Daily Inspiration: Meet Bryan Coley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryan Coley.

Hi Bryan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I graduated from NYU film school, worked at Turner Broadcasting for 12 years. Then I quit and started a non-profit theater company (which tells you how wonderful my wife is). From that point, our company began commissioning playwright and then screenwriters to write script for us. To help the writer write the script only they could write, we would ask them what “moved” them and that was their favorite movies. So we used to look into their movies for patterns, themes and connections they should write about. Fast forward, I end up trying out these methods we used with writers with a small group of friends and it blew up…people were changing their lives based on the insights they were finding in their top 10 movies. So then it was like an oil well spewing out of ways to look into and ask questions of people’s movies and also we had different audiences. We started with married couples, then families and then someone I knew brought his corporate team in and we launched a for-profit to start working with teams. That was 9 years ago and we’ve been able to work with Fortune 500 brands like Coke and Home Depot but also the staffs of churches, schools, governments and we are proud to say that we have delivered over 150 experiences to Chick-fil-a Support Center teams. Now, we are trying to make REEL more accessible to couples, friends at our REEL Studios in Marietta, GA. But we are launching this month our REEL Story Map, which is an online app that anybody anywhere can do REEL.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would say the main struggle is being a solo-entrepreneur. It can be lonely at times and, in slow times (when you can’t afford to pay others to do tasks for you), you have to do everything. I’m not much of a sales person or “hype man”, so I’ve depended heavily on word-of-mouth…which has served us well, but it can make business be like a roller coaster because you never know when the next referral will plop in your lap. Don’t get me wrong, I’m constantly trying to market REEL but my nature is to create…so it takes more discipline for me to sit down and work a spreadsheet of potential clients. I would say at first, when REEL was been birthed out of our arts and entertainment company, it felt like something out of left field. I had just made a movie, so the natural next step was to make another. But I really felt like I was called to interpret the films people loved versus trying to make a film that people would love.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
So, some people, have referred to me as “The Movie Whisperer” because I have this ability to really see patterns and connections between the movies within a person’s top 10 movies. However, I had a facilitator who works with me tell me that she thinks I’m more of a “People Whisperer”. That was more satisfying to me because one of the secrets of REEL Experiences is that when people give you their favorite movies, they are really giving you their hearts. I know, it sounds dramatic, but it’s true. And I take the stewardship of people’s hearts really seriously. When we started REEL experiences, I thought it was all about helping people see themselves more clearly through their movies but as I’ve done REEL over these last 12 years, I’ve seen the true value is the moment when a person is able to use a movie character to say things about their story that they would never have words for or an opportunity to share. It’s a vulnerable moment that I want to be careful with and honor. But what I’ve seen is that a co-worker or spouse or friend will immediately jump in and say “Oh my gosh, you are totally Braveheart…I mean, just like weak you….” and suddenly you see the person that shared just have life breathed into them. They feel seen. They feel more engaged. They feel connected to the person who affirms them. That moment is what I think make REEL special…the ability to take something very fun, like a movie character and have it be a “stand-in” for the person so that they can feel seen more clearly.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I call it “the Bofum” (both-0f-them). We coined this term when we were creating some new content around the concept of character. The idea is that we tend to look at a movie character and thus a person’s strengths and then their tragic flaws. We say- “She’s has such a servant heart” but “she lets people treat her like a doormat”. Or “He’s unstoppable” but “he’ll mow you down if you get in his way”. Even in most assessments, they will talk about your strengths and then your “shadow side’ or “basement”. For me, I actually think we should focus on how to make a person more dimensional. So you look at what is your “bofum”. What is your active trait but what is that trait that is still positive but might be dormant or inactive in you that just needs to be pumped up to make you more dimensional. We love characters in movies that are both merciful and yet they are just as well or characters who are courageous and yet vulnerable. Both traits are positive but there’s a healthy tension between them that makes a person feel dimensional. I learned this about myself through George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life”. George is big-significance-minded. He wants to do big things and build things and he dreams big. That’s me! However, George is also someone who can’t help himself but advocate for the “little guy” and is responsible to stay and care for and invest in his community. That’s something I’ve learned is my inactive trait but through REEL I’ve been able to blend both. I invest in people and yet I feel like REEL in something big I’ve stumbled upon. So I’ve been able to live out my bofum through REEL, just like George Bailey does in Bedford Falls.

Pricing:

• REEL Friends Night = $50 a person with a minimum of 6 people
• REEL Date Night $150 a couple
• REEL Team Half Day- pricing varies
• REEL Team Full Day- pricing varies

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.reelexperiences.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelexperiences/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/REELexperiencesdigital/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reelexperiences/
• Youtube: @reelexperiences