World Funk Orchestra – Giving Back Through Music

What’s up everybody? This is Fred Richani. We just saw snippet from the world Funk Orchestra and we’re joined by one of the founders here. He is a previous TSC news guest. He is a filmmaker and award-winning Advertiser. He’s a man behind Wurst the first the definitive Z100 documentary and now he’s got an incredible group and incredible project going on. That’s not just making awesome music as he just heard, but positively impacting lives. We are honored and privileged to welcome back and Mitchell Stewart to TSC Mitchell. Thank you so much for your time. How’s everything going? My brother, Fred, you’re the first stop we are making on the world Funk Orchestra press tour and I just remember you and I just had such a fantastic conversation about where’s the first and like I just had to start with you so things are doing amazingly.

Well, and it’s great to see you brother great to see you always great to see a fellow New York, New Jersey guy. Now you came up with the concept and really what it’s all about. So, this is wasn’t my idea this is like for those who believe the universe has a plan I didn’t used to I kind of think the universe now has a plan as you know, with my companies. I have two small agencies one looking for Larry with Paul Heyman, which is the conversation for another time and one HQ with my partner Cheryl Halpern. And so we do a lot of advertising and branding campaigns and one of the things one of my what I’m proudest though is we work with a lot of Charities.

The Jeffrey Modell Foundation Canada Relief Fund. And so I’m known in my day job directing besides being a filmmaker. That’s some of the most important stuff. I get to do and we touch everything from commercials radio digital, you know, social socials and we create a world and we try to get the stories out and we don’t do the obvious, right? And so I was in a think tank of course, don’t I look the part about eight years ago in Washington and bunch of guys trying to have a bunch of men and women talking about. How you can impact the world and change the world. And they’re sitting there.

And I think they’re bringing me in to be like, you know, the dunscap in the corner, but you know, they’re saying all these brilliant things and they’re Highly Educated like, you know, I don’t know what you guys know, but here’s what I do know growing up on the streets of Brooklyn. I was at the biggest I was not the fastest and I was not the strongest if you really want to make an impact with people you tell the truth and you tell it with love and you know, so if you want to make an impact on the world tell the truth as hard as it can be, you know point that Spotlight on the problem own it and do it with love and that’s how you change the world.

So, all these years later, my friend calls me up and goes remember that thing you said at the think tank and I go what I never shut up because remember the thing. You said to think about changing the world. I go? Yeah, I never shut up about that either it’s like it goes. Yeah, I got you a budget and there’s a and go change the freaking world in this place and, you know, in the world. So I said, okay. Do you mind if I write you music also and he goes, sure now. He didn’t know whether I could do it or not, but he was like, so thrilled to be thinking.

He’s going to like impact the world positively and blah blah blah. I think I could have said can. I bake a cake and he would have said yes. God bless him, he believed. So I’m going to go to now assemble the Avengers to record this music and do the job, right? And I wanted to use Global musicians, right? Because why not and get a trip to Africa. So that sounds good, right? So I go to South Africa, I record all the instrumentation here go to South Africa to record the music because the best musicians in the world, right? Some of the best musicians in the world.

I book eight days in the studio, Fred the universe is about to enter the picture. Well, they’re so good that we finished their project in four days and I’ve paid for eight and I got these musicians that I hired for eight and my wife wasn’t coming for another three days Enid hello because we’re gonna go to hang out, right? Because it’s Cape Town. I mean, come on who doesn’t want to do that. I said, you know, I kind of got these songs, let’s just try one. I mean that literally it was that. And so we start to play and I’m playing with these guys and need I say I needed a choir in my campaign project.

So my friend Audrey go big. Shout out to Henry Gill my brother who I work with was in so often he introduced me to Nelson Mandela’s music guy. Yeah, so I’m talking to Nelson Mandela’s music guy about Cedric Sampson about changing the world. And saving the world. And he’s going oh my god, I’ve been waiting to meet you like the universe is starting to do this crazy ass to me, right? I end up speaking to Shedrick for two hours the first time I’m talking to him we go. And he hooks me up with all these musicians including his two sons 24 and 29 Maddie and Josh Sampson the Samson Brothers now.

No one’s heard of them here, but you will these are two of the best musicians in the world. They are freakishly, talented did I mention that 24 and 30. I could be their dad. So I go to them. Hey, I got these songs having just played with them and they’re like these are great. And I go, okay. And we go in and record this song I speak in Rhythm, which will be released as our album title in the next year, but it was my Manifesto of what I wanted to do if I speak in Rhythm Rhythm music is the universal language. We do this song I Put A get I put a simple vocal on it thinking that his sons who can really sing are gonna do it right?

And I come out of the booth, I go. All right, Josh you go and sing it. He goes, nope, what do you mean though. He goes, you just did I go stop those. You just did and I go what are you talking about goes, it’s not a matter of singing You’re communicating and I’m a Storyteller and I’m not a great singer by any stretch imagination, but I’m a Storyteller and it connected to this guy who was 24 years old. And it connected to his brother I’m saying doesn’t this sound like Grandpa’s music. He goes, no, this sounds like now and I go, okay, and I’m very bewildered and we do a couple of more songs.

They’re singing everyone’s playing Cedric is bringing an African Choir. They’re singing on you heard such a beautiful day. Well, that was mostly done in Africa with these guys with these groups and the women and men and they are phenomenal and my partner Mike ratty who’s you know, one of the best drummers in the world. And percussionists. And Henry Gill and all my friends that I guess felt sorry for me and they make this song and the song the evolution of this is I just wanted to record a song. So my daughter would hear it and now I’m three or four songs into it. And I go to my friend Sharon duster who’s Sharon, duster some people have gold ears she has Platinum ears she was the only female program director in z100’s history.

She was then recruited to go to the Republic and I like to say her job was being the Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande Whisperer. I mean, she’s legitimately at that level. So I go and play her such a beautiful day and I say to her. Do me a favor tell me this is really not really good because I’m getting these feelings that. And I just want to just shut this thing down do you ever have that feeling Fred. Yeah. Oh, yeah, for sure. You’re right, you need some validate like am I going crazy is this as good as I think it is or as best.

I think it is. I need a second opinion. And hey, it seems like you had someone who has really an esteemed opinion. So you picked a good person and she adjusted the great resignation left Republic and she said we were talking about working together. I go? Yeah. Yeah, she goes, this is what we’re doing I go what do you mean this while we’re doing she goes I need to have the other songs. But this is what we’re doing and so Sharon. We have this idea and I’m building on it with Mike ratty and my friend and my brother Andre and we’re he’s helping us produce things.

And I said to him, I said, okay, I don’t want a band because musicians and musicians know this unreliable it’s why I left music in the first place like come on, but in Orchestra Orchestra plays an Orchestra could have multiple members. So it’s like, okay, we’re gonna have an Orchestra and the name is the world Funk Orchestra. If you ask me what that means. I have no idea it just popped in my head. And I say and we’re gonna be like everybody else. We’re going to try to do something special with this now this is I’m working on this about a year. So this is three months ago three months into the drink now we go to another friend who I have to give a shout out to Darren pfeffer.

Amazing. I met Darren when he was about 22 he rises to, you know, the head of marketing for I heart that little thing, you know, he’s producing Jingle Boys producing. All those shows then he’s recruited to go to MSG and he’s basically running MSG at this point. He’s named VP at nmsg, but he’s my brother, right? And he won’t lie to me, right? I said Darren and even more to mention Sharon’s name because that would have been like, you know, pepperoni was like, oh, Darren. I’m gonna play it two songs just tell me what you think. And if you tell me it’s no good. I’m okay with that and he said this is you’re doing this for real, right?

I go, I guess and now it’s like, okay, everyone’s telling me. I got to do this the universe is going and more people all my more of my friends that I value I keep sending it to them and saying tell me this sucks. So I have an excuse because I have a day job and my day job’s 24 7 like where am I gonna find in to do this Obsession and we end up now ten months into the game. We released our first single and it goes stupid people and I didn’t want to do this as a United States project. I want you to do this, you know, you can’t do anything at this stage of my life.

I’m going to do it has to have a purpose and a meeting, right? It can’t be about the Bucks it can’t be about anything, but bringing it forward with authenticity and a kind heart. So early on another friend of mine Neil Levine got involved in Neil is an icon in hip-hop and you know, he founded penalty records. And he was head of urban and DMI I know another real music industry person. And he’s one of my best friends, and he gets involved because he wants he gets involved first for me and then he’s like, you know, we got something here. He’s telling me, all these things in analytics that are like really I’m just like and I’m not naive, but I didn’t know and I’ve owned pieces of record labels.

But I’ve never gone on the inside, I’ve only done my job, which is create content right? And so you got the big brains like Sharon and Neil and then Darren pfeffer is giving you that validation. It’s like, holy and so we released such a beautiful day and it and I want to go Global and Neil’s like, well, you gotta help someone you’re gonna put on a media plan and do social media and not like you Fred. I do that for a living. So I scrape up like 12.50 basically and I go, we’re gonna do this globally and just put out some money and we get millions and millions of first views because we were trying for Spotify.

And I knew the digital world. So I want to stay digital and I wanted to be the oldest person on Tick Tock and Tick Tock is embracing us and it’s like people are commenting half the comments are Arabic the others are African I’m going this is pretty cool. What the hell and people are reacting to the positivity in the song and the optimism in the song, then we released the first video, which was like, my friend Manu who’s This brilliant artist. And I said, dude. I need to help you like I’m getting an audience. So, give me three options of paintings because I wanted this, I only wanted to reveal the Orchestra members playing instruments.

I didn’t want to be judged as American African or I wanted to be judged on the visual on the storytelling, right? And globally because we weren’t announced to be like an American thing because we’re not we’re half of everything, you know, we’re the ultimate musical mutt, right? And that video went ballistic it went ballistic on Tick Tock where it’s supposed to be three seconds long, but it went crazy there and so the story is being told. And then the bottom line, as I told you before is I work with foundations. I wanted to do some good. And if it was gonna do anything then, okay, we’re not making any money, you know, we’re funding it ourselves what can I do for a charity?

Well, I can do an awareness campaign and I could find that. So we start recruiting other musicians and anyone I’ve ever directed is now getting a text going. Hey, I’m doing a music project. Are you interested and like and people are responding. I don’t know why they take pity on me. But a great friend Katie kressek who I met in Trey anastasio’s band during covid when Trey was doing the beacon and that I was fortunate enough Darren pfeffer brought me into do interviews with Trey for a short digital film that we did I got to work through Darrow Fairfield with Trey I met Katie cressick there.

And then we also got to work on the campaign the Tony campaign for Moulin Rouge. And so we helped we worked with her and some and Justin Levine and Brilliant musicians and they won a whole bunch of Tonys. So I kind of knew her. So I dropped her a note she takes pity on me answers back and I go I got this project. Okay, can I send it to you I sent it to her. And so Katie cressick, you know says? Well, I want to be in the Orchestra. So now she’s in the Orchestra. So now wait I need another. I need a cello player she said, oh, someone you met in Trey anastasio’s band Andrew Wood who was like an a an angel.

I think you’re really gonna like her she’s a brilliant cello player she’s with Trey she’s in Rescue Squad strings, but not just that she has a foundation in Ethiopia? That’s literally feeding and saving your life as a starving children and I go Ethiopia. I did my first big doc there with my partner Cheryl Halpern has won all these Awards. It led to Cheryl being nominated for her Nobel Peace Prize like all this crazy stuff. It’s Ethiopia. I have to do this. So Santa Ange and I will send you a segment to Air and we’re gonna do an interview. I didn’t met her yet. So the first time I’m seeing her eyeball the eyeball is on Zoom like you and me and I go listen.

I just need a bunch of b-roll and I’m gonna play this song you’ve never and she did hear such a beautiful day I go we’re gonna use such a beautiful day. I want to use this song to go now feed people in Ethiopia like let’s go do this. So, this is the universe again, we go and talk and Ange is the best interview subject. I mean, she’s amazing and she’s so sincere and would just connect it and it’s like the BS filter is not going not even registering for either one of us like this. It’s just like here’s two schmo’s trying to do something good.

We edit together the piece and as you saw. Okay, you know, 60 000 views on Tick Tock and it’s a four minute piece. No one does that I think we spent legitimately fifty dollars promoting it, you know, just to give it a chance. People from around the world. It’s crazy. It did. I forget the numbers on YouTube. But it did. Okay on YouTube, and then we put it on Instagram reels. And I woke up one day and in 24 hours. It had a million views and it’s two people talking about saving a bunch of kids in Ethiopia with such a beautiful day behind it. And I go, we got a million views, let’s see if the mistake.

So you look at the analytics and you go. Oh my God, our engagement is like, you know for Instagram reels was three and a half percent five percent, which is a lot on Instagram not tick tock it would be crappy Instagram is two and a half percent we’re looking pretty good I go okay. Let’s keep it going, keep it going, keep it going and then Ange writes to me and says her donations are up 15 and we’re making a difference and people she hasn’t heard from and blah blah blah. And then it goes, Fred to two million views and I go? This is pretty crazy.

Let’s the universe is like what choice do I have now and then this yesterday morning and I’ve been very careful about saying anything about world fund because I wanted it to do stuff on its own and find its thing, but I thought if I went on and made a post about it. It might get more people interested not that I have a massive following, but people do know me. And when it hit read 3.2 million views just on Instagram reels and Angie’s donations are up and it’s like all these views. I mean, I don’t want to exaggerate and you know, I never lie, but let’s just say.

We’re over 4 million probably over maybe over 5 million views worldwide. We’ve advertised it for maybe a thousand dollars. It’s absurd and not a coincidence, but we started to work. Spotify with a brilliant guy Shane Foster who’s ex-military and just a great guy and you know, we don’t have a big budget. The way to deal. But there’s a hundred thousand songs each day. So hey for a month, you know, I’m happy I’ll talk about everything because I think if I have if I find a thousand dollars, right will that get me anywhere. We’ll see well, Fred the song has like in the first. It’s been about three weeks.

It’s I didn’t look today, but it’s over 20 000 full listings, which for people that don’t know that means at least 30 seconds for an unknown band with no stars. But the skip rate is six percent the which is absurd and my friend Neil is now calling me every day. I’ve never seen this in my entire career and the save rate for it unknown nobodies, right? Is 25 30 percent and it’s like something’s working, right? And so we’re deep in this man. And it’s like and the reason we’re doing it and what world Funk is it’s there’s no isms there’s no ageism. There’s no racism.

There’s no globalism there’s no nothing. It’s like come and bring your, you know, we I met a documentarian who’s 21 who just graduated from Penn State. She’s 21 and she has an edge and I go you’re now our documentarian why not mine not because you’re 21 and you know, stuff. I’ll never know. And I want you to bring a freshness Broach if you hear me call it. So she started shooting today, right? And we’re going to document everything because what we’re trying to do has never been done we’re doing music with a purpose and the cause, but you could dance to it and their ear worms they stick in your head and everyone involved I get to stand on their shoulders because they’re inspiring me to risk being made fun of and being, you know, like because it’s risky when you’re out there and music is very personal.

You know film. I could write off as like it may be personal, but it’s my job and there’s the next gig well World Funk is like this is it like I’m not doing another Orchestra. I’m not doing another band this is it. So and God bless my wife because she’s I said, you know, if we do this and she knows what music means because we’re together our entire life and she said go for it. You know, it’s the one thing my daughter doesn’t make me make fun of me about, you know, it’s like she helped produce. She helped produce our first the second. Our first music video, which we shot with Holly James.

And my producer Ernest Mendez who’s amazing couldn’t be there that day because Holly’s scheduled because she’s always on Broadway was work on Saturday and we’ll talk about the next second single, but and even Holly who’s was the original cast member of Moulin Rouge is now in the Orchestra and singing. It’s like this is crazy. It’s like the Pied Piper because and I believe because we’re doing something with our purpose. And it’s really important to me to do our little thing to also Spotlight different music around the world someone talked to me about gamelon music and it’s East. It’s Asian music that people play on Hammers and stuff like that.

And I heard this and I came home that night and wrote a song Concrete Jungle that’ll be on the album and it’s basically a boat doodly Rhythm, but done gamelon style because music is what you know, eight chords and four chords and truth, right? Or there’s only a couple of the only 12 courts. So, you know, you’re using music, but you’re mixing in international rhythms and spice and sugar from all around the world. And that’s basically what world Funk is well, Mitchell, man. I love the positivity. I love what you’re doing a big fan of your work and you’re no stranger to music as we could see in the background right there with all the guitars and everything, but doing this with the purpose man, that stuff we something else.

And I want to specifically talk about the l-e-l-t foundation they partner with do some great work in Ethiopia a lot of people may be asking why this particular Foundation. I’m sure you’ll be working with other groups, but why this specific one and watch your people donate. Well, when I met Andrew Wood and she’s now the cellist in the world Funk Orchestra. And I heard about a foundation it had to be first and you know, thank you for recognizing there are going to be others, but hers is small so literally a U.S dollar goes a long way in Ethiopia. You ten dollars does even more and the hundred dollars does even more so the to the point a spotlight on such a pure heart person as Anja would in the group at the l-e-l-t let Foundation.

It’s like we had to start there. It was also not an American charity. We’re going to do American Charities, we’re going to do Global Charities, but to do it in Ethiopia where I was blessed with my partner Cheryl Halpern to go to Ethiopia several times. We did a if doc called that sonnet about the female Freedom Fighters of Ethiopia who prior to fighting against the derg from 74-91 had no rights and they were being persecuted and murdered in the streets. So, the men and women got together and fought against the dirt popcorn pop guns against migs, right? And over that long periods of time. They won because they were fighting for the truth?

They were fighting for Freedom. We named the movie Cheryl and I met Sonic because that is one of the in dialect that in the Ethiopian dialect. That’s the word for freedom. So Ethiopia the people resonate for me the place resonates with me and what Ange was talking about Ethiopia, I saw those faces. You know, and it’s something that I knew if we could shed some light on it and people would donate or give or just do anything or just talk about it. We could help them. So to start with my partners at the Jeffrey Modell Foundation who are saving lives of children for I’m working on it 20 years.

They’re probably working in the 30 years of course, they’re amazing foundation and we’re going to shed a light on them, but you know, the little world Funk Orchestra could just shed some light, you know, to make the impact we’re just part of their theirs their helpers, but for the something like the let Foundation they don’t have a lot of helpers. So the fact that we can do that for them. That’s what the world funk’s supposed to be about, you know, every All Ships rise. So, you know, you want the people to rise that need the most help you want the people to rise who are also further Upstream, but you want to help them to elevate because if you do that they’ll help.

But particularly we picked this Foundation because it felt like if we got lucky and the message connected and the music being. You know, a lot of African influence from around Africa and different parts of the world, but particularly Africa, it just seemed like we were going home. We’d love to hear that I gotta ask you too. So do you see this thing becoming a non-profit or just continuing to partner with other non-profits. So that’s that. Thank you for asking that question because, you know, when we talk about it. We get asked that a lot. So my goal is to you know, and I’m going to take a page out of dear friends.

Howard lutnik Edie lodnick Allison luddick and the people at Cantor Fitzgerald and we’ve gotten to work with them for a while. And they’ve been through a lot through 9 11 through their personal history and what have you and it’s very funny their first purpose for creating cancer release the cancer Relief Fund was to give back to the families that were that perished and the survivors from 9 11 and they did that they were so committed to that when they did that they then said? Well, we have a vehicle to help others. So every year at Kenneth Fitzgerald on September 11th. They do something called charity day and here’s what they’re doing and that’s where the inspiration for what I want to do they bring in celebrities from all around the world each with their own foundations and candle Fitzgerald doesn’t give fifty percent ten percent of the profits think of the gross that day.

So they’re working for free and then now they’ve gone from the cancer Relief Fund to helping. I think it’s like 150 Charities that one day and sometimes they’re raising millions and millions of dollars. So world becomes as successful as I hope it can do be then that gives me more time to go out and help that gives me if we’re start to earn money create I will pledge and now and pledge it all day. Long there will be and some experts will tell me how to do it. Like as we’re making money piece of all that are going to go to Charities, right? But following the lutnik Cantor Fitzgerald model, which is brilliant.

If I can partner with if I have my own Foundation. I can only help a couple of people, but if I can partner with at any number of foundations that I could help. So many more people and have an impact also around the world. So, whether it’s Asia, whether it’s Apple Asia, right doesn’t matter from Asia to appalasia we’re in, you know, and we’re going to be there. And if our music and the popularity of our music and then the sincerity of the message can help those people. Then the universe has conspired with us to do the right thing. I think that’s the way to roll that’s fantastic.

Man. Hey, well, super proud of the work. You’ve been doing it’s great. Yes. But hold one second can I please talk about a single that just came out two days ago, oh, I was actually going to ask you about that anyway, but go for it. Okay. Oh, no. We’ll do it any order you want. So, okay, this is really cool. Okay. So the world has been blessed with my singing voice along with Josh Sampson’s love this singing voice and I quality the queen of African Souls voice three great voices on such a beautiful day right? And Maddie Sampson this great choir now I have to talk about Maddie Sampson, who is one of the best guitar players alive.

Maddie Cedric’s son. He’s playing guitar. All over such a beautiful day old Logan Mark rule who’s another my brother and he always had this major career was in the TomTom club and engineer what have you right? Amazing guy, but Maddie sings like a mofo. So it’s like Maddie you need to sing this song. And so it’s Congolese inspired, which is like the origins of afro-cubing music and it’s called Marissa. And I stole from our editing room a piece of the music video featuring Holly James only Holly James. So the concept of music video is like we’re going to take Busby Berkeley from the 30s and we’re going to take Holly James and it’s going to be Holly James in the world of Busby Berkeley meets The Matrix.

So it’s a million Ellie James because there’s never enough Holly jameses and it’s really cool and Fred please roll this. It’s available on Spotify it’s available all over the place Spotify Apple music wherever you stream music. It’s called marissa1s and this is Marissa love that. We’ll definitely do that. We’ll put it out there. Awesome. Awesome. Well, I was gonna ask you first and foremost. What’s harder running an ad agency being a filmmaker or now being the leader of an Orchestra probably being my wife because she partners with me and everything. And my brain is always going and she is God blessing and that she’s much smarter than me, but she’s putting up with me for a multiple decades.

So, here’s the thing. It’s the oldest cliche if you’re passionate about what you’re doing then you can do it all because you don’t even want to go to sleep because you’re missing something or something. That’s going to inspire you so really the fun thing is World Funk and now I gotta drop a name that was phenomenal in putting me in, right direction? Sharon and I have a friend Billy, man, who’s written like every second or third hit ever written. He’s amazing. From pink to Jessica Simpson the guys brilliant and Billy’s a straight shooter Billy was the last Bastion that we went to see whether or not this was going to be real.

And he said to me. That’s why I’m invoking his name. He goes, you got to do this if you’re going to do it. You got to do it all in because this is you got it. But you can’t forget you’re a director and you need to think look at Trans-Siberian Orchestra and you need to think of yours. You need to think in your mind a complete experience experiential. So with World Funk Orchestra. I’m the ad guy I am, you know, the campaign Fred, Fred. We started with a drip marketing campaign for a month, you know, and then we created all these visuals with Anderson Mendes Corey Williams and the brilliant Alice liljenko from HQ creative JC who’s shooting all these videos.

You know, we’re shooting, we’re constantly creating content because we have the shops as the Ad Agency and the storytelling the filmmaker and then we’re shooting music videos. That’s the filmmaker and then it’s your music, right? So when it’s you when it’s your music and it’s you’re creating with these amazing collaborators, you know, this is the ultimate project for me and Billy knew that and that’s why I like I sound like a five-year-old because I’m getting to use whatever is in my paint box to create something. So, they’re all I don’t find any of them hard not because I’m good at them or have ability. It’s just because I love it so much.

I can’t know that it’s hard and I only know one way to go and it’s this way and my only gimmick is I won’t lie. So, I can’t take clients. I don’t believe in products. I don’t believe in so because I just can’t do that. And so thank God authenticity authenticity is like a gimmick now when I first started like no, one used to want to work with us because you didn’t want to have been the truth. So for me, it might be hard and we’ve had a lot of hard times. And again, my wife is ridiculously amazing, but it’s not hard if you love it.

It’s harder not to do it. Very very well said. What’s your pro tip in terms of balancing everything because you do love it. And that’s great, but there’s only 24 hours in a day. So what’s your pro tip for any kind of aspiring entrepreneurs and creatives who you know, want to make a positive impact want to make that money want to do a little bit of everything and still have time for family. So despite me showing up an hour late for this with you today. The pro tip really is you can do a lot, you know, I used to I ran the marathon twice and limped it once but the thought of running 26.2 miles was overwhelming to me.

I would have psyched me out. So I used to it was a music to me. I counted the Beats of every fourth step and if I hit it right? It would be x amount of beats per mile. So, I just did that it was 320 beats per mile if I kept my pace. So, I just did that 26 times and then at two more. So, as disorganized as I am I the pro tip is be organized I write it down a composition book. I put it on my calendar and I like constantly reinforce my calendar is jammed because, you know, you also have to keep them, you know, I’m running my business, right?

With amazing support, but people want to hear from me, you know, that’s the good news bad news. So I’m running my business and everyone deserves to have real time. Not just a brush off time then if I’m going to create something that creation. We all say it’s our babies. Well, it is that needs to get your time. So you have to manage your time really well. And if you’re going to cross pollinate because, you know, when I’m walking my dog Drexel. I’m also writing songs and writing, you know, we come back. And I sing stuff into my phone. It’s like things are coming at me for ideas for movies for whatever you just, you know that you’re going to forget it.

So the pro tip is recorded and then work off of your calendar and then really as it says, right here on my ribs anything is possible because it is some fantastic Pro tips, right there. You’ve mentioned your amazing life. So God bless her and her support and everything. So I just want to ask you and this could be related to a romantic partner a spouse or really just kind of the people around you close friends and the right people outport is it to have the right partner the right friends people that truly support you whether in a business sense or a personal sense in order for you to succeed.

Not just from a business standpoint, but just from a life standpoint. So this is where when Morgan Stewart our daughter listens. She’s going to say are you going to tell a rock bottom story again, Dad. Yeah, I’m gonna tell the Rock Bottom story. I did everything on my own and then I met no joke my wife and she was 19. I was just turning 21 and I was a total I didn’t have a clue, right? I mean God didn’t have a clue and she did. And we kind of grew up together and the reason. I never lie is because if I lie I don’t want to lose her.

You know, I don’t want to break this Karma thing she saw things in me that I didn’t exist. And so doing it on your own and growing up poor and she grew up poor and all those things. You know, you’re rely on yourself. You rely on each other right? That’s amazing. And then I built HQ and literally over the years my partners are the people I work with because they don’t have employees I have teammates, right? And then I have two partners Cheryl Halpern who’s amazing on the HQ sign of Paul and Paul Heyman and they’re not even friends they’re their chosen family. And I am a hugger and I lead with my heart.

And I had it going really good. And when I thought HQ was going to Peak. I got a phone call from a client who said the next goal you get is you’re going to lose all the business? I have for you this year and we’re not paying any of our bills. So I lost a million dollars in five minutes and ice and Mr positivity spiraled horribly like I thought I was over the hill I suddenly was stupid. I was bluffing. Oh my god, the guy never lies is lied to himself. How could he have not seen this happen? Well, you know, they went on there for 100 million dollars.

I was like, you know, it was a big deal. And they a big big deal. And I had a lot of success with them, but apparently they didn’t have all those successes. And so to answer your question. What brought me back. Because I literally spiraled for nine months. I lost 20 pounds of sick weight not good weight and even my wife couldn’t reach me because I thought I let her down. Thank God, our daughter was in college and Paul Heyman when I met was had was in the throes of ECW when it was crashing and he’s one of the best people I’ve met in my life.

We just became Brothers, right? And so I supported him and I’m not thinking. I was even sporting him. He was like, of course, he’s going to come back. He’s bull Heyman, but you know, I we were there for each other and we started to him and hustle like, you know, together, right? And we just would do crazy things together that he would get me annoyed all the time because like Paul I have an Emmy and you’re making me go in the street little I know he’s Paul Heyman. He’s going the streets in Times Square and we’re shooting a series and I was embarrassed like he’s just that guy that’s just amazing.

And then and Paul that year repaid maybe our kindness or just the love and put six figures on his credit card for looking for Larry because I didn’t book a gig for nine months for us. And he didn’t tell me about it. My other partition will help her and decided she was going to buy 10 of HQ at the highest value when I said, it’s worthless. We’re going to go under she goes no, you’re not I believe in you, I believe in Enid I believe in HQ she bought 10. No one quit. And if I was them and I was 30 years old and have vulnerable vulnerable age Alex should have quit.

And if she should have quit Corey should I quit and they stayed and I promise you I was not making sense and with all that support and getting help. And people my friend John Rogers, who is one of the reasons I went to Africa, his company. He flew in from Wisconsin under the guise. He was speaking at the U.N, but he just wanted to tell me he loved me. And I didn’t have a psychological problem. I had a marketing and banking problem, you know, and everyone has I can’t tell you how many people and then ultimately my friend Don McLeod who brought me into Claire channel that became my heart saved my career several times called and offered me a gig and I said to him.

Hey, man, that’s great. You know, it was the first gay guy bucked in nine months. I didn’t even bucket he congratulated me on winning the bid and I go great. I didn’t even bid and he said some really nice things. He goes, no, you need to do this. And I go, okay, he goes, you didn’t ask me the budget. I said, okay. What’s the budget. He said 125 some dollars, I went one more exit on the lia, my friend Ashley Heather who is one of the smartest people ever in me in my life who he and I had success before. And he called and said, dude.

I need your help. We’re launching a brand a fashion brand in three weeks and only you can figure this out because you know, I go? What are you talking about like what leave me alone. I’d like get someone who’s like not over to hell and he goes, no, no, dude shut up you’re doing it. They go. All right, what’s the budget. I go dude, if it’s five dollars. I never care he goes, it’s 125 000 and then I went to this client and booked my first job for nine months. So to answer your question, you know, everyone thinks they can make it on their own, but you’re always going to be better with people around you that you can help and that can help you and my friend lastly Sammy Simpson.

God bless you man who started his own now advice business to the counseling business to people Sammy came to work at HQ because they thought he was going to break in a lot of business. This isn’t after I’ve recovered now I thought I’m like, oh, look at me now? Oh like I’m back well, Sammy came I thought he’s going to bring in more business Sammy came every day for three and a half months never bought any business? And he beat me up every day for three months because he’s a futurist and he was like the cherry on the icing of the cupcake because he and that energy made me rethink everything.

And he said yeah. You’re so afraid you say you’re a businessman because Mitchell like you don’t want to say what you really are you’re an artist and because when you grow up the only kind of artist you ever knew was a starving artist then you don’t want to go back to being poor. You’re a artist be an artist give back to people and All Ships will rise don’t reach down, you know, pull people up or reach up to better people and I am. So blessed to be surrounded by look, how many names. I mentioned of people that are supporting this and you know, I’m not a known musician.

I’m no, nobody musician, right? I usually music was my first religion, but I put it aside and just became a behind the scenes person. And I’ve worked with so many amazing artists who have all shown me kindness and I’ve shown them bat my talent, but I’m here right now standing on the shoulders of so many people. So, you know, people need people, right and people who need people are the luckiest people in the world. If you have the right people who are not looking to take advantage of you and you know, and if you have those people then you all rise together. Look, I’m a Marvel guy not DC and the Avengers everyone’s a star of their own comic book when they come together, holy beautifully said.

I love that. And that’s yeah. That is amazing. And it’s great that you not only recognize these amazing people in your life who have helped you, but you’re also paying it forward, right? And that’s and I think you have a kind nature in general already and you had that before, you know, the rock bottom and everything else, but I think now it’s kind of even more you know, pronounced after kind of going through those tough times seeing the incredible kindness and really just it’s so important for somebody to believe in you know, right for your two business parts to believe in you and you know, put their ass on the line for you and say no, no.

Like we believe in this thing we believe in you like that had to go a long way. So the fact that you’re not paying it forward and doing that for other people with these great foundations with the great work. You’re doing with the Orchestra, man. Just yeah, wow. Fantastic stuff for sure. Why should people donate to the lelt foundation because they’re say they’re helping to feed and educate Starving Children in Ethiopia. I don’t know if there’s a better reason. Excellent. Excellent. And if you have already been convinced to check y’all out. Why should people check out World Funk Orchestra You Gotta Dance. You’re gonna sing, you’re gonna be having these songs in your head.

First such a beautiful day then Marissa and you come and join us for the whole journey. But it’s really an experience like not a lot of other music and art experiences you’re gonna. You’re Gonna Leave feeling better when you leave than when you come in. I promise you that before I let you go Mitchell. It’s been an absolute pleasure, where can we find you online where can we find your award-winning documentaries online and where can we find you next? So next we will have an EP coming out later this summer with World Funk Orchestra. We’re going to have a massive campaign back to foundations this year with the Jeffrey Modell Foundation this year and it’s Global and those people have saved more children than Mother Goose.

We’re doing that campaign we’re doing a whole lot with Canada relief and the candidate Fitzgerald you’ll be seeing a lot about that and you’ll be seeing a new startup called Phi phy, which is going to revolutionize really revolutionize healing of the body and all these people are just amazing. There’s a common denominator healing healing and more healing and doing good. And then I’m working on a bunch of docs a shout out to my partner Cheryl Halburn Halpern who’s doc you should really interview her. She’s amazing, holy prostitution is showing around the world. And it highlights this loophole that some people find in the Quran, but not everyone that allows super wealthy people to marry a girl for the weekend pay a dowry to their family.

And then divorce her afterwards and it’s a crushing practice that Cheryl has highlighted in and around the world. And it’s please check out holy prostitution, everything is on YouTube, everything is findable on Amazon and you could definitely check out on Amazon Apple. Worse the first we have we’ll be back to talk to you about a couple of film projects later on Fred. I promise as long as you’ll have me you will be my first stop because I think what you’re doing is I think you do a great show. And you highlight people that are not otherwise highlighted and now I’m getting a little bit more heat.

So, I’m going to turn we’re going to help promote you because you deserve it and Fred, I have one thing for you. You said you work with Charities. I want you to DM me and tell me your favorite charity and the people that watch your show will then see in the next coming months that we’re going to do an awareness campaign for them because you’re that guy and it’s all love brother. Hey, man, I truly appreciate it. You know, I got love for you. And yeah, we really clicked the last time we chatted and it’s great to keep in touch. I love what you’re doing so much respect much appreciation.

We’ll definitely send you that DM and yeah, I’m sure when that pops up a lot of TSC fans will recognize it because we’ve been working on them for a while, but bonus question. One more question, bonus question in this interview and in our previous interview and any of our conversations is there anything you wish I asked you. You’re great. And I never shut up, it would be the importance of having allowing love in your life because can you tell us about the importance of allowing love in our lives. Great question. So many people don’t think they’re worthy of it and they’re looking for. So they look for things that’s like it’s like my wife’s a little predicted sugar.

So, of course, she wants to have sugar you know, like a chocolate. Let me say it again, my wife’s allergic to chocolate. My absolute chocolate. So, of course, you want to have chocolate, right, but people should see the world around them and know that they deserve love and then not in this thing alone and put it out because the Beatles were wrong like you put it out. It comes back.