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In this episode of The Joy of Living, Barry Shore welcomes Carole Dean, president of From the Heart Productions and author of You Are the Magic. Carole shares her remarkable journey from spotting an opportunity on a Paramount film set to building a thriving business buying and reselling short ends of raw film stock. She then expanded into videotape, eventually becoming what she believes was the largest recycler of videotape in the industry, and sold her business in 1992 before the industry went tapeless.
Carole describes walking into a male-dominated technical conference in Montreux, Switzerland, not understanding the jargon, but asking the universe for support and sitting next to Eugene Leonard, the father of the download, who became her mentor. That moment of quiet trust, she explains, is exactly what she now teaches independent filmmakers through her nonprofit From the Heart Productions.
Carole introduces listeners to the quantum field, the idea drawn from physics that all information past, present, and future surrounds us as energy. She teaches filmmakers to get still, meditate for twenty minutes a day without phones, and access answers from within. Independent filmmakers face years of rejection, fundraising, and labor, and Carole equips them with both practical fiscal sponsorship tools through 501c3 nonprofit status and the mindset tools to keep going.
This episode is a wonderful blend of film history, entrepreneurial grit, manifesting principles, and the power of the quiet mind. Carole Dean is a film producer, entrepreneur, and president of From the Heart Productions, a nonprofit fiscal sponsor supporting independent filmmakers worldwide for over three decades.
Show Notes:
- 01:00 — Carole Dean shares how she first entered the film industry after discovering an opportunity with leftover film stock.
- 08:10 — She explains her transition into the technical world of videotape and how she overcame challenges in a male-dominated industry.
- 14:00 — Carole discusses recognizing when it was time to move on as the film industry transitioned toward tapeless technology.
- 18:00 — She introduces the message behind You Are the Magic and explains why people should recognize their own abilities and potential.
- 22:00 — Carole discusses the struggles independent filmmakers face, including rejection, funding, production, marketing, and distribution.
- 27:00 — She explains how From the Heart Productions supports independent filmmakers through funding, education, confidence, and nurturing.
- 33:00 — Carole talks about meditation, stillness, and going within to find answers and guidance.
- 38:00 — The conversation explores listening, intuition, and being open to answers that can come through unexpected experiences.
- 42:00 — Carole explains how filmmakers can use vision, belief, confidence, and emotion to bring their creative ideas to life.
Important Links:
About Carole Dean
The Art of Manifesting: Creating your Future. Her Executive Producer credits are BAM 6.6, Women Behind the Camera, Step Away From the Stone, American Chain Gang, and more on IMDB. She wrote and produced 130 HealthStyles cable shows along with Filmmakers which is now in the National Archives. Carole is an Entrepreneur who created and ran a film business in Hollywood, NYC and Chicago for 33 years, she sold it in 2001. She created the Roy Dean Film grant in 1992 and has given over $2,500,000.00 in grants to independent filmmakers and helped to produce over 50 films through the grant. Carole is currently the President of From the Heart Productions, a501C3 nonprofit, where she manages the Grant and fiscal sponsorships for the nonprofit; and she teaches Intentional film funding with Tom Malloy through FromtheHeartProductions.com. Her book, How to Fund Your Film is a 3 hour class and Ebook. She produced and co-edited the book, Exceptional Filmmakers. Her current empowerment book for artists is You are the Magic.
