Ross Pomerantz, Comedian, Investor, Filmmaker
Sara was the very first one and I was like, don't fall in love with the first one dude. Just like see it through, do the callback, do the right thing, go through the process. But Dylan - for the Travis thing - I was like... I felt watching you on tape that this is someone I can improv with. This is someone who I can play off of really well. And I just want to sock him right in the face. And that's a good thing. And that's a good thing. And I want to kiss him. Right in the mouth. It's like a weird punch him in the mouth with my lips sort of situation.
Ben Gould, Co-Creator of S.A.D & Content Creator at Scratchpad
Clip that Josh. Clip that.
Ross
Yeah maybe cut that part.
Ben
No, that's the trailer.
*Intro*
Ben
This is the Beyond Quota Podcast. Today, we have a special episode. That's way beyond quota, featuring two stars from the upcoming television series. Sales Are Dope. We have Sara Kamine, not Carmine starring as Mickey. And we have Dylan Flynn.
Dylan Flynn, Actor (Travis) in S.A.D. (Sales Are Dope)
It's actually Fline. Fli-ne-ne.
Ben
Dylan Flynn, not to be confused with Dylan PHLEARN starring as Travis. I'm your host Pouyan Salehi the CEO and Co-Founder of Scratchpad. And with me as always is... Corp.
Ross
Stoked to be here as always. With some of some of cinema's greats, as seen in... anyway. But, this is an interesting episode because these are two and maybe I'm overstating this for Dylan, but two folks who don't have a ton of direct Tech experience. And so they wandered into this world bright-eyed, baby-faced, bitch asses. And now they are woke, now they are aware. So Ben, I don't know if you have a line of questioning, to run down. But this should be an interesting one, especially after people see it.
Ben
Well, I kind of like how Pouyan started - we recently talked to Stephen, our fearless leader and Director, Stephen as well as Talon, do-it-all producer behind the scenes and Pouyan asked them at the start of the conversation, we're so close to actually getting this out in the world. And it's been such a long process from when we filmed it, which is something you guys are a little bit more used to being in the industry. But how does it feel being basically two weeks away from the show that's going to change all of our lives dropping?
Dylan
Send us on the rocket ship. Blast off. I mean, I had such a great time on that set. And literally, when it ended for a good week, I was on a low. I was like God. Now just back to the daily grind. I'm not on set anymore. I'm not having fun with all these guys. And so you are right, we kind of get used to filming something and then it comes out like a year later. And you're like, oh, yeah, forgot I shot that. That looks pretty good. But this one, I was like, I'm waiting every week. I'm like, I'm ready. I'm ready to see it. I mean, I - Ross and I were texting a lot throughout the months and I was like, Can I see some scenes like, can I see some screenshots? Can I see a trailer? Send me some footage?
Ross
He was asking. He was asking. I can't show him anything until it's like where it needs to be because you only get one first impression.
Dylan
Very excited to see it all.
Sara Kamine, Actor (Mickey) in S.A.D. (Sales Are Dope)
I'm very excited to see it as well. I'm also kind of nervous from some of my lines that I was forced to say.
Ross
Forced to say just at gunpoint, sorry. Say that with conviction!
Sara
I know. It's always very exciting. Just being on set in general is such an outrageous thing. Just speaking from like an acting perspective, getting to go work with other creative people and basically play pretend for a living is so fun. And to see a final product be made out of that is even more fun. I think. So I'm excited and nervous.
Ross
I'm curious, like, what was your first impression? Like, what? I think we asked Stephen and Talon this like, how did you get involved? Like, what was your first impression when you got involved? Like when you read the sides, like from the from the cast from the media like casting piece? Like, what was that like?
Sara
Yeah, I remember receiving the initial character synopsis for Mickey and I was like, That is me. I felt like immediately connected to it. Which doesn't happen. That's a rarity. That doesn't normally happen for me. And so there's like an immediate connection there. And I was very grateful for that. That makes it like, so easy to connect.
Dylan
I think it's fair to say I didn't have to stretch too far to find Travis. I remember reading the initial scenes. And I thought they were hilarious. And I loved it too. Because most self tapes, you just follow the script. But you guys, like strictly said, Hey, feel free to play around with the script and use your own lines. If you want to, like interject here and there. I was like, Okay, so that's, that's fun. There's some improv play here. And even after I filmed the self tape in the audition, I was like, I don't know, I felt okay about it. But then you guys got me the callback. I was like, Okay, maybe I'm just overthinking it. Maybe I just haven't had a job in a while. But
Ross
Maybe I'm at rock bottom and I don't know anything anymore.
Dylan
Nothing's been working. But this worked. Okay, cool. I'll just go ride with it.
Sara
Sara do you remember your your tape?
Speaker 4
My initial tape? Yeah, I do remember with the improv thing, like adding on to one of the scenes, I think it was the scene where we're walking to the bar. And I kind of sat with that. And I was like, What can I add here? What can I say? And I don't normally save my auditions, but I did save that one scene. I also read with myself, which is kind of weird. I don't normally do that. I was in a time crunch. And I couldn't find another reader or go to the studio I normally record with. So I just recorded the opposite person's lines as myself and played it, but it worked.
Dylan
Did you have to cry for your audition?
Ross
That's the piece
Ben
Not everyone did.
Sara
Oh, did I cry?
Ross
Oh yeah.
Sara
That's right there were tears. And snot.
Ben
The snot bubbles is what got me. I mean, the casting process - and I think we can kind of relate this back to sales a little bit. But I do remember it being such a crazy process from our perspective as like the "prospects" in this sense, where we're evaluating who's going to be playing these roles. There's all these like super talented people and you're watching 20 tapes, and then you nail it down of five you like. And before that even, to get to 20, there was 100 that we didn't even see or whatever. And it's such a competitive process. But I do remember after both of your auditions, it was pretty clear that you guys were perfect for those roles. But from the actors perspective, I mean, this is one of the hardest parts of the industry, like getting yourself up for audition after audition and you're sending tapes in and you might hear back or you might get a call back and then you think they love you and then it's someone else or you get the part - like what is that roller coaster of emotions like? And it's so personal too, how do you mentally stay strong enough to continue to go through that process and chase your dream of being an actor?
Sara
I try to make it not personal. Like I go and do things with the intent of being rejected. Like, I know that's just gonna be the outcome.
Ross
That's sales right there. I'm gonna call them. They're gonna say no, but hey it's my job!
Sara
I mean if you're not being rejected. You're not doing anything. So yeah.
Ross
Facts.
Ben
That's a great saying. That's a great philosophy. Yeah, I'm getting that tatted on me.
Dylan
Yeah, I feel the same way as what Sara is saying. It's weird, you just kind of build up some mental fortitude of getting in the habit of feeling okay with rejection. Over and over and over again. Because I mean, thousands and thousands of people are going in trying to do what we're doing. And just like that, 1% is gonna make it and you just have to be, like cognizant of that. But still go in and be like, Well, I'm gonna give this my all and if they like me, they like me. If they don't -
Ross
Then they're wrong and they're stupid and they should die! And I think that's a pretty rational way to think about it. Yeah, exactly. I remember watching - Sara's was the very first audition of anyone that I watched. And the crying was so convincing. I was like, like, holy shit, this is real. Like somebody else is like playing this role that we've created, which is just weird to think about, because normally it's like, friends or family, anything else that we just like friends and family. And I put you like, we're picking our top five. And obviously, you're the first person so I made you one. And I remember being like, I don't think I need to watch any more. But I have to like, I'm like, That's dumb. Can't just love the first one and fall in love immediately.
Dylan
But a lot of casting directors do that though. They find the one then they're done.
Ross
And I thought about that. I was like, No, I have to give everyone a chance. Like maybe my - not say it wasn't great performance. It was, but I was like maybe my bar is low. And I'm just like really excited. Everyone's gonna be amazing. And then it wasn't the case and you're still our number one at that point. But I was like, okay, if I'm running a company, we got to like, interview other candidates. We got to just find out and be sure we're making the right choice. And like, in the same vein for Dylan, I was like, that's our guy. I've told us, that's our guy right there. It's done. Fine. I'll listen to a few more. But like, yeah, that's our guy. You were like the third, I think we did Fister even before you so like, I'd kind of figured out the process at that point. But Sarah was like the very first one I was like, don't fall in love with the first one dude. Just like see it through, do the callback, do the right thing, go through the process. But Dylan for the Travis thing, I was like, that's our guy. I felt watching you on tape that I was like, this is this is someone I can improv with. This is someone who I can play off of really well. And I just want to sock him right in the face. And that's a good thing. And that's a good thing. And I want to kiss him right on the mouth. It's like a weird. It's like a weird punch him in the mouth with my lips sort of situation. So I kind of, you know, you guys...
Ben
Clip that Josh. Clip that
Ross
Yeah, maybe cut that part.
Ben
No keep that part. That's the trailer.
Ross
Yeah punch him in the mouth with my lips. I think that was what it was. I think it was pretty immediate. And in hindsight, you know, you go back and you're like, Okay, well, I needed to do the process and see everybody else. There were some like, interesting takes on the same characters. But it was ultimately, I mean you guys did exactly what we expected, which was to kill it.
Dylan
That's a funny thing to just talking about the audition process is - I mean, like I said, I felt okay about that audition. Obviously it was good enough for you guys.
Ross
Our bar was just down here.
Dylan
Did not need much for Travis. Yeah, he's good enough. That's fine. Yeah, we just somebody to talk and be punchable. But I've had auditions where I'm like, I think I'd nailed that. I feel really good about that. And then you overthink it. You're like thinking about all the time when you should be moving on. And then you don't hear anything. You're like, what?! That was like my best audition. What else do I have to do?
Ben
I think that is totally something that can go back to sales too. The worst maybe rejection note that you can get in sales is when you do everything you need. Everything was great. You multithreaded, you demoed ,you this that the other and then in the end, they're like we just went with this other product but you're great salesperson. And it's like, if I was such a good salesperson, you would've fucking bought my thing, not the other thing. But I think it comes back to like fit too. Like both you guys were such great fits for the role. And it makes me think of casting Raj which was the hardest one. And we got to the point where we just got the original Raj, we were like, we can't do it with anyone else.
Ross
There is no one else. I have scoured the entirety of India. I have gone through 2 billion people and there's one. There is only one. That was an interesting process too. And the Fister one was interesting as well. He was doing it from his car and he kept cutting out, but.
Dylan
Was Natalie already attached?
Ross
Natalie was already attached. She wasn't when we originally wrote it. And then I met her and we started like making stuff and she lives in the city here and like we became friends. And she was like, sure. It coincided with her quitting her job. And so it ended up working out and I think it was also just something new for her. She had never really done acting like in this traditional sense. Granted the character is very her in a lot of ways. But to do something of this magnitude was like a first for her so she was, you know, more than happy to live in an Airbnb with me and Raj and Ben.
Ben
More than happy. Thrilled,
Ross
Just briefly from a background standpoint, I would love to hear like, Sara kind of your path to this point. And like what you do professionally, obviously you're an actress, but what brought you to this point?
Ben
Who are you?
Ross
Whomst actress is this?
Sara
I'm a serial hobbyist so I always want to try like random stuff, but acting was something that I always wanted to do. And I got into it after I graduated high school just for fun. And I ended up making connections that way with my manager through my acting coach and they set me up with my agent. And all these auditions started happening that way. So I was booking jobs here and there. Also doing school full time and working random customer service jobs as well.
Ross
Oh that's fun.
Sara
Oh, so fun. Not soul-crushing at all. Just a great experience.
Ross
That's like sales-adjacent for sure. How about you Dylan?
Dylan
I started in high school. I played sports throughout high school, but randomly got into hip hop dance, like heavily. Like I was just teaching myself off a YouTube videos and dancing in the basement.
Ben
Ross does that.
Ross
I do actually have hip hop dance at 230 I do. Becca and I are doing hip hop dance now so it's not a big deal, but whatever.
Dylan
Before or after your wine tasting? (The previous scheduled interview was rescheduled because Ross had to go to a wine tasting.) I started taking dance classes in high school. And then that led to doing some theater and just kind of stuck with it. Didn't really know what I wanted to do in college, but I just knew that I really loved movies. My dad and I went to the movies every Sunday, big Tom Cruise movie fans. And the more I watched, the more I just wanted to get to know the process of filmmaking. And so that's why I went to Baylor to study theater and film and digital media. And just kind of did it so much at Baylor. They do a really good job of keeping you busy acting-wise There's always projects going on whether on the big stage or side projects in the smaller, like the black box theater. And then I was also just making short films all the time for my film classes. And the more I did it, I was like, I think I just want to do this forever. Like I really enjoy acting. I got tired of acting on stage. I think I always knew I didn't want to do that after college. As much as I enjoyed it, I wanted to do film acting. And luckily I had really supportive parents who were like, well, if you really want to do it, just go out to LA and do it. Like get after it and just see where it goes. And we're still kicking.
Ross
Dad's like sweetheart, he'll be back in six months. Don't worry. If he wants to go chase a big stupid dream, let him! Christ!
Ben
One thing I was curious about, I mean, what do you see as the future of the company of Suckle? Is it going to survive? I mean, markets have been crazy as we all know.
Tech is a bloodbath.
It's taking a big hit, but Suckle definitely solves a problem for it's customers. I think?
Dylan
If it can survive a Season One, it can survive a Season Two.
Ross
That's facts. Absolute facts. That is a good question. Either way, you'll see both of them in Sales Are Dope coming up here. April 13th. Like Comment, subscribe, watch from multiple devices, watch all the way through and tell your mom and tell her friends. Watch it. Sara Kamine, Dylan Flynn, thank you both for joining us.
