Off The Record: May 2025
A monthly dispatch on what I’m revising, watching, making, and rethinking.
We don’t talk enough about what’s happening between the highlights; the stretch between launches, the middle of the pitch process, the quiet moments that don’t make the feed.
That’s what Off The Record is for.
This new column is my monthly check-in. Part behind-the-scenes, part personal dispatch: what I’m watching, working on, revising, shedding.
Not always polished, but always honest.
The past month moved in chapters. I spent time in Montreal, Toronto, and LA, each city giving me something I didn’t know I needed. The East Coast brought a lot of slow moments and a lot of work. Attended Futurist and Consensus, where I filled my brain with big ideas. At client events, I watched ideas (and community) take shape. And in between, I reunited with family, spent slow days with my best friend of over a decade, and gave myself the kind of rest that actually resets something.
Then LA: fast, full, expansive. Capital G Media was a sponsor for Film Independent’s AAPI History Month reception, a great honour and so much fun. I had meetings that moved the needle, caught up with friends who reminded me why I started, and let myself feel the tension of being in between what was and what’s next.
This first edition is full of things in motion: stories I’m living, tools I’m using, and what I’m shedding as I grow. Thanks for being in it with me.
Let’s get into it.
— G
In Production
Real-time updates from the messy middle of the work.
Rejection Game: The last few months have been rejection season. So far, I’ve applied to 9 labs, programs, and initiatives this year and gotten 9 no’s. And honestly? It’s fine. Rejection is just another step. Another swing. Another sign that I’m still in the game.
Challenge: I’ve also been challenging myself to write for 30 minutes a day. Script pages, Substack drafts, Instagram captions, that someday book—it all counts. No pressure to be brilliant. Just consistent. The goal: build muscle, not magic.
A Win: I finally wrapped up the full rebrand and relaunch of my personal website.
It now reflects the world I’ve been building: filmmaker, strategist, creative architect. It finally feels like me. Only took me five months to get here… let me know what you think!
Scene Stealers
What’s been inspiring me lately: big feelings, sharp observations, and culture that cuts through.
Nonna’s (Netflix) pulled on all the heartstrings. I smiled, cried, laughed, and I love that a true story inspired it.
Paris by New West My morning playlist’s emotional backbone. Romantic, vibey, exactly the lead-in my brain needs to function. Listen to the playlist: mornings, romanticized.
I’m just finished the last episode of The Studio (Apple TV); highly relatable in the most hilarious and unhinged (sometimes triggering) way.
Carême (Apple TV) has become an unhealthy obsession. Food, espionage, lust, period piece… all in French? Oui, oui.
Also spiralling into Thank You, Next (Netflix) (yes, I’m in my Turkish Romance era), The Last of Us (HBO/Crave), and The Handmaid’s Tale(HBO/Crave). My screen time is... robust.
This episode with Emma Grede on Diary of a CEO was a full masterclass. 10/10.
This badmouthing post? Unhinged, in the best way. A perfect takedown of branding people’s trauma and monetizing every vulnerable moment. I laughed, nodded, and immediately sent it to five people.
Director’s Note
A personal shift, perspective, or quiet realization.
This month, I’ve been unlearning a specific kind of waiting. The kind where you’re already doing the work but still waiting for permission to fully believe in yourself.
That’s impostor syndrome in disguise. It’s not always loud. Sometimes it shows up as hesitating before naming your rate, holding back in a pitch, or editing the boldness out of your own voice.
I’m done with that version of me. This month’s revision? I’m shedding the part of me that asks to be chosen before I show up like I’ve already arrived.
Props Table
Tools, objects, and rituals I’m loving right now:
Manus AI. I’ve been building marketing strategies for our projects at Capital G, and this tool has been incredible for surfacing audience data and trends that actually help us position the work.
New Zealand Manuka Honey. I was recently gifted this honey, and I’m… obsessed. It’s life-changing, sensory, and officially the start of my Honey Era™.
Clarins Paris Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask. Basically a 10-minute facial that makes me feel like I slept eight hours and made a boundary. Cold, tight, perfect.
Vetiver Extraordinaire by Dominique Ropion. I rotate through scents constantly, but this one is my current go-to. I love anything vetiver—sharp, clean, grounded. This one wears like confidence in lowercase. (Hack: I can’t justify spending the money to get the big ones, so I get the travel-size one, and it lasts just as long.)
SodaStream. I know, I know… not new. But I finally started using it properly, and I’m smitten. Suddenly, I’m a sparkling water sommelier.
Disney’s Hercules (PS1). This Hercules game I used to play constantly as a kid in the '90s (yes, I’m ancient), and I recently found it online. It’s now my favourite way to waste time. I’m a mature, upstanding adult.
Kyandoru Meiso Meditation Candle. A Japanese candle made for meditation — it burns low, smells like calm, and looks like it belongs in a scene directed by Wong Kar-wai. Instant mood reset.
In the Frame
A snapshot from the month — work, life, or somewhere in between.
Capital G Media was proud to be a sponsor for Film Independent’s AAPI History Month celebration this month. It was such a joy to support work that’s shifting culture and championing stories that matter. To be in that room, as a creator, not just a guest and sponsor, felt like a quiet affirmation in a season full of “wait your turn.”
Sometimes presence is the breakthrough.
Quote of The Month:
“You don’t need a greenlight to begin. You just need to start.”
(A recent note I wrote to myself while staring at a blinking cursor for 25 minutes.)
What’s Next
If you follow me on Instagram, you already know: I’m a diehard Vancouver Whitecaps fan. The CONCACAF final is tomorrow, and I’m rooting so hard for our boys.
I’m launching a new Substack column called Dear Creative: it’s for the multi-hyphenates, the artists building their own systems: tools, resources, framework drops. You’ll see the first issue soon.
Summer is… up in the air. I’m manifesting garden dinners, weekend getaways, and momentum on my debut feature. More on that soon.
I’m hoping to work more on my sleep schedule. It’s been a mess the past few months, so I’m making a concious effort to try and fix it… I’ll let you know how that goes.
What are you revising this month? What are you looking forward to? Hit reply, leave a comment, send me a DM; I’d love to hear what you’re building or letting go of.
Where You Can Follow the Journey
Off The Record is where I share what I’m making, watching, and reworking— a quiet log of the real-time process. If you want to see the story unfold from the inside, I share it here first.
For more day to day action:
→ Instagram
→ LinkedIn
→ Website
Tip for June: Go be a little dramatic. It’s good for the plot.
Until next month, stay hydrated, stay romantic, stay delulu (in the best way).