Tonight's event is a collaboration
between the author and

blank Family Foundation Speaker Series and
the Georgia Tech impact Speaker Series.

Tonight's media partner
is the point one and

video recording is brought to us at
the Georgia Tech library's a paid service.

We're delighted have members outside
of the Georgia Tech community with us.

Nine.
Teachers educational leaders

and innovators.

As well as members from
various high schools and

Lana a special welcome to representative
the Atlanta girls who were also pleaded

have with us tonight from the protagonists
from areas most recent documentary

tonight we look forward to hearing some
of their stories in the coming hour.

Those of you have been keeping up with the
Winter Olympic Games may be interested to

know that our speaker is a Libyan or
so haven't competed in the ninety two

Olympics in rowing Mary graduated from
Holyoke College and Georgetown Law School.

Mary is an award winning independent
filmmaker attorney and founder and C.E.O.

of fifty eggs independent production
company after the speaker

tonight will have a screening of Mary's
most recent documentary titled tonight.

So please join us after the speaker
in the same room for the screening.

Now please join me in welcoming very much.

Thank you so much for
that lovely introduction.

Hello George attack.

You tell me if I start talking too loud.

It's in my nature.

So before I start my remarks I just want
to thank you all for hosting me here.

I'm delighted to be here.

I also want to thank
the Arthur Blank Family Foundation.

Kenny blankness here in the house and
we've got John Barr and Danny shortly for

making this happen.

And today we're going to talk
about being an entrepreneur is

all about the hustle and I know many of
you are taking entrepreneurship classes

your young entrepreneur or as so I'm
going to just give you kind of a quick.

Snapshot on how I became
an entrepreneur and the path and

the lessons that I learned along the way.

And when I was thinking about this
a couple weeks ago I was thinking

you know what I really entrepreneurial
as a kid like I did a film called

lemonade stories where we had Arthur Blank
founder of Home Depot in the film and

we had Richard Branson and

a lot of these guys were what I
would call serial entrepreneurs.

You know starting businesses and
failing and starting and

failing and
I thought did I was I like that as a kid.

And I thought back then I
thought OK well when I was five.

I would steal my sister's desserts
at three younger sisters and

I would sell the dessert back for
ten cents a piece.

And I like start amassing
like all these dimes and

I thought like of course at the time I
didn't think I was being entrepreneurial I

thought I was being efficient.

And it wasn't until I got caught by my
mother who didn't think it was such a good

idea that sort of my entrepreneurial
instincts sort of cup buried for

a little while.

Although I was thinking about
this last week as well.

They really didn't because we didn't
get allowances when I was a kid and so

I remember my three younger sisters I was
like this you know benevolent dictator.

I remember having flyers
all around the neighborhood

saying come to the mozzie Carnival.

And you will have horse rides and
hayrides And so the place was

empty and they didn't know that
the horses were going to be my sisters.

So I looked at my sister
Liz around you know and

the neighbors were like How much is this.

I'm like a dollar ride and
they paid and so that was sort of

my first lesson in being entrepreneurial
which is if you quote a part.

If you quote a price.

Sometimes they'll actually pay it.

But then I'd say later on I

really learned about risk taking
which really informed my career as a.

Entrepreneur not really through starting
businesses but through my athletic career.

And I'm going to just take you
through that a little bit.

When I was in junior high school and
in high school I really wanted to be

an athlete and I had absolutely
no i hand coordination at all.

I mean the ball would come and
you know I would sort of cringe and

and nobody thought I was the last one
cut for teams the first one cut and

the last one picked for teams and
I remember the A lympics would come on and

I would something deep inside me.

And I'd watch you know like Mark Spitz and
Corbett and

these remark am dating myself but.

These remarkable athletes and
I'd like going to this trance and

I'd be in the pool and I'd be swimming and

they would be like a big ass you
know East German on one side and

an even bigger ass Russian On
the other side and I'm going.

And I'm Colin and I'm here in the whistles
in the cheering in the Go USA and

I say you know I reach out and
then I hear the anthem.

I'm tearing as they're putting
the KU gold medal around my neck.

And then I hear Mary.

Have you done the dishes yet.

And I've been yanked back into
a world where I was not an athlete.

I was not a hero in fact
I played the cello and

I would lug this cello onto a yellow
school bus with a plaid lunchbox.

So not only did I play the cello and
not only was I like the worst athlete on

the planet but I was such a nerd my
social standing was so like you know

really the worst I think I remember
thinking to myself at that time you know.

I need to increase my social standing.

What am I going to do.

And I thought I thought my thought and

this really doesn't have much
to do it with risk taking.

But it.
I'm getting there.

And then one day the angel saying and
it came upon me.

Thing.

Cheerleading.

And I became a cheerleader and
that like rocketed my social standing and

with the greatest you know goal rockets
and I have my big smile and my split job.

I became a cheerleader.

That is not one informed
my entrepreneurial career.

One of the requirements for
being a cheerleader at Needham High School

go rockets was that before every home
game we had to bake for the boys.

And if you failed to bake for the boys you
would get it to merit ten to merits and

you were expelled off the squad.

So every time I paid for the boys you know

every time I conveniently forgot to bake
my brownies and I forgot to bake for

the boys to want to marry at six to nine.

The only reason I was
not expelled is because

we had state champ stink cheerleading
champions around the corner.

And I was the only one who could
hold a very by Vaishya us but

chunky Laurie McCormick in
a standing shoulder mount.

That was Lesson number two for

me as an entrepreneur Not all
rules are meant to be followed.

So after that I am now popular but

still not an athlete I go
off to mock Holyoke College.

Armed with my curling iron and
my blue eye shadow.

It was blue in those days and
and I'm walking on campus

all women college a man comes up to me and
he says.

You.

I said Yeah he's like your big legs.

Yes I do but you be quiet over there.

And I said What of it and
he said no big legs.

We're like big legs come down come down
to try out for the rowing team and

I thought it's my chance
to be an athlete again.

So I couldn't sleep all night.

I'm so excited.

I'm like you know sweating.

I'm like really.

Can I be an athlete.

So I show up the next day and he says
there are one hundred fifty women training

for twenty spots on this team so
and I think I'm enthusiastic.

Well he then says I'm going
to have you run a mile and

a half around upper lake to test
your fitness and I thought.

The split jumps yet
not such great training.

So we go around upper lake and I am so

last I am so D.F.L. I am like you
know coming into the finish like.

It is like mortally embarrassing but

I'm so he comes up to me and
he said you know what.

I don't think we really need
you to come back tomorrow.

And I said this and I said but I

said let me come back one more day
just one more day he said fine.

One more day.
And

so the next morning I show up and
the beautiful thing about rowing

is you have to get up at
five thirty in the morning.

You have to run three miles in
the dark to the boat house and

then you're you come back.

By the end of that first week.

Everyone had quit.

I made the team and
I totally became an athlete by default.

So this was Lesson number three that serve
me later in life as an entrepreneur.

Never take no for an answer.

So all of a sudden as
you can imagine I become

a big fish in a tiny
tiny tiny Mongolia call.

You know this is like D three were
coming in last all the time but

those a limbic dreams like those visions
were coming back into my head so

I started training for the U.S.
team and how it.

How it works is you show up on
a Sunday they evaluate you.

And then without saying
a word on the next Tuesday.

Right.
Two days later they post a list

on a board with who's getting cut
who sucks who's out of there.

So.

The list goes up and everything running
around the board coaches don't say

anything to you and there's my name like
it seemed at the time huge letters mozzie

At the top of the west out of here right.

I'm like come back the next year.

You know now I'm second list out of here.

No leave.

And I don't know why I kept coming
back and that's a discussion and

a conversation I have to have myself but
I did.

And now it's one nine hundred ninety and
it's two years before the Olympic Games.

I am on the last cut list.

In fact nine hundred ninety I am
the last athlete cut and I'm thinking.

I'm I leave the I leave the facility.

And I'm thinking on two years to go.

I got to make this team if
I'm going to Barcelona.

And.

And I'm a pretty upbeat person so
I'm like honking as I might you know

driving out of the syllabi the Olympic
coach says Mary I need to talk to you.

They said so.

What are you planning to do for
the next two years.

About all that that's
that's a loaded question.

That's not good and I said what and
and she said look at.

I need to be frank with you.

We don't think you're tough enough.

We don't think you're big enough
we do not think you have what it

takes to be a member of the Olympic
team we like your pink Lycra.

We like your hair in sixteen
different ponytails you know.

We think sometimes you tell
funny stories at dinner but we.

Just don't think you have what it
takes to help us to propel us to gold.

So I'm here to tell you this
may be a waste of your time and

so I'm crushed now I've been cut.

I don't know four five years in a row but
I'm getting closer and closer and

I'm driving home from Princeton and

I like you know I pull into
the House of Pancakes sobbing like.

And I'm devastated and so I'm thinking you
know I was a very young lawyer at the time

I'm not that good of a lawyer because
I'm spending my time training.

I'm not that good of an athlete
because I have a job.

And so
I go into the boat house that Monday and

I'm thinking OK this is it I've got
to make I've got to prioritize.

Right.
What am I good at.

I'm going to clear out my locker.

It's been made clear
the writing is on the wall.

There's I'm not going.

So I go into the boat house and

a woman is there who said two
things that changed my life.

And incidentally she was also the topic
of my first documentary film but

in her name is Chris Ernst
she was a two or

three time Olympian a veteran
at the time I was a rookie and

she sees me committed about how
she's like What are you doing here.

I said she's like I'm like yeah I
got cut back out again she said.

All right.
Suit up we're going to lift.

We're going to run
stadiums until we puke and

then we're going to go to breakfast and
I said.

Normally that would sound great.

Right.
And I said.

And I said you know what.

Chrissy.

I'm here to clear out my locker.

It's not going to happen.

And she said stop it and
I'm a bit like being shocked because she

was a good friend and she said You are the
fastest woman out on the Charles River.

But until you believe it.

Nothing is going to happen and then
what she said changed my life she said.

And by the way.

What is up with all the excuses
you make every time you lose.

And I was like I don't make excuses.

My God.

I made excuses.

All the time you know like she's
from Harwich going to kick my ass or

she's one hundred.

And by the way these women these
women that I was competing against

they were chiseled out of the gods.

I mean they were they were you know

one hundred ninety one hundred eighty
five pound six two these were women.

Straight out of I'm going
to kick your ass right.

Sorry when I go without notes you just
I won't drop the F. bomb I promise.

So in any event I had an X. and I didn't
even realize it that I had an excuse.

Every time I lost and
I said my God And for

me particularly that time in my life I
cared a lot about what people thought and

my God what would happen if I
didn't make the Olympic team and

didn't have an excuse like and
then I thought about it and I said.

Chrissy Do you really think I can make it.

She's like suit up now and

that day I made the decision
that if I was going to do this.

I was going to do it honestly I was
going to have the courage to fail and

fall flat on my face but without excuse
and that day I stopped going to parties.

I started focusing I stopped training
with the men because they were

handsome I started.

And I went to a sports psychologist
because I was the kind of

person that would be so

destructive I'd be in a race of your
where she where she will wear a my right.

So this sports psychologist actually had
me do exercises that the East Germans and

the Russians and the old Iron Curtain
athletes used to do which is do math

problems in front of blaring television
and so he would actually have me go home.

He's like this is your homework go home
do this math problems have people run

around and at first I could do like
one problem I'd be like cookies.

And he had me put up little stickers and
honestly and I

felt this way to starting out my business
I felt like a fraud complete fraud.

He said put up stickers like and
so I put up stickers like

I'm going to win a gold medal or
I'm champion of the world or I'm a tiger.

Now we're a note for those of you.

It's a great trick take them down
before you have a dinner party.

I made that mistake in
people like your tiger.

But at the end of that year I
went from being ranked like

thirteenth in the country to second and
win your second.

They can't leave you behind.

Right.
So they had to take me once again.

By default.

They had to take me.

And for me as you can imagine
not having been an athlete and

being cut from every fricken junior high.

J B You know lead.

It was a wonderful affirmation for
me to actually be an athlete but

as I've reflected over the years.

What was really important
was I learned how to go for

it without excuse and
be prepared to fail and to fail.

Honestly and I think that's
made me into a better person.

A better business person.

A better mother a better wife because
it's all about commitment and

that my friends is sort of one of
the greatest lessons I learned which is if

you're going to commit commit fully and
commit without excuse.

All right so fast forward.

After the Olympics.

I started living what I would
call a most excellent life.

I was a young lawyer and
I didn't grow up with money so

to be in a big skyscraper law firm I
pull into the I pull into the parking

lot that was reserved only for
senior partners but because I could see.

Week in and wicked out wicked Boston
accent the parking guys love me and so

they would like you know
they reserve my little for

my little spot at one financial and I go
up in my my sister would have my latte.

Just so and
I was leading this life that was so

lovely and wonderful but but
really insulated and isolated.

And I had this epiphany.

A few years later.

When I was nine months.

Well actually let me back up because
at that point when I came back

from the Olympics I started
writing screenplays.

And they were bouncing all over Hollywood
and I didn't know this at the time and

this is the other great thing about here
entrepreneur that youthful enthusiasm

naivete write it because if
you know what's really this

what's really happening.

You may never do it.

So we're right at people because so
I go out to L.A.

I get these meetings I'm like I
get invited to Paramount and.

Turner pictures.

I had no in everything
that these huge smiles.

You're such a talented writer.

We're considering your script for
development.

Little did I know the second I'm out
the door like there are deep six in it and

some trash like never to be seen again.

But I didn't know that.

And so
at the time I'm thinking this is real.

I'm getting close.

I'm getting close and for
me particularly after after leaving this

most excellent like Starbucks
latte double cup life.

I felt that it was incumbent upon me to
give back in some way and that was for

me going to be politics or
film school and so I looked in my closet.

And I said to any skeletons in my closet.

Film School.

Politics.

All right we're going to film school.

Now what's funny now is like I
look back at my skeletons and

compared to what some of these
bozos are doing in Washington.

Like I was a FOR can choir girl but
I didn't know that at the time so

I'm like OK I'm going to I'm going
to go to law school and I'm.

Film school I'm going to do it on the sly.

So I'm writing these screenplays
really thinking I'm this close to

you know a life with a leather jacket
in the chair that's got my name and

people with bullhorns and you know the
whole Farrelly Brothers thing right and.

And.

So in any of that I have disappeared for
me because I'm

desperately writing my screenplays and
now I'm nineteen months pregnant.

Two weeks past due and
I'm really uncomfortable my

feet are swollen and I go home and and

I turn on the television and there's
this Victoria's Secret ad campaign.

And I mean these women are you know
they're gorgeous their blog on and their

legs and they're just they their lips and
they're going like this under a shower.

You know and there I am I mean
I'm workin job at the hut.

I have my sofa with a secret.

I've got my Jojo's and my ring dings and
my Doritos and I'm like I'm going or.

And I'm watching these Victoria's Secret
women change the channel friends.

OK Nobody wears a bra.

Everybody's like you know and
I remember my husband and

I'm like muttering I'm
having a hormonal moment.

And my husband comes in he's like.

What's wrong and we were going to have
a girl a baby baby girl and I said my.

One.

And he said OK come down brief.

I know what will fix this.

I said there's nothing out there for
Daisy.

There's nothing out there that says she
can get dirty or sweaty This is awful.

He said I'm going to fix it.

I said this is why Mary.

He runs out comes back in about
an hour later with two fish food.

Courts.

And he's like does this fix it and
I said it does for now.

So that night became for me it was like

I had these goggles that came on I was
about to have a baby girl I was like holy

you know this is what she's going to grow
up with and that really really catapulted

me into action and that's when I
really became an entrepreneur or

I made my first film which
was called a hero for Daisy.

And that film chronicled Chris Ernst.

Who was also Captain not only
being a three time Olympian but

she was also captain of
her yellow rowing team.

And these women were articulate and
eccentric they went

to Yale right after you know it gone coed
and Yale was completely unprepared for

women and so Chris told me the story in
the locker room and she said and I was

only like ten at the time it happened but
she said Did you hear about and

what happened was there were no facilities
for the women no locker rooms and

the women and
this was about rowing which is I loved it.

Right.
And

so she's like we'd ride out
on the bus with the men.

We'd train in the wind in
the rain in the snow and

then we'd get on an unheated bus and
wait for every last man to shower.

And I said Ha.

And she said of the men would
come out with steaming paying and

then we drive back to bus because
you see we were not allowed to use

the men shower because it was the men
shower and I said wow that's really bad.

She's like we were getting pneumonia and

we tried diplomatic
changes at the university.

We met with the president and it was thank
you for bringing this to our attention.

The wheels of change grind slowly here at
Yale University and and so finally by her

senior year two of these women were going
to go on to the seventy six Olympic Games.

The men were losing all of their races
having steak and trainers the women were

were winning all of theirs and
they were on this unheated bus.

And they said you know what we
are going to take matters into our.

Own hands and they stormed the athletic
director's office stripped

Title nine in blue magic
marker on breasts and backs.

And it was a single click
of a photograph that like

when around the world Yale women strip
in one thousand nine hundred six.

And the outpour was so remarkable.

It was you know alumni sending in checks
to get those women to put their clothes

back on you know please
you're talking the women

got their locker rooms two weeks later and
when I heard this story.

I laughed and I said you did what and
I said OK I've gone to women's college.

I'm an elite row or how did I miss
this great piece of history and so

that was the story that really catapulted
my career as an entrepreneur and

it was so scary because you know it's all
coming back to it's all about the hustle.

You know I did.

Again my youth will naive if I had no
idea how expensive the media was going

to be I had no idea
the sacrifices I just clueless.

And I don't into it with youthful abandon

in really what was a pregnancy
hormonal induced moment and

like I said before had I known
what was going to be ahead.

I don't know that I ever would have
done it because if it were easy to do.

Everybody would be doing it right.

And I had no idea.

So I think that let that last lesson
make sure that is my last lesson.

Yet that is my last lesson so
you know it really comes down

to if it's something that you care
deeply about you know life is short.

You got to do what you love
even if it's scary as hell and

it was really scary because we were about
to take a dive into the college fund.

You know and I remember turning
to my husband and he said.

So this is our college fund for
the kids right.

And I said.

Well I've been at this law firm and

you know some of that's a little bit of
blood money I think I need to do this.

And we had investors.

We had and we had nothing not
a single distributor not press and

that experience really taught me what an
entrepreneur is all about which is you're

hustling for everything you're
hustling for money you're hustling for

distributors you are hustling
like crazy for press and

fortunately for us the prey to
the press went crazy over that film and

it allowed me to keep my day job so
fast forward now.

Five films later.

Each one has been bigger than the you
know in terms of press and exposure and

for those of for those of you
that stay later my latest film

Ten nine eight is a film that
I think I'm most proud of and

it's been the most meaningful film that
I've worked on and that film is about

inner city kids from all over the country
so Side of Chicago Harlem Baltimore.

Who prepare for and compete in
a nationwide business plan competition and

what they learn changes their lives and
changes their destinies.

And this film.

We started out once again
we had some commitment for

distribution but
it wasn't satisfactory to me and

we were able to strike an unprecedented
arrangement with Again it's the hustle.

It's the work in the Rolodex and
a friend of mine was on the board of

AMC Theaters and he said hey you know
pal mine's president see theaters.

I said hey what can I talk to him and
apparently And

so the president programming Bob Lenahan
calls me he says we love this film.

Can we have an exclusive.

I said I'm going to have to get
back to you and I can upload.

Because you have to play
the game people right.

So I hang up the phone because I didn't
want him to think I was too anxious.

Even though I was like
frickin hyperventilating.

So I hang the phone count to like one day.

Call him back and I said So
what are the terms.

Right.
Very like what are the terms and

then silence because that's a no I'm
sure you guys know this trick right that

awkward you like whenever you're
negotiating for money for anything.

Be silent because the other party
will feel that need to speak and

fill that void right.

So I'm silent and I'm a talker.

Right.

And so I'm counting to one two three.

And he said we'll hear the terms
that we'd like to bubble bubble and

I said don't lock it in now what
I didn't realize was that no

other filmmaker has ever gone
directly to the theater chain.

I've always gone through distributors and
and the press they were like that.

You know Fortune was like that was so
boldly entrepreneurial and.

And I'm like well it was
kind of it was the hustle.

It was how my going to get my film seen
and can we get a state of the art theater

chain that's everywhere and
what kind of deal does that look like and

will they do free screenings for
educators on you know when we open so

fast forward to today am See we
entered into this deal with AMC We

opened in eight cities and
that gave us such robust press.

I mean Financial Times.

Forbes Fortune New York Times
the gods smiled down on us and

we struck a tough television
deal with BT and Viacom.

And we just found out a couple of
weeks ago that the film will be headed

to the White House.

So it's been sort of an extraordinary
extraordinary trajectory for this film.

And it's all the result I think of I think

all those lessons that I learned which
is you know never take no for an answer.

Be prepared to lay it out and
fail on your face and but fail on.

Slee.

And it's all about commitment.

You know do what you
say Say what you do and

don't let yourself get distracted because
if you commit even if you don't achieve

that goal good things will happen so
even if I had never made the Olympic team.

Something good will have happened
just from that lesson of commitment.

So I think with that I will open
it up to questions and answers.

I'd also like to introduce I've got
two friends here that actually are in

the movie Ten nine eight
that are here with me today.

Jasmine Lawrence is is a freshman at
Georgia Tech just we just stand up.

Jasmine by the way

an extraordinary young entrepreneur
she started business when she was

thirteen her hair fell out after
she used to Hara laxer and Jasmine

started researching organic components
dabbling dabbling experimenting.

I mean this is remarkable for

a thirteen year old she found a compound
where her hair started to grow back.

So word of mouth spread
people were using it.

People that had balding you
know other hair relaxer

problems cancer patients and
Jasmine went on Oprah.

Which just cranks her business
into being carried by Wal-Mart and

her some of our products at
both Wal-Mart and Whole Foods.

So that's my friend
Jasmine just a rock star.

And sitting next to Jasmine and

sitting next to Jasmine is my good
friend a philosopher Rodney Walker.

We just stand up.

Rodney participated in
this contest this year.

So for those of you that are going to
see the film I will not share a story

except to say that Rodney
is such an inspirational

person he came he was born in the South
Side of Chicago went through the foster.

You know incredible odds and obstacles
almost didn't graduate from high school

and completely turned around his career
by discovering entrepreneurship and

how to start a business and IT reengage
him and he's now on the dean's list

at Morehouse so hopefully I'll have a
chance to talk to Ron We love that letter.

So why don't I open it up to you for

questions it can be anything
about filmmaking be anything

about entrepreneurship it can be
you know whatever your pleasure.

And we have a roving Mike to do we
have to roving mikes were prepared.

Yes we've got a gentleman
any blue sweater.

Hi Thank you so much for being here.

Thank you.
Thanks for having me.

You spoke is a beautiful
school by the way.

Absolutely.

It's gorgeous.

You spoke about kind of starting the film
company while you kept your day job.

And a lot of kind of entrepreneurial lore.

Kind of paste this picture of
the entrepreneur who chucks everything to

the when the right.

Runs out and found and starts a company.

Can you talk a little bit about.

If you were to give advice to
young entrepreneurs how to assess.

The right time and when it's time to
kind of jump out of the plane and

and that is a great question
because many entrepreneurs they do

exactly that they sort
of shoot from the hip.

Take a big dive and sometimes it works and
sometimes it doesn't.

Honestly I'm not one of those people.

I was a young lawyer and
so I hedged my bets.

I went to film school on the sly.

None of my partners knew that my law firm.

My first film came out I
didn't tell anybody because

if it was a bomb right if
nobody came to see it.

OK and still are right.

I'm still gainfully employed.

And it wasn't until the New York Times ran

Sunday New York Times have
page an article with us.

Story about my film.

Star getting what have you
been doing on the journey.

And I was out of that way.

And but even then I took a leave for
a year.

I did not say I'm going to quit.

Although I will tell you that when
I came back from the Olympics.

I said to my husband.

I don't think I can go back to
being a real estate lawyer.

Like I don't know that I can do this and

I'm going to go to film school or
politics.

Film School.

I'm going to go to film school and

just exe do exactly what you had suggested
right just casual my chips and and

my husband and this is the other thing
about being an entrepreneur you really

need to have like a partner that you can
like talk you out of stupid ideas and

he said to me he said go
bar time like part time.

You know.

And he said no go part time and
I said and he said.

You are so close to being a partner
of your law firm now for me.

That was still four years away.

It was like incredibly forever.

And I said and he said Just trust me you
will build your sphere of influence.

If you're a partner of a law firm people
might not think you're qualified to make

a film but at least they'll know that you
were you know you were good at something.

And in fact that's exactly what I did and

what was interesting about that choice
was my first investors were clients or

friends of clients because they
were like well she's a good lawyer.

So we don't know if you can you
know do anything over here but.

So in fact having a slightly
more cautious approach for

me works because I was able to build up
my credibility so excellent question.

Yeah thank you.

Where do you get your inspiration for
the next film.

That's a great question.

I think particularly when you're
a filmmaker you have to work

on what burns brightest because
it's like having a child.

The amount of money.

Effort energy that goes into
making these projects and

it's public it's on display for everybody
that you know either love or hate.

So I try and pick projects that
are personally meaningful to me.

Or that I think and that I think
will garner extraordinary press and

then I think I have a strategy for
getting people to see it because

if you bumble into something it's all I
got you know there are a lot of filmmakers

that do wonderful work there are a lot of
filmmakers that are working out something

on the screen that they should be
working out on a couch lying down right.

Talking to someone and I think that's
sort of a bad business strategy.

You know whether I'm selling a film or
a widget or

a house you really need
a cohesive strategy.

And you also need your elevator speech
right so that you can hide again it's

all about your how you're selling
your motivating you're engaging and

you need that hustle you know that that
eight hundred second elevator speech.

So thank you for that question.

Yes.

I have a film question and
that is whatever I see it feel.

I'll see three or
four names that will say producer and

then ten names as executive producer
help me understand those roles and

responsibilities in terms of creativity or
financial contribution.

That's a great question.

You'll see like sometimes you'll see
like ten executive producers and

typically in the old
days executive producers

were reserved to those who
would raise the money.

So in the old days you'd see one or
two now it's the manager of a star.

It's the sometimes the agent of a star.

Well I'm going to need executive producer
credit if I'm going to have my star

in this movie.

So it may be the booking agent if
it's based on a literary work.

So that's actually a great question
because in film like when I

get resumes and
I see like associate producer.

OK an associate producer could
have been getting the bagels and

been a production assistant right or
they could be arranging permits.

So frankly every title when you see
on a movie should just be suspect.

Right.

Yes right here.

How did you choose the title and
so ten nine eight.

There were two reasons I chose
this this particular title

One is it's ten with the number nine and
then.

And that is because every nine seconds
a kid drops out of high school and

the movie is really contemplating
what if that weren't the case.

But the bigger meaning to this
was I was in the shower and

I was like kids get entrepreneurial or
kids start their business like you know.

Yawn.

Right.
You need an exciting title and

I was thinking that that really
what these kids in the film were

doing they were blasting off.

They're like rockets and what happens
before you count down ten nine eight.

So for me.

That was the real motivation behind the
title that these were kids that were going

to take off not a raise.

Going to make it but
they're all going to take off.

So yes.

What connected me to the competition.

That's a great question.

I had actually I had made
a movie called lemonade stories.

Right before our two films before this
that started you know Arthur Blank as I

mentioned before and Russell Simmons
from Def Jam and Richard Branson and.

And I loved all of these entrepreneurs
in the film and I was screaming at I

forget what event or maybe I was on
the radio or something and the founder of

nifty the National Foundation for Teaching
Entrepreneurship was in the audience.

He came up to me said I love this movie.

He said but everybody in this movie is
famous he said I have a program where I'm

going to inner cities and my entrepreneurs
I'm teaching kids to be entrepreneurs and

they're not famous and
they're not making a lot of money.

You know would you ever consider and
I said yes.

That's him.

That is and that is something that
got me so excited because it gave me

the opportunity to talk about race and
class and privilege in a single film but

in a really uplifting way in a way that
made sense to me in a way that I thought

you know everybody's afraid to talk about
race and class these days and for fear

of being politically incorrect or for fear
of just appearing completely ignorant.

Right which a lot of people are so
I wanted to talk about in a way that I

thought was uplifting and
inspirational and.

And I learned so much in the process.

I mean we went into some of the most
challenging neighborhoods in America.

And I had a certain preconception
of the inner city right who and

what made up the inner city.

And I I was I think I was telling
Danny earlier that you know when we

when I make documentary films we actually
have a large crew we have like fifteen or

twenty people.

That's like huge in the documentary
world but that's you know how we roll.

And and so we were going to
these neighborhoods and my D.P.

my Director of Photography said to me you
know do you think we need security because

we've got a you know expensive equipment
and we're renting it we don't own it and.

And I said you know if we go in and

I have two guys whose necks
are thicker than their heads.

You know they look like
I'm sending a message that

I think might not be productive and I said
no we're not we're not going to do it and

I was shocked at how hospitable
how embraced I was so

that by the end of the project now
there are certain neighborhoods that

nobody should go at certain times and
you know at night.

But I felt so
comfortable in these neighborhoods that

I I learned a lot about
my own preconceptions.

So thank you for that question right.

Hi Great Bill.

I just wanted to you said fortunately for
you.

The fullest bit of land
there with the press right.

But what if it hadn't but
used it up on to you.

That's a great question because
as I said before when I was.

Younger.

What people thought of me meant
a whole like right I care a lot.

I think I would've been crushed like
a bug would have negative reviews and

I say that now because every review
thankfully was positive from the press.

But I'm not you know and for the most
part the press has been so kind but

there have been times where
the press has been vicious and

frankly with my first film I'm so

glad I was kind of protected because
I don't know what I would have done.

I remember going into class and.

And it was a college class and
they were discussing one of my movies

they knew I was there so
the kid know and the teacher's a fan.

So what do you think of
Mary's work in the kids like.

Yeah I thought it was
kind of I don't know.

I'm so I'm.

I'm thinking you know I'm
right in front of you and

he's like I thought it was
kind of too melodramatic.

You know some something like that and
it's in the press or

said you have a response and
I said well let me put it this way.

USA Today says it's a tour de force.

So if some schmoe from you know.

He's like I'm right here.

So that's an excellent
question because in hindsight

I would have been crushed
what I have kept going.

You know what I think I would've And
that's because this medium is so precious.

It's like how you know Fred Rogers from
Mr Rogers' Neighborhood once said that

that it's like sacred ground
from here to the viewer.

And the response and the impact that my
films have had from girls feeling better

about being tall or heavy or you know
a kid in the inner city seeing this in

Johnson Crenshaw seeing ten nine eight and
saying you know what I'm going to stay in

school right like whatever that is you're
having a profound impact on human life.

So I would hope that I would be big enough
as a person had that happened early in my

career that I would have kept going on but
I.

Honestly couldn't tell you.

Yes.

It was well thank you once again for
coming.

Thank you.

It was really inspirational just listening
to you and best of luck in the future.

Thank you.
I appreciate that.

Best of luck to you.

Thank you thank you.

I have the go viral way.

One is why do you call yourself
your company fifteen and

that is a great question.

Can I answer that before you answer.

I was going to and it's bad.

I'm having senior moments you know
when I I hope you didn't catch but

when I like there was a moment when
there was like a really pregnant pause.

I was for who knows where I was like
that happens every once in a while.

What was the question.

So fifty eggs.

I I was going to name and

I swear to god I was going to
name my company Medusa's revenge.

Once again my husband said to me

he's like if you have a logo with a woman
with snakes coming out of her head.

Do you think you're going to
get any corporate funding and

I said you're right and he said
Cool Hand Luke that's your favorite movie

you have any of you guys seen at the old
Paul Newman movie yes this man back here.

Well there's a scene in it
where everybody bets that

Paul Newman's character
cannot eat fifty eggs.

And my husband was like that's you know
everybody says it can't be done and

you keep eating those eggs and
I was like fifty yards perfect.

Thank you love.

So that was the name of my company and
what's funny about that is that name.

I remember I was talking to Steve McQueen
I did a film with famous athletes in it

with like Shaquille O'Neal and Drew
Bledsoe and I was trying to get through

to Steve McNair was like right before the
Super Bowl and this is Mary Miles you're

from fifty eight his agent picked it
up and said fifty one eggs was the.

Picks up the phone himself as a lot
of these guys won't take calls and

I'm like I had ten seconds and
I'm like never heard of him right.

I sold him on a concept and he patch me in
to see McNair right like right then and

there and I was like thank god I
didn't I didn't call with Medusa's.

He never want to take him out.

So you had another question.

And that was like shown internationally or
you know.

Had only been shown in the US.

No they have primarily
been my first to you know.

So a hero for Daisy it.

I've seen it in Europe
being used in Europe and

it's ordered in Europe apple pie which is
about athlete really famous athletes but

they were all American athletes.

That's been really domestic but
lemonade stories which is about you know

entrepreneurs we've seen that you know it
was broadcast in Asia and Hong Kong and.

The Middle East.

This particular fan is being shown
has been shown already Germany Dubai

all over the world.

And so and I'm getting calls from
like the Moroccan embassy called and

said we need your movie Ten nine eight and
I said what's going on.

They said well we're having a youthful you
know civil unrest with young people who

are out of work and they you know
there's extraordinary poverty and

we want to show them your film.

So I'm actually seeing with this
particular film now this is new so

I expected to kind of fully continue but

we're seeing a lot of international
demand for this which is really exciting.

Yeah thank you yes.

That is a great question and

the question was he noticed that I have
a lot of sponsors and companies that I do

business with and do I ever compromise my
story line that is such a great question.

To date.

The answer is No but I will tell you that
I was recently called in by a Fortune

one hundred company and
they said You do really.

Interesting work and

can you do something novel on
Women's Health said would love it perfect.

I have all these ideas and
we're sitting at a table at an ad agency.

Right.
So you can imagine right now we've got

fifty people young at Exact who are all
justifying justifying their paycheck and

by the way you know looking
like the coolest of cool right.

I walk in like this.

I'm such a dork compared to all of them
you know so I'm sitting at the table and

and all of a sudden the concept
moves from a documentary or

a project that Mary will do to one of them
looks at me and you know cocks her head.

She's like well could you do
like Extreme Home make over.

And I almost thought about it till I
was like how big is this paycheck.

So the short answer is I have not today.

And I hope that I wouldn't and

I don't think one of the conditions
actually contractually that I put in every

agreement is that I have full editorial
control full creative control.

And that's so critical especially in T.V.
and I do this.

That's actually raises another
really interesting question.

When you err on television and

when you are in the entertainment world
you are swimming with barracudas.

And if you don't have your wits
about you they will eat you alive.

And so I remember negotiating with a
network to be unnamed and I love them all

but they said what do you mean you're
retaining full editorial control and

I said well we brought a sponsor we
brought money we want to sponsor into this

you're not paying you know you don't have
to underwrite the cost of the production.

They said We always you know
have editorial rights and

I said well you don't.

Today and you know and they didn't because
they didn't underwrite the production but

friends of mine that are producers that
have let's say you know made programs for

networks.

They give up those rights and
that's very painful because you have

to make every change the network asked for
whether it's ridiculous or not.

So one of the reasons how I
get around that is I try and

have independent funding.

So that I'm dictating
when you go to a network.

And you have a program
that's fully funded.

That's a completely different conversation
than groveling on your knees and

say please pay me to make X..

And so I have always opted for
the for the you know for the latter.

But great question.

Thank you.
We've got in that I'm coming back to you.

Yes.

Julia presentation.

Thank you.
It was great.

I have a question back to where you were
kind of the people who give you a moment

where you were you know working on your
movies but then also a law firm in the you

said you had to make some sacrifice in
terms of going out and things like that.

So you know they had to say no work
no play makes you a dull boy or

girl you know how how much.

How much do you have to balance
you know you know what that's

a really good question.

And when you're dealing
with somebody like me.

It's that's really hard
because I'm a workaholic.

I'm super hyper.

You know my Has my kids say to me
Are you the boss of your own company.

You know I can't come to your game aren't
sure the boss of your own company.

My daughter will say OK I'll make it for
the second half right.

That is so
I think when you're an entrepreneur.

Honestly and
you're running your own business.

I think in the beginning years.

It's there is not a lot of balance and
that's really hard.

As I mentioned you before like
leaning on my husband particularly in

the early years.

I mean you know when you're an
entrepreneur you're like a lone wolf and

that can be really hard.

So I try and surround myself with people
that are good advisers around me that I

can constantly bounce ideas off of but
even today I struggle with that concept of

balance and I try now to take a break in
between projects and to limit my travel

schedule just precisely so
that I have family time and

time to chill out and relax because
I can only take so much excitement.

So that's an eye.

QUESTION It's one that I
frankly struggle with today.

We have time for one final question.

Yes.

Well.

That's a great question.

Yes I think the only unique thing to be
I think anybody can be an entrepreneur.

I don't think you're born with it.

I think what you need is energy and
commitment that's what you need.

And if you're not a charismatic person

you can work on that right because
you are selling selling selling so

when I think of an entrepreneur
I really think of a salesperson.

Because that's what we're what we do we
sell you know this way that way this way

that way you know the dishes
are in the air sell self but

I think that those skills can be as long
as you're true to your personality and

your who you are then you
can make that work for you.

So if you're a very quiet
Jimmy your quiet person.

You can still build very
very powerful relationships.

So I think that there is no hustle
gene but yes that it can be learned.

So great.

Thank you for that.

Kelly just let me ask one question
after the last question and

that is I wanted to get
to the level of you

saying that you know the film
is coming to the White House and

we know that Department of Education
is interested in the film.

What is it about entrepreneurship
that they see as potentially creating

alternative futures.

That's a great question.

I think people are really excited about
entrepreneurship because what it does for

young people you know when you
go into an inner city school

with extraordinary poverty.

You might have kids living in the most
challenging of circumstances you might

have kids you know
sometimes dodging bullets.

Sometimes their stomachs are hungry
when they come to school when you.

Say that child.

Here's your trigonometry lesson or
here's your chance or

lesson that there's no
relevance to their life.

But when you take a kid and
you say buy a watch for

five we're going to wholesale go to down
to the wholesale district buy a watch for

five sell it for twenty that kid all of a
sudden has money in their pocket they can

go to Burger King they can feed themselves
they don't have hungry tummy and

what that does is it reengages
the basic building blocks of learning.

They have to learn math but
now there's a reason to learn math.

They have to learn English and

what I think is even more exciting is that
there's a whole cascading of skills that

comes behind that kid also has to learn
communication skills negotiation.

You know am I going to get my grandmother
work for me I'm going to get my little

sister to take a shift who you know who's
going to put the labels on my lotion.

So I think that there is unlike you know
like math you learn math in English you

learn English.

What's wonderful about
this is it reignites and

reenergizes kids around
those basic building blocks.

Plus you get you know negotiation
skills and communication skills and

presentation skills and
OK how do I have to dress.

If I'm going to if I'm going to try
to get a store to sell my lotion.

Right.
So I think there's a whole basket of

skills that comes along with it and
I think that's why.

Terry was just asking why the department.

We've gotten calls from the Department of
Education in the Department of Treasury.

Really excited about the film
as sort of a launching pad for

getting young kids excited about
entrepreneurship precisely for

that reason because it really really
reengages them around learning.

So thanks Georgia Tech.

Thank you for having a thank.