ITT 231: Inside the Mind of an Underground Comedian, Actor, and Film Producer with NT Bullock of Sequential Pictures

Nicholas Todd Bullock (NT Bullock) is the founder of Sequential Pictures. He is a filmmaker who discovered his passion for creating videos long before the advent of YouTube. In the mid-90s, he got hold of his father's camcorder and fell in love with capturing moments on camera. Despite the limitations of the time, like the absence of editing software like Final Cut Pro or access to free training and tutorials (again -- this was pre-YouTube), Bullock persevered. He worked multiple jobs to save up for a computer and a video capture card, recorded tons of skits and short films with his friends, and eventually published his work online -- and went viral with one of his first parodies published on youtube: "STAR WARS: A Lost Hope".

Since then, he's filmed and produced dozens of short films, parodies, and skits, as well as feature films.

In today's conversation, Todd shares his 'origin story', how he got started in film, what inspired him to create and publish these skits and parodies, what the reception has been, including the ups and downs of being a creator in a world that tends to hammer those who are inventive (including, in my words, YouTube's crazy and unfair copyright "standards", shadowbanning, and more).

We also talk about Todd's recent near-death experience (including multiple trips to the ER, 17 days in the hospital, and losing weight till he weighed only 89 pounds), how this has impacted his career, and how he's rebounding (including what's coming next from him).

As an aside, if you feel compelled to support Todd, you can find a gofundme for his health challenges here, and hopefully, I've inspired him to set up a Patreon account, which may be live in the near future. 

I hope you enjoy today's conversation, and if you do, please share this interview with others, and leave a review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you're listening to this.

In this broadcast, NT Bullock and I talk about (timestamps):

[00:00:00] Intro to the filmmaker NT Bullock 

[00:08:39] NT Bullock's journey, early online success, and learning process.

[00:17:17] How learning and adapting online facilitates the creative process.

[00:20:57] The challenges with measuring or projecting the time to complete a project (and why NT Bullock focuses on "getting the job done" instead of hitting specific 'metrics')

[00:27:35] The early days, the struggle to monetize content, and how he found success.

[00:39:33] How NT Bullock got started with paid film gigs (including car commercials), how he financed his movies, and why he prefers making shorts over feature length films.

[00:46:32] Why NT Bullock doesn't use Pateon (but should!) 

[00:53:06] YouTube's unfair copyright policies and why they limit revenue and visibility.

[00:57:58] The challenges of making and selling creative projects (or the pain of commercializing art)

[01:11:41] Redubs, the Dune film, and what inspires NT Bullock's art.

[01:15:43] Health struggles, his near-death experience, business setbacks, and the uncertain future. 

[01:24:03] Wrap up and what's coming next