We were lucky to catch up with TJ Noel-Sullivan recently and have shared our conversation below.
TJ, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
As lead actor Preet Kaur says “We really pushed the envelope with the genre of heist films. Compared to a classic Oceans 11, MIDAS is for the everyday man trying to make it out of the rat race. The average American of a BIPOC demographic works twice as hard to get half as far simply because of the social inequality disadvantages imposed within systems and institutions. In MIDAS, we see what transpires when a group of well-meaning young adults challenge the stipulations imposed on them.”
However, MIDAS wasn’t just different in its storyline. As writer/director TJ Noel-Sullivan notes, “We also wanted to take a different approach to indie film production. While too many indie films try and squeeze into tight budgets with long shooting days, and shortened schedules, we were committed to a sustainable working environment, with a maximum of 10-hour days. I think that shows in the final product – people do their best work when they’re well rested, and have time to decompress after wrap.”
TJ, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
In 2022 The Hartford Film Company came together to create MIDAS, a heist film for a new generation, now streaming on iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play. The film follows a charismatic college dropout, who recruits his two best friends to rob the health insurance company that denied his mom’s coverage. The film brought together emerging creatives from across the country, including Writer/Director TJ Noel-Sullivan, who worked at Mattel Films on blockbuster projects including Barbie, before founding The Hartford Film Company. A graduate of Yale University, TJ had directed numerous award-winning short films before making his feature debut with MIDAS. TJ collaborated with lead actors Laquan Copeland and Preet Kaur, both based in LA. Laquan is a self-described artist and creative from the south, committed to creating opportunities not only for himself, but for others as well. Preet was made in Illinois, raised in Indiana, and is a star on the rise with an ever-growing list of credits in films such as Road Wars, Finding Tony, Lucky Hearts, Supreme Magus, and Love by Contract.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Making a film of any size requires more resilience than can possibly be described. For every yes, there are dozens of nos along the way. Making MIDAS was no different. While the first draft of the script was completed in November 2020, the project didn’t go into production until July 2022. With indie filmmaking, it all comes down to being able to persevere through unforeseen obstacles, and as Writer/Director TJ Noel-Sullivan notes, “with the right team around you, you can do anything.” “For me, while on the set of MIDAS it was about giving 110% every day and knowing that regardless of what we’re all dealing with or going through, we have the opportunity to create something extraordinary. That opportunity fueled my resilience every day and you saw that same resilience in every cast and crew member while filming” said actor Laquan Copeland. Co-star Preet Kaur added “Resilience is an action in my world. It’s not something you have. It’s what you do. “
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
MIDAS was about opening doors that had previously not been open, whether that was shooting a film in Hartford, CT, or casting a heist movie that hasn’t been seen before. Lead actor Preet Kaur noted: “There’s a power within storytelling that can emote, evoke, heal, inspire, and transpire. My goal as an actress is to do my job justice and leave people a little bit better than they felt/were prior to experiencing my art. Co-star Laquan Copeland added “My mission is to create spaces where artists and creatives that look like me have the opportunity to create marginalized stories that oftentimes never get to see the light of day. That is what drives me most, having the tenacity to create underrepresented stories and shining a light on them within my work.”