We Are Behind The Rabbit (An Artist Profile)

IMG_5909I’m back from Digital Detox. Weee! And there are so many things I want to share with you in regards to insights about stepping away from the computer and about pitching (which is Mhairi and I’s latest adventure) but first I wanted to share our latest interview as it was just released today.

While we were in New York, we sat down with our good friends over at Behind The Rabbit Productions as part of their Artist Profile series, to speak about the inspiration behind Feathers and Toast and what we hope to accomplish with the show. I think they did a great job putting this together and hope you’ll take a look.

 

 

 

Artist Profile Series – Behind The Rabbit Productions


Never Underestimate The Benefit of a Juicy Delusion of Grandeur

Meme_S2E1_1When I was 22 years old I moved to NYC to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up and one day as I was wandering down those busy streets the answer came to me in a flash: I was going to make movies.

I saw the whole thing in my head. My first film was going to be a comedy about a daughter who outs her closet writer mother. Goldie Hawn would play the mother, Meg Ryan would play the crazy Aunt, Alfre Woodard would play the mom’s best friend, Jack Nicholson would play her mom’s unrequited lover and I would play the daughter.

Never mind that I had never written a script in my life, nor had any contacts in the entertainment business, nor any experience Producing, I had passion and creativity on my side and I was going to go ahead and write this script, and then co-produce it with whichever studio picked it up (so that I could still have some control creatively) and cast myself. I gave myself about a 2 year time frame.

Go ahead and laugh. Seriously, have a hearty laugh because this, my friends, is a delusion of epic proportions. A 22 year old unknown back in 1992, with literally zero experience in anything and not a single connection in the business thinks she is going to get Hollywood to produce her largely all female comedy and that they are going to happily let her co-produce it with them and cast it, giving herself one of the starring roles? It’s hilarious! But at the time, I really believed it and I am so glad I did.

See here’s the thing, that delusion was my rocket fuel. It was my carrot keeping me running around the track. I would never have spent the nearly countless hours I have spent over the last 20 years disciplining myself to hone my writing skills and complete scripts if it hadn’t been for the hope that delusion would become real. I would never have gone after and landed all the jobs I did if I hadn’t thought I needed those experiences in order to service that delusion and I am certain I never would have been able to shield myself from all the well meaning dream doubters along the way if it hadn’t been for the warm embrace of that delusion. I would have given up long ago.

My lovely little delusion served me quite well. As the years went by and pure dreaming slowly got replaced by actual skills and real connections that initial delusion slowly changed, morphed, in fact I became completely aware that it was a delusion, I just didn’t care. It had lead me down a path I wanted to be on. I created more of them.

Eventually the delusions no longer served me, in fact they started to get in the way. They became the thing in the way of realizing that my dreams are no longer “dreams” but simply my here and now and that if I didn’t start seeing it in that context, and speaking of it in that context, and being in the very real moments that were happening to me right here in the now, then I was going to unintentionally push them away. This leads me to…

Industry Tip #8

Allow yourself to dream big audacious dreams, but don’t let it stand in the way of you realizing and fully participating in the successes you already have.

And without further ado I will share the final Episode of our very first season of Feathers and Toast. The one where our lovely Tallulah first develops her own delusions of grandeur. She saves a life and now thinks this cooking show might just be her mission in life, that she’s meant to “Save The World One Sandwich at a Time” (Apparently Mhairi, who created that storyline, appreciates the power of a juicy delusion as well)

What delusions have served you well?


The Third Vlog

Thank you for watching and commenting on last weeks vlog. Amazing how many people share my serious fear of rats. When stopped in traffic the other day I glanced out of the window just in time to watch a rat streak out from under a bush and run, unseen into some grass. I gripped my steering wheel a little tighter and realized that I had by no means hit total zen with the rat phobia thing to be honest. But perhaps I am a little closer to calm. At least my Prius wasn’t subjected to my screaming in abject terror…so progress has been made. Anyway, here is this weeks vlog. Hope you enjoy and let me know how you manage to keep a lid on sweating the small stuff.

Please click HERE to watch video


A little Pad Thai breakdown

Dear summertimers,

Yes there was a little breakdown over a Far Eastern curry but darling, at the end of the day, whats important is how one picks oneself up after a little bump in the road. Think of the eagle and don’t allow yourself to be reduced to pecking at little bits of seed and grains in the muck darling, like a common chicken. You’re meant for bigger and better things than that to be honest.

Yours in soaring above it all feathers,

Tallulah

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO


The return of the kale darling

Dear Summer-timers,

Hope this finds you well. Well darling the same cannot be said for me I’m afraid. I have been hauled out of shooting for the next few weeks in order to focus on pre production of season 2 of Feathers and Toast despite a trip yesterday to the hairdressers to enhance my red highlighted hair.

So darling, to be honest, my freckled nose is slightly out of whack as I like to be camera ready and miming my way to you on a weekly basis. One needs a 2 minute mime to cheer one up come rain or shine, I would have thought. But the powers that be have decided otherwise, and as I am only 5ft 3 in stature I cannot tackle them physically; one needs to be reasonable when sizing up the odds of winning such scuffles.

But darling, they cannot prevent us from watching re-runs. In true summer style lets have a few weeks of season one and relive the classic kale moments, tomato squelching and neon fusion cooking in order to best prepare for the imminence of season 2. (please do remember at this point to refrain from wearing crocs while watching)

Pull up your cocktails and un-croc’d feet and settle in for 4 minutes of kale cooking splendor in action,

Yours in re-run feathers,

Tallulah

CLICK HERE TO WATCH


The cabaret and the mime

Dear weekenders,

Hope this finds you preparing accordingly for the longest day of the year with glasses of elderflower juice and thoughts of Midsummer Nights Dream. This week I have been asked to open the French cabaret cancan dancers, Cabaret Versatile, which is what happens when one is famous darling.One must do these sorts of openings and things. So Feathers and Toast will be live for the very first time in history.This weeks episode comes direct from the Green Room right before going out to the audience of millions.

Hold onto your famous French feathers,

Tallulah

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO


The Ultimate Antidote to the pressures of Modern Life

Dear weekenders,

Darling, lets be frank. Often times we are pushed to our very brink with the level of stress and anxiety which greets us at every twist, turn and waking moment of the day. Fear not however, one does not have to be broken to smithereens. Instead darling, it is, with a little 60 second “time out”, entirely possible to rise like a phoenix from the ashes and simply soften the stressed out blows.

Please watch and learn and let your life return to its gentle merry glory unvexed by whatever storms may come.

Yours in very relaxed feathers,

Tallulah

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO


Springtime Springs in your step darling…

Dear Springtime-ers,

To celebrate the chicks leaving their eggs, the lambs abounding freely across meadows and the cherry blossom blossoming for all and sundry: I have left the house.

Thats all I will say about that darling. Take a moment out of your garden relaxing day and watch the adventures beyond the kitchen…

Yours in neon spring loving feathers,

Tallulah

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO