AN INTERVIEW WITH NATHANIEL PAULL
ARTIST’S HOUSE: Who is Nathaniel Paull?
NATHANIEL PAULL: An indie film director who's wanted to direct films since he was four years old. Now I want to make that into my day job, I'll see what happens.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: I can see you are doing your shows on YouTube, talking to people. Can you tell us more about the process?
NATHANIEL PAULL: It starts with discovering what Youtube is in 2009, and wanting to do that because people can watch it from around the world. I've been on Youtube since April 2010 with "Pokemon Pals" which has 15 million views at the moment. Back when I was 19 was a different world, a different place, and a different way of casting actors compared to what I do now. I mean, some things never change. Actors still have to put up with my poker face during every audition I hold, be it Youtube or another platform.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: Who do you usually invite to your show and what are the requirements to be on such a show?
NATHANIEL PAULL: Woman over 18. It's "The Texas Talent hour No Boys Allowed Party Podcast". I usually invite local actresses and woman in the music scene. Nobody is too small for me, if you're willing to do it you're good enough for me to be honored by showing the world, what they did, what they’re doing, and sometimes what their upcoming projects are. I put these Live Streams on both Youtube and Facebook; it's on NathanielPaullHits.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: You are making a movie right now. What's the title and what is the movie about?
NATHANIEL PAULL: It's called "Rock Bottom" and it's a 30 minute comedy for Amazon Prime in America and the UK about a 33 year old man who is forced to move back in with his disappointed father as his life spirals out of control. It's about being a disappointment in the eyes of your father. I think that's a very timeless tale and I'd love to tell my version of it. It also has a ghost, an alien, and a tulpa, yet I'd dare to call it a dark slice of life. It's that kind of movie.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: Who are the actors playing in the movie?
NATHANIEL PAULL: I'm not going to say until I see their contract is signed.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: Do you also plan on making other movies? What kind of concepts for future movies are you interested in?
NATHANIEL PAULL: I want to take a stab at mocking woke culture and people in the entertainment industry in a mockumentary called #Unsubscribe in 2020 for $8,000. I'd love to sell my web series "Hanging With The Heavens" to a streaming service who can reboot it. Most of all I've wanted to make an animated show called "Ryana Of The Rapture" since I was 23, but that won't be out for many years to come.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What kind of genre is your favorite to film?
NATHANIEL PAULL: Comedy because I like telling jokes, making people laugh, maybe making them feel a little uncomfortable. I think people have forgotten what comedy is, they tend to think it's a form of entertainment that feels safe. Comedy is about misery. From the tramp in Chaplin to the coyote failing to eat the road runner, all the way up to today's TV shows. I think the world in 2019 would love and embrace with open arms a white male who wants to be a comedian. And if not, I don't care, I'm doing it anyway.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What or who inspires you and your ideas?
NATHANIEL PAULL: Sometimes it's things people say or do. With "Rock Bottom" it was my father telling me that it's okay if I fail in life. I realize not many sons get to ever hear that. For #Unsubscribe it was all those woke statuses over the past few years and watching the indie film community. Often I give people my pitches and if they like it, I got something going I can work with. For "Pokemon Pals" it was a Youtube comment. I'm still learning how I work.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: Do you have anything in your life that you feel brings you good luck?
NATHANIEL PAULL: My girlfriend is albino and albinos bring luck to other people. She's Krystal Garcia, a film producer, my girlfriend, and my luck charm.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What's a favorite childhood memory of yours?
NATHANIEL PAULL: When I closed my eyes on the overnight field trip in 7th grade and wished the moment would last forever. But that's not how life works, so here I am.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: Your favorite place in the world?
NATHANIEL PAULL: I'd love nothing more than to visit all the jungles. Sucks they're on fire right now, but if I ever get rich I'll visit what's left of them.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What is your biggest goal you dream to achieve?
NATHANIEL PAULL: Four seasons and a made-for-streaming movie for "Ryana Of The Rapture". I know that's very specific but I'm that kind of weirdo.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: If you could talk to your past self, what would you say to him?
NATHANIEL PAULL: You're lacking vitamin D—please take care of that problem—and it gets better if you’re patient even though it feels hopeless right now.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What's your favorite food?
NATHANIEL PAULL: Free food. If I'm not paying for it, I can taste that it cost me nothing in each bite.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What qualities should an actor have in your opinion?
NATHANIEL PAULL: Always improving as an actor, not rescheduling auditions, and most important of all, you'll never go anywhere if you don't show up on the set.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: How do you come up with ideas for your future projects? Do they just pop up in your mind or do you have to sit and think about them?
NATHANIEL PAULL: Sometimes they stay in my mind for many years and making them is like cleaning out my brain of all the creative buildup. It's like my form of word-vomit to detox myself of life. Think of it as a coping mechanism. I'm badly addicted and I see no cure ever.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: If you were born in a different time period, which one would it be?
NATHANIEL PAULL: 20,000 years ago; see if anything is different or if it's the same shit but 20,000 years ago.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What obstacles did you have to overcome in the process of learning filmmaking?
NATHANIEL PAULL: My bad spelling, my big mouth that wants to be rebellious, and my ADD mind that wasn't paying attention to what you just told me. Most of all, learning that film making is rapidly changing. It's an adapt or die world that we live in and I love it so much for that.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What are your favorite movies and shows, if you had to pick a few?
NATHANIEL PAULL: My favorite movie is "Fantasia", but really I want whoever is reading this to watch "Shrunken Heads". Just do it, it'll be fun. I also love watching adult animation on streaming.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: How long have you been a filmmaker for? When did you start?
NATHANIEL PAULL: I started in December 2009 when I started writing Pokemon Pals and started filming in April 2010. So I guess it's going on 10 years at the moment. Time flies even when you're not having fun.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What are some of your other talents or interests?
NATHANIEL PAULL: I would love to go horseback riding again. Haven't did it since I was 14 and I'm way overdue. Just throwing it out there.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What attributes do you notice in a good movie?
NATHANIEL PAULL: That there was passion behind it and the script didn't suck. But the passion is most important—something half the Hollywood movies seem to be lacking. I know it's all about the money but at least pretend to care.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What are you most proud of accomplishing so far?
NATHANIEL PAULL: Having 15 million views on youtube.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: How do you imagine the film industry will look like in the future?
NATHANIEL PAULL: There's going to be a lot more crew work in VR. I can't ignore that elephant in the room just because it came out after I was an adult. I'm not sure if Hollywood will still be around; they've had a good run through.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What are the most fun parts about filmmaking for you?
NATHANIEL PAULL: Seeing the recorded take and knowing you just captured lightning in a bottle.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: Were there any funny incidents that happened while on set?
NATHANIEL PAULL: I got punched in the face by AJ and he ruined the take by saying sorry. When Paige jumped in my arms and I let her hit the ground. When the extras threw 50 tomatoes at me and then wanted to redo the take because they claimed not enough of them hit me. When it's winter and they all want to kill me because the shoot is outside up north.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What's the craziest thing you've done in your life?
NATHANIEL PAULL: Make an adult web show for Pokemon in 2010.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: Do you always get along with the actors or are there sometimes disagreements? How do you solve them?
NATHANIEL PAULL: My actors aren't perfect but I view them that way—like some kind of warped parent admiring their children. If there is an issue, please tell your director rather than your friend. It can't get solved through people having to read your mind. Also don't ditch a shoot.
ARTIST’S HOUSE: What would you like to say to your fans reading this interview and where can they contact you? Anything else you want to add?
NATHANIEL PAULL: Go to NathanielPaullHits to follow me on Youtube and watch "Rock Bottom" in 2020.
NOVEMBER 2019