Today we’d like to introduce you to Robyn Rosenkrantz and Michael Glover from Bright Blue Gorilla Movies & Music.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Robyn and Michael. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Robyn: I’m feeling very inspired today, celebrating the release of our 7th feature film, “36 Husbands”. And it’s interesting to look back to see how we (Michael & I) got here. Dreams do come true!
I’ve known what I wanted to do with my life ever since I was a kid. My dream was to travel the world as a musician and artist. (I wrote my first song at around age seven.) In grade school, I briefly thought I wanted to be an astronaut, so I wrote to NASA, asking why there weren’t more female astronauts!
I’ve always lived outside the box. There were some significant events and people along the way that encouraged me to go for my dreams. If I had to pick one main event that got me going, it was the death of my sister Dede and best friend Lisa. In 1984 they were killed by a drunk driver. That was tragic, but it was a blessing in disguise: It woke me up and got me started on my spiritual search and gave me the courage to live my dreams.
Growing up in Los Angeles, the music industry was all around me. I was in lots of bands and played the clubs, honing the craft. But the L.A. music scene was mainly about waiting around to get discovered by a record company. Waiting for them to give me permission to do what I loved, permission to make a living. (Like most musicians, I had jobs and did my music part-time, which was really frustrating.)
In 1989 my life changed when I met Michael Glover at a show – at the 8121 club on Sunset Blvd. We were both performing that night. We met up and wrote a love song and fell in love! In May 1990, we quit our L.A. jobs, sold everything we had (except our guitars) and bought one-way tickets to Europe. 30 years later, we’re still on this grand adventure together! Our goal has always been to create uplifting music (and movies since 2005). We’ve been blessed to make friends everywhere we go, to live as artists and create with a worldwide community.
Has it been a smooth road?
Michael: Like Robyn said, this is definitely an “up” time because of the digital release of “36 Husbands”. It’s exciting to see it up on Apple TV and other sites. A very rewarding feeling – especially for an indie film! Our cinema tour was a success and we were thrilled that audiences enjoyed it. (So great to hear them laugh!) And now it’s hitting the whole wide world with the VoD release… An exciting time indeed.
But, every day there’s ups and downs, right? Oddly enough, our touring the world for 30 years without a permanent home (financially dropping below the official “poverty level” during many of those years) has been remarkably easy. I think that’s because we’ve been so regular with our yoga meditation practice. That’s been the only constant, and it’s a constant that brings inner-joy and fortitude, patience, guidance, and a certain toughness toward “unpleasant” experiences & sensations. I think without that, we would have lasted, maybe five years… But as it is, I’m happy to say that no matter what turbulence has hit us (and there’s been plenty) we’ve been able to keep our balance and keep going. One nice thing is that, after 30 years of touring, working, and being together almost constantly, Robyn and I hardly ever fight now. That wasn’t always the case. We’ve had many years of working things out – which arguments were a part of. But, it’s nice to see that we’ve both grown considerably, learned from our mistakes, never stopped making positive effort, and are now enjoying a more calm & joyous life together. I have to say deep meditation and personal reflection is a big part of that.
I also wrote meditation and mysticism into “36 Husbands” to show the power of these tools – although in our comedy, the subject gets a lighthearted touch.
Please tell us about Bright Blue Gorilla Movies & Music.
Robyn: As Bright Blue Gorilla Movies and Music, our goal has always been to create uplifting art that brings joy to our audiences. As performers, we strive to be authentic on stage, truly in the moment, connecting with each audience in a unique way. We’ve performed thousands of shows together in our 30 years on the road! You name it, we’ve played it: music clubs, cinemas, house concerts, festivals, theaters, Belgian prisons, race tracks, busking, bookstores, the list goes on and on. We also do creative workshops at film & music schools. It’s never been boring and our journey has been full of surprises & miracles.
Bright Blue Gorilla Live video: https://www.brightbluegorilla.com/EPK.html
Our motto in this life is: “Do It Yourself”, which has been great since there’s no better method than learning by doing! We never waited around to be discovered, just dove in and created our own career. When we were in Europe and about to run out of money, I taught myself how to book & promote shows (while Michael taught himself how to write plays & stories). We also learned how to find the best deals on train travel (and just enough of the local languages to buy train tickets and food). Sometimes we didn’t know where we were going to sleep, but everywhere we went we got invited in. Now we have a worldwide family.
With filmmaking, we never made a short – we jumped right into features. We learned how to direct, write, produce, do camera & sound, lights, cast, cater, location scout, build props – you name it, we do it!
We had a nice break that got us started: We landed an acting/singing role in a Matthew Broderick & Alec Baldwin film: “The Last Shot”. We took that Hollywood paycheck and bought our first camera. Michael wrote a screenplay, we gathered all our talented friends together in L.A. and made our first feature. With that very first film, way back in 2005, we started touring arthouse cinemas, doing concerts & screenings, self-distributing. It was another Do-It-Yourself moment. But we couldn’t have done it without the help of amazing people around the world. People who believe in supporting the arts.
As Michael said, it’s exciting to see the VoD release of “36 Husbands” worldwide. We had great fun touring cinemas with the film (pre-Covid) in Europe, Australia & Los Angeles. We also logged some serious miles filming! We shot in Australia, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dortmund, Paris and Los Angeles. We gathered almost 300 people from 30+ countries who all came together to create something upbeat & uplifting – and bring some joy to our troubled planet.
36 Husbands is an uplifting, mystical, musical, romantic, kung-fu spy comedy starring three powerful women – and a bunch of husbands! (Suitable for the whole family.)
36 Husbands TRAILER – Love Potion Number 36 https://vimeo.com/349355685
36 Husband IMDB Reviews: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7512492/
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Michael & Robyn: We love L.A.! It’s a city where anything can happen. So much dynamic, creative energy everywhere you go. We’ve met so many interesting people here. We both agree regarding new people coming to town to realize their dreams: Come to L.A.! It has unlimited potential. Be sure to make time to go to the beach and the mountains – California is beautiful! One of our favorite spots to recharge & reflect is the Lake Shrine Meditation Gardens in Pacific Palisades.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brightbluegorilla.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: bbluegorilla
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gowithleflofun/
- Twitter: @bbluegorilla
- Other: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/36-husbands/id1532329571
Image Credit:
Adam Dotson, Niels Hougaard
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