From Federal Prison to Feature Filmmaker | Dre Rodriguez

Can a person's greatest setback become the foundation for their greatest purpose?

In this episode of the From Wrong to Strong Podcast, Omar Calvillo sits down with Dre Rodriguez, founder of Luv City, to discuss his remarkable journey from serving 10 years in federal prison to becoming a feature filmmaker, youth mentor, nonprofit leader, and community advocate.

Dre shares the lessons he learned during incarceration, the challenges of rebuilding his life after prison, and the vision that led him to create Luv City. He also talks about teaching himself filmmaking, directing his first feature film, Luv From the Trenches, and using storytelling to inspire hope and create opportunities for the next generation.
This conversation is filled with practical wisdom on perseverance, leadership, faith, redemption, purpose, and the power of choosing a different path.
In this episode you'll hear about:

• Growing up on the streets of Chicago
• Serving 10 years in federal prison
• Rebuilding life after incarceration
• Discovering purpose through serving others
• Founding Luv City
• Learning filmmaking from the ground up
• Directing the feature film Luv From the Trenches
• Leadership, faith, perseverance, and second chances

If this episode encouraged you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs hope today.

About From Wrong to Strong Ministries
From Wrong to Strong Ministries exists to share stories of redemption that inspire hope, strengthen faith, and point people to Jesus Christ.

"The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light." — Matthew 4:16

Transcript

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From the city of Chicago, a city most recently known for its crime and violence. On this podcast, we will be sharing stories of redemption from individuals raised in the tough streets of Chicago Listen to my guests as they share their experiences, struggles, trauma, but also the strength, hope, faith and perseverance, these have developed in them to keep pushing and moving forward in life. Tune in to hear how their lives have gone from darkness to light and from wrong to strong. Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of From Wrong to Strong podcast. I'm your host. My name's Omar Calvillo, and this podcast is a ministry of From Wrong to Strong Ministries and a production of Light Has Dawn Media. Uh, tonight you guys are in for a treat. I got my brother Dre Rodriguez here. I'm gonna do a, a, a, a quick, uh, uh, bio o- of my brother. Uh, uh, Dre was born and raised in Pilsen, is a filmmaker, activist, youth mentor. After serving 10 years in federal prison, Dre, a former gang member, decided upon release that he would work to provide opportunities for youth that might deter them from making some of the same bad d- d- decisions that almost cost him his life. In 2019, Dre founded Love City Media, a Chicago-based production company that gives placed at-risk youth a creative outlet to express themselves. And in 2022, with the support of community partners, Love City became a 501[c]3 nonprofit. Uh, Dre continues to partner with other community leaders, organizations, and artists to bring resources and opportunities to youth in the community. Dre hopes to inspire young people to believe in their talents and push them to pursue the greatness he sees in them. Thanks for being out here, brother. Uh, thanks for having me. Yeah. And, uh, um, uh, when this brother got here, I, um, I, I had sent him a, a link to the, the interview that we did. And then w- when I looked at the date, I'm like, man, it was March of 2023. I'm like, man, that was three years ago, man. And like, man, time flies by. Yeah. Yep. But, uh, what, what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna put a link to that interview. You know, um, if it's on YouTube, you know, it's probably be up there on the screen somewhere. But definitely, uh, hit that link and go, go back and listen to his podcast interview. We did about two-hour conversation, man. That was a long one. Yep. Yeah, man. It's a, a great, a great interview. Man went through his whole life story. Obviously we're not gonna do that, uh, today, man, but, uh, uh, go there, listen to it, and then maybe come back and, and, uh, uh, uh, check, uh, th- this, uh, uh, interview out. Uh, but, uh, hey, Dre, Dre, you, you wanna give them maybe, like, a three-minute recap of your story, you know what I'm saying? Obviously we're not gonna go through the whole thing this time, but- Yeah. Nah, nah. I mean, the bio pretty much captured most of it. Uh- You know, obviously grew up in the neighborhood, ran the streets. Eventually ended up in federal prison on a drug conspiracy charge. Uh, did 10 years. I came home 2016, and I just started like to put my life together, back together again. You know, after, you know, after going through that pr- that process pretty much like, uh, lost everything. Uh, not everything, you know, lost all the material stuff, you know. Uh, financially came home struggling. Relationships, and I lost some relationships. Uh, you know, but I came home and just had to, you know, figure my life out at the age, you know, I was almost 40 when I came home. Um, and yeah, man, it's b- it's been definitely a struggle. Uh, and then, you know, I didn't wanna just come home and get my life together. I wanted to come home, get my life together, and then flourish and grow and do something impactful and do something with my life that meant something. 'Cause, you know, just being in there, it just made me realize how f- how fast time goes and how little bit of a time we have here, you know, on this earth. Uh, so I just wanted to do something with the rest of my life that, that actually meant something, you know, that had an impact, a positive impact on the people around me and the people I love. Amen. And I remember d- during the conversation, a word that came up, purpose. Back, back then you were saying, man, you, you were talking to your guy I believe from, uh- Yeah from, uh, North Side I think. Yeah, yeah, yeah. My boy, Perez. And purpose, man. Like, man, what's my purpose? And- Yeah and as, as you were going through the interview, like one, one setback led to you in a sense getting on that road that led to your purpose, man, so that, that, that's what I love. Wh- when I listen to it- Yeah it's like, man, you, you, I think the, when you're doing the Uber- Yeah and then the, the car accident. Yeah. Your, your car getting totaled and- Yeah, 'cause I had got the, the, basically a job opportunity to work in, in the neighborhood mentoring like the gang-involved youth in the neighborhood that I grew up in, and I didn't know if I wanted to do it or not 'cause, you know, I was still, you know, fresh home. This was 2017. Uh, but like you said, I used to, I used to have like Bible studies with my brother, my brother Pedro. Uh, I used to come to his house once a week, and we just used to chop it up about s- spiritual stuff. And, uh, and I remember telling him like- I think eventually, like, I'm gonna be okay financially. Uh, but it's like I know I didn't go through everything that I went through in my life just to come home and make some money. Uh, so I've been asking God, like, I... Like, you know what I've been praying for, bro? Like, I've been praying God to show me my purpose. 'Cause, like, what are, like, what am I supposed to do with what I went through? 'Cause I know, like, what I learned and, and the lessons I learned about myself, like, I can... could be helpful to other people. So, uh, I was just like, but I don't know what to do. Yeah. Uh, and then, you know, like you said, I was doing Uber at the time. I picked up somebody from the halfway house, the federal halfway house, the same one I was in, and, you know, you know, we struck up a conversation. I told him I was in the feds too. I end up knowing his brother. You know, his brother was in the same joint as me, and then he's the one that's like, "Hey, they're, they're hiring, bro, for this position. I'm gonna send you the application and fill it out. I see you're, you're doing... You know, you're, you're working, you got a job. Uh, so o- obviously you're not out here, like, trying to go back to what you used to do, and they actually need somebody to work in the ne- in the neighborhood you're from." Yeah. I'm like, "Yeah, send it." You know, filled out the application. They called me in for the interview and offered me the job, and I had, like, a few days to make a decision. And, you know, I was, I was, uh... I told my brother, "Man, they gave me the job, but I don't know if I wanna do it." And, you know, he told me, like, "Bro, you gotta move in faith. You were just asking what's your purpose." He said, "Don't worry about what's gonna happen, bro. Like, God w- gonna protect you. You're gonna be okay. Go pour into them shorties." Uh, and I was like, "Nah, you know what? You're right." S- and then the next day I still wasn't sure. I wanted to do that. I was real paranoid about going back into the neighborhood. 'Cause you know how it is in the neighborhood, like, you'll get in trouble by accident. Yeah. You know, somebody have some stuff that didn't tell you, and they're with you, and then next thing you know whatever he had is yours once they run your name. And, you know, uh- I, I, I know in the interview you mentioned about when you were in there and seeing guys come back, like, "Man, what's up with this guy?" Yeah. I remember a, a, a, well, a guy that I was with somewhere, and then I went to, to a different joint. Uh-huh. And then like a year later he, he came in, and hi- his story, this is what he said, he said he was just, jumped in with his boy- Yeah cruising, and it turned out to be a stolen car, and guess who they put it on? Yeah. The guy that's, uh, you know, on the- Nah, man, look, though, when I was in the halfway house, I, 'cause I used to be real judgemental in there. Yeah. When I seen dudes come back I'm like, "Oh, this guy's an idiot. Man, how, how you got to leave here, bro, and you came back? What's wrong with you?" That's how I used to think. But, uh, the first day I left the halfway house, you know, one of my friends came and picked me up. And, uh, we're driving and then we drive past, like, some n- like a narc car. And then at, when we drive past I see him looking in the, in the rear view, so, you know, right away I was like, "What you looking in the rear view for?" And I see him, like, reaching under his seat. And I'm like, "Man, what you got going on over there?" He's like, "Man, I gotta put this away." I was like, "Put what away?" And he had a gun on him, bro. I was like, "Oh my God, bro." I seen myself going back in there- Yeah like them guys. And I was like, "Oh my God, I'm going back. Oh, what the hell? I just got home, man. Nah, man," like. So luckily nothing happened. Right. And, you know, stuff like that, like he, he, he didn't have no bad intentions. You know, for him it's a, it's a everyday regular thing. He feels like, you know, he needed to have that on him every day just to feel safe. Uh, I'm coming from a whole different environment. I know. I don't want parts of no trouble. Uh, so things like that. That's why I was like leery about like, man, I don't know if I want this job. And then I'm, I'm gonna have to go deal with the shorties that's out here like wildin' out like- Yeah and try to like build a relationship with them. So I was still second-guessing myself and then that's when I was like, uh, my first trip of the day took me downtown. I dropped off my rider and then, you know, I'm, I'm parked and I wasn't even double parked. I'm parked regular right off Michigan s- Michigan Avenue and, uh, waiting for the next Uber car and a Jeep turns the corner and smacks into my car, and then smacks into like the, the car in front of me and flips over and like wrecks my car. So now it's like at this, at this time I was living check to check, so I couldn't afford like not to be working, not even for one week. Like, I was barely making it. So now it's like almost like I didn't have a choice but to take the job. Like- There was no second guessing Right I gotta go get, take that job now. Uh, and then I was like, well, you know, after my car gets fixed, if I'm not feeling it, I'll just go back to d- driving Uber. And like I said, I must have picked the worst body shop in the, in the city 'cause it took 'em almost like two and a half months to fix my car. Mm. So it's like I, I had to, I had to stay in that job for two and a half months, and within that time I k- kind of got settled in and got comfortable and it's like, all right, I can do this. Yep. And like I said, looking back now, it reminds me like of the story of like Jonah. Like I kept trying to run away- from my like destiny and it's like God was like, "No, you're gonna take this job." You know? Yeah. Like, "You're not... I'm not gonna let you run away from this." Yeah. So it's, it's crazy, like looking back now. Well, it- yeah, it's amazing when, when, when you look at a- and, and, and something bad, right? Yeah. I mean, that was something bad but, you know, the, I think it's Romans 8:28, that he makes all things- Yeah work together for good, you know? Even the bad things, you know. Right. Like that setback in a sense- Mm-hmm was a setup, you know? Yeah. Like it got you into- 'cause from there, like w- what you shared is, uh, from there you, you had the vision to, uh, uh, basically start recording. And, and, and, and, and I love that you started with a iPhone. Yeah. You know, started recording, uh, uh, videos with a iPhone. Yep. And then from there, man, it just progressed. And I remember the, the first interview that, that we did, I, I, I know, I, I don't think we mentioned it in the, in the interview right now, but, uh, well, when you got here, uh, that interview that me and you did was the first time that we did video. Yeah. W- yeah. 'Cause I remember you were just doing audio. Yeah. And then, uh, you know, we had just got our camera. Uh, so I was like, I told my son- We, uh, we need to start recording our journey. Uh, just capture moments. Yeah. So, uh, and I was like, "I'm gonna go do this podcast. We're gonna bring the camera." And then I, like, I would just record it, like, for us. Yeah. Um, and then I remember, like, telling you, you had just bought your camera- but you hadn't used it yet. Oh, yeah. That same one you got right now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, uh, you- So I remember, uh, uh, this brother, I had my little camera, uh, 'cause at, at that point, you know, I didn't have no money. K- kinda like right now, you know? I still ain't got no money. Uh, a matter of fact, I think I'm above to finish paying it off. Oh, yeah. Anyways, uh, so I- I'm all excited. I got my little, probably close to 1,000 bucks for that, you know- with the camera and the lens. So I'm all, you know, it's, it's gonna be my first video, uh, podcast. Yeah. And this brother shows up with a big old, huge professional camera. Like- man, let, let me put my little camera away, man. Yeah. No, man. Uh, I believed in what I was doing so much that, uh, I invested. I invested, you know, 'cause I, I do, uh... I'm a licensed real estate broker, so I, I had just, I had just got my license. I've been doing real estate for years, even before I got locked up, uh, as an investor, but I never had a license. So when I came home, I just n- I just, you know, got licensed because I was knowledgeable about real estate. It was like another tool in my pocket, another way, like, to generate some, like, revenue for myself. Uh, but I had just got my fir- my license, and I had just closed on my first deal. And I was expecting like a nice little commission check. I think like six or $7,000. And I believed in what I was doing so much 'cause with the phone I had like the... We got the ball rolling with the phone, but then like my computer, my little laptop kept crashing. Uh, I understood video production better and I, I was like, "How do I get my stuff to look like that?" And then my friend like, "Well, you need to get like a real camera instead of your phone." So, uh, I was like, "Well, what's a good camera? Like, I don't want... I, I want my stuff to look like that." So, you know, he recommended me. I'm like, "Damn, bro." "And then you're gonna need a, a better laptop." 'Cause I'm like, "Why does my stuff keep crashing?" Like, "Bro, that's really not for video editing, you know, 'cause 4K files are really big. You need a lot of processing power, and that's kind of an old laptop." And so I was like, "You need a professional laptop." He gave me the specs of like what it needs to have. I went and looked. I'm like, "Damn, man. It's like $2,500." Man. So long story short, I had a $7,000 commission check coming and I told my wife like, "I know we're expecting this money, but I'm gonna have to use it all and I'm gonna buy some video equipment." And I ended up buying like, um, the camera, a lens, and like a professional laptop that was strong enough and fast enough for video production, and I used up the whole 7,000 for that. Um, so it, to me, it was an investment and- Yeah and it hurt. Like, it hurt 'cause it was like that money looked real nice in my account, but I know like I had to, I had to get it all up out of there. You, you, you know what, like l- like I said, man, that was like three, three years and a few months ago that we did the interview, and I believe you had just bought it, right? Like, probably close around there. Yeah. Around there. Yeah. Yeah. But you said you believed. Like, what, what, what, um, back then... Obviously, we're gonna get into what you're doing now. Yeah. That's why you came. We're gonna get into how you got here. But to invest thousands of dollars, man- Mm-hmm what, what, what did you see? What did you feel that you're like, "Man, I'm, I, I gotta, I gotta spend this money" into the, the vision that you had, I guess? It's just the way everything had played out, that had been continuing to play out in my life since I came home from prison. Up until that point, it's like I just felt like whatever I believed in, I just had to put the work in, and like God was really gonna take care of the rest. Uh- And that's really like I really felt like that. I'm, I'm, I'm gonna buy this. I'm gonna continue to learn this craft of, you know, filming. And I believe God's gonna open doors for us. I don't know how. I don't have, like, a game plan. I don't have a blueprint. I'm just gonna keep working. And I know he's gonna put people in my path. He's gonna put, you know, ideas into my mind and, and put the right people around me. And that's the faith I had then, and to this, and it's the faith I have to this day. Amen. You know? Amen. So Ben, um, uh, there, there's a verse, man. I think it says, "Don't despise small beginnings." Mm-hmm. And you know, you with your little iPhone, you know, to investing thousands- Yeah of dollars to a camera to what you're doing now. But, but, you know, could, could you share, uh, when you started the nonprofit. So you, you were recording, you, you know, recording music videos, you know. Mm-hmm. Uh, no guns in the videos. Yeah, yeah. I remember you shared a funny story about showing up- Yeah. and somebody not knowing, "Hey, we don't put no guns." And you said you showed up, and there was like guns everywhere. The whole neighborhood was there. Everybody was partying, throwing baby guns around like, "Hey, we gonna shoot a video." Like... And I told my son like, "Damn, man. Hey, I forgot to tell them no guns, bro." And I had to tell him, "Hey, hey, look, man. I'm a send you your money back, bro. My bad. I forgot to tell you. I thought you knew, but we don't put no guns in our videos." "What?" And he was on house arrest. The guy was on house arrest. He like, "Man, I had every- I told everybody bring their guns." So I like, "I see." Yeah. "But, uh, like that's my bad, bro." Yeah. Like, I'm, I'ma, I'ma Cash App you back right now. And he's like, "Nah, nah, nah, bro. Nah, I ain't make you come out here for nothing. We gonna work." And at first I was like, I don't know if he's, like, giving me an order like you're not leaving. But he was like- Nah, man. Like we still gonna shoot the video, man. He turns around like, "Hey, hey, put the guns away, man. No guns in the video." Everybody at the same time, "Ah, what the hell?" Like, so I, and I told him like, "Look, bro, trust me, man. Trust me. The video's still gonna be good. It's still gonna be good." Uh, and we shot it, and he liked, he loved it, and he ended up hiring Keep on... He hired me a few more times even after that. Nice. So, you know, uh, yeah, that was cra- that was a crazy- Yeah, yeah. I remember that. Like the journey. Yeah. But man, you, you know what? Uh, uh, uh, I wanna talk about be- becoming a, a, a, a, a, what do you call it? A non-profit. Executive di- director of a non-profit. Could, could you take us through the journey, you know? Yeah. So, you know, at the time I was working for like, uh, when, when I first started, I was still working at New Life at, uh... And once I seen what I had going with, with this digital media stuff, I wanted to start a program, uh, based around digital, and using digital media as like the, as like the net. Yeah. You know, to catch these youngsters out here in the street, bring them in, and I, and I needed something that would like interest them, and I had their interest. So I was like, now we can build something around this. Uh, and back then, like I think like I had pitched it to Matt, Benny, George. They'll tell you, like I talked about digital media back then. But, uh, uh, I don't think they really like understood what I was trying to do. And so I was like, all right, cool. Uh, it doesn't seem like I'm not gonna get an opportunity to do this here, at least not right now. And if you know me, I'm kinda impatient, like, so it's like, uh, I didn't wanna lose the momentum I had going. Yeah. Some of the, like, uh, music, you know, is still music from the street, and it's, like, raw, uncut. And, like, sometimes I wasn't even comfortable recording some of the stuff, like, 'cause I It was like I had rules. Like, obviously, no guns. Uh, we're not gonna disrespect and be disrespecting nobody's neighborhood, nobody No, we're not disrespecting the dead. We're not doing that. Yeah. I'm not doing that. Right. But I'll meet you halfway. Like, you meet me halfway like that, and whatever else, like, I'll record it. Uh, and that's how I was building relationships with these shorties. So I don't think, like, uh, it wasn't a good fit to be, like, in a church doing that. Oh, yeah. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah, I got you. Yeah, yeah. So I was like, "I don't think this is gonna be able to be what it's supposed to be anyways here." Right. So I left, you know? Yeah. And I just kinda, like, just went, started working on my own, and I'm still doing, like, my real estate stuff on the side, like, trying to make some money still to pay my bills. And, uh, but now, like, Love City's growing. More and more young people are hearing about it, and they wanna be around it. And people in the community started taking notice. You know, the alderman, uh, Byron Sigcho-Lopez from the 25th Ward, he's- he used to reach out to me, and when there was issues in the neighborhood, he'd ask me, like, if I knew any of the youngsters. 'Cause I used to tell him straight up like, "Hey, bro, like, I don't know everybody. I know a few of them. And if I know them, like, I can deliver a message for you, but they're not, they're not obliged to listen to me or nothing." Sure. Uh, and you know, like, but I... We, we figured out some situations with some of the shorties in the neighborhood that was beneficial to them and their family, uh, just through communication. Yeah. You know, there was some guys hanging out in front of his house, and the owner, the city was putting pressure on the owner to kick the family out. Uh, so obviously they were, like, went to Byron, and Byron was like, asked me, "Hey, can I help with the situation? Do you know him?" And I did. It was one of the youngsters I was working with. Yeah. And I basically went and kinda, like, told some of the shorties on the block that I knew, like, "This is the, this is the situation. Byron doesn't want the police coming over here. They don't... He doesn't want anybody getting kicked out, but the neighbors are complaining, bro, 'cause you guys are in front of the house. There's been a couple shootings. Can y'all, like, not be in front of this house? Because they're kinda pressing the owner to kick the family out." Yeah. "Or they're gonna start fining him or putting a lien on his house." And we actually had a meeting with the city, the owner of the building, uh, and one of the building commissioners. Because I delivered the message, they're like, "All right, Dre, we got you." So they stopped hanging out right there. So the meeting was, like, a month after that. They were still trying to kick the family out. So we went to advocate for the family, and, uh, they're like, "Well, you know, there's been over, like, 60 911 calls to this address," and this, that, and the other. So I told them, like, "Can you do me a f- So you got the record of all the calls?" Like, "Yeah." "Can you do me a favor? When was the last time they called 911?" And then she told me the last date. I said, "All right, that, that was before we had the conversation. There hasn't been any calls after that, so why are you still trying to kick them out?" Yeah. "I mean, you just told me right there there hasn't been a call. You got the records and they're accurate. What's the problem?" Yeah. "So just give these fam- get the, get the family a chance to stay there." So they, they, uh... The city attorney was even there, the attorney for the city. They're like, "This is what we're gonna do," 'cause it was about to be winter. They're like, "We're gonna let the family stay there for the winter. If we have any incidents, uh, as soon as the weather gets nice, they gotta go." And I'm like, "That's fair." Yeah, yeah. You know, so then I went and I told the guys, like, "Hey, look, this is what happened. They're gonna let them stay here, but, like, if it, if s- stuff starts happening in front of the house, they're gonna have to go, bro. So it's your call. These guys-" Yeah. You know, "This is-" Right, they're, like, in your hands. Like that. It's, it's in your hands. This is your, this is your environment. Uh, but now you have the information and it's up to you what you guys wanna do. And you know, you know, thankfully nothing happened and that family was able to stay there. Nice. And, you know, 'cause the youngster was, like, locked up. He was on... He was not even there no more, but the mom was still there, the little brothers and sisters were still there. Uh, so she, you know, she was able to stay. And ever since then, Byron kind of, like, seen, like, man, however I can help you, I'm gonna help you. Yeah. And then when he... Once he found out what I was doing and how many people I had coming, I... He used to have block cleanups, and I'd pull up with, like, 10, 15 youngsters. And he was like, "Damn, man," like, like, "What do you do?" Like, and I was telling him. He's like, "And who, who funds you?" I'm like, "Nobody funds me." And they're like, "You need to get some funding, bro. There's funding out here for what you do." And- Uh, you should, like, uh, meet with some of the people. So I, I met with a few people that he set up meetings for me, and they, they couldn't really do nothing for me 'cause I'm an individual. They can't, like, cut me a check. Right. So they're like... One guy actually told me, like, "When you gonna become a nonprofit so we can fund you?" And it's like, in my mind, I was like, "I don't really wanna be a nonprofit." You know? They, they're too... They got too many rules. Yeah. And, and this Love City, like, feels, feels like it's from the neighborhood, and I don't want that to change. You know? Like, 'cause we have rules, too, but we understand when people go a little outside the rules, and then we have a conversation about it. We don't just kick them to the side, but w- at the same time, like, we talk about, like, why we can't be doing that. And, you know, there's dialogue there, and I don't wanna lose that. Uh, but then, you know, he had some other people convince me. Like, "Dre," there... This is when, uh, after COVID, there was all that COVID relief money. Yeah. And he's like, "Dre, there's a lot of money out here, bro. Uh, and you should get some of it." Uh, it's only right. You're already doing the work." And I was like, "Well look, if you guys help me put it together, uh, I'll do it, but Love City has to stay what it is. I don't wanna change it." And they're like, "That's fine." And then I'm thinking they're asking me to be a part of a nonprofit. Yeah. And then they're like, "It's not gonna change bro, and, and you're gonna run it." I'm like, "Oh shit. Like, me? I don't got no experience running- Right a nonprofit." And uh, I'm like, "All right man, so if you guys, you know, got my back, let's go." And uh, I asked a couple of people that, that I trusted and I already work with, one of them being like the high school principal from the alternative high school that I used to go and work with the guys out of. Yeah. That she used to always let me in there. I asked her if she could be on my board. I didn't have no clue that she was like an amazing grant writer. Uh- Look at that so, you know, she's like, "Of course I'll be on your board." And, and then, you know, when they started talking about like grant opportunities, the guys that I was already talking to, they were the ones trying to like figure out the grant stuff and she kinda like, "Let me see that. I got this. I'll take care of this." And we landed like one of the biggest grants in the state in 2022. Being a brand new nonprofit, that's almost... I think we were only incorporated for like two or three months, and we got awarded like a three-year grant for like close to $2 million bro, so- What? it was, it was- That, that, that's unheard of because like usually they wanna see like a- Yeah like at least you're established like for- Yeah a year. They want, they wanna see what you did. At least three years. Yeah. Yeah. Th- this one didn't have those restrictions 'cause it was specifically for newer nonprofits to help you get started. 'Cause they know like when you're new you need everything. So uh, bro I almost cried when they announced like that. It didn't even feel real bro. I was like, "What? We're gonna get some money?" Like Right. 'Cause you know, I've been doing it with nothing. Yeah. And I was doing it since 2019. This was 2022. So it didn't feel real. I still didn't believe it and I was like- I could kinda stop doing everything else I'm doing and just focus on- Yeah the mission now, and not worry about, like, if my rent's gonna get paid or nothing. Right. 'Cause now I'm gonna be able to pay myself a salary- Yeah I'm gonna be able to hire people, and I'm gonna be able to pay the youngsters that come to our program and complete it. We're gonna be able to get the equipment that we need to, like, try to become real professionals. Yeah. And that was the vision, bro. Like, and it was just unreal, man. And again, none of that was planned. I didn't have a plan saying, "I'm gonna become a nonprofit." Yeah. "I'm gonna go after..." It just happened. Yeah. It just happened, and that's why I tell you, like, I... That's why I move the way I'm moving in my favor because I just know I gotta have good intentions. I know I gotta be good to people, and I know I gotta be of service to other people, and God's gonna take care of the rest. Yeah. And, you know, how you said, like, He knows, like, the desires of your heart. Like, He knows what I would like to do, and He, He's gonna make a way as long as I, you know, do my part- Right and put the work in because it's a lot, a lot, a lot of work. Oh, no, yeah. A lot of work. Yeah. Yeah. I- I- but, but you know what? Like, uh, you said you had that, uh... I, I know you mentioned, I think, a word. You said impatient, but I, I, I think something happens, man, 'cause, uh, like, I, I feel like God's awakened, like, a cr- creative side in me. Mm-hmm. And, like, when something comes to my mind, man, I'm, I'm... Like, action. You, you... There, there's a verse that says, uh, uh, "Faith without works is dead." Yeah. And, like, there's gotta be, like, action, man. And I, I... Like, I see something and, I, I know, like, earlier you mentioned, um, maybe, like, you know, somebody else didn't catch the vision you had. Mm-hmm. But sometimes it's like that, man. Yeah. Sometimes you... He's giving you a vision, and you see it. Nah. And, like, I... Like, man, I gotta move on it. Yeah. I, I don't know why I gotta take the first, second, third step, but, but, but look at where it led, led you to in two, three months to executive director of a nonprofit, uh, $2 million. Yeah, no. When I left, this was, like, almost three years later after I left, so it didn't happen right away. Right. Uh, but I just knew I wanted to build something, like, that was how I seen it, that I think would speak to the youngsters how I wanted to speak to them, and it wasn't a traditional way. And I know it probably wouldn't be understood, 'cause one thing that I did realize is that, like, uh- Everybody's not gonna understand what you're trying to do. And I just like, I think I think a little bit different for the most part than most of the people that I, that I'm around. And everyone... every now and then I'll find somebody that like, we kinda think the same, you know? And it's like- So, so- hey, you, like you understand my language. Like- So, so, so there's two crazy people out there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, for real, man. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I gotcha. For real, 'cause it's like, bro, like, come on. I remember when I was saying w- when I first said we're gonna shoot movies, they're, they're looking at me like, what are you talking about, bro, we're gonna shoot movies? Like what? Like... And I was just like, we're gonna learn this, bro. We're gonna learn. Like, 'cause one thing that I ca-... the mentality I came home with from prison is that I can learn anything. It's... it sounds crazy, it sounds cliche, but it really hit me in jail. Like, I never really tried to learn nothing outside of like the streets. I remember I was working in the butcher shop in there, 'cause I needed to make some money in there, you know, and the butcher shop paid good and, and the CO sometimes would let me take a little bit home to, back to the cell. What'd you take, what'd you take back? Some arrachera, man? Some steak? Man, sometimes they used to have, like, good... It, it almost was like carnitas a little bit. Oh, yeah? Uh, you know, some, you know, stuff like that. Roast beef, just to make myself a little sandwich back in, in the unit, 'cause I was hurting for a little bit in there. But I didn't know how to be a butcher. I'm in there, and, like, in three months I'm in there running it. Chopping it up, organizing everything. And it was like... like, damn, like, I didn't know nothing and look, I learned it. I just had to do it, and eventually, like, I can learn it. And, you know, I taught myself how to play chess in there. Yeah. And I was just thinking, like, "I never knew how to play chess, and I know how to play chess now." Yeah. "And I'm not that bad." Yeah. I wasn't the best, but I could beat a lot of people. Yeah. And it's like, and it, that clicked in my head, like, damn, I can learn anything. Anything I try, I just need to try it. And I never thought like that before, you know? I was just like, "Nah, I don't know that. I don't know it." Yeah. Like, if I don't already know it, it's like I didn't really wanna deal with it. Right. You'd probably just, like, quit before you even started. Like, I- Yeah like, almost, like, self-defeated, right? Yeah, yeah. Like the mindset before, like, man, I'm not even gonna try that 'cause if, if, if I can't succeed at it, I'm not, I'm not even gonna give it a shot, right? Yep. And all that changed, so when I came home I, like, I felt like I could learn anything. I just need to put my mind to it. And, uh, that's the mentality that I have. I still have it to this day. Now it's like, do I have the time? 'Cause I'm like- You know why I laugh, 'cause that's, that's, that's my life story right now. Like my wife, you know. My wife's Puerto Rican, she was all like, "You know, when I hooked up with a Mexican, I'm thinking, like, you're gonna be, you know, tearing it up in the kitchen, making me all that good Mexican food." And I was like, "Nah, I don't really cook," you know? And then she like, "Why don't you cook, man?" And, uh, 'cause, you know, sometimes I'll make the little things I know how to make. Yeah. And she like, "Man, you made that good." And I was like, I could learn how to cook. Yeah. I just don't got time to be messing up a bunch of meals first, 'cause it's, that's what's gonna happen. Yeah. I'ma mess 'm- mess it up, figure out what I did wrong, and do it again. And I don't wanna have to go through all that. Like, I got... I'm over here, I'm over here too busy trying to learn all this other stuff right now. But yeah, man, that's, that's kinda how I see things, you know? Yeah. A- a- and you know what, uh, a- and, you know, like the go- going, like, forward I guess, like, uh, the video, the editing and all that, this is stuff you learned in your 40s, right? Yeah. A- and a lot of people think that, "Man, I'm in my 40s." Yeah, bro. What, what, what's that, what's that saying? You can't teach an old dog new tricks? Yes, you can. Man, I'm... I, I just turned 48, man. Yeah. And I feel like right now, man, if you knew how many projects I got going on right now, man. I- Like, you just about to hit your stride, right? Yeah, no, for real. Yeah. Yeah, man, like, uh, I... Time. That's why I laughed when you said time. Yeah, yeah. Man, I, I need to add another day to the week, man. Yeah. If they had like eight days, man, I'd be good, man. I'd be up, I'd be doing some stuff, man, like- Now, I was supposed to be here a hour, a hour ago. Okay. I'm late because I was just trying to get so much done. Yeah. You know? But, nah, that's what's up. And that, that, that was one of the things that was kinda, like, almost depressing when I came home, that a lot of the people that I did know that I did come around is that, you know, they were still doing the same things they were doing when I left. And it's like, "So this is it, bro?" Like, "This is what you're gonna do until, until it's time to check out?" I'm coming out like, "Nah, bro," like, getting a second chance at life. We gotta make the most out of it. We gotta... We still could do... Like, we could still accomplish things. Like- Yeah nah. Uh, so it was like I kinda knew there's nobody around me- At that moment that has that same type of energy, so I'm, I'm, I feel like I'm on my own. I gotta figure this out on my own. Uh, and maybe when they see, they'll get inspired to start- Yeah trying to do something of their own, you know? Yes. Uh, you, you know what? That, that, that, that, that's where I'm at right now, man. They, they, they asked me to share a, a, a word with the men a- at my church. Mm-hmm. At a breakfast. A- and the word that I shared, uh, oh man, "Don't, don't let what you consume stop you from creating what God created you to create." Mm. And I feel that's... So right now, like in, like you mentioned the stride that I'm in. Mm-hmm. Like I think I shared with you how I turned this into a nonprofit. Yeah. Uh, barely in September, so it was September of '25, so it's not even a year yet. And then just a couple weeks ago, I launched a, a LLC. Okay. You know? So I did a, a, a Light Has Dawn media. All right. So, so now executive director of a nonprofit, and I'm just starting a business. But now you, you, you, you know what? Like as, my mentality is, like in, in the, the rhythm of life that I'm in, I wanna bring others along. Yeah. That, that's why I shared that message. Yeah. Like man, God created us. We're, uh, uh, it says that we were created in the image of God, and the first way that he revealed himself was as creator. Mm-hmm. That in the beginning, God created. Yeah. So there's the creator, and now, like I, I, I feel like he's awakened that in me. Mm-hmm. And now, uh, like my vision is to bring others along. Almost to awaken others as well. Yeah. Yeah. And come on, man, let's just go on this journey together. Let's learn together, 'cause trust me, I'm, I'm learning. Mm-hmm. But, but, but I'm going, man. Yeah, no. I f- I feel you, and I completely understand. You know what I be asking God? I was like, "God, just don't let me get tired, man." Don't let me, 'cause sometimes I, them days I be tired, bro. It's like, and I just like, "God, don't let me run out of gas," 'cause, uh, it's still a lot I wanna accomplish. Yeah. But I know everything takes time, everything takes work. Yeah. C- can I ask you something? Are, are you intentional of like taking a break? Like, man, like, or like you, y'all g- uh, gungho. Like, man, just- Uh, I try to take like one day out of the week, uh, and sometimes I'm like, I'm bad about it where like I'll work on that day too, but- I'd be like that. I'm gonna rest and- But it, it just feels- if, if, if, if nobody's around, I'll jump on the computer, start editing. Yeah. 'Cause y- you know, it's, uh- Like that grant we got, right? The three years came and went, and we did a lot of amazing things and we grew a lot, but it came to an end. And so now it's like we've secured other smaller grants. So it's always... And then there al- there's always a time period to the grants, you know? It's not like, okay, now you're good f- So that, that doesn't let my mind kinda be at ease a little bit, so I'm always trying to figure out, like, what's coming next. Yeah. I remember I was stressing, and we still had two years left, and I'm already stressing like, "What are we gonna do when this grant... What are we gonna do? We created this atmosphere. We created, like, all this, uh, momentum and, and it's just gonna die." Like, uh, I don't know if that's gonna be worse than if it never happened and- Mm you know? Like, is that gonna... It's gonna k- kinda almost feed the, the energy that was here before. Like, you said the defeatist energy. Like, "See? It didn't last." You know, it was only f- So that, and, and mind you, we still had 24 months left, and I'm already stressing. Like, not even being able to sleep just thinking about it, like, "What am I gonna do?" Like, we can't fail. Uh, but we're still making it. We're still making it. We're still, you know, able to provide programming for the youngsters. It's, it, it's not as big as it was for those three years. 'Cause bro, like, there was one summer we had 75 kids coming into our space five days a week during the summer at 10- from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Like, do you know how hard that is? Yeah. And they want- they wanted to come in, and that's because that's all we could take. It was more of them wanting to come, but it's like, it's too much. Yeah. Uh, but... And now it's like we got a s- smaller program. It's just m- we do smaller groups now, but more spread out throughout the year. Uh, so we're still making it happen. And now, like, we're kinda pivoting into this filmmaking, uh, world where, like, like you, I started a, a, a LLC last year for my production company. Okay. For my films. So my films are coming out through, like, that production company. The goal is, the vision that I had is that one day the production company is gonna dwarf the nonprofit, and now I'm gonna be able to hire people and not be stressing about if somebody in the state is gonna feel like our application is good enough or feel like we're worthy of a grant. 'Cause bro, that be pissing me off. Like, you don't see what we're doing here? Yeah. Like, how would you not wanna- Keep this going. And it, it gets me upset because I see all the money that's getting spent on other things. It's like, come on man. You see what, you see how many lives we're impacting? Like, is like a bike lane more important than that? You know what I'm saying? Like, and that's just as an example. Not, I don't got nothing against bike lanes or nothing, but- I, I do, especially on Archer, man. They don't... You see Archer Avenue, man? Yeah. They done jacked it up, man. Anyways, for yous that, that don't know Archer Avenue, man, runs probably through most of the city. What is it, east or west? Yeah. Turned two lanes into one. But anyways, I don't wanna get sidetracked. Yeah. But yeah, yeah. So that's what, that's what gets me upset. Like, I know it's possible to keep it going and, and then when you're competing against these... And then they're like, "It's not a competition, you know, Rod." But it is. Like, you start... The way they got it set up is all, it makes like organizations almost com- feel like they're competing against each other. And then when we're competing against huge nonprofits like a UCAN, like a New Life, like it almost feels like it's a giant- A Goliath and David life. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So it's just like we're not giving up the fight, and we- Right we still, we're still going, and we're solid, on solid ground. But it does get a little bit frustrating, a little bit disheartening. And just to like not have the peace of mind that you're not sure if, what this gonna look like. But then you gotta remind yourself, like- Who's in control for real. Yeah. You know? Yep. And, and I constantly gotta remind myself because, you know, like, you know, spiritual out here, the doubts start creeping in, the fear, the uneasiness, and we all know where that's coming from. Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's not coming from God- No you know what I'm saying? So just dealing with that and, uh, but you know, like I see us having a big production company one day where, like, the, the, we could possibly fund the nonprofit- Exactly on our own. Yes. Uh, so that's, that's the vision. Yeah. Yeah. That, that, that, that's the same way that, uh, that, that I'm thinking now. Mm-hmm. Like, I wanna create content for the nonprofit, so it's like the, the, the media side of it, the- Yeah uh, is gonna create the stuff, let's say the books, the- Yeah the study guides to be used for the nonprofit. Mm-hmm. And it's almost like the one's feeding the other- Yeah, yeah which is we're, we're like, kinda like what, what, what, what you mean, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. Yep. Like God willing, you know, you guys get, uh, what's the, uh, I mean, prosperous where enough where now, man, we're gonna take some of that money- Yep and we're gonna... Now, now you're, like, self-sustaining in a- Yeah in a sense. That's the goal and that's the key word, and that's what we've been talking about, becoming self-sustainable. Uh, because right now it feels like we're depending on handouts. Uh, and you know, we'll take it while it's coming and we're putting, we're, we're definitely been good stewards of, like, what we get blessed with and, you know, do everything we're supposed to be doing. Uh, but it's uncomfortable position to be in at the same time. Also because, like... And the reason we haven't, uh, in my opinion, been bigger is because, uh- Like I said at the beginning, I don't wanna change who we are. And sometimes it feels like, and, and maybe it's just the way I'm looking at it, but sometimes it feels like when I get into these rooms, again, it feels like people are competing with each other, like people presenting themselves a certain way, and I don't do that, bro. I can't do it. Like, I gotta be me. You know what I'm saying? And I'm not gonna do that. I'm like, I'm not gonna pretend to b- you know, be something I'm not, or I'm not gonna pretend to like, like you if I feel like you're not even acknowledging me. You know what I'm saying? So, and but I s- because you're used to so many people coming, "Hey, Mr. A." Like, you're not even interested in knowing what we got going on, so it's like, you know, I'm gonna just, you know, whatever. I got, I need to save my energy for all the challenges we have- Yeah when we get back to what we're doing. But as far as trying to 'Cause you know, I've been invited, "Man, I'm gonna invite you, bro, 'cause they gotta start knowing about you, and all the other organizations are gonna be there." And I go, and I remind my- it reminded me instantly that I- I, it felt like some years back why I didn't wanna be in these kind of rooms because we're different. I just feel And this is not, like, taking shots at nobody. Yeah. But I just feel like we're different. The way we do things is different. And, uh, I'm trying to connect with the people we're servicing. Yeah. And that's my priority. And sometimes it feels, like, reverse, like they're trying to connect with the funders, which is a smart strategy when- Yeah you're just looking at growth and numbers and But that's, you know, that's secondary to me. It's first like how are we connecting with the community? Yeah, yeah. With the ones, yeah. 'Cause they're, they're, like, what gives us value. Uh, and e- eventually, like, hopefully the people that got some sense that are able to help will catch on. Uh, but I have this year, like, made an effort to bring on people that are more comfortable in those rooms to maybe send them in there, you know? I- And I'll just chill I'll just chill back here. You know what? That- that's thinking like a CEO, man. Yeah. Because you could be, like, the visionary, but you, you, you might not be the best in those, uh, I would say the communication- Yeah the networking. 'Cause I, I'm, I'm like that too, man. Like, I'm, I'm good being by myself, man. Like I, I, I get a lot done by myself. Yeah, yeah. But that's not gonna take this to where I know God wants to take it. Yeah. But, like, I, I been Man, I been listening to podcasts. I, the- there's this one I just started listening to for like the last two weeks. It's, uh, a faith-driven entrepreneur. Mm-hmm. And all their interviews is, like, entrepreneurship, man. So the mindset of, uh- Yeah how, how, how, how could you be an entrepreneur, still be faith-based, but still be out in the world? Yeah. You know what I'm saying? And, and, and, uh, you Like me, obviously I'm faith-based as a believer, as a Christian. Mm-hmm. But I've been listening to guys that are, man, out in, uh, Silicon Valley. Yeah. And they're out building businesses. They're believers, but they're not out there, "Oh, you know, everything's Christian." Mm-hmm. But in their in, in the way they treat people and the way they do business- Yep it's all the values. Yeah. They have the values. Yep. And then when they ask them, "Hey, man, where, where do you get these values from?" And, "Man, why you treat your employees so Uh, then, then you point them to the faith. Right. So it's like changing the mentality, man, of, uh- Like g- going back to what you said about putting a, another person in that position, man. Yeah. Almost like an ambassador- Right. Yeah of, of Love City. Mm-hmm. But man, maybe that person, hey, lo- lo- loves networking, you know, like me. Yeah. That's My wife tells me, "Hey, you, you, you need to be more outgoing. You, you, you gotta, you gotta talk to people." Like, like I mean, like you know what? It's, it's, it's a mentality that hinders me. Uh-huh. Like I, I don't need nobody and, and, and that's not good, man. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? But, but having that person, like my wife, she's very outgoing. Mm-hmm. And, and she, she, she's on the board, so maybe I could have her be like the- Yeah "Hey, go, you go network. You go talk to people." Yeah. Like No, it's hard. It's, it's hard, uh- For me it's hard. It's the part that I hate the most, is just like having to put myself out there. You know, last year we had our first gala. Okay. And, you know, uh, we made the rounds on the news. You know, we were like at ABC7, WGN, Fox News Um, and then the guy was, like, telling me, "Man, you did real good on the news, man. I would've been nervous." And like, "How come you're not... You don't get nervous?" I was like, "Nah, I don't because I know the news really don't care." Like- Yeah so it's like why should I be nervous about... But when I spoke at the gala, I had to give a speech. I was nervous because it's like I know these people here care, and, uh, I wanna make sure, like, they receive the message that I'm trying to give them. And, uh, I'm not comfortable doing any of that. Like, I didn't enjoy going on the news, but I know- Yeah it was necessary- Yeah to bring awareness. Yep. Um, but at the same time, like, uh, same way, I've gotta be myself. I don't care if it's the news. No disres- I'm not- Yeah because I'm a respectful person, I'm a caring person, so I could be me, and if you're uncomfortable, that is your problem. You know, like, so... But with these people that were at the gala that, like, bought a ticket to come, some people bought a table, they donated, they're there trying to help us. Yeah. So now I, I wanna... I think I was more conscious and like, uh, I just want them to f- to know that how much, uh, it's appreciated and how much their support means to us and how we don't take it for granted. Yeah. And I didn't wanna mess that message up, so I was a little nervous speaking to them. Yeah, 'cause it, it was a weight. Yeah. Yeah. There was a weight behind it, yo. 'Cause I'm like these are our people. Yeah. The news ain't our people. Got it. You know? So I'm gonna go deliver my message, no sweat. Like, I don't care whatever they... If they don't understand it, that's their problem. You know, so yeah. Got it. But, but you know what? Hey, let, let... Man, I think we're already 55 minutes. We haven't even talked for the reason that you came, man. So let, let, let, let's go through, through the, uh... So you g- um, uh, executive director, nonprofit, started working with the youth, the programming, and the vision. W- when you were here, like I said, over three years ago, "Man, we wanna get into film. Man, I wanna make movies. H- how come it's not Chicago people telling Chicago stories, man?" Yeah. So see, w- w- you wanna tell us where, where you're at now? W- w- w- w- w- what... Basically, what the, the dreaming, the investing- Yeah where, where are you at, like, today? So, uh, about two months ago, my film got picked up by a distributor. That's the first challenge. Then the second challenge is getting placed on platforms. Uh, about three weeks ago, the movie got picked up by Tubi and Amazon. And I'm new to all of this, right? I'm learning everything. I'm learning, learned the creative side, learned the technical side. Now I'm learning the business side. And the way I wanted to do it, we got a premiere coming up July 11th. It's gonna be at CineCity Studios. Uh, you can get your tickets on Eventbrite and go support. So I wanted to have my premiere right before Tubi, because Tubi gave me a release date of July 17th. So I'm like, well, I had a premiere July 11th, and then the next week it comes out on Tubi. I didn't know Amazon drops first before Tubi. So our movie came out on Amazon yesterday Oh, good. I, no, for real? It's on Amazon right now. Hey, what, what, what, w- what's the name of the movie? I don't think you shared it yet. The name of the movie is Love from the Trenches. Love from the Trenches. So I was like... Everybody like, "Oh, that's amazing. That's amazing." I'm like, "No, it's not, man. It's gonna mess up my premiere." Like, people just gonna go watch it on Amazon for $3 instead of buying a ticket for 30, you know, like So, so but I'm learning, you know? Yeah. So I talked to, like, this other guy that's helping me with promotion. He's like, "Yeah, if I would've talked to you, like, a year ago, I would've told you, 'Hey, do your premiere way earlier.'" So it didn't roll out exactly how I had it planned. So, so you don't want me to share this before the premiere? Nah, sh- you, you can share it. 'Cause, like, the guy told me. Yeah. I was like, "Man, I don't... I'm, I think I'ma tell them take it down." Like, "No, don't do that, bro. Don't tell them take it down." Like- Oh, yeah, man, that's big. I mean- He said it's out. He's like, uh, "It's out now, man. You might as well start promoting." I'm gonna go watch it right now when you leave. So if you notice today, today on Instagram- Okay I, I put out a teaser a couple weeks ago- Okay of the movie. Uh, today I put out the full trailer. I didn't wanna put that out till, like, the day of the premiere. Okay. So I was like, "It's out now. I might as well put the full trailer out and start promoting it." Like, it's out on Amazon. So yeah, man, so if you watch it on Amazon- Yeah hey, man, come support the premiere 'cause the premiere's more than just the movie. You know, we're having, uh, a live DJ there. We're gonna have f- food there. I want it to be like a community event, like, for the first hour, and then sh- then show the movie. Okay. So it's not just like a, a- Just go watch a movie. Right, right. Yeah, yeah. Yep. Got it. It's like- H- g- yeah, yeah, go, go. Um, how, how does it feel, man? Like, the years, the investment, like, to have your movie on Amazon. I mean, that's big, man. A kid from Pilsen. A- and you know, going back just real quick on, on the interview we did, you were talking about the creativity. But back then it was, uh, break dancing. Back then it was recording from cassette players, from facing 'em and, you know- Making your own mixtapes. Yeah making your own mixtapes. And, and, uh, like I said, I was reflecting back on the interview, just the creativity. Like g- like going back 'cause I, I feel that's something that guys bringing into my, my mind right now- Yeah the creativity. So, so how does it feel, man? Years of investment into, you know? Yeah. I mean, it feels good, but, like, it's... I tell you, like, the way my mind works, I'm always thinking about what's next that sometimes it doesn't even let me enjoy- Mm what's going on. 'Cause even, like, people, like, when we got the nonprofit, when we got the grant, and we had able to get our own space, and be like, "Dre, man, you're not proud of yourself, bro? You started with an iPhone. Look at this, man." And, and it's like, man, I'm not even thinking about that, bro. I'm thinking about the two years. Like, I'm still thinking about how we gonna keep this thing going. But with this one- I have taken time to reflect, 'cause this movie took us three years to finish because we were learning. It's our first time. Right. It wasn't even supposed to be a movie. It was gonna be a series, like a YouTube series. I wrote, like, six episodes. Not knowing how to write, I just read some books about screenwriting and, uh, so it wouldn't be terrible and, and I realized how hard it is to be a writer. So, so the story's yours? Yeah, I wrote it. I wrote that. Man. I wrote it. But that made me realize that, like, uh... 'Cause I got another movie that's already done, too, and that one I hired a writer because it's like it, it's hard to be a good writer. Yeah. And again, I don't have the time to get good. The next project gotta be on point, so I hired a writer. But with this one it feels, it feels good, 'cause when I was, I was going through all the pictures and the videos, all the BTS for promotional stuff, it just reminded me of the journey, and it really felt good because I was like, "You know what? We're probably never gonna shoot a movie this way again. It's not gonna take us three years to shoot a movie ever again." Uh, the process of it, there's no trained actors in the movie. It was every people from the community. Now, we practice acting. Right. You know? But, uh, the, like, so many people volunteered their time to come help us behind the scenes holding a mi- holding a microphone, carrying lights. People let us into their homes. Businesses allowed us in their business to film. This was all with no budget. Uh, and it made me kind of reflect, and it made me feel good. Like, wow, I... We got it done. Uh, so that's, that part feels, it feels great, to answer your question. Uh, but, but you know what? Uh, that also so- shows the support and the love that you had throughout those three years with no budget. You know? Like, people basically v- v- volunteered, uh- Yeah to, to help you. Man, that's big. Yep. So going back to, you know, like, man, you're, you're more concerned about the people that- Yeah you're pouring into and the ones that are helping you in a sense, so it's almost like a mutual- Yeah blessing, I would say. Yeah. No, for sure. Uh, it, it, it kind of, it kind of just reminded me of- Whatever you put out is what's gonna come back. You know, you put out love and support, you gonna get love and support back. If you put out negative energy and destructive behavior, that's gonna come right back to you. Uh, and it goes back to what I just said earlier. As long as I keep doing what I'm supposed to be doing and carrying myself the way I'm supposed to, everything else is gonna work itself out, you know, how it's supposed to. And for the most part, it's been good. And when it's a setback, I don't, I don't let, I don't look at it as... I look at setbacks different. I just look at them like, "Well, it wasn't supposed to work out that way. Keep it moving." Yeah. "Keep going. Keep moving forward. Don't stop." I, I, I heard a, um, a quote. I think it said something like, uh, "I don't lose, I learn." Yeah. Like, from those setbacks. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, man, learn. Okay, maybe I did something wrong. Maybe I shouldn't have done that. Maybe, you know, I should've did it differently. I used to look at, I used to look at my time like that. I said, you know, if I do all this time and I come out and be the same person and didn't learn anything, then it was a waste of time. But if I come out better- Because I learned what I was supposed to learn about myself in there, and I changed who I am. My mentality's different. It wasn't a waste of time. It was a process. And I keep always looking back at that time that I was away. As, as more time goes on, the more it reveals itself to be a blessing. As hard as it was, as dark as it felt Like, I would never be doing the things that I'm doing now or think the way I do if I didn't go through that because it made It almost, like, forced me to change who I was as a person, like all the negative stuff. The, you, you know, the image that came to my mind is, like, forged in the fire. Yeah. That something got built in, in those years of the fire. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Of the, the, the, the hard almost like, uh- Yeah, yeah. Or how they say, like, the, the gold gotta get put through the fire to get purified. Yeah. You know, like, to get all of the bad stuff out of it. Right. That's, that's what it felt because it, it was, uh, it was a painful, dark time for me, you know? Like, it wasn't easy for me, you know. The, the mental part obviously is the hardest part about being locked up. I wasn't worried about no fights, I wasn't worried about getting stabbed, I wasn't worried about none of that. Not because I was a tough guy, but I just knew how to carry myself. Yeah. Yep. You know? I was always respectful, always humble in there. And for the most part you don't gotta worry about nothing if you carry It's the people that wanna act tough, wanna act crazy, them the ones that get what they're looking for, you know? Like, but, uh, so I wasn't never worried. My, my, the hard part for me was struggle just me- my, mentally. Like, just being away from all your loved ones, being isolated and having a lot of time to think, uh, how you messed up your life and, like, how do you fix it, you know? And just that was the hard part, figuring all that part. Yeah. Getting that stuff out. Yeah. I, I, I know that when, when, when you, when we did the first interview you were talking about the, the, the, the mental health, the- Mm-hmm trying to go to a, was it a therapist? Was it a- Yeah. A therapist, yep a- and then not being able to because they said- Yeah, they told me, they told me I didn't need it 'cause I never had any history of mental health. I was like, "Yeah, I never did 10 years in prison before, either." Yeah. And I mean, just growing up in Pilsen will give you some mental health issues. Yeah, man. Yeah. I told you, like, when I learned about anxiety I'm like, "Oh yeah, I had this my whole life." Yeah. "I didn't, I didn't know it was called something." Yeah. You just l- learned to, to, to, to, uh, uh- Yeah, you thought it was normal go with it. Yeah. Everybody's looking out. Yeah. Everybody's watching their back, you know? Just nat- it was just, like, natural. Yeah. And, you, you know, a, a quick question. I know you mentioned you wrote it. You also directed it. Yeah. So what, what, what, what, what else did you do on the film? What, what roles did you pla- uh, play? Like- I wrote it, I directed it, I produced it, and I also acted in it That's it, man? And I see a lot of people kind of like... To, to me, that's not a flex that I did all of those things, because all of that taught me that I need help. You know, I need help. I don't wanna ever have to do all those things again in- Yeah in one project. I wouldn't mind writing again, maybe keep, keep playing around with it. But for the meantime, I'm hiring writers that been working at their craft for years already, and they're good. I could work with them to put a story together, and they'll put it together for me or, you know, things like that. Uh, directing, you need to be just focused on directing. You can't be worrying about, "How do you fix this light?" Yeah. "Hey, let me check the sound real quick." Yeah. "Hey, man, uh, can you go run and get this?" Like- On the film set, there's people that do all of that. This last film that I shot in December, uh, that just got screened at the Soho House last night called Keep It A Buck, I hired a writer, but it had to be a, somebody from Chicago, 'cause I was like I wanna tell authentic Chicago stories. They gotta sound like Chicago. They gotta understand. So somebody that kinda under- You know how like you talk about the neighborhood, it's Like, you already know if I ex- if I describe something to you, you kinda get what I'm talking about- Yeah right? Because similar life experiences. So I felt like the writing had to be like that too. It couldn't be like somebody from out of town writing about how dangerous it feels. I need somebody that actually felt that danger, that has the talent to write- Yeah to write. Uh, so I had a writer. I had a producer. A producer's kinda like the person that organizes everything, that hires the crew, does the casting. Uh, I had a lighting person. All they do is work on the lights. I had a sound person. All they do... These are like tradesmen. Yeah. Like people that build a house. You got your electrical. Yeah. You got your carpentry. You got your plumbers. Drywall. So that's why, you know, again, I got experience- Yeah with real estate. You know, I've done some flips before. I've done some construction stuff. So to me it's like, okay, the producer's like the GC and everybody else is the tradespeople. And so now I know that's in good hands. I can just focus on directing. 'Cause I'ma tell you what will happen. The movie Love From The Trenches, when I see it now, I see it could, I see all the room for improvement, 'cause we're getting better, and it shows. It's funny, 'cause in the movie you can tell, like, the scenes are getting better as the story goes on. 'Cause remember, it's three years. And so, so don't, don't stop watching after the first 10 minutes, right? Yeah, right. Don't, don't... Give me a chance, you know? Stick around for 30 minutes at least. Yeah. Got it. So, you know, like, uh- What I noticed is when I was filming stuff, I was so focused on making sure the sound was right, making this right, and then I'm also shooting it. 'Cause a director doesn't shoot it, he just directs, so you need a camera operator. Okay. That's the other- So you were doing that too? Yeah, I was camera operator too. Yeah, I forgot about that. And then, you know, with the cinema cameras, it's manual focus. So you Uh, you know how these are auto-focus? Yeah. No, that one you gotta focus it yourself. On a set you have a focus puller. His job is just to make sure the focus is right, so he has a remote control focus thing. They put like a little motor on the, on the thing. It's like a gear that clamps onto the cinema lens, and a remote control, he has his own little monitor- Yeah and he's controlling it with a knob. Because cinematic, cinematic, uh, focus is different than auto-focus. This is more to, like, fast. Yeah. Cinematic you don't want it to be fast, that feels, like, too robotic. It's supposed to feel like the person's actually watching. Yeah. So you know when somebody's coming behind you, and he gets revealed, like it just looks blurry- Yeah, and then, yeah and then the camera reveals it slowly. Like, if it was auto-focus it would just focus real quick. So it's all like an art form. Yeah. All these things that I was learning, and I was like, man, you know how hard that is to pull focus? So I'm doing this, I'm filming. Yeah, yeah. And then when I go back- The performance wasn't, could've been better. Damn, I, I should've told him to do this. But I was too busy doing everything else. Yeah. So I was like, man, I need to not worry about all this- Yeah so I can just focus. So like I said, the last movie I was able just to direct. Got it. I was executive producer, executive producer's the guy that pays for everything, and director. So I was able to pay everybody to be there on set, and then I could just sit down in my chair and just watch the actors. And it's like, "All right, let's do it again. This time can you do this?" You know, like, so, uh- Now c- c- can I ask you something? Now, now speaking of that, like paying now, like how, h- how do y- uh, uh, how do you do, do you make movie, like, like does Amazon give you guys money or Tubi? Like w- how, how does that work, I guess? You have to- Wh- Nah, you have to- No put up your own money. So, so do you, do you gotta pay to get it on there, like on Amazon or Tubi? No, no, no, no, no. No? No. No. They have to, you have to pay to get it made. Um, and then once you have to, once it's made you can submit it, and if it passes like the qual- By, by made, what do you mean? Like, uh, somebody gotta put the finish from beginning to end together or like...? So everything, you gotta, you gotta rent the equipment if you don't have it. Uh, you gotta pay the actors, you gotta pay the lighting person, you gotta pay the locations. Then you gotta feed everybody. You gotta feed them breakfast, you gotta feed them lunch. You gotta pay the sound person. And then that's just to film it, and then once you're done filming it you gotta pay the editor to put it together, and then you have to pay somebody to color it, and then you have to pay a sound person to mix the sound. And then you have to pay a composer. A composer puts all the music, like the tense music, like So it's a, a lot of pro- And then once you do all of that, then you submit it. Now most people- can't afford to pay for all of that, so they'll just do it on their own. And that's kinda like Love From The Trenches was like that. But I had like, we had enough experience to where like the quality was good enough to get on the platform. And 'cause even though it was all volunteer, I still had to pay for some locations. Like if you, in the trailer we're in a hospital room, right? That was a set. I had to rent the set out, and the set was like $400 an hour. Uh, and then, you know, when we're shooting all day, I have to buy everybody food. That's, like I'm not gonna have you all day- Right with me and not feed you. Uh, I had to pay the editor to edit it. You know, so now like I'm paying for all the promotional stuff. I'm doing the premiere. You know, I had to pay for the venue. Hey, can I ask you a quick question? Accounting. Were you do- doing the accounting too? Keeping the books or somebody- I had to. I had to. Holy man. And trust me, I had to. Like- Hey, look, this year I hired some accountants. Okay. And they're like, "Man, you know, you could've saved this much money. You know, you could've did this. You should've structured..." So I'm like, "Shit, I didn't know." No, right. I didn't know. So we're actually going back 'cause it's... We still, uh, we're gonna go try to go back to my last year's taxes. 'Cause it's like you're supposed to get more money back because of the money you invested. Yeah. Right. And I'm like, "Oh, shit." Yeah. "I didn't know." Right. So now you, now you're talking about tax strategy. Yeah. And I was like... See, that- that's why I ask, 'cause that- that's how my mind is now, man. Yeah. Like, uh, man, I, I don't know. My mind is like, uh, uh, um, what is it? A entrepreneur, man. Yeah. Like business-minded. Yeah. Like I'm 48 years old and I'm like thinking like ways, like I, I wouldn't care, like accounting. Yeah, yeah. But now like when, as you're talking, like I'm seeing all the, like the needs, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. No, yeah. Like somebody had to... When you're buying all that food, s- somebody should've been, you know, keeping those receipts. Because, you know, you know what? If your money ain't right- I, I also have the mentality like nobody's gonna come and save us. I'm not gonna wait on somebody else to come and believe in my idea. Yeah. Like I'm gonna believe in my idea. You know? Since when I bought the camera, you know- Uh, I told you I tried to tell them, like, let me do this program here, and it just kinda right away clicked on me, like, why am I asking? I'm already doing it. Just go do it. Yeah. And it just kinda like, nobody's gonna invite you to their table. Start building your own table. Yeah. You know, so that's, that's the mentality. So I don't know, did, did you used to listen to Tupac back in the day? Oh, yeah. I, I remember The Makaveli song what, no, yeah it was a song where he talking about, um, he's like, I forgot. He like, "They told me, like, if I wanted to go to war, to war, to get my money right." He's like, "Now I got my money right. Now I want war." So that's the mentality, like, this film stuff is like I'm going to war. But it's like I gotta get my money right first. Yeah. Now I got my money right, now I'm going to war. Like, now I'm putting my money out. I'm spending 'cause I'm, like, I'm paying for these projects. Uh, but it took me, you know, five years of obviously, like, being, having, like, a financial strategy to save enough money. I was able to, like, I was real lucky to, like, uh, buy, like, some rental properties just right before COVID, before the prices went crazy. And again, I didn't know. Right. Like, it's, I'm not gonna say, oh, 'cause I'm a smart real estate investor, I knew to... Nah, it's just like God, you know? Like- Yeah and obviously I was able to sell one of those properties, and the money I got from that, from the proceeds of that sale is what I'm using to invest in my films. And so it's like I don't need nobody to believe. I believe. Yeah. And, and I'm gonna put my money up. Put your money where your mouth is, right? It makes sense. But I'm not, but I'm not foolish either. Like, I, I studied everything. I learned about distribution. I learned about promotion. I learned about what's a reasonable budget, what things should cost, especially for a small independent film company. I'm not gonna jump out the window. I'm gonna take, like, a smart, calculated risk. Still a risk. Yeah. 'Cause nothing's guaranteed, but at least, like, you can mitigate the risk. You can kinda bring the risk down as much as you can. So I know, like, realistically, these movies that do good, this is how much they can possibly make, and this is a realistic number, so the rest of the numbers gotta add up to that. Like, you can't be spending what it's probably gonna make only a, in total on the whole budget. You're not gonna- Yeah and then that's if it does good. Right. And if it doesn't, 'cause, and it happens, and I see now, I'm talking to other filmmakers- They're not even thinking about the business side. They're just so focused on the creative part. And it's sad because, like, you're probably never gonna get another chance to work on another one of your ideas because of the position you're putting yourself in now. Mm. Like almost like digging a hole for yourself in a sense. Yeah. You got investors, bro. You're not even gonna get none of their money back. So I was like, how do I put myself in a position where, like, once I start, we don't stop? So I gotta learn how to do this for the least amount of money possible but with, for the most quality at that price. Yeah. And then- Promote the hell out of it, create awareness, but what's the smart strategy or way of doing that? Right. And after that the money that comes in, reinvesting it, continue to grow. 'Cause I, I told people, like, I don't, like... I have a house. I don't need a house. I don't need a new car. My car's still got some years left in it. I don't wear no fancy clothes or jewelry. I said, "Whatever money I make with these movies, I'm putting it right back in to create more projects." 'Cause I think, like, that's the, that's the way we can grow this thing. And then once, you know, once we grow it, then we can start doing the other things we talked about, is now, like, we can start spreading that growth and inviting more people from the community to take part of it in one of these. There's a lot of work here, bro. There's a lot of work. You wanna be a lighting guy? I can pay you to be a lighting guy. I can pay you to be a sound person. I can pay you to be a actor. I can pay you to be a camera operator. I can pay you to edit. I can pay you to be a sound designer. I can pay you to write. The same way I, I pay for these scripts, I, I'd rather pay you, but you gotta be good. No, right. You know? So if, and so that's the goal, where, like, we build this whole ecosystem where, you know, we're providing opportunities, and maybe you write a script for us, a small film company, and a big studio gets c- captures- you capture their attention, and then you go work for them and boom, you take off. And then you, we could say you started with us. Right. You know? Same thing. Hopefully we put a, somebody on the screen that turns into a big star. Right. You know? Like, so that's, that's how I see things happening, you know, creating new talent and that, watching that talent take off. And like this, you know, I be telling everybody, "I need somebody here to become a star, bro." 'Cause if you become a star, guess what, now we can have a star in our movies, you know what I'm saying? 'Cause right now we don't have no stars or nothing, we just got, like, local actors. But, uh, I want you to learn what we do and do it better than what we're- Yeah how we're doing it. And then when you do it better, I'm gonna ask you, "Hey, show me how you did that," you know? Right. Right. Man, you, you, man, you got a lot, wearing a lot of hats, a lot of different roles. A question that came to my mind, I was listening to a podcast a- and I think I was talking to a brother, uh, uh, uh, recently, and the question was, h- uh, uh, "How do you define success?" Like, how, how, how w- w- I guess, when will you know that you're successful? What, what things... 'Cause it's different to everybody. Yeah. You know? Like, what, what, what's success mean to you? Like- When I don't think about money no more Where money's not even a thought. I just wanna think about ideas, and the money's not even a issue. And I don't think that's a crazy amount where, like, I know that my family's taken care of. We g- we got a roof over our head, everybody's secure, and we can just think about ideas because ideas are creations. And how you s- you talked about the beginning, I feel like God created us to create. Yep. And I know one thing, it's hard to be creative when you're struggling in other parts of your life. Uh, and I see it all the time. I... And I... That's why some of the people, creators that I work with, it's hard to push them, uh, because you can't push a creator. Like, you can't force people to be creative, and you can't like, uh... You know, like, if you're a boss you can kinda get on your workers and, "Come on, man, let's pick up the pace," and you can't do that to creatives 'cause they gotta create the way they create. Yeah. And sometimes, you know, it takes time or whatever. But it's hard to do when there's like- money on the line, people's rents on the line, and so I don't wanna have to worry about that, bro. 'Cause, you know, we come from poverty, bro. Yeah. And, you know, not too long ago I didn't have nothing when I came home. I, so that's still, like, not in the distant past. So this, u- unfortunately, like, it's always on my mind. Like, my, my f- 'cause I'm a provider now. I have a family that I gotta provide for, and I'm always thinking, like, I don't ever want them to feel, you know, what it feels like to not have nothing- Yeah to where, like, it's drastic, right? But, so I think I'll be successful when I'm not thinking about bills. I'm just thinking about, what's the next idea? Mm. You know what I'm saying? That, that's success to me. Man, that is good, man. Just the next project and just on the go, man. So, so, uh, the last time you were here, you're like, "Man, I, I, I, I, my, my vision is to create movies." Bam, you're creating movies. You mentioned two, I believe, and I think you said another one in the works? So how many more in the works? Yeah. Uh, so next, the end of July 31st, I'll be in Detroit for seven days filming. I'm working with a producer from Detroit that I hired, uh, that's already doing great things, that I've been kinda knowing already for a few years. Uh, and now that I'm in position to be, like, put a film budget together, you know, I was like, "Hey, man, when we gonna, when we gonna do something together?" And then she kinda, like, told me, like, "Yo, this is, this how I do things." And I'm like, "All right, cool. Like, I can roll with that. That makes sense to me. Let's go." So, uh, you know, we're gonna work out there. I wanna learn their process, the way they do things. I'm always trying to learn, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's awesome, man. They're, they're having some success. But, uh, so we got the, the two films done. I helped produce a third film that'll be out in this winter. Uh, that one I was just one of the producers on it. You know, I was, uh, I got a small piece of ownership of that. But yeah, uh, we're doing it. We're doing it right now. So that was three years ago we talked. So let's say we do an interview three years from now, what's Dre gonna be doing three years... W- what's your vision three years from now, man? Man, my vision is our production company's big, man. We have our own, our own studio that we actually own. Uh, and we're gonna be- We're gonna be providing opportunities for other creators to come and showcase what they do. Uh, and we're gonna help them make their films, you know? Uh, and I think this j- this thing is just gonna be Almost like, almost like a, like a Disney, you know what I'm saying? Like, when you see like Love City's just gonna be a creative hub of making films Telling the impactful stories, you know? I got a film that we're, that we're working on right now. We've been working on the script, and this one I'm getting involved with a little bit more about all the stuff that happened with the ice stuff here in Chicago. Oh, okay. So we're writing that right now, and we're taking our time with that one. And I know the writer I was working with was, like, wanting to hurry up and put it out, and I was You know, I'm, you know me, I'm patient. I'm like, yeah, yeah. But then it's like, nah, this ain't one of these stories where you just It gotta be right. It gotta be right, it gotta be real, 'cause I want people to feel something when they watch- Mm my movie. Anything. I want you to feel something, man. Like, I might, I made you laugh, I made you happy, I made you sad, I made you angry, but I want you to feel. Yeah. You know? Like, if, if you felt something, then we made a good movie. Yep. And when everything was going on with the ice stuff, I just felt so, like, angry and so, like, helpless. Like, I, like, what can I do? I need to do something, man. Like, what can I do? And it's like, do I just get angry and go on the internet and rant? And, and it's like, there's already enough of that going on. And, and I was like, "I'ma make a movie about this." Hopefully it can make people feel what we're feeling in these communities so you can care about what's going on. And that's a tall task, and I'm hoping, you know, we're able to do it right. So that's, like, one of the projects that, uh That's more like a passion project Mm And even that one, I don't wanna shortchange on the budget. Uh, 'cause if we need to spend a little money on something in order to deliver a certain, you know, scene or something, I wanna be able to do it. I don't wanna be like, "Oh, it'd be nice to do this, but since we don't got the budget, we're just gonna do it- Right this way." Nah, so that's, uh, that's something else I'm working on right now. Got it. So that's like the, the vision for that. And do, do you see yourself being a writer for that? Just directing? I, I definitely, uh, wanna get involved in the writing, but I'm also- I was talking about this with the person that, that I'm working on it with. We wanna bring in people from the community that actually got impacted firsthand, 'cause we know some, and we wanna invite them into the writing process and see if it's possible that, that they might wanna write a couple scenes, a couple lines of dialogue, because what's realer than that? They were there, you know? Uh, and again, this is kinda like what we're hoping for. We're gonna see if we can execute it, if we can find the right people. But that's, like, our goal and our intention is to include the community. 'Cause that movie is not gonna be, like, our movie, bro. It's gonna be the, the community's movie. Like, like, their movie. The ones that- Yeah, it's gonna be theirs the ones that were- Yeah. Yep. Man, and, and you know what, uh, just came to my mind? Like, even having them, the ones that experienced it, like, maybe even when they actors, right? Like, talking- Yeah to them and sh- sharing the emotions so they could- However- kinda, kinda pick up- However they wanna, yeah, however they wanna get involved and they're willing to put the work in, man, like, we got a open door. 'Cause I'ma tell you one thing, a lot of people think they wanna make movies until it's time to make a movie, and they like, "Uh, yeah, I don't know if I like this." You know, you're talking about 10, 12-hour days, and sometimes you're just sitting around waiting for, like, the next scene to be ready. We gotta move all these lights from this room to the next room, and gotta get everything right and, and it's, it's not, like, exciting. It's not fun. It's, it's work, man. It's work, so you really gotta, like, love it. Right. And people just be like, especially the young people, you know, "Man, I, I ain't think it was gonna be all like this." I say, "Yeah." Yeah. "It might not be for you- Right 'cause this is what it is. If you don't like this, then you might not wanna make movies." Right, right. Go fu- find something else to do, huh? Yeah. But- Man, uh, amazing, man. Hey, it's already been an hour and a half, man. Damn. But i- i- is there anything that, that you wanted to share or anything else that we didn't get a chance to, to, to, to talk about, man, that- No, I mean, uh, just support, support the project, man. Just know that when you see our brand on something, uh, understand, like, the story behind it and the intentions behind everything we make. Uh, whether it's not your, like, cup of tea as far as entertainment, that's understandable. Whether you not, maybe not agree with the messaging that's, uh, certain, that's understandable too. But just know, like, the people behind it are people that have good intentions and are, like, of service to, like, the people in the community. Got it. Yeah. Now, now, uh, for, for those that are gonna watch, you know, those from Pilsen or Humboldt Park or the other areas that you've been through, Chicago base, how, how, how could Chicago support you, man? How, how is Love City gonna be, I guess, recoup some money, man? Like how does that work, man? So first of all- Uh, we have our premiere you can find on Eventbrite. You go on Eventbrite, type in Love From the Trenches red carpet premiere. You can buy a ticket to the premiere. That'll be a, a good way to start. Uh, like I said, our movie's out on Amazon Prime that you can rent right now for, like, $2.99. Uh, and last but not least, on Tubi you can watch it for free. You know, just watch it. Uh, give it a chance, turn it on, and give us some views, 'cause, you know, we get paid through, like, the ad revenue. So however many people, you know, watch it, it's however times they play a commercial, that's how we get paid. Oh, okay. So, uh, so that's really how you can support us is just by watching our project when it comes out on Tubi or attend one of our premieres. And, you know, obviously we got the website, uh, lovecity.org for the non-profit. There's a donate button on there as well, but I don't really like, uh, promoting the donate button, you know? Yeah. I know it's, it's hard out here. People just barely making it, so I almost feel guilty sometimes asking people to f- support financially. See, see, but that's where you gotta put somebody else in that position, man. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. For real, man. Yeah. 'Cause I, I'm the same way, man. I don't like to ask for money, but man, it, it, it, it takes money to do the work you're doing, man. Yeah. Yep. It, it takes money to, to do the programming with the youths. Yep. Like you said, to feed them. And man, but man, donate. Hit the... I'll say it, man. Go to lovecity.org and hit that donate button, man. But, uh, hey, Dre, usually I ask our guests, man, if they, if, you know, if you ain't got no... Oh, oh, you know, uh, uh, uh, s- social media links. You know, where, where they can find you. Yeah, so you can find us on Instagram at Luvcitychi. That's L-U-V C-I-T-Y C-H-I. Uh, you can find us on Facebook, same thing. TikTok, Luvcitystudios. I gotta post there more often. I don't really post a lot of TikTok. Um, website, lovecity.org. And again, just check out the, the movie on Tubi, Love From the Trenches. L-U-V, Love From the Trenches. And, uh, I'll probably give you the, the movie poster so you can probably post that in the video. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely. I'll put it on the, the video. Put it, put it on the screen. Yeah. When I edit it, I'll put it on there. Yeah. That way they can definitely, uh, check it out. But man, hey, Dre, you, you mind closing now, uh, closing us out in a prayer? Uh, you know my prayers are fast, man. Hey, it's all right, man. Uh- Father God, I just wanna thank you again for allowing us to be in this space together and, you know, share my story with this brother here who started this podcast. Uh, and I just ask that you bless this platform, bless his family, bless e- everybody around them. And I just ask that you continue to guide us, Lord, and that, you know, our, our steps are aligned with your will. And, you know, just keep everybody safe, keep our family safe, our loved ones safe. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Amen. Amen. And with that, we're gonna get ready to wrap up. Thanks for b- being on here, brother. Uh, M- Matthew 4:16 reads, "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." Alongside my brother Dre Rodriguez, I'm Omar Calvillo, and through Jesus Christ, I've gone from darkness to light and from wrong to strong