dabble in lighting and VFX.
I was just following what I thought was cool. No grand plan—just curiosity.
Years later, when I started pursuing stunts, all those random skills came back around.
Here’s the thing: being a stuntman isn’t just about jumping off buildings or fighting on screen (though that’s definitely part of it). A big chunk of the job is, as a team, pitching concepts and creating pre-visualizations (concepts) for the director and producers.
And guess what? All that experience playing around on YouTube gave me an unfair advantage.
Suddenly, I wasn’t just the guy who could take a fall or do the fight—I was the guy who could shoot, edit, and present ideas like a filmmaker. That’s what got me hired.
I'll be honest. At first, I hated admitting this. My ego wanted to be hired for my physical skills and all the things I'd been training. You know, “I’m here because I’m a top notch performer” not “I’m here because I can edit a cool previz.”
But the reality? Those skills—the ones I picked up just messing around with a YouTube channel—ended up making me way more valuable.
Here’s What I’ve Learned:
The things you’re interested in, the skills you pick up just because they’re fun or exciting, are what make you unique.
It’s not always about the straight line to success—it’s about following what lights you up. Even if it feels random. Even if it doesn’t seem like it fits into the “big picture” right now.
Because those little curiosities? Those tend to be the side missions that end up intertwining into the main quest.
I'm a firm believer in the idea that as long as your are following what you're currently passionate about, you can't make a wrong turn.
So, if you’ve been holding off on something that lights you up because it doesn’t feel “relevant” or “important,” just go for it. You never know how it’ll connect later.
I've talked a little bit before about how a lot of the time we need to get bored to get creative, so lately I've been commuting without the stereo on.
It doesn't take long for my mind to start wandering and connecting idea the later become the next video.
I’ve got to be honest for a second. I’ve really been trying to focus on the business aspect of all this, because the reality is, if I want to do this full-time, I need to be able to sustain myself.
The problem is, a lot of that stuff makes me super uncomfortable. I genuinely love creating things that help others find their own outlet so the idea of monetizing that starts to feel a little icky to me.
I know thats something I just need to get over, and that in the end it's going to result in me creating products and services that are even more worth it, but that doesn't mean I'm not struggling with the best way to go about it.
Also, it's just.. overwhelming. Staying on top of creating content while simultaneously learning about online business feels like trying to plug holes in a leaky boat during a hurricane. That's a little why I've been a little MIA lately. But I'll get there.
Anyway..
I hope this helps, and we'll talk soon.
Caleb