Check Out Michael & Jaric Erike (The Erike Brothers)’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael & Jaric Erike (The Erike Brothers).

Hi Michael & Jaric, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Michael: My name is Michael Erike. I am the writer, producer, and co-creator of our new film CUT, and I’m one-half of the Erike Brothers

Jaric: My name is Jaric Erike and I am the director, producer, and co-creator of our new film CUT, and I’m the other half of the Erike Brothers.

Michael: During our last few college years at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Jaric and I started planning how we would break into Hollywood. We decided we needed a formal business and law background so we could understand just what drives the creative process of the film industry. We decided going to law school would be the best path to learn this. We prepped hard for the LSAT law school exam, did well, and earned scholarships to Sandra Day O’ Connor College of Law. During law school, I formally trained myself in the art of screenwriting (through books and videos) and I would write 20-40 pages of scripts every night (sometimes furiously in the back of the classroom) for three years. Meanwhile, Jaric studied the art of directing, again all the while still studying for his law classes too. We graduated Sandra Day O’ Connor College of Law with a path forward and a clear vision, and we received graduating awards: Jaric received the Class of 2018 Dean’s Award for high academic achievement, I received the Class of 2019 Alan Matheson Award for my community service work at the school. Early 2020 as more of our scripts gained traction amongst our budding network we decided to film a 9-minute short film (ALONE) to show we could bring a script to life. It was a small project, with just Michael starring and a few friends helping.

The feedback for ALONE we received from our network was astonishing. Everyone seemed so shocked at what we did with a minimal budget and cheap rental equipment and just us, “The Erike Brothers” filling every credit line. However, it was very abstract and not a piece we could use to fully showcase ourselves (no dialogue, one character, 9-minute film). We saved as much money as we could for three years, and we planned out our 2nd film which would work as our “showcase” piece (CUT). In October of 2022, we pitched a Cinematography team (Jack Schwitz, Bill Brassow) who loved our idea, our story, and joined us to help film “CUT”. The magnitude of CUT is leaps and bounds above our 2020 piece (ALONE), and we’ve managed to enhance our quality of work, thanks to Jaric leading our wonderful Cinematography team. Now, as we are all aware the industry is in the middle of a strike, but luckily we are safely in Post-Production. We are editing CUT to showcase to over a dozen studios and production companies that have reached out to our team including: Paramount, Sony, Amazon, AMC Studios, Lionsgate, and 5th Season.

The showcase will occur at Loyola Marymount University when the film is complete. This reminds me: quick shoutout to President Timothy Law Snyder! TLS is the President of the greatest college in the world, Loyola Marymount University. Jaric and I have been keeping him updated on our Hollywood journey, and he has been nothing short of helpful and extremely supportive. It will be an honor and dream come true to have all these respective executives come to LMU to watch our “Erike Brothers CUT” showcase, we can’t wait. We also hope to be able to land our “Erike Brothers Rise to Hollywood” story in the LMU Magazine (another bucket list item).

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Michael: One of the biggest obstacles has been the time constraints on us. Both Jaric and I work as full-time attorneys. When the workday would end, the 2nd workday would begin for us as filmmakers. We spent most of our weekends either at a film shoot or planning a film shoot.

Jaric: Although shooting on the weekends gave us the weeks in between to prepare, it was still extremely difficult because we are full-time attorneys. We spent many late nights holding casting interviews, going over scenes, storyboarding, etc. We absolutely loved every moment of preparing for and shooting “CUT”, but it was a laborious task that consumed all of our free time.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Jaric: I fell in love with films at a very young age. Going to the movies was like going to Disneyland. The process and journey of coming up with a new story and a new world filled with interesting characters with different motivations was always fascinating. I am blessed with a visual mind. This ability helped books come to life when I was younger. Becoming a director and producer has allowed me to utilize my visual mind in the greatest capacity. Further, it allows me to go on the journey of creating and telling new stories that myself and my brother want to tell. This is what I love to do and plan on doing for a long time.

Michael: I guess you could call me the “Writer-Producer” between the two of us as Jaric is the “Director-Producer”. I do also love acting, but since I was seven years old, I always knew I would be a writer in some capacity. I would say I’m known for writing up a scene, an episode, or a whole script in an extremely short amount of time. The way my brain works, it’s sort of always running, like a hamster on a wheel. The downsides are my sleep suffers, and some of my personal relationships suffer too because I can’t turn off the constant running motor. The upside is also tremendous though as when my brother gives me a lightning idea/outline I’m able to conjure up a whole script in a short manner of time. Haha, Jaric called me a magician writer in an interview once, and our LMU President absolutely loved that.

Aside from being a magician-writer, our drive is what sets us apart from anyone else. Jaric and I always find a way to succeed, it’s who we are and it’s who our parents taught us to be. We’re also very tall (especially Jaric) so that literally sets us apart.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Jaric: My family and my health/happiness is first and foremost what matters most to me. I am very fortunate to have such a loving, supportive family foundation. I am at my happiest when I am creating. I am at my happiest when I am with my family. Therefore, it is a blessing to be able to work alongside my brother as we embark on this journey of filmmaking.

Secondly, telling stories that make the audience feel something matters immensely to me. Whether that be a feeling of uncomfortability, fear, happiness, anger, or sadness, stories that evoke emotion allow one to have an experience with the story and this is important to me. I, myself, gravitate towards stories that are darker and more gritty.

Michael: Hmm…my family and my sense of self-worth. I truly believe we all spend most of our lives trying to figure out where we belong on this planet. Early on as a kid, I always felt right at home making up stories with my brother so I’m lucky I knew what my purpose was, even if it took a long journey to make it my professional life/career. If I can wake up in the morning, look at myself in the mirror and say “I’m doing what makes me feel happy in life”, well then I’ll keep smiling day after day after day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.erikebrothers.com
• Instagram: @Erikebrothers @palmtreetootall
• Twitter: @Erikebrothers
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@erikebrothers

Image Credits
The Erike Brothers (2023)