The Red Box Series w/Ike Onyekwere of IKETV

FRESH Media Podcast interview with Ike Onyekwere, owner of IKETV Productions.

About our guest:

Ike Onyekwere is a filmmaker, director, and producer from Houston, Texas. He grew a passion for the arts as a kid and was fascinated by films and television but it would be during college that he took on his filmmaking journey. He Started off doing documentaries on his cell phone based on events a this college, then later dove into producing skits and short films for YouTube. As his following sharply grew, he knew that taking a bigger step was only on the horizon. In 2020, his life would change forever when he started filming for his hit TV series The Red Box, which started as a short film but then went on to become an episode series that received high praise for its creativity and for bringing something new into the film world.

What inspires you to create?

Just falling in love with the process, every moment is an opportunity to step into a creative zone and manifest anything into a story. What's also good is working alongside people that think, breathe, and reason the same way as you do. Each moment is like a puzzle you have to solve that pays off in the long run.

Watch the full interview below, listen on Spotify, or visit FRESH Media TV!

How did you find your love for filmmaking?

Let me say something, I didn't really I didn't really get into filmmaking until about college, but I will say this. So when I was a kid, I just loved cartoons a lot. I'm not going to lie. I was a kid that's what I was on.

I was surfing through Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network simultaneously. I was watching every day and I was just like, Man, I really love cartoons. I don't know why. I just feel like it is an escape from reality. And I used to, in my notebooks in grade school, I would just go to that and just draw comic strips.

So I had this whole comic series. I was just drawing. I don't know, I was doing it. I just loved to create. So I was doing that and I was doing that for a while. So what's a better medium to portray myself and my creativity? When I got into filmmaking in college, I was in classes here and there, and then I was just like, man, I want to just make something. So I just felt like doing videos, which is the more mature way to kind of keep my creativity going.

So I just started doing skits and, you know, I was basically a YouTuber first. I just felt like things were just looking good and I just dove into like real, like just real filmmaking and I was just like, okay, let me try taking a shot at this. I just kept going.

I was just making stuff just to go viral. I was just making funny stuff. And then one of my first really serious projects was this project about a husband and a wife that were going through some marital issues and she ended up killing him.

So I was like, Wait a minute. Like, wait, I can do this. That's that's crazy. So I just started to take my art more seriously and just started to do more serious, dramatic pieces. And when I realized that I have the power, the gift of blending different subgenres of film together. And so I just kept developing.

From there, all those videos I was making kind of led me to The Red Box, which we'll talk about in a little bit. So I just realized that I have this gift of storytelling,

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So you found your love for filmmaking and you're producing stuff for YouTube and you're blending genres. Would you say that there's somebody who inspires you? A certain genre? A certain filmmaker?

Honestly, I kind of I kind of watch everything. So I've watched a whole bunch of films and TV shows, and I wouldn't really say there's an influence because my style is kind of unique to me in the sense that my style is more like bringing a lot of people together.

So I have this gift of bringing people from different personalities, and different upbringings together. People love uncertainty and people love randomness and unpredictability. So I feel like I just have the gift of blending that in and making it work because I'm more of the person to where I want to appeal to everybody.

I want to make stuff that appeals to kids, that appeals to teenagers, that appeals to young adults, that appears to people in their forties, and grandparents. I want to make this kind of general that people will love. So I feel like I've got these bits of pieces from just about everybody. But I would just say I'm more self-motivated in that sense.

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I know people who are inspired by the world around them and the people in their life. And I know as a filmmaker, that's especially important when you are creating a story. And from what I've seen, you're an amazing storyteller, and I feel like that comes from some kind of authenticity. Let's get to it. For those of you who have not seen The Red Box, are they able to go and watch it?

Yeah. Okay, I'll say this. I will say this. We did release an original version, but I made a lot of remasters to it. So I would say you can check it out on Amazon Prime and YouTube soon.

I'm, I'm not gonna lie before you continue, I want to shout out all the actors, all the actors and crew involved, this is a fantastic project and everybody on this project is talented.

I saw something. Everybody's unique in their own way. And I just felt like I had to. I was like, glad to put this together. So everybody did their thing on this. I did my thing, but more importantly, everybody else did their thing. So shout out to the team. It's all love. We're all gifted. We're all talented.

Without giving too much away, could you talk about how the idea of this project came about and basically, like, if you had any reasons why you wanted to do this in life, what inspired you to write it?

Okay. So I've done a lot of YouTube videos in the past, just skits, short films. I was just going out there. It's kind of like I had to just go out there and create something. I was just going out there, doing all different kinds of ideas. And then it wasn't until COVID when we were all locked up, I was like, Okay, what do I do next?

I've done kind of everything. I've done action drama, romance, sci-fi. So I was like, okay, I'm childless. Let me let me think of an idea. How about making a film about a mysterious object that a guy's trying to steal from a girl he's trying to rob from her house? So it just kind of began like that.

The first episode was actually just a typical YouTube video. And what I realized is that people were like, wait a minute, this is good. So they're loving this. I'm like, okay, we have to let this seed be planted. Because if people love something, you just got to give them more. So like, all right, let's get the band together, let's make episode two.

So we kind of have to develop more from two. Because I came into this project, I didn't even know I had the idea of expanding it. So it was kind of like, Okay, now we have to create a sequel to episode one. And then with episode two, people loved where it was going, okay, cool, let's make it episode three. So we did episode four and five simultaneously last year, and this year. We kind of shot in 2022 to 2023.

And so far it seems to look at magnetic like magnetic like the actors are A-1, like everybody is on their game behind the camera, in front of the camera. So it kind of feels like you're in a universe. And it's kind of been like making a universe of people interacting with each other of different backgrounds and upbringings and just letting that happen naturally.

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First of all, great job at casting. I think that all the characters –– I like that their roles were very specific.

Each character had their role. I noticed some amazing cinematography. Whatever locations y'all were using. So how was that filming? Because, you know, when you're independent and you're making your film, you got to be resourceful, you have to be the most resourceful ever. Did you have a certain amount of funding?

Some people pitched in. But you know, of course I had to foot like 95% of the bill. This is my project. In general, it was a very resourceful project because everybody had to do like more than they were required.

We had to go above and beyond to get certain places and get certain things, certain props.

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There were a lot of times where they were going off script. I was like, Wait a minute, y'all, Y'all are the characters. I'm gonna get out of your way. So everybody kind of chipped in in their way. But I saw something in everybody. So I was like, I have to let this happen –– see the plan and bear fruit.

I'm gonna do everything I can to let it grow. Because there was talent on this project, and this project is going places. And I saw something and everybody and everybody's talented. So I was just like, Let's let it happen. Just let it happen. It was meant to happen.

That's beautiful. Especially I feel like that speaks to you as a leader, being able to delegate and be able to trust the people that you have acting and bringing your vision to life. Especially because you're independent and you are creative, This is your baby, okay, for you to give them this kind of freedom to bask in their characters. I feel like that's next level.

What we know is good or just let it happen because we try to force stuff that wasn't complicated. It just is going to go places. But we just have to just, you know, just our just let it happen.

So is there anything else that you want to say about The Red Box before we move on?

So the Redbox it's very different. People are not going to understand it till is released, but when it's released, it will make perfect sense. So it's been all over the place because it's just too much going on.

There are too many characters to be stories like sub-stories, main stories too, where people are confused. So it's one of those projects that is destined for greatness, but everyone just has to wait till it's released. We know what we're doing. We know what we're doing with this, we're going to stand out and it's going to be great, it's going to be amazing.

It's going to be it's going to be well-received. It's going to be somewhat relatable by kids, teenagers, adults. You know, the kids will definitely love it because it's science fiction. So we know we're doing something different. We're trying to go a different route than everybody else. So I just have to be patient. It's going to be a miracle when it comes out.

It shows that because you guys care about the quality of the work you're doing, production quality. And I was like, wait a minute, cinematography. Yeah, y'all snapped with that. Like the editing and the effects? And the fight scene. I don't know how long it took to get this choreography together.

So it literally felt like every kind of, like every scene, like every character, we have to go into their world and kind of learn from them. So the fight scene was like, you know, shout out Mark Dong, because he was a fire coordinator. He's an amazing stunt choreographer and it kind of felt like when we were practicing with that, I had to literally put on my fighting clothes. Got to go to the stage, we had to learn stunts, and how to not injure people.

So it kind of felt like I was learning about people as I was doing this. So that's why it looks so amazing because it's all-natural, you know?

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In a span of three and a half years. It took three and a half years to incubate. Right now we're 99.9% done, But it's like three and a half years to incubate this. So it was like a lot happened. A lot of ups and downs, ups and downs.

But that's what comes with climbing up the mountaintop. You got to go through the highs and the lows, but, you know, we're just glad that it's basically done. So I'm just excited.

I look forward to the film being released and I'm going to promote it like crazy anywhere we can. I do want to ask you, as far as any future projects, or if it's another kind of artistry, do you have any other projects coming up besides that release?

Honestly, I'm just I'm in the point where I've been doing this for almost ten years, so I'm just going to kind of lowkey retire. We'll see if things take off.

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To listen to the rest of this interview or learn about more projects that we have going on, follow us on social media on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Follow Ike on Instagram and YouTube!

Horror Filmmaking with Mushroom House Productions

FRESH Media Podcast interview with owner, JC Valle.

Horror films have evolved with the improvement of technology, but they have also been rebooted, sequelled, and imitated. Horror film producer JC Valle is going against the grain to create films from what he feels is missing in the film industry and concoctions of his imagination. In our interview, you'll find out exactly what inspires JC Valle and why he gravitates towards horror filmmaking. Listen to the full interview below or at FRESH Media TV!

Check out the FRESH Media Podcast on your favorite audio platforms! Visit Mushroom House Productions on Facebook to learn about more of their projects.

Check out our interview of JC Valle and his horror filmmaking below:

Welcome to the Fresh Media podcast. I'm so excited because this is the very first episode of this podcast and this episode I'm going to be interviewing Jose Baez, who is the head creator and owner of Mushroom House Productions. He creates a lot of cool thriller and horror type of films, and I first met him in a Houston Creatives group on Facebook. I'm very excited because he's very passionate about the work he does. So let's get into it!

What inspired you to become an artist?

What inspired me to be an artist? I've always been interested in the arts. When I was a little kid, I. I always said that I was going to be a painter. I've always wanted to be a piano player.

I don't take piano cause I've always been interested in film as well. When I was a kid back in the day, I was talking like –– it's like early nineties when you would see movies on the TV. There was always like the special features, you know, like the behind-the-scenes and, you know, the magic of movie-making.

I can remember all the other shows that there were after the film. And I would always like say, you know, to see like, oh, how did they make it, you know? Or how do they make it possible for somebody to transform into a monster or whatever? So I think it was more of my curiosity that started it all and the sense of film to get inspired and be like, 'Oh, I want to do that!'

Like, that looks fun! Well, it's interesting. It's like magic, but in real life, you know? I guess it all started with the whole moviemaking magic behind the scenes and then that made me inspired to become like an artist. Explore the options of, you know, expressing artistry, painting, and filmmaking.

What would you say is your favorite film of all time? If you have one?

When I was a kid and I'm talking about maybe five years old, some aunts, loved horror and they always watched films either Friday or Saturday. So I want to say a horror marathon of like two or three movies. And they sat us down with them to watch once. And I remember watching The Exorcist.

I didn't get scared, probably because I didn't get what was going on. But I do remember watching that movie and I was like, something's happening and people are getting upset about this. The Exorcist came out again and we're like, these remastered special features and all these things?

I saw it and I was like, I didn't get scared because of course I already had seen it way back. It sounds really silly, but I thought to myself, 'Wow, this is like hardcore. You know, movie making back in the day, this film was made like in like the early seventies and it has like really good, you know, special effects, like practical special effects, not even CGI.

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From the story and high development and everything that happens, you can see the transition. From when the girl is so cute and innocent up until she's like the demon. Then the new version when she's coming, like walking backward down the stairs and all these things and she's like, floating, like, just blew my mind!

It's a horror film and you're talking about, you know, demons and possessions and the whole ambiance of the film and the elements that they bring into creating that tension and the audience. So, I mean, as a filmmaker, I can appreciate all of those elements, and also as a filmmaker, it's really hard for me to get scared because I know little tips and tricks and how to jump, scare, or create tension.

So when I see a movie, I can spot, oh, this is a jump scare or this is kind of like a, you know, like one of those moments where they kind of lower the volume and they set up in it and nothing's happening and everything's like hush-hush. Then bam! The Exorcist is definitely one of my all-time favorites.

Tell me about your production company, Mushroom House Productions. What kind of films do you guys make and what inspires you guys to make the stuff that you make?

Yes. So Mushroom House Productions started back when I first started film school and this was in 2016. So it's a really small company. It's more of a who wants to collab with me as creatives and filmmakers.

I'm pretty active in the film community here in San Diego. Mushroom House Productions is pretty much just me and whoever wants to join and, you know, make my stories happen. I usually do horror films or films that have to do with like suspense, thriller, mystery, you know, psychological thrillers type of thing.

And once I reach a certain status of as a filmmaker in the sense of, you know, getting more investors involved or people that want to support me and my films or make films happen, then I want to venture a little bit into like fantasy maybe, or sci-fi and fantasy gaming. Like stories about wizards and dragons and, you know, fairies and all these, you know, different universes or universes or worlds that take us a little bit away from reality. I think that storytelling should be that, you know, a way of taking us out from where we're at in this moment of life and not only entertain us, but also delivering some sort of message that you can carry with you and learn from it.

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So who inspired you to Well, I know you have your favorite movies that you showed me, but are there certain filmmakers that you looked up to or is it just like your favorite films that you model your projects after?

I had a conversation with a friend and because she was like, oh, have you seen this film and have you seen that film? And I'm like, nope, nope, nope. And she was like, You're a filmmaker and you don't know shows. And I'm like, yeah, I'm a filmmaker because I like telling stories!

I like to give my perspective on things of the world or certain situations or by storytelling, you know, exemplifying or giving examples of what it is that I would have done in a certain situation. I am not trying to follow a trend. Of course, I do see the movies and shows and series and stuff, but I am not an avid follower and it takes a lot for me to get caught up in a show that I'm like, oh, I'm super into it.

Are you trying to create what's missing, or focusing more on the storytelling that you're not seeing?

In a part. Yes. But I also want to create my own thing. I don't want to make a film and be like, oh, this guy is like Stanley Kubrick or whatever. It's an honor to be compared to such great names and things, but they've already done their thing. They have already done their style, their seal, their stories.

And that's probably what I want to say. I don't follow trends to be compared to somebody else. You know, I would rather actually be creating and getting inspiration from other sources. It's a bit contradictory that inspiration comes from watching more of what you like.

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So do you have any events coming up, any future projects that people can be looking out for?

Not at the moment. I do it, however, in July, I got invited to the San Diego International Comic-Con to be on a panel. We spoke about the importance of sound in film. As a filmmaker, I thought that, yes, it was great. It was a full house. The former president of Studio Ghibli was there and I got to meet him.

He brought the panelists a bag of goodies from Japan. So it was super cool. And he's such a cool dude in real life. I played Pokemon Go with him too. So we are like in communication. He follows me on Twitter and he tweets about my stuff and retweets and things of that sort.

I got invited to several film screenings here in San Diego as well. I am writing my script and it's going to have a little bit of horror and a little bit of mystery. The more I write, the more ideas I have. But I don't know where it is going to take me.

It's a work in progress still. As far as projects, I am not shooting anything right now. I will, however, start creating my pre-production –– fundraising for my film, which I'm working on right now. So I can start executing that as soon as the script is done and I have a better idea of my budget and what it is that I'm going to need.

Where do you want people to find you? Social media website. Just give us all that information.

People can find me at Mushroom House Productions. I'm on Facebook, Instagram, and I also have Twitter which is Mushroom House TV and YouTube.

Google my film, Not a Stranger, then that's me. And you know, as I say, you make sure to follow, click like, and subscribe!

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