Bobby Galinsky
‘Mentoring Porch Thoughts’
It’s not uncommon for writers to perform at their best approaching deadline. Screenwriter, producer lecturer and mentor Robert ‘Bobby’ Galinsky is no exception. With over 35 years in the film and television industry, Bobby is internationally recognised as one of Australia’s best writers and producers
Days out from deadline, finishing up the delivery of the Michael Hutchence treatment – Two Worlds Colliding; which is the adaptation of the novel – Just A Man, Bobby answered my call where he explained he was surrounded by a thousand notes writing on his Porch (his desk) in his Elwood home in b. “We are on schedule to cast and acquire the music and everything else for the film over the next couple of months’, Bobby commented.
That’s great news for Michael’s family, friends, INXS fans and the film’s investors, although I was calling about his upcoming lecture and presentation at the one-off ‘BEST OF THE BEST’ workshop created by Emily Greenaway. Over five days in April, Emily has drawn 17 of Australia’s leading Producers, Directors and Choreographers to Melbourne to part their industry experience, expertise, techniques and wisdom to students and those wanting to succeed in the entertainment industry.
Before calling Australia home in 1994, Bobby had a number of stints with top advertising agencies in the USA as well as various divisions of the Walt Disney Company and won several prestigious screenwriting awards as an amateur before turning professional in 1988. Bobby is also writing and producing Dust and Glory - the biggest privately funded film in Australian history, due to be filmed this year and directed by Simon West (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Expendables 2).
With time ticking down on his looming deadline, I realised because he mentioned it first and seemed happy with my distraction, I could slip in a couple of questions on the progress of Two Worlds Colliding.
Are you any closer to deciding who will be playing the part of Michael Hutchence?
We are either going to cast a complete unknown, or we are going to go with an established actor and make that the marquee thing. Ultimately it will be up to the producing team over the next couple of months. Researching more into Michael’s life, was he ‘Just a Man’? Michael was a brother, father, son and was the most idolised rock-star probably in Australian history. He was just a very sweet guy and a tormented guy too. Michael was everything to everybody and being a rock-star was only part of it.
Is there a particular moment in Michael’s life that you have imagined yourself being in and what went through your mind?
Meeting Paula Yates for the first time in his hotel room; wondering what would my next move be and would it be a good move?”
Your $40 million Dust and Glory film has been described as a cross between Mad Max and Jewel of the Nile. What is the story about and why were you drawn it?
Dust and Glory has been an 8 year saga that I heard about years ago. My business partner in Top Cat Films – Elizabeth Howatt-Jackman optioned the book and I fell in love with it. It’s the most amazing story, let alone an Australian story for the world market. It’s about the biggest car race in the world that took place annually in the 50s. A guy that threw dynamite at the cars named ‘Gelignite’ Jack Murray. It was an absolute legendary race that completely disappeared off the map in 1956.
The Best of The Best workshop has an amazing line-up of industry personnel and it will be a great way for anyone to hear from many influential choreographers, producers and writers. What are you presenting?
I am going to try and compress 35 years of success and train wrecks into two hours so that when people walk out, they’re going to have the initial tools to know how to take charge of their financial career - the business end of their career. I can’t teach them acting or directing, I can teach them how to take control of themselves where no other school in Australia does.
In your experience, what are the keys to fast-tracking success and putting failure into perspective?
Failure is a great thing because it’s a clear report card that shows what you did wrong instead of wondering what went right. If we can learn from failure instead of trying to avoid it, then we can move forward. The fast track to success is to think of yourself as the talent and not think of yourself as being dependent on somebody else. Just take charge and draw people to you. The key epic in my life was not being a begging writer but producing and controlling my own work.
What is the difference between wannabes and achievers and how do you explain the difference?
There are millions of people out there with vast quantities of money that have no talent to take their financial dreams and turn them into a film. I basically teach people to show their value so people invest in them to make films and television projects. Creative people are the gateway to investor’s dreams. And nothing happens without investors.
What will be your key message during you lecture?
Never listen to anybody who tells you that you can’t do something because they are not interested in your outcome. The only person that cares about you is you. Only you know what’s in your heart.
What is your Porch Thought of the Day?
“My Porch is my desk and I like to think of my desk being in Atticus Finch’s court room in the film - To Kill a Mockingbird. Over the next couple of hours, I would like to think what Atticus Finch would do with the choices I have.”