Mindset Artistry
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Mindset Artistry
Defining Success on Your Own Terms: Gina Su's Journey from Life Coaching to Actor
What does it take to leave behind the corporate grind and embrace a life of creativity? Join us on the Mindset Artistry Podcast as we sit down with Gina Su, a dynamic film actress, producer, and the visionary behind Pretty Magic Productions. Gina opens up about her remarkable journey from the tech industry to life coaching, a path that illuminated her true passion for acting and producing films that champion female POC narratives. Discover the transformative power of changing your state, a concept championed by Tony Robbins, and learn how Gina leverages this philosophy to balance her multifaceted career without succumbing to overwhelm.
Ever wondered how core values can guide you through the chaos of the creative world? Gina shares her strategy of identifying three core value words—Inspire, Create, Entertain—that keep her grounded during industry upheavals, like strikes. We delve into the importance of diversity in filmmaking and how alternative passions, such as ceramics, can rejuvenate your creative spirit. Hear about the collaborative and supportive environment at Pretty Magic Productions, which is dedicated to giving women of color and other underrepresented voices a platform to shine.
Finally, brace yourself for an exciting discussion on the evolution of "Autopilot" from a short film to a feature film anthology, navigating themes of AI and technology's impact on youth. Gina lets us into her world of fascinating hobbies, including fire spinning and her adventures in Hawaii, as well as her philosophy of confronting fears head-on. Whether you're a fan of sci-fi, rom-coms, or horror, you'll be enthralled by Gina's future projects and her relentless passion for storytelling.
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This is the Mindset Artistry Podcast. I'm Amanda DeBraux, an actor or actress per your reference, and an inner voice life coach, and I'm Janel.
Gina Su:Koloski, an actor and career and mindset coach. We're your hosts and we're here to flip your mindset, to teach you the artistry of what we learned to keep your mind in check Over the course of our lives.
Amanda DeBraux:we've taken on the journey of healing, living and being authentically ourselves, as we successfully built our individual careers in the entertainment industry.
Janel Koloski:This podcast is designed for you so you can discover your goals and courageously reach them at your highest potential, while being a hundred and thousand percent yourself.
Amanda DeBraux:What you'll get from us is real, dirty and okay, a little more like a lot of quirky, along with special elite guests that nurture empathy and create a safe space without judgment. So get ready to build a mindset that is unapologetically you and excel beyond the stars. Welcome to the Mindset Artistry Podcast. That's good. Welcome back to another episode of Mindset Artistry, and today we have an amazing guest who I had the pleasure of meeting in person because now I'm living LA life. Hello, and so welcome, Gina Su. Let me tell you a little bit about Gina.
Amanda DeBraux:Gina is a film actress, producer, founder of Pretty Magic Productions, which strives to make films with impact while prioritizing the hiring and storytelling for female POC perspective. She is known for her autopilot, the sci-fi film in which she starred and co-produced. It's screened at the prestigious Fantasia Film Festival alongside hold on, a film produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, wow. And currently autopilot is being turned into a feature film Troubadour. The latest news covered by Deadline Okay, dream to be on a Deadline magazine, I mean Deadline, article Cool. And Gina has also been featured on ABC7 News and various Apple and Spotify podcasts and Comic-Con, and she also does numerous voiceovers that you will eventually get to know. So let's jump in, gina, thank you so so much for coming on the podcast and yeah, let's just jump right into this. What, first of all, I didn't mention that you also are a part of the life coaching world, on top of being an actor and all the beautiful?
Janel Koloski:things.
Amanda DeBraux:So mindset and mental health is very, very important to you. So tell me a bit about how you started that journey and what has it flourished into today.
Gina Su:Gosh, life coaching is incredible.
Gina Su:I always recommend it to everyone because it's literally changed my life.
Gina Su:But I got a life coach for myself when I was out of college, figuring out my life. When I was out of college, figuring out my life what job should I take, where should I live, what should I do with myself? And talking about your emotions, your purpose, the goals you want to set it sounds very textbook, self-helpy, but when I went through those steps, I just found myself and it was one of the most rewarding and very like oh wow, adulthood is happening. And then I I'm always looking for purpose with any of the work that I do, and at the time I worked in corporate and tech in the Bay area and I'm like I want to make as much impact as my life coach made for me, and so I want to do what she does, and so I did the same certification program as she does did and then got a bunch of clients and then started a life coaching business one-on-one coaching, group coaching and, as you both know, since you're both coaches, it's so rewarding for the people you help, but also in return for yourself.
Amanda DeBraux:Yeah, absolutely. I love life coaching. I think any person who is seeking to have an impact in anything they do life coaching is worth the path taken because not only, like you said, is rewarding for the people you help, but it's also rewarding for you as a coach. See people flourish and know that you know what you're doing is impactful and it matters. And we need people like you and myself and Janelle to help those that sometimes don't know how to help themselves. I've had to coach myself and a lot of things that I had to uncover about myself. You know, from self-sabotaging to people pleasing to just doubting my worth, and I was like, yeah, I'm great, I'm confident. In reality, I was confident, but not true confidence.
Amanda DeBraux:I was kind of like faking it until I made it, which is fine, until it's not, and so right exactly. And so I love that you have taken that path and really shared your journey, especially coming from the corporate world myself. Yep, the struggle of that. Now, how did this all tie? Were you always an actor, or is this something that kind of came along as you were life coaching, or was it before?
Gina Su:So I was always a dancer dancer for life, until I got injured and I was like, well, performing is just not in the cards for me, and also then having Asian parents were like you don't make money doing anything in the art world. It just never occurred to me to pursue anything in the performing world again as an adult until I started coaching clients and a lot of what I do is helping people find what they're passionate about and leaning towards that for their career and I'm like, hmm, I think I should be walking the talk and doing the thing I actually want to do, which is be performing again. So it really was the process of coaching, becoming a coach and coaching clients and I was like I got to listen to myself as well and then started doing commercial. Acting in San Francisco did really, really well. I was booking once every two weeks and I'm like I'm ready for LA and then moved to LA right before COVID happened, but it was awesome.
Janel Koloski:What type of dancing did you do?
Gina Su:I did jazz, I did hip hop, contemporary lyrical. I don't mention ballet because I had to do ballet to compete in jazz and I just, you know, forcing me to do it didn't make me love it as much, but I did almost all the other ones.
Janel Koloski:That's so cool and I mean I did Irish dancing, which is so funny, yeah, specific thing. But it definitely helped me to carry that discipline and to um and I know Amanda's feelings about the words of discipline, but just the idea of working on the fundamental, it's a positive thing. Don't worry, you know she's just so like good with words and she's words are powerful. So how you use them and your intention and whatnot. But my question around that well, you brought up something interesting about the coaching.
Janel Koloski:It makes us feel good, but also I love that you said it pushed you to focus more on yourself and your dreams too. And Amanda and I both say that because I'll feel like some type of hypocrite maybe, like they inspire me, because they'll, like you know, I'll be like go, go, go, and then they succeed and I'm like, well, shit, I've got to get this together, and then it's a really beautiful cycle. But what I do find when I'm coaching people is a lot of them are afraid how can I balance coaching and, let's say, dancing and producing and acting and all of this stuff, and Amanda and I have found our way into it. But how do you find that balance?
Gina Su:Because it's a lot. I talk with my coach about this all the time. Actually, I think because our job as actors and entertainers in this specific entertainment industry fluctuates so much that we have to get good at reprioritizing all the time. I mean, I loved school. I was a very structured person, so having a schedule is amazing for me. But as an actor you can't have a schedule and every day is different.
Gina Su:So I had to get good at I'm stickler with my Google calendar to be like this is how much time I'll do for my side hustle job, this is how much time I'll do for producing, for writing my next film, et cetera. But then if two auditions come in, I have to be flexible to move some items to tomorrow. Or if no auditions come in, I can't be bummed about it, because I've like primed myself to know that it is kind of a turbulent, very entrepreneurial endeavor to be an actor and just to get used to those constant changes. And I also just remind myself my husband still works in the corporate world that this is so much more fun than that. I rather deal with changing schedules and having to wake up early on some days and not on others than just work the same kind of mundane computer work, so being grateful about it is also very helpful.
Amanda DeBraux:I think you nailed something really, really important about that. Being an artist is the concept of gratitude. You know, because there's so much happening in the world, you know the uncertainty, especially as an actor and even an artist. In any creative world that you're in an industry, there is such heavy uncertainty, there's unexpected challenges, there's unexpected things like strikes and cancellations, and you know all the things. We put our heart and soul and sweat into the projects that we do and the next thing you know it goes nowhere, it gets shelved, and you're like, wow, all right, they're right, okay, great. So how can you utilize gratitude to help you in those moments that are challenging or unexpected? From what you've experienced in yourself and from what you've helped others navigate that in their career, oh, my gosh, gratitude is the best thing in the world.
Gina Su:It sounds so cheesy, but it was. It was life changing. Like I love gratitude. My husband and I do this thing every single night before we go to bed. We ask each other three things. Well, five things in total, but the first two is what are you proud of that you did today? What are you excited for tomorrow? And then three things that you're grateful for.
Gina Su:Don't have insomnia. I've never had it. I'm very lucky to say that. But I think when your brain is in a state of gratitude, you can't think about anything else. It's more of like I get to be here, I get to have this experience, rather than, oh, all this terrible stuff is happening to me. And so when I'm grateful, it helps me be creative, it helps me deal with the turbulence of our industry, it helps me feel good, which is really important as an actor sometimes, because we have to use our whole body and psyche to act all the time. So I've literally that's one thing If anyone wants to better their lives, like, pick up a gratitude practice. You could speak it out wordly to someone, you could write it down, you could say it to yourself in your mind, like and I think I've done it for like nine years with him and like my life, it was like, like you, I don't know I just felt the shift of having a gratitude practice.
Amanda DeBraux:Yeah, that's incredible. I had to learn that myself, like gratitude, especially being dropped from my representation and then quitting my job and going. I'm going to pursue acting and this is it. And then getting that notice like, oh, so your agent is deciding to leave the industry. Okay, so no one else is going to pick me up. No, our roster is full. I'm like and all the things that can come up in your head of like, well, I'm not good enough, I'm not a great actor, so that they don't want me. Oh, I haven't booked in a long time, so they think I'm not good. Like all the things that can possibly come up did come up in that moment and what.
Amanda DeBraux:I and what I recognized is I had to be grateful that I was in that position in the beginning, like because I had the opportunity to leave my job and still pursue acting. That means that the door was still open. That means that maybe this door particularly needed to close. I no longer need to be in that agency and that's okay. Maybe it was time for me to level up.
Amanda DeBraux:So I really chose that moment, chosen that moment to be grateful that I had come to this nail in the fork, or, however it is, because it made me pause and it made me one, be grateful for how far I've come. Two, reevaluate what I need to do to change or what I need to do to get to the next level, what I need to do to just shift and go. Okay, all right, I did that. What's next for me? And so I love that you brought in gratitude, because I know for a fact it has changed my life and even this morning I was doing the gratitude and I felt so much lighter. My body naturally dropped into its true, authentic joy and I stopped worrying because we all have worries.
Amanda DeBraux:We all have resistance. We all have the things. Yeah, no one has a perfect life, and if you think that it's bullshit, it is absolute bullshit. People put on internet what they want and they're saying that life is great and it's listen. It may be, but there's a mean. They don't have their hiccups, and so I love that. On top of gratitude, we talk about mindset. You talked about how important that is within being an artist and creatives. Can you talk a little bit more about what are like three things that's really important about mindset that people should keep in the forefront of their thoughts?
Janel Koloski:Yeah.
Gina Su:Okay. So there's so many things about mindset that are important. I think one is knowing yourself, because a lot of people ask sometimes, like what do you want out of life? Like what is success to you? And it's truly different for everyone.
Gina Su:For me it used to be like making a million dollars, that's what success is, you know, as a kid you're like're like that's, you know, on the cover of Forbes or whatever. But maybe success is having a great relationship, a healthy body and the ability to pursue your creative dreams. That's different from like winning the Oscars, but that's you can also have that as well. So I think if you kind of know where your boundaries are and what structure and world you want to live within, then it's easier for you to keep track of that.
Gina Su:And using your kind of your self-development and your constant self-talk that is what I think mindset is is like the way we always talk to ourselves that we're like oh wait, I'm comparing myself to someone who has a different definition of success than me, or I'm kind of worried because I'm not as far as they are. But wait, my, my story and my structure is here. So let me just like, stay within those boundaries. And I mean, we all know that the the happier, the healthier, more joyful you are, the better life is in general, and so why not use knowing yourself better to keep yourself in a good state? Speaking of state, I think the second thing is how to change your state quickly. Are you guys fans of Tony Robbins? Do you know his work?
Amanda DeBraux:Okay, oh, yeah, they're like. Yeah, yeah, I mean, he is like the one that put life coaching on the map, at least you know in my case, right.
Gina Su:So for people who don't know about changing your state, it's, it's literally about your physiology and being able to change how you feel quickly. And he does this like snap, like in a moment's notice. And so when someone's like sad or depressed, they're like hunched over their heads down, they talk slow. There's just this like heavy feeling of like not knowing what's happening next versus you can get yourself out of that by also again sounds cheesy, but like posturing up, smiling, doing 10 burpees, feeling like you've got all the energy in the world that you can make stuff happen.
Gina Su:And I always describe it to people like you know a kid who's having a tantrum. They're like mad about something and their mom says no, you can't have the candy or whatever. But they just like hold on to that tantrum me state like they're they forgot about the candy, whatever. But they are kind of like holding on to that state forgot about the candy, whatever. But they are kind of like holding on to that state which is super unnecessary and a giant waste of time. But when you're a kid you don't know how to regulate.
Gina Su:That Tony Robbins and his work taught me. As an adult you could just be like, okay, screw the candy. Mom was mean, let's do something fun now. And then, like, how much more good moments can you have in life if you know how to change your state quickly? So I think that would be my second thing. Third thing, about mindset I'm a huge fan of journaling Because when we talk to ourselves a lot of the times it's kind of mean and most people wouldn't talk to themselves the way they would talk to a friend or a loved one. But when you start writing it down and you can read it back or you can like see pen to paper what you're saying to yourself, you can really reflect and like adjust what that is. So yeah, those are my three that I pulled out of my old life coaching hat.
Janel Koloski:Oh my God, those are so amazing. I love it, especially changing the state, because the beauty of that and that's something that I've struggled with for a long time and a lot of people do, and there's many reasons why that can be hard to make that shift, but the cool thing is you can say let's really try to do a burpee or jump up and pump our arms, and then you can use a journal later to be like all right, cool. So I got myself out of the States, I could get along with my day, but then taking that moment with a journal and being like why, what happened there? Like why was I so sad? And so I think that's a beautiful balance that I love to see, because Amanda always knows I say I hate bumper stickers, I hate these, like one liner thing, you know, like just make the switch. And so I think what Amanda's really good at teaching is like working to like the limiting belief that comes up, and so it's it's been fun to see with our clients like finding that balance, kind of what you described.
Amanda DeBraux:So that's cool. Yeah, thank you for sharing that Cause. Those are three things I love to incorporate in my coaching and really try to get people to listen to on social media. I feel like you know a lot of times that we we're not saying it just to say it. Let's be honest, everything that we're doing as life coaches, you know, it feels like no, we're saying it for a reason. Please listen, please. But I get it.
Amanda DeBraux:Sometimes we're not ready to listen, sometimes we're not capable to be able to absorb that in that moment because we're so caught up in, you know, maybe that negative talk, you know those intrusive thoughts, maybe that energy of that rejection as an actor, you know that, that rejection of being told no over and over and over and over again and it's like, well damn, am I not good enough to get a yes? Am I not good enough to be saying, yeah, you got the job? And so I really make it a priority to talk about those three things. So I love that you hit that and hit that very clearly.
Amanda DeBraux:As an actor and a life coach, I know and I kind of want to pivot just a little bit so people can really dive into your background and get to know you a lot more. Tell me a bit about how you've balanced the ideas of your creativity. And as artists and as creatives, we always have a multitude of ideas, but we can get overwhelmed and then we feel like we can't do one thing because it takes away from the other. So what would be your advice and things that you've learned as you approached different skill sets and different passions as an artist?
Gina Su:I did not write this feature film. I'm writing other things of my own, but Jennifer Zhang is our writer and director, so I need to give her full credit for that. But and then also, I used to be a coach. I'm now no longer a coach, I'm now fully an actor and a producer. And how do I balance it? Again, it's the same shifting priorities all day long, every minute of the day. For example, I was going to do something else in between this and then filming later, but then I got an audition in and I was like, okay, maybe I'll like rearrange.
Gina Su:But as far as being a creative, I remember as a kid I loved art. I love dancing, I love making up stories and like doing a little play randomly for whoever would listen, and I just thought that was just like Gina being a child. This is what kids do. And then, as I grew older and older and I still love dance and I still love art and I still love entertaining, I'm just like, shoot, I'm an artist and I need to like accept that this is a huge part of me, that it makes me happy, and the moment that I kind of reclaim that word that I'm an artist, and like say that about myself to my parents, to my extended family. It really helped shift their perception of me and my own perception of me that creativity matters in my life and I won't be as happy without it. And so, you know, some art forms don't make money as quickly as others do, but that's still a part of me that I don't want to neglect.
Gina Su:And so, you know, other people compromise with whatever types of jobs they have. I feel like, as artists, that's kind of sometimes our biggest compromise that art and business don't always move in parallel as easy as maybe a corporate job would. Accepting that that trade-off is what I want. You know there's this is so random, but there's a lyric in a Hawaiian song that I love and I'm totally going to butcher it, but he says it's like if we all put our problems in a bag, which one would you grab? Would you take someone else's or take home the one you had? And I was like that's kind of our life as an artist Like, do I want this? You know a lot of unknown, a lot of uncertainty, but I get to create and play. Or what I take home, someone else's has a mortgage to pay kids to. Whatever work at a desk job Like it's. It's always greener on the other side, so it's helpful to just like pick your own and be okay with it.
Amanda DeBraux:Well, that just gave me darn chills. I was like, ooh, I felt that. I hope that resonates whoever listened to that, because that made me think how important it is, as artists, to feed our world. Right, we're so important. I think that it gets kind of overshadowed because people are like, oh, about the money and the business and these, all these roles that we need to be playing. But artists have paved the way for expression, for evolution. I want people to know that.
Amanda DeBraux:Claim that I love that you said I claim that you're an artist, claim that you're an actor. It took me a long time to claim that I'm an actor because I was battling between being in the corporate world and then being told that's a cute hobby. And I got to the point where it felt so uncomfortable to say that I'm an actor because I would quiver and going well, I guess I'm going to be judged here. I'm going to be judging my corporate job because I need to focus on my corporate job and this is it. This is where it's supposed to be, and creativity is not where the money comes from. Very similar to you, and so it took me a long time to claim that I'm an actor and it made me think about, as you were saying that, the song I'm a bitch, I'm a lover, I'm a child, I'm a mother, and it made me think of that because I claimed that and it's like regardless of what people's opinions of you, it doesn't matter.
Amanda DeBraux:At the end of the day, what do you claim, what do you claim to be and I love that you mentioned that, and a lot of people, I think, struggle with the idea of like. So tell me about yourself, especially as artists. Like, tell me about yourself. What do you do, what do you like? What do you want? Like that kind of it's like oh well, wait a minute.
Amanda DeBraux:Well, outside of acting, especially in the auditioning room. So tell me about yourself. Oh well, I'm an actor. Oh yeah, that's a given, I'm an actor. There's the hesitation of how do I come up with the right answer, of who am I, and so that was a big path for me that I explored, and I love that. I, just, like you, claim that I'm an artist. So, for those struggling, claim what you want and claim who you are, because it will make the biggest difference, especially around your environment and your world and how you show up. When you started claiming that you're an artist. How did that shift not only your mindset but your habits when it came to acting and now doing?
Amanda DeBraux:all the beautiful things and hats that you have on in this industry.
Gina Su:Also just like being okay with how long that this might take. Before it was like audition, am I going to hear back? Hello, agent or manager, did I get it? When am I going to walk a red carpet? And that, like you realize, all that stuff doesn't matter, because the joy of trying to get it, the joy of taking on the character for the audition, and then, if you do book, the joy of making that film and bringing that character to life, and then, if you do book the joy of making that film and bringing that character to life, like sometimes the long, grueling work, makes the result even more enjoyable. So maybe for people who are struggling right now, if it is taking really long, maybe the fruits of your labor are really huge in the end and you've got that to look forward to. But my habit of also just like doing it for me.
Gina Su:I remember when I made my very first dramedy short film I was like it's artsy, it's drama, it's about the Asian American experience. My parents are going to love it and be like wow, gina did something of herself as an actor. I literally played it for them in the living room at their house and then it ended and the credits started scrolling. They're like, wow, honey, that's great, what should we have for dinner? And I just there was like a half second where my stomach dropped, and then the other half of the second and into the rest of the rest of my life I'm like, why? Why do I even care whether or not this moment was epic for them? Because it was epic for me and like I was such a big shift, because I was like I still want to make movies, I still thought that was super cool.
Gina Su:I came up with the idea it happened. Does it resonate with them or not? I, I don't know. Does it matter? No, not really. And so the habit of just doing things for yourself, being okay with the long journey, being okay with the hardship that comes with it and the hope that something good will come out in the end, really helps, because, as you both know, there's a ton of rejection and hardship in this career choice that we've made. So being able to handle it is a skill.
Janel Koloski:I love all of that. And what advice would you have for people? Because, essentially, what you're speaking about is not needing that external validation, because you're validating yourself, because you're so aligned with who you are and what you're doing, and so you don't need people to tell you about yourself, because you're like this is what I'm doing and it brings me joy, and then in turn you're reaching the right people. But you know our reptilian brain, yeah, the pack animals that we are. Even if you're like I'm a loner, we have this mentality where, like, if I'm not accepted, it actually feels like a little dangerous.
Janel Koloski:So are there ever moments that come up where you're like people aren't getting me or people don't understand, and then maybe it kicks up a little herd mentality? What advice do you have for people? Because I agree with everything you're saying and I know me and I think Amanda too, like that was a shift for me. I remember saying like I don't care if you like my audition, and that's when I started booking and I did it. Well, I did the scene and all of the. You know I care about the craft, but then it was like then I brought Janelle to it, but that's very scary. So I'd love any advice you have for people listening just to work through that reptilian brain situation, through that reptilian brain situation.
Gina Su:Thank you for sharing that. I'm totally going to steal that. I love it so much. I don't care if you like my audition. That's so amazing. Wow, I would say work with a coach, that's number one. But if you don't currently have a coach is spend a lot of time.
Gina Su:There's a million ways to do this, but I think the quickest, easiest way is figure out your three value words and do a whole long journaling exercise about, like, what you want out of life. For example, when I did this, I came up with inspire, create, entertain. And I remind myself ICE is the acronym to remind myself how it goes and when I figured that out, everything I did kind of revolved around that and it was always acting and filmmaking Inspire, create, entertain. You can see how those three check those boxes. When the strike happened we're on our third one now, or almost the fourth, with the video game happening there was nothing to work on, not a lot of things to audition for, and I literally felt like empty, sad, anxious, didn't know what to do with my life, wondering if I should pivot, and kind of naturally I found my way to ceramics, as kind of my side thing that I picked up, and it wasn't until I talked to my coach lately that I fill out this. And it wasn't until I talked to my coach lately that I fill out this form for her every time.
Gina Su:And I have to write down my values every time, to like remind myself and without acting, I realized that ceramics fulfilled those three things. I was inspiring people because I was finding something else to do outside of acting and being okay with it. Creating I was like literally creating stuff with my hands. It wasn't films, it was like actual sculptures. And then entertaining I was like posting about my newfound ceramics journey. And I realized that I found joy and happiness when nothing was happening in the acting world, because I still checked those three boxes and no one else could have told me hey, gina, pick up an art form and you'll feel better.
Gina Su:I wouldn't have known, but because I had that in place, knowing what my values are, knowing that those things bring me back to joy every time, I think now in the future, if we have another strike or another COVID hopefully we don't have any of those that I'll use that same framework to to find myself and also just to tell people we all have ups and downs. It hurts a lot of the time. It feels lonely. A lot of the times, um, you feel like the question I ask all the time is like, what am I doing with my life? But that question comes up all the time, for me at least, and then you just find yourself, find your way back. So it's also just normal and human. But I would say three value words really, really helps.
Amanda DeBraux:That is so powerful. I'm like wait a minute, what is mine? I got to think about that. I'm like I think I am ice too right. I love that you shared that right, so it just it brings everything to a whole, like right, and really just solidifies what we want to do, and that's a great thing. Anything that you're doing, ask yourself what do you want to do and how are you showing up to what you want to do, and I love that. I mean, you're just incredible because you also do stunt work and you know voiceover and you're just such a diverse artist and I love that you've encompassed all these amazing things from working with on Netflix and Disney, plus shows from like hometown cha-cha-cha, which I love because I had to do that. I had to do the cha-cha-cha.
Janel Koloski:And.
Amanda DeBraux:I want to talk about your Pretty Magic production because I know it's really targeted towards women of color and POC and that perspective and telling those stories. So tell me a bit about that, how it came up and what you want people to know about that production company and how much it matters and how much it matters to be telling these stories.
Gina Su:Well, the logistic side of it is, I started a production company and an LLC to make Autopilot, which is a sci-fi short film that has been doing the circuits and doing really well, so that was a practical need for that.
Gina Su:And then, in the process of making Autopilot, a lot of us me and my producing partner, jennifer Zhang hired a lot of our closest friends and people we thought were kick-ass and did a really good job. And a lot of those people happen to be women or women of color, um, or just diverse people, people part of the LGBTQ community. And when we were on that set we looked around. We're like this is one of the most smooth sailing, um, egoless, comfortable and supportive sets that I've ever been on, and it was so cool to be like made this happen together, like Jennifer and I, and then spreading our networks out and bringing people together made that communal filmmaking space happen. And then, from then forward, I was like Pretty Magic Productions will always try to prioritize these kinds of people with these kinds of attitudes and, as we know, like we're always trying to champion diversity, but there are amazing results out of championing diversity. So I just decided to make that the forefront of Pretty Magic Productions, moving forward as we again start to wrap this up.
Amanda DeBraux:Autopilot is now being created into a feature film. What was that process like? Because I know you were brought on as a producer and then you are the lead in that as well. Am I correct to say that?
Gina Su:So it is an ensemble. I wouldn't consider myself the lead. We have a lead actor who we have signed contracts with, but I can't yet say who it is. Who will be the lead lead? Yeah, I was. I was a producer on autopilot, which is the sci-fi film, and then Jennifer had the amazing idea of making an anthology feature because that sci-fi short film did so well, and so she wrote this amazing script and she'll be directing that feature. I'll be one of the characters on the ensemble cast and it just it's about AI and technology and young people and their connection to technology and how technology can help or hurt the way we perceive each other. So it's very timely and I'm excited to make it.
Amanda DeBraux:Yay, that's so exciting. I love it. And I really want to end on something really fun, because you're a vegan like me, but you also do all the amazing things like travel the world and all you know and being multifaceted talented saw that you do some fire spinning. Wait a minute. I know you do dancing and you do MMA and that's a whole nother thing, because that is some kick ass. First of all, you're a kick ass. You just kick ass Fire spinning. Tell me, just circle on that just a little bit, because that's pretty freaking cool.
Gina Su:So I lived in Hawaii for a year during COVID Best year of my life and I know it's super privileged of me to say that but we met some people who taught us how to spin fire. The traditional Hawaiian spinning style is like a Hawaiian fire knife, which you know if you ever went to one of those touristy hula performances. That's what you saw them do. There's a group of people who do flow arts, which is different types of tools that you add Kevlar at the end and then you light and you play with fire with your different tools.
Gina Su:People have done wands and poi, my husband does sword and staff, and so I I feel like I'm like a baby fire spinner. I do this thing that has, like palm torches, little fire flames on your hand so you can dance with them. I did a little bit of staff, which is like a long stick with two fire balls, I guess, on the end that you spin with. And I gotta say, for people who know about the concept of flow and being in flow, fire spinning will put you in flow like no other, because you're like, oh my gosh, I could light my hair on fire, the intensity of your safety, but always moving, because if you don't move, then it's hot and it burns you, so fire spinning is great for getting yourself in the flow that is so cool.
Amanda DeBraux:I would probably not do that for the moment, just because if I put my hair out, I would be lit on fire for sure, for sure, Just a little, and then I'd be that person that's burnt to crisp in my hair. I love Gina, I adore you so much. You've done such incredible work. I think what you're doing is so incredible, and the fact that you're really have this vision for your legacy of you know love and kindness and you know cultural change and I think you've done that on a multitude of things and and the fact that I can relate to you as far as, like, coming from the corporate world and really nurturing that creativity and going okay, I'm going to be, even as Janelle does, like I'm going to. What's your thing about fear? Cause I don't want to butcher it. So what's your thing about fear? Like you, even though you're fearless, you still do it. Then you did the national geo. Oh my gosh, the travel channel show.
Janel Koloski:I had a travel channel show and I was like the fearless travel and I was like I'm just gonna. Well, the fear comes. Everybody feels fear, but you feel it fear and you do it anyway. You feel it fear and you do it anyway. I was really cute, I was like 24 years old.
Amanda DeBraux:I love that. I think you've transitioned that into everything you do and honestly, gina, that's what you've done. You've taken fear by the hand and you said I'm still going to do it anyway and you've literally cultivated a path that was uniquely yours. And the fact that you did that, you created this production company. You've, you know, done the autopilot. Now that's becoming a feature. You're doing your own projects and you've taken what you've learned as far as life coaching and all those things, and you've really inspired people and I, again, I thank you so much for doing that. And you know you are also a woman out of my own heart, because you love rom-com and I love it um rom-com.
Amanda DeBraux:We need more of it to lighten up the world best genre. It is the best genre. I really, really am like I need to see more. Are you going to be doing a bit of uh, rom-com content, dating?
Gina Su:one. I'm trying to figure it out. Apparently it's really hard and I'm finding that it is hard, so when I figure it out, there shall be one in the in the future what about the horror?
Janel Koloski:Amanda, you also love the horror.
Amanda DeBraux:I do love a good horror or sci-fi. And that's your world too, right, gina?
Gina Su:you love sci-fi maybe I can tell you about this another time, but there's a horror film that came to mind that's kind of related to our life being vegans and I keep toying with this idea. But I'll share it with you some other time, all right.
Amanda DeBraux:That's going to be off, offline, everybody Cause maybe we'll be in the movies for you to see. I love a good horror, I love sci-fi and I love that we have this ability. And to all, to all those that are listening, my thing is be creative, do it your way and you know, know that you're not alone in this creative world, and myself, and Janelle and Gina, if you're ever looking for someone, we're here. This is what we've done, this is what we're doing, and you have a community that is lasting and that cares and that wants to see you shine and grow and know that it is possible. Any last words, gina grow and know that it is possible.
Gina Su:Any last words, gina, and how can they find you and stay connected? I'll just mirror exactly what you said to everyone listening Like it's like what Janelle said if it's fearful and you keep going, that's what you can pat yourself on the back for. It's going to be scary, it might be sad and intense, but then you did it and that is so dope. So just remember that experience. You know, and then you did it and that is so dope. So just remember that experience you know. And people can find me.
Gina Su:I'm mostly on Instagram at Miss Gina Sue M-I-S-S-G-I-N-A-S-U. If they want to follow my ceramics, I'm at Gina Sue Ramics, my first and last name, and then Ramics and yeah, and I'm also. I'm the same. If anyone wants to reach out or if they're going through a tough time or they're confused as how to navigate the entertainment industry, um, dm me. I will respond and chat about it, because we also community. We need this. This podcast is incredible. I literally found you guys because I'm like I love talking about my films and myself as an actor, but more importantly is like the mindset behind it, the hardships behind it, all the habits you have to break down and recreate to do this work Like that's the work and nobody's talking about it, and you guys literally made a podcast with that in the title. So thank you for making this amazing content and making people feel seen as artists.
Amanda DeBraux:Well, that's going to make me cry a little bit. Thank you, gina. You know it came from true, and now I'll let you close this out. Yeah, that's just like you said inspire, create. And you know, entertain is what this really is. And because I felt like I didn't have a community, I wanted to create it. And as many times Janelle knows I wanted to create it. And as many times Janelle knows how I wanted to give up.
Janel Koloski:So I was about to say, Amanda, did you just hear what Gina says?
Amanda DeBraux:I know Cause I'd be on the verge of like I'm done with this shit. This is ridiculous, it's not getting. It's not getting to the people that it needs to. I'm so over it. Like people listen to what we're saying. We're not saying it just to say it, we're saying it for you because we I've been through it. And then I'm like Amanda, chill, you're doing what you said you wanted to do. Gina sees it? Gina knows.
Gina Su:Oh seriously, I found you guys. So yeah, it's incredible the work that you're doing.
Janel Koloski:Yeah, as hard as you feel like you're standing into an abyss and you're like, but really it's just like, come on no.
Gina Su:And what a dream, yeah, and thank you for like being so open and vulnerable about talking about it now for people to hear too, because you think like, oh, these people are running the podcast, but that's also hard, that's also a creative and business endeavor. You're putting yourself, your name, your face out there and then you're like it's like when we send an audition I'm like I think it went into a black hole, like what I don't know.
Amanda DeBraux:I mean, yeah, janelle and I were just talking about the fact that we had to grapple with the idea of being seen. Yes, that is very big. As artists, right, we think that we want to be seen. But then when we're seen, we're like, oh no, no, no, turtle, turtle, turtle, and we go into our little huddle and we're like no no, nevermind, I don't want to be seen.
Amanda DeBraux:Yeah, we're like, yeah, no, no, you know, like the Simpson thing where he like goes in the bushes. That's like how, yeah, that's how we feel. And it's like, oh, no, okay, I guess it wasn't good, or just same thing with the self tape, you know. And so it's like you just got to trust and enjoy the process. And this process has been strenuous, has full of challenges, and I'm pretty sure you've dealt with that, with starting your production company, and maybe we'll have a part two and talking about just that business aspect of doing, that creativity, of going. You know, hey, I had this idea about a production company. How do I start it? What does that encompass? I know that came from something, but you know what did that look like? What challenges came up for you and how did you manage that mentally, emotionally and physically? I'd love to do a part two on that. So if you want a part two, drop it in the comments and say yes, fuck, yeah, we want a part two. So thank you so much, janelle. You can close this out.
Janel Koloski:Oh yeah. Well, thank you so much, gina, for joining us and for Amanda's being amazing, as always, and we hope that everyone here, you know, picked up those gems that Gina was dropping. And, as we're all saying here, we're a community, we're here for you and don't be afraid to reach out and we'll see you next time.
Amanda DeBraux:Goodbye, we're here for you and don't be afraid to reach out, and we'll see you next time. Goodbye, and that's a wrap on this episode of mindset artistry podcast. Don't forget to like, share and subscribe. Catch us every Thursday for a new episode to help you master the art of your mindset. Yeah, we got it. Yes, okay, cool.