Hey guys! Welcome back to The Ed Mylett Show! I'm excited for you all to hear my incredible guest today. His name is Beau Flynn, and he's #MAXED OUT every area of his life, including his career, family life, and friendships. Even though he's made a massive number of successful films in Hollywood, he continues pushing himself to accomplish more. He's an insanely talented and inspirational individual, so I am pumped for you all to hear his advice and observations for obtaining success. Beau successfully rose to the top of Hollywood through his tenacious work ethic, by working with the right people, and by plotting and executing manageable steps to achieve his broader goals.  His journey to becoming one of the most successful producers in the world will inspire you to take the necessary steps to accomplish your dreams and #MAXOUT your life!

Who Is Beau Flynn?

Beau Flynn is an absolute powerhouse producer in Hollywood. His prolific career includes several box office hits, including Skyscraper, San Andreas, and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Even though his dream of succeeding in the film industry didn't appear until early adulthood, Beau watched every movie he could as a child to escape his home life. His father left his family when he was three years old, and Beau became the functional head of his household, supporting his mother and sister. His tumultuous upbringing robbed him of his childhood. It wasn't until he started college that he developed a sense of identity.

"My life — I don't feel like — really began for me until college. I feel like that's really … when I identified with who I was and found inner peace in myself and in belief in myself ..." - Beau Flynn

He entered the New York University Stern School of Business and worked for an initial public offering firm on Wall Street, but Beau realized that he was unhappy with the direction of his life.

"That's what I had set up to achieve. And it happened very quickly. ... at that age, I was very driven by the dollar sign, and I wanted it to be worth, you know, a hundred million dollars by twenty-five, and all of those things that a lot of us share, but it was all for the wrong reasons and wrong intentions." - Beau Flynn

He transferred out of business school and into the New York University College of Arts and Sciences, where he discovered his love for filmmaking. He made connections with filmmakers in New York and began his journey towards becoming one of the most SUCCESSFUL producers, making films that earned BILLIONS at the box office.

There Are No Shortcuts to Success

Even though Beau is an extraordinary success, that doesn't stop him from continually striving to #MAXOUT his life further. His mindset, humility, and ambition push him towards further growth. He observed that his journey to success wasn't easy, but because he had to work hard for it, he can continue making career strides. He saw others in the industry reach faster success than himself, but those who succeeded easily often drifted out of the industry after only temporary success. His career in filmmaking now spans twenty-five years because he's developed the mindset of continuous hard work.

"But then in retrospect, when I look back over the duration of my career, you can't take any of that hard work away. That all belongs to me, and it gives me this incredible confidence that I know what I'm doing and can continue it." - Beau Flynn

The confidence that he's developed in taking the hard road and pushing himself to success cemented his place in the film industry. Rather than fading out, he continues to be a driving force in the production of movies.

Finding the Right People to Work With

One of the secrets to Beau's success is his ability to find the right people to collaborate with. Regardless of what industry you're working in, finding the right people is an essential part of obtaining success. Beau expressed a great deal of gratitude and praise for the people that he's frequently collaborated with over the years. One such individual — which he also considers a close friend — is Dwayne Johnson. They met and became close while working on the film Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. While shooting Journey 2, Beau and Dwayne Johnson discussed their career directions. When Beau asked Johnson what he wanted to do with his career long term, Johnson gave an answer that encapsulates the #MAXOUT mindset:

"He goes, 'Brother, I want to be the biggest movie star that ever lived' … I had chills when he said it. … and I said, 'Dwayne ... I am in. I will hitch my wagon to you, and let's go.' … And I feel like the story's still being written. We've had incredible success. We had a great time together, and we still have so much more to go." - Beau Flynn

Beau and Johnson have such an exemplary partnership, you guys. The way they've helped each other grow and achieve their goals is commendable and is something we should be striving for in our professional relationships. In their ongoing collaborations, they've now made eight successful films and have more in the works.  In his time rising to success, Beau observed that investing in a few good people and continuously collaborating with them is an excellent way to cultivate professional relationships and accomplish your goals. He started working with the same ten people, and whenever they completed another project, their relationship grew stronger, and their mutual trust increased. This ongoing investment in the same people resulted in the creation of more successful films. It's essential that in our journey to grow our careers — whether it be business, film, or anything else — that we find trustworthy individuals to help us. Cultivate those professional relationships and build trust so that you can make something great with them.

Push Yourself to Your Life's Mission and Overcome Rejection

Beau gave a piece of advice for following your dreams that may shock you: don't have a plan B. He observed that when people come to Hollywood to try out their dreams with a contingency plan in mind, they will give up once they face adversity.

"People tell me like, 'Oh, I'm going to come out, give it a year, [and] see how it goes.'… An actor, writer, director, producer, whatever … It's like, 'You're going to give it a year?'… It's like, 'But then give it a day and go home. Why are you even bothering? Why come here?' It's like, this has to be your life's mission. You have to arrive with a vision, and you're going to back it up, and you're going to be there because you are going to have your ass handed to you day in and day out" - Beau Flynn 

He has a great point. If we're pursuing our dreams with the mentality that we'll only pursue it for a time, we aren't working hard enough to obtain what we want. If you want to accomplish something in your life, you have to have the vision and push yourself to achieve your goals, and you can't do that half-heartedly.  He described that if you don't have the drive to overcome rejection early in your career, you won't be able to handle the frequent rejection that plagues everyone in Hollywood, regardless of their success.

"I would easily argue that in Hollywood, you are getting rejected all the time … Now, here I am. And now being told, 'No.' It's like, 'Alright, well, let's go ahead and round up the wagons, and let's figure it out [be]cause we're gonna get it done.'… if you don't have that energy in the beginning, it's never going to last and kind of maintain later through your career when the stakes get higher ..." - Beau Flynn

Overcoming rejection is a natural part of getting to where you want to be. You have to become the kind of person that can continue pushing themselves regardless of the rejection you face. Don't just give up when facing a problem — figure out the solution and keep driving forward with your goals. Beau still gets rejected today even though he is one of the most successful producers in the industry. If he let himself be defeated at the first sign of failure, he would never have become the success story that he is today. 

We Are All Content Creators

Beau discussed the importance of recognizing the evolving nature of content creation. Even though he is a producer in the film industry, he acknowledges that the heart of what he does is content creation, and we are all content creators.

"There were barriers of filmmakers, TV makers, you know, short-form, social media. It's now all converged into one. … We are all content creators … We are storytellers. We create content. However, it's delivered to the audience I'm okay with. If it's through a movie theater experience, if it's through IMAX … [or] your phone." - Beau Flynn

He described how the distribution of content has shifted so that everyone can tell their story regardless of what platform they're distributing on. With the convergence of storytelling and social media, the power is now in the hands of the content creators. Everyone can personally distribute their stories through various platforms on the internet. 

"Any form or platform through, you know, Instagram, through Snapchat, through Facebook, whatever it may be, it's all the same. We're storytellers. Our stories need to be told, and now we have access to everyone … Now it's up to you and I, and all of the people listening to this. It's like, what story do you want to tell? What message do you want to put out? What's your brand? What's your message? And go ahead and just pick the platform. It all deserves to be made." - Beau Flynn

Now is an exciting time to create, guys! Regardless of your message or brand, you can get your work out there. We are no longer restricted by the limitation of having to go through massive companies to reach people. You can get your message out to everyone. 

Adapting in a Changing World

I asked Beau about pivoting in a quickly changing world with the COVID-19 pandemic and the expanding emergence of addressing contemporary racial inequality. He discussed the importance of adaptability and empathy in the shifting health and social climate:

"It really is, is going to take a lot of adaptability, a lot of patience, [and] a lot of empathy. I really think empathy is such an important word right now … so we have to start to make these adjustments in major ways. And I think it's something that I actually feel rather comfortable doing because, from a business level, it's what I have to do all the time. Constantly, you know, kind of having to adapt [when] something happens on a production." - Beau Flynn

He discussed how with COVID-19, he and his associates had to make the difficult decision of delaying the release of his new film Jungle Cruise. He observed that even though we are not in control of the shifting world, we can control our actions and make the right decisions. What tough decisions do you need to make right now amidst the health crisis and shifting social landscape? Do you need to pivot your business? Do you need to make a difficult financial decision? You may not be in control of the pandemic, but you are in control of your life. You've got to be able to take risks and adapt to achieve what you want. 

Have Short-Term Goals to Build Momentum

The final question that I asked Beau was what advice he would give to anyone wanting to begin their journey in following their dreams. He gave an incredibly helpful and practical answer that we all need to follow regardless of our goals: 

"I think those long horizon dreams are critical, and it's really important to have those, to have the vision of what you're going to do, but in terms of achieving them, I really think it's so important to go ahead and set short-term, digestible, and achievable goals … what happens then is like you build this momentum, you get this wind at your, at your back. You start to get some downhill speed." - Beau Flynn

Beau described how in the steps to get where he is today, he created manageable goals like being a Production Assistant for an extended period and then producing an indie film within a year. He kept making short-term, reasonable goals to work his way up to where he is now. The momentum that he created through achieving his short-term goals propelled him to becoming an immensely successful producer.  What small objectives do you need to make and achieve to reach your broader goals? Maybe it involves creating a yearly goal for growing your business or finances. Regardless of what it is, you can apply this method and build momentum to achieve what you want!  

#MAXOUT with Beau Flynn

I am so grateful that I could have this interview with Beau. He is an absolute master of achievement, and his journey can help you reach your dreams! You can keep up with Beau on Twitter (@beauflynn) and check out his new film Jungle Cruise when it hits theaters in 2021.  If you know someone who will especially benefit from Beau's advice, make sure to share this episode and tag them. And don't forget to use the #MAXOUT hashtag and tell me your biggest takeaways in the comments below! I read them weekly, and select winners get all sorts of prizes, gear, and even personal coaching calls!  Guys, take Beau's advice in all the areas of your own life. Work hard to achieve your life's mission through accomplishing short-term goals and never stop achieving what you want. Keep taking one step at a time and #MAXOUT your life.  Ed Mylett