Filmmakers Zoe Tyson and Louie Rinaldi
Synopsis
Desperate to maintain their lifestyles as their youth, & options, fade, two aging sugar babies dive headfirst into the bizarre underworld of the “desire economy.” When a provocative new app called Daddies Boi promises fast cash and fresh connections, the duo is forced to confront what they’re really selling, & what it’s costing them. As the lines between hustle and identity blur, their friendship, self-worth, and survival hang in the balance in this sharply funny, emotionally raw look at aging, agency, & the price of being wanted.
Q&A Is Edited for Style, Context, Clarification
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Okay. Louie’s joining right now. They were just having a little bit of a technical issue. I think he’s going to join from his phone, if that’s all right.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
Oh, I usually have a tech work with me who would jump in this and fix it right away, but I’m afraid if I hit the wrong button, I’m going to delete the real one and all that other stuff.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Yeah. I’m the same way. I’m not super tech-savvy, so no worries here. We’ll keep it brass tacks.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
Okay. So the so-called review. ..
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Oh, there’s Louie. I think we’re here.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecProducer,CoCreator:
Hey, I’m so sorry I’m late. I …
GreggMorris-theWORD:
Don’t apologize please, please. You don’t have to apologize.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecProducer,CoCreator:
Hello. Well, great to meet you, Gregg. Thanks for having me.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
Nice meeting you.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Nice to meet you as well. How’s it going?
GreggMorris-theWORD:
I’m surviving. I’m thriving. It’s been crazy cold back here (Jersey City, NJ). I mean, I’m from Chicago, so I was used to going to school, going out when it was 20 below zero or 32 or whatever. Man, this cold just knocked me. I mean, it knocked everybody out. It was crazy, crazy.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Yeah.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Are you still in Chicago?
GreggMorris-theWORD:
No. Okay. So where am I? Right now, I’m in Jersey City. I teach at Hunter College in New York City, and then I write stories and cover film reviews and film festivals and …
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Wow. Amazing.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
… try to write an attack blog here and there for people I don’t like, like President Trump
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecProducer,CoCreator:
I hear you with that. Wow. That’s amazing. Well, a lot of connections there that… Zoe and I went to school in Chicago …
GreggMorris-theWORD:
Oh, where?
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecProducer,CoCreator:
… but then, I’m from Long Island, so I’m from New York. We went to DePaul.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
Oh, wait a minute. DePaul University?
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Yep, the theater school.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Yep.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
Well, I have a long… I’ll make this quick.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
No, please.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
So how do we want to do this? I want you to tell me what this movie is about. Now, I’ve read the literature, I’ve read everything. My description is just to get something going or to get me thinking, get me to open up stuff. But I’d rather hear it from your lips what this film is about and what do you expect audiences to get from it.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Well, we’ll start off that it’s actually a pilot or a proof of concept for a series. It’s a short film on its own, but it’s really a proof of concept and pilot for the overarching series that we have planned. But it is about a lot of different things, but I would say it’s about two best friends, aging sugar babies who kind of dive into the gig economy and explore it through a new app called Daddies Boi.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
A way I’ve been phrasing it even recently, just to get even shorter with it, is just two friends in LA navigating the hustle economy, just trying to figure out how to make it and how to make ends meet and getting creative and kind of the journey where that takes them, for sure.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
So where would this… Okay, I’m jumping ahead of time. Where would the series run?
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Well, I mean, you tell us, Gregg. We’re dying to find out. The idea ideally is that this is picked up for streaming acquisition, so with the idea that we would either be funded through some place, let’s use Netflix as an example, or that we’d have private funding, make the series, and then look for an acquisition.
But I think, I don’t know, Louie, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the hope is that with the traction and the really positive responses that we’ve been getting from these festivals and from the audiences that they would be bringing us in to develop the project with a network so that way, we can shoot the whole thing with the budget that we’re dreaming of having and not having to, I guess I would say, make so many sacrifices on that end.
I think that we were able to create a pretty fleshed out world with the budget that we did have, which was very, very small. So getting the idea to make that on a grander scale, I think generally, we’re thinking between six and eight episodes, about 30 minutes a piece for the first season, and we have a deep outline for all three, I think, at this point, right, Lou?
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Three seasons?
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Mm-hmm.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Yeah. I guess to circle back to the question, I think where, I think it’s going to determine … We’re opening those doors right now. We’re in early conversations with distributors. We have been having such a amazing, beautiful, successful festival run so far, so I feel like we’re meeting so many people along the way.
And the dream, of course, is a streamer, to get on one of those streaming services, and maybe see where that takes us from there. But we’re currently in talks with all of that, so it’s a really exciting time.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
It’s extra fun because right now, so we’ve done our world premiere at NewFest, which was in October in New York, and then we played a smaller festival, Temecula, which was in California about outside of LA. We’ve been fortunate enough to get into quite a few other festivals, some that we can announce, some that we can’t yet, but so we’ve seen this positive response and we’ve been able to see that programmers seem to enjoy it as they’ve been picking it, but we haven’t yet done the majority of what we’ve gotten into.
So it feels like there’s still so much ahead in terms of seeing the specifics about audience response. But one thing that’s kind of fun to note, I think, is at NewFest, we opened to the Episodic Showcase, and we’re doing the same here at Slamdance as well. So I think there’s an idea that at least from programmers, and definitely, we felt this from the audience at NewFest when you were talking about what the response has been is there’s a lot of energy and enthusiasm.
And so, I think feeling like we get to kick off these programs with that piece has felt really, I don’t know, like a good vote of confidence from them, but also, it’s been amazing to see that from the jump at NewFest, for example, the audience was totally with us because when you perform in a group of five, obviously, you’re wondering if being the first one, if there’s going to be some of that warmup or lag time for people to get comfortable. But they were with us from the very first jump, so excited to see how this plays later this week. Can’t believe it’s this week. That’s crazy.
the WORD Editor Gregg W. Morris
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Yeah, so soon. Yeah, I would say I think people are really excited by the overall concept. This is something that Zoe and I have been working on for so long, but is also based in a lot of truth of our real lived experiences kind of doing this gig work and daddy dating. And so, I think every time we’ve told these stories publicly prior to writing Daddies Boi, there’s always such a spark from other people of wanting to know more, really curious to hear more of these stories, these adventures. And so, I think it’s fun to see that reflected now in the audience perspective of watching it.
People get really excited.I think also we have always said too that part of the mission of all of this was always to breathe some humor and joy into the space where sometimes and often, it can be depicted in kind of like a darker tone to which we say like a CSI or Law and Order way, the kind of sex work and daddy dating. We wanted to show not only the community and the love, but the humor that it’s a really funny. There’s so much joy found in the space as well. And so, it’s really fun to watch the audiences receive that and to laugh along with us and to really ride that wave.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Well, and also, I think to even one more thing, I know we’re really just tangent-ing, but I think something I was curious about was to see how it was going to play with people outside of our own age group and if they were going to connect to the material even because some people would say, “What’s a sugar baby,” folks who are maybe from a different generation or whatever else. I’ve found at least so far that it really feels like regardless of what age bracket you’re fitting into, the messaging of trying to find your place and make it work wherever you are, at whatever age really holds true.
GreggMorris-theWORD:</strong
Wow.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
The idea of finding friendship in these unique spaces goes far beyond just being in your 30s and trying to hustle and figure out what the you’re doing. It’s universal themes, I think, even though it’s specific context.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
Yes. Okay. So you have these universal things that are vibrating and ricocheting. You can feel it. You feel it. I felt it, and I believe audiences feel it, even if they don’t quite understand it right away that something is going on. It’s got you {meaning audiences} bouncing around or really excited and stuff. So I. just like that, and it’s game-changing, I think. It’s something that can do some game-changing. I …
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Thank you. We hope so.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Yeah.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Definitely, I think that’s a great way to frame. I think the whole show is an upbeat tornado.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Honestly, a tornado. Yeah. That was …
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
We talk about that a lot with how we write as it being kind of chaos …
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Yeah. We worked with a writing teacher coach named Jessica Blank, who is amazing, highly recommend. Her work on her own is so … she’s so talented. But Jessica always said that Zoe and I … needed to find the crazy train in our writing, and some people needed to steer the crazy train, and we were steering it because she was like, “You guys got the crazy train down. You just need to know how to kind of steer it.” And so, that’s often our word.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutoveProducer,CoCreator:
Yeah. We worked with a writing teacher coach named Jessica Blank, who is amazing, highly recommend. Her work on her own is so … she’s so talented. But Jessica always said that Zoe and I … needed to find the crazy train in their writing, and some people needed to steer the crazy train, and we were steering it because she was like, “You guys got the crazy train down. You just need to know how to kind of steer it.” And so, that’s often our word.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Yeah … [inaudible 00:16:08] … fun police. I’m trying to remember. She was telling people, “Remember the fun police aren’t coming,” and she was like, “I don’t know what you guys are doing with the fun police.” Things are out of control. We’re having too much fun.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecProducer,CoCreator:
Yeah, we like to have some fun.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
So what else do you have going on? Okay, let me rephrase that. I’m going to assume that you’re also working on other stuff. If you don’t want to tell me what it is, if you’re just saying, “Yeah, we’re working on other stuff, but we don’t want to discuss it,” I won’t be upset.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
No. We’ll give you a little tease.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
Oh, tease. Yes, yes.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
We can give some teases. We have a few different projects that are in the works.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Yeah, we have a bunch of things in the works for sure. Well, we actually just worked on a play that I wrote called Victoria at the Elysian Theater in LA, so that premiered in November.
There’s actually going to be another workshop of it, I think, this June. So we produced that, and Zoe and I were also both in it, along with me writing it.
We’re gearing up for this summer to hopefully start production on a vertical series that we’ve been developing.
So we’ve been wanting to put something out into the world that is kind of free to the public, that kind of shows our voice and our artistry and the kind of crazy train worlds we like to concoct, and it’s a story that we’ve been sitting on for quite some time, but I’m not sure how in detail we’ll get with the story of it but …
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
We can say it’s loosely surrounding… We could call it a historical comedy. How about that?
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Yeah.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Let’s call it a historical comedy for now.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – Executive Producer,CoCreator:
It’s a period piece.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
It’s a period piece. The idea is probably going to be probably six five-minute episodes, and the idea would be there. Yes, exactly what Louie said. This is something that can be free for consumption, another way for people to get a little more of a sense about what we do and how we operate and then with the idea of being able to sell this as well.
This is something that I think I see potentially even more ABC, NBC, I think, could work for a really broad mainstream audience, so we have a lot of excitement about what that could be. But I would say, yeah, historical comedy. We’re exploring for the vertical space.
We have a few other ideas, or not a few. We have many other irons in the fire, I would say, but definitely, Victoria, which will be remounted in June, and then, we can give the name, Divorce Ranch. Divorce Ranch is the name of the vertical series, and that’s what we’ll be hopefully starting production on the summer.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
So how did you guys start working together?
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Well, we met in college at good old DePaul. So we were-
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Yeah, we were 18 when we met, but we didn’t …
GreggMorris-theWORD:
I got to just throw that out there. What were you majoring in?
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Acting. So we were both in the acting conservatory, so it was a very intensified environment, a lot of emotions running, so it was a really bonding experience, I think, from the get-go.
Zoe and I, I think in particular though of course, really hit it off, and we wound up living together in college and just became best friends. I think from there, we had worked together as actors, for sure, in different musicals or shows. But as the years passed, we branched out into writing together and producing, and that all kind of started with or our first kind of production we did together was a play called F#@% Julie.
That was part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival back in 2022, and that was nominated for Best Play actually. And so, that was our first production that we really mounted something of substantial worth, and we’re like, “Hey, let’s really do this some more.” We formulated our production company, and it’s been going well since.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
Wow. So forgive my narrow-mindedness, so-
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Please, be narrow-minded.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
You’re independent filmmakers.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Mm-hmm.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
I can say that. Okay. Big deal, right? I figured that out. So what were your three biggest challenges to get your film going?
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
If they could all be one, it would be money, money, money.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Yeah.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
But I think that I would list personally money being the first one. The second one being just the fact that we were so new to this. Obviously, we came from a really strong theater background, and we were artists and I think very familiar with, even if it wasn’t independent film, I would say, independent art making generally, so anything that’s not super commercial is you’re wearing so many hats. So I think that just being new.
So I would say money, being new to all of this was something that took a significant amount of time just learning the ropes.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Yeah, there’s a learning curve.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Yeah, how to put together a team, how do we fund raise? So not even the actual money, but how do we go about getting it in the right way and bringing in the right people and who are the right people, and testing out different business relationships, figuring out what works for us and what doesn’t.
And then, I would say the third probably being, honestly, biggest challenge… The first reading we did of this was in 2020. So the implicit challenge being then the next couple of years, while it was exciting because I think in some ways, we had more time to devote to being creative than I think either of us had expected initially, it also meant there was so much uncertainty in the world, not that that’s different now.
So I would say money, the newness, and then just kind of the cultural climate that we were in creating this created, I would say… I think those were probably the biggest challenges. What would you say, Lou?
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Yeah, I mean, of course, my mind went right to money as well. I do think that was… Of course, you also pointing out independent filmmakers. I think that’s what makes it… When people talk about that, I think it’s kind of a talk. We’re talking about money.
If you’re independent, it doesn’t mean you have this funding from this big source, well of whether that be Warner Brothers/Netflix now or whatever it might be because of some big corporate head or are you kind of on the boots ground saying, “Okay, how are we going to pay for these coffees? Where’s crafty coming from?” And I think those kind of things, we were doing all of that.
And so, I think the financial component, of course, is always an element, I think, for any art, just to live day to day, but figuring out how to make a piece of art that requires a real budget and to gather that team, as Zoe was talking about, but then also us knowing that everyone deserves to get paid their rate and we want to be able to do that and want to be able to cultivate that kind of production.
And so, I think that took all the things that she’s saying. It took more time. It took more knowledge of a learning curve of how to really achieve that. It, of course, then took the actual tangible money just to click go to be like, “Okay, guys, we’re actually doing it now,” and we did.
I think for me, personally, I think what we’re all talking around too, I think it is. It was wearing the many hats learning because while we’ve been on sets as actors and we’ve done on projects as maybe just writers or help contribute, I think it’s a different thing to be the writer, to be the executive producer, and then also to be like, “Okay, now, they’re calling action, and now, I’m also in the shot to act in.” And so, I think that was a learning curve and an exciting one, but it definitely was a learning curve to wear all those hats.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
For sure. I mean, all the permits and everything even. We had done stuff that was more in the realm even of content creation or Shorts or things that were more sketch based.
And then, when you’re suddenly doing something where you’re putting together all these contracts, which we didn’t do the majority of that, that was our amazing line producer, Hannah Sawicki, but suddenly, you’re needing permits for everything. You have to get approval from the neighborhoods that you’re filming in. I think there were a lot of things that when we committed to making this not just a project that was going to have a bigger budget than what we had had before, which again, we’re still talking small and not small small like $5 million, fucking off the record, but like $30,000, 20,000 to film, then I think it… Yeah, I lost my original train of thought, honestly, but yep, there I am.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
If you were invited to be a guest lecturer at a undergraduate film class, what would you tell the film students?
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Wow.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
And let’s narrow it. The serious ones, what would you tell them? What could you tell them?
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
I think I would, I mean, again, we’re still learning so much in terms of the actual film aspect of it, and yet, I would tell them, I think for sure, work with the people you love right now.
Don’t wait to get to the dream budget. Don’t wait until to get the yes from somebody else. Just do it right now. Whether it’s on your phone, whether you’re filming with a friend’s camera, just throw it together and just keep making the things that you enjoy because I think that’s what will be the avenue to all the other things and to talk about all the things we just brought up of money or time or crew.
I think the important thing is being able to do it now and feel that power and also to work with the people you love and respect because as artists, especially as students, you’re around so many people with amazing imaginations who have the artistic tools inside, but maybe feel restricted by experience or by finances.
It’s just like you have your community. And I think that’s what has helped us more than anything is that we have such a rich, true friend community of artists that we love and respect, and I think we wouldn’t have been where we are today without really tapping into that community.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
I agree. I mean, what I was going to say would connect completely to that. I have one more, which is really just simple, but just stay in your own lane. Your journey is not going to look like absolutely anybody else’s. I don’t mean by that shut everyone out, but more like remember that you are going to operate on your own timetable in your own way. I think I set, whether intentional or not, these ideas of wanting to reach certain milestones at certain stages, and the reality is it’s going to look different for absolutely everyone that you come up with. One of the best things and healthiest things I think you can do is to remember that, celebrate other people’s wins, trust that yours are coming and that they’ll happen on your own timetable.
But connected to what Louie said about make things right now, I read this quote a long time ago that was, “You are an accumulation of the five people you spend the most time with,” and I think about this all the time, and the idea of really surround yourself with people who they may not necessarily think like you, they may not be creative in the same exact sense of you, but that you feel nourished from their presence and that they really believe in you because if you have people around you, regardless of what’s going on that see you for who you are as an artist and that you feel nourished by, I think that can sustain you just as much as having a killer job or whatever it would be.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
One of the things that, I hope I say this right, that has me sort of in awe because I see something magical going on that I don’t understand is that you do… I’m talking about you guys as well as others too who are out there doing something in film besides just making money, being famous, I mean, is that- …
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Which is great too from what I’ve heard.
Louie Rinaldi (they/them) – ExecutiveProducer,CoCreator:
Yeah.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Open to that as well, but …
GreggMorris-theWORD
This is what … I hope I phrase this right. The magic is, is that you can deal with a lot of people under a lot of different situations. I sort of liked the journalistic thing because I could go off by myself … journalism is changing now, so it’s much more complex, but I liked the idea that I could go off and be independent and work on my stuff with nobody knowing, but I realized that there was some kind of paranoid fear about, I don’t know what it is, but it’s the collaborating.
So when I see people who can marshal an army of talented people and get them to go in the right direction, I mean, even if they have to rewrite, rephrase, etcetera, it just puts me in awe. So I’m in awe of what you do.
Zoe Tyson (she/her)– ExecutiveProducer, CoCreator:
Thank you so much.
GreggMorris-theWORD:
Well, it’s a fact.