Meet Bradley Raymond

We recently connected with Bradley Raymond and have shared our conversation below.

Bradley, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

As a freshman in High School, I was not sure what I wanted to do for a living. I liked top play football and draw, but I lacked a clear direction. As a family tradition, my parents took my sisters and I out to the movies as a family every month. It was there that I found my purpose. It was June 11, 1982 while watching E.T. The Extra Terrestrial that I was mesmerized by Steven Spielberg’s masterful storytelling. That was the moment that I was obsessed with becoming a film director.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Ever since that day in 1982 after being swept away by Steven Spielberg’s storytelling, I wanted to write a screenplay to direct. The only problem was that I didn’t have a clue how. So I read every screenplay book I could find and took the classes that I could afford. I learned the basics, but when I started to write, I realized that what I learned was a lot of theory. I became lost while writing my first script and it turned out terrible. What I needed was a step by step guide to follow while I write, but that didn’t exist. It wasn’t until I started making movies with John Lasseter while at Disney that I learned how to write a screenplay. During those 8 years I developed the step by step guide to writing great screenplays that I wished I had when I first started out. Now I teach that guide as a way to give people with the same dream I had an invaluable tool. I started a website: https://1pagescreenplay.com/ where I provide that service. I really wish I had this knowledge which I learned from some of the great storytellers of our generation.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The first thing that I would advise is to figure out what you love to do. I always loved to tell stories, but didn’t think of it as a potential career. I did it as a hobby. I wrote and drew comic books for fun. The second is to keep your eyes and ears open. When I saw E.T. that was my wake up call. Be open minded so that when you see or hear something that inspires you, know that that is probably your wake up call. And third, never give up. The first time I applied for a storyboard job at a big movie studio I was told that I wasn’t good enough and that I should give up. That’s a true story. But I didn’t give up and I eventually had a successful storyboarding, writing and directing career. If I gave up, that never would have happened. Keep the faith in yourself and always remember; if you have a passion for something, then you have a talent for that very thing. Find your passion and become dedicated to seeing it through until you reached your dreams.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

When I started drawing comics as a hobby at the age of 5, my parents were amazed by what I could sketch at such a young age. When I continued drawing all the way into High School, they didn’t see how I could earn a living at drawing. They heard the term; staving artist and got worried. But Instead of trying to convince me to go to college to pursue a high paying career, they encouraged me to go to Art School. My parents saw that I had a passion for drawing and storytelling and decided that if I was doing something that I loved, I’d be happier than if I did something just for a potentially higher salary. My advise is to always try and do what you love.

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