On today’s episode of Creative Space, we have the pleasure of chatting with Mariano Mattei and Fabian Farina of Four Olives Productions, a Philadelphia-based production company that has produced over 10 films and won over 26 film awards from festivals all over the world. Their first feature, One Night, is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and their second feature, Sacrum Vindictae, recently had its theatrical premiere.

I always like to say, “Friends who make stuff together, stay together,” and Mariano and Fabian have such a beautiful creative friendship that has spanned decades, from their early years growing up together in South Philly to their first band—which stayed together for 20 years!

These days Mariano and Fabian are focused on film, and in the last six years they’ve produced over 10 films through their company Four Olives Productions.

We cover a range of topics, including their unlikely friendship (at first), making the transition from music to the world of film, and the keys to a great collaborative relationship.

For more information on Four Olives Productions, click here.

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SHOW NOTES:

0:00—Introduction

2:00—Growing up in South Philly

4:00—Mariano’s musical family

4:46—Being 4’9’’ as a highschool freshman

6:12—Learning how to fight back

7:27—”I wouldn’t change growing up in South Philly for anything.”

8:08—What is “deadbox?”

12:28—How Mariano and Fabian first met

14:55—Life before cable and the internet

15:30—As kids, Fabian was jealous of Mariano initially

19:00—Fabian joins the army and Mariano starts writing letters to him

17:15—How Mariano and Fabian’s friendship began

21:45—Mariano’s band that almost made it big, The Edge

23:05—Fabian joins Mariano’s new band

26:39—Learning the drums in 3 months

28:09—”Performing live is better than any drug that you can ever have.”

29:24—The transition from the band to making movies

32:17—”With acting, I can be whoever I want.”

36:12—’One Night’ was our film school.

38:26—The budget for the first film.

39:25—Lessons learned from their first feature film

35:31—The day Fabian decided to write a movie

40:58—Preparation is key

46:01—The importance of backstory in creating characters

50:12—Mariano and Fabian’s definition of creativity

54:27—What drives them as artists

58:00—”You either want someone to love it or hate it.”

59:00—The keys to a great collaborative relationship

1:04:11—’Sacrum Vindictae’

1:10:00—What’s next?