Shane Stanley

Shane Stanley understands the entertainment business. He won his first Emmy at 16, followed by three more nominations and a second win at 19 years of age.

He has worked at just about every area on and off the set starting with The Desperate Passage Series which was nominated for 33 individual Emmy’s and won 13 statues over a five year run. Charlie Sheen and multi-platinum recording artist Bret Michaels brought Shane in as VP for their production company, and he went on to co-produce five motion pictures with them. He, then, co-wrote, produced and edited No Code of Conduct for Miramax’s Dimension Films.

In 2003 he directed Bret Michaels hit Raine for VH1 and MTV. Also that year he won a Gold Special Jury Award at the “World-Fest International Film Festival” directing his own original screenplay, A Sight For Sore Eyes starring Gary Busey with a budget of only $10,000. It went on to win a “Telly Award,” and “Aurora Award,” as well.

In 2005 he directed still more award winning music videos and headed out with Jamie Foxx on his Unpredictable Tour where he produced and oversaw his television ad campaign for Jamie’s first sold out tour.

This year and most recently, Shane was the Executive Producer, with his father Lee as the Producer of the #1 box office hit, Gridiron Gang starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for SONY Pictures, based on Stanley’s Emmy Award winning documentary of the same name.

Kathleen Cooke: Tell us a bit about yourself and your accomplishments?

Shane Stanley: I am a producer, writer, director, editor and partners with my father Lee Stanley in our production company Visual Arts Entertainment. I grew up being taught that you’ve got to go out and learn as much as you can, so that when you get into the position of actually making a film, no one can “pull the wool over your eyes.”

I was 16 when I got my first Emmy, working with Michael Landon. When I was working on The Desperate Passage series. We didn’t have much money, so we “begged, borrowed, and stole” to get it done. My dad would say “grab a camera, and some sound gear and let’s go!” I was young and wanted to be a “rock star” back then, but it never worked out, so I became very savvy in music, equipment, and the technical aspects of the business. I learned it all.

KC: Is there a path that you think people should take to get into the business?

SS: I think everyone takes a different path. I think you have people that say I’m going to write, so they write a script and they shop that and realize that nobody wants it. Then, there’s people that want to be actors and they go to 15 acting classes a week and they realize they can’t get an agent or a job.

Then there’s the nepotistic way, which didn’t work for me either. I assumed my dad would hire me and we’d go riding off in the sunset together making movies. But, when I told him I wanted to work in the business he said “Great, now go get a job!”

I elected to learn the craft as a film editor. My dad said “ if you want to be a great writer, producer, actor, camera person, learn editing because an editor sees all the mistakes and has to fix them!” You’ll learn what not to do if you spent time in the editing room. I spent 5, 6, 7 years in the edit bay doing nothing but cutting anything and everything I could get my hands on. Anyone who wants to make movies should spend a few years in the edit bay, especially camera people. (He then went on to say it several times over and over again…learn to edit, learn to edit , learn to edit!)

KC: So, you learned camera work and editing, how did you learn to write?

SS: Writing came by accident. I wrote my first script in 1982 when Rocky III came out. I re-wrote it. I was 10, I did it on my dad’s typewriter! I always wanted to write so fast forward to a later phase in my life when I met Charlie Sheen. I worked for him for about 3 years typing for him. He needed someone to type for him and I was a fast typist. He would want to spit out a thought and I would “throw in my two cents!” So we started writing together. I mean, if you watch Two and ½ Men, I don’t care who they credit the writing to, I will bet a million dollars that Charlie writes his own dialogue. I know how he thinks.

So writing sort of happened by accident, and then I discovered a passion for it. It all starts with what’s on the page. I find that I have the most success with writing things that I’ve experienced and that I have lived. I think the best advice I can give writers is to try and get with a talented actor that’s worked and write a scene with them. I had amazing growth in my writing working with actors like Charlie and Martin Sheen. I, also, did a film with Gary Busey. The things I did with him were so memorable on the screen because of the script, and the way he went into it. I always find that you grow “leaps and bounds” when you work with people who have spent years in the industry entertaining, because they have brilliant minds and are at a different level. You learn so much from them.

KC: Your movies seem to be very inspirational, based on real people. Why?

SS: What’s important to us regardless of the film genre is when people walk out and they’re getting more than an empty box of popcorn. What we try and do is make our films “realistically inspirational.” We want people to walk out saying “I can apply those lessons to my own life, to my own relationships with my children.”

Stallone wrote the script “Rocky” in 30 minutes in his bathroom on toilet paper. He did a great job, everything we’ve done on Gridiron but our script was based on a true story.

KC: How does a person have longevity and stay encouraged in this business?

SS: What I’ve always done to eat is to always be gracious with success and always handle failure well. My advice to artists is pray you don’t make it when your young! Having to wonder how you’re rents going to get paid, or how you’re going to make a car payment, or your dog is sick and you need to take it to the vet. Those are the things that shape people.

Even with the success of Gridiron Gang I still think, be prepared! Life is funny, have faith, do your part, and believe in what you do and don’t give up. It doesn’t always happen when you want it to happen. I’m a firm believer that God will always give you what you need, but he doesn’t always give you what you want. He will provide, but “to whom much is given, much is required,” and you have to do your part.

I achieved a lot at a young age and got into a lot of money by the time was 28, 29, 30 years old but I was out driving a water truck to survive for a while. I went from coming off a set directing a couple of Academy Award nominated and winning actors and then 6 months later I was out driving a truck trying to make the rent. That’s a reality check! It is a big mistake we make as artists to think that whatever it is we are working on at that moment is going to be it! Artists are very myopic. It’s all about us. It’s all about now. This movie is going to “break” my career.

My advice is to keep it real. We are all instilled with beliefs, and a knowledge of right and wrong. I enjoyed my youth maybe more than I should have. I think there’s a balance you have to learn. If you live “holier than thou,” then your making a mistake too, and you’ll be a puppet for religion and work will be very difficult.

I think the way that I have been able to stay employed and stay true to my morals is finding the balance and perspective. You’re conduct is everything. I think a big part of why my marriage works today is because I’m not pulled or swayed by the next big thing and the next “starlet.” Being raised in a Christian family made a big difference too. I never lost my faith. Did I sometimes walk in a shade of grey? Yes, but I never strayed from the Lord, I always had Him in me. That’s what is important.

KC: With the success of Gridiron Gang, what do you think you’ll be doing in the next 5 years?

SS: I hope to be working!! It’s a fickle business. My history has been success, two years without working, success, three years without working, success, two years without working… I hope and pray those days are over. What Gridiron has afforded us is the ability to have people come to us now that have the power and ability and resources to “green light” a project that we believe in. We have a “Motor Cross” script, and a story about Kelly Sutten, who has multiple sclerosis and drives for NASCAR. She holds the track record at Daytona. We are in development with both of them right now. You get people who want to throw money at you, but then they have “conditions.” We like to do movies our way, without too many “conditions.” That’s what we want to be doing.

KC: What kind of people do you like to hire?

SS: If someone comes to me and wants to work for me and they say, “I’m a Christian,” I say “great,” We can pray after work! I’d rather hire a sound guy that’s not a Christian but is the best I can get and make an impact in his life. How are we going to make an impact and a difference if we only hire Christians? Christians are great to have on the set, but it is not a priority.

We had a tragedy on Gridiron Gang, while we were shooting. Our writer’s son was hit by a drunk driver and left on the road for dead and in a coma. We had 350 people the next morning standing at the 50 yard line at the stadium, grabbing hands and saying “The Lord's Prayer” together for this young man. I guarantee you that 95% of those people were not believers. That’s how you make a difference! And, it’s because they respected our work and how we behaved on the set that got them there holding hands and praying.

KC: Other than the Bible, what book would you recommend for someone to read or perhaps a movie they should watch?

SS: Well you have to read the Bible. If you don’t understand the first half, at least read the second half. There’s a lot of tools for living in it. Other than that, there’s one book called The Five C’s of Cinematography. That is a book that every person who wants to make a movie needs to read. Read it twice! While you’re in the edit bay working, read it on your “down time!” My dad introduced it to me about 5 years ago. It’s amazing. Most of it is based on old examples from John Wayne, John Houston, and Hitchcock, but it all plays today.

The films that changed my life are “The Black Stallion” with Mickey Rooney, and Terri Garr. There’s 30 minutes with no dialogue, just the cinematography. Its wonderful. The movie that “mirrors” my own life and I love is “Jerry McGuire.” If there was ever a parallel to my life with success, failure, success, failure it’s this movie. But, it’s also how Cameron Crowe told the story. I make everybody who’s involved in my life watch it! It’s about loyalty, respect, and being gracious with success and dealing with failure. It’s everything we have talked about.