#50 - Jason Carman, Founder & CEO of Story
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
In this candid conversation, Jason Carmen, founder of Story Company, opens up about the intense journey of creating his debut short film "Planet" - a sci-fi vision about building artificial worlds. Carmen shares the behind-the-scenes chaos of bootstrapping a film production company while nearly going bankrupt, the creative process of translating his S3 documentary experience into narrative filmmaking, and the challenges of directing his first fiction project in years. (11:00)
Main themes explored:
- The intersection of storytelling and technology, and how compelling narratives can inspire real scientific innovation
Speakers
Jason Carmen
Jason Carmen is the founder of Story Company and creator of the documentary series S3, which profiled cutting-edge technology startups and engineering companies. A filmmaker since age nine, Carmen made over 20 short films in middle and high school, winning best visual effects at the All American High School Film Festival and earning a full scholarship to the University of Advancing Technology. Before launching Story Company, he worked full-time while documenting the deep tech ecosystem, building expertise in how engineering companies operate and the intersection between science and storytelling.
Key Takeaways
Hire Specialists When Quality Matters Most
Carmen initially resisted hiring a director of photography to save money, but team member Andrew convinced him otherwise just four days before filming. (22:12) This decision transformed the entire production, allowing Carmen to focus on directing actors while the DP handled lighting and cinematography. The lesson: when working on high-stakes creative projects, investing in specialists for critical roles can elevate the entire work and free you to focus on your core strengths.
Bootstrap Through Service Work to Fund Your Vision
Rather than raising venture capital, Carmen bootstrapped Story Company through client work, ad revenue, and partnerships. (16:16) He spent 95% of his first six months ensuring the company wouldn't go bankrupt while simultaneously trying to create his passion project. This approach provided financial independence and creative control, though it required intense focus on serving customers excellently to scale the business sustainably.
Show Your Work Early to Trusted Collaborators
Carmen's biggest mistake was not sharing his script with trusted creative collaborators during the writing process. (19:32) He learned that for his process, showing writing to eight different people - professional writers, script consultants, and team members - is crucial for crafting quality work. The key is identifying people whose taste and expertise you respect, not just those with the highest credentials.
Art Companies Require Different Leadership Than Tech Companies
Despite his deep knowledge of engineering companies from creating S3, Carmen struggled when he realized he was building an art company, not a tech company. (39:19) The rules are fundamentally different - there's no spreadsheet optimization or physics-based objective truth. Success depends on creating art that resonates with souls, and the way you motivate, compensate, and build culture with creative teams requires a completely different approach than technical organizations.
Focus Ruthlessly on Your One Non-Negotiable Project
After fifteen months of being "an everything company," Carmen learned the critical value of focus. (42:59) While passionate people can get excited about many projects, true success requires identifying the one thing you'd "die for" creatively and protecting it from all other distractions. For Carmen, this means dedicating himself entirely to his sci-fi trilogy while building a team to handle other projects he cares about.
Statistics & Facts
- Story Company created over 200 visual effects shots for a 35-minute short film, with about one-third being easy shots and two-thirds being complex, requiring hundreds of hours of work from a large VFX team. (25:41)
- Carmen estimates he has been on 700-800 production days throughout his filmmaking career, which hardened him for the intense production schedule and helped him maintain focus during the grueling filming process. (37:35)
- The team went through approximately 2,000 audition tapes to cast the lead role for Planet, demonstrating the extensive casting process required for finding the right talent for independent film productions. (20:53)
