#1: Can you describe your movie and why somebody should see it in less than 140 characters?

It’s a funny, heartwarming tale of illegal cake decorations starring Rich Sommer of Mad Men and GLOW.

#2: What do you want the Borrego Springs Film Festival audience to know about your film that isn’t obvious from its title?

All the weird background details of the story are true!  Those little silver balls are impossible to find in California. We had to pack them in our luggage and bring them in from the east coast.

#3: What is your movie making background?  Tell us about yourself.

We’ve been doing comedy since we were kids. (Somewhere in the world, there’s a cassette tape of the two of us making up Star Wars parodies.) We are big sketch comedy nerds and quickly started writing our own. The next logical step was to figure out how to put it on screen. Since no one was offering to do that for us, we learned how to do it ourselves. 

Flash forward a few years and we found ourselves a part of Channel 101 — a series of live events where audiences vote for their favorite five minute “television shows.” Shooting episodes every month for years and getting immediate feedback from a room full of strangers was pretty formative to our understanding of the process.

The skills we learned creating those shows with no money and no crew, have paid dividends as we’ve been given the opportunity to scale up our productions and budgets. The toys and craft services may be better, but the underlying components of how to tell an entertaining story don’t change.

#4: What was the biggest lesson learned in getting your film made?

First, write good material. Everything flows from that.  Second, learn how to make it yourself. The tools are there, so you don’t need permission. Finally, once you’re comfortable with the process, get a crew who can do it all better than you.  There are specialists for a reason. You’ll have the knowledge and understanding about every part of the production to effectively communicate your vision, but they can elevate your film in ways you didn’t think possible.

#5: What does the future hold for your film and you?

We’re working with MPI — the same amazing team that backed us to make A Piece of Cake — on a feature based on the true story of Roger Sharpe, the young midwesterner who overturned New York City’s 35-year ban on pinball. It seems we’re drawn to stories about illegal shiny spheres.