GLEN E FRIEDMAN, TONY ALVA, STACY PERALTA, JAY ADAMS, (©) DAN LEVY, JUICE MAGAZINE Scalese, Hollywood special effects wizard Trevor Tuttle and art gallery owner Brian Chambers. These three individuals were connected in various ways and said they represented someone who had amassed the largest collection of Rick work in the world and that he had the money to finance a Griffin film. I don’t remember all that was said, but I do remember how at ease I felt with these three from the get-go. Their performance on the phone was not the typical Hollywood fast-talking hyperbolic nonsense I was used to hearing. All three spoke softly and yet with enthusiasm, and from a position I could tell had been hard-earned from years of wading through the trenches of independent filmmaking. Their collective humility and experience had the affect of softening me. I told them my two fears regarding the film and how troubled I was by them. They said they understood. I told them that though I didn’t think I could get involved in the way they wanted me to, that I could help them put a team together that could produce the film. I relayed that perhaps once the team was in place I could act as a distant producer but have none of the day-to-day responsibilities of running the film. They accepted my offer and I went to work finding the necessary people. I spent the next few months reaching out to various filmmakers I’ve worked with over the years: Josh Altman who edited my film Bones Brigade: An Autobiography and Paul Crowder who edited my films Dogtown and Z-Boys, Riding Giants and The Yin And Yang of Gerry Lopez. I then reached out to Sam George, my sometimes writing partner who co-wrote two of my films with me, Riding Giants and Crips and Bloods: Made in America. He and I also won an Emmy for a film I produced and he directed called Hawaiian: the Legend of Eddie Aikau. Various combinations of these three were considered: Sam and Josh would co-direct with someone else editing, but then Josh fell out due to another project. Then Sam and Paul might co-direct with Paul editing. This merry-go-round of changing positions and changing people went on for about six weeks. During that time, I told Sam he needed to solve the two big problems plaguing the film: How do we make up for the dearth of photos and how do we make up for the lack of a third act? Within a few weeks Sam came to me with some surprising news. He had reached out to Rick’s daughter Flaven and it turns out there were hundreds of photos taken of Rick that the family had been quietly amassing over the years. To a documentary filmmaker this was a jackpot, like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The photos Sam presented to me were comprehensive, vivid and phenomenal. Suddenly this film, which days ago seemed an impossibility was becoming a possibility. Sam also figured out the true third act of Rick’s life. I won’t mention it is here because I don’t want to give it away, but that revelation evaporated the doubt in my mind that I could do this. As I got more involved in putting a team in place I found myself getting more involved in the film itself. Unbeknownst to me, the story had taken root and sprouted up inside of me. I began daydreaming about the film all day long and creative sparks started blowing up inside of me. I was being pulled toward the film the same way the sun pulls the earth. It was pure filmmaking gravity and I was going to end up working on the film whether I liked it or not. It’s early September 2026 and we are now three quarters of the way through production and it’s become one of the best filmmaking experiences of my career. The Griffin film is unlike any film I’ve made. I enjoy the day-to-day creative problem-solving and I love the story that the film is telling. I am entirely grateful that I didn’t stand my ground with Glen and that I caved into his maniacal persistence. I also accept the realization that I can never again say no to Glen E. Friedman. We will be done with the film by December 2026. It is our hope to premier it at some of the better film festivals in the world next year and getting a sale to one of the studios or streamers. LEARN MORE: GRIFFINTHEFILM.COM | SEE MORE BY RICK GRIFFIN: @RICKGRIFFINDESIGNS | RICKGRIFFINDESIGNS.COM SPECIAL THANKS TO THE CHAMBERS PROJECT FOR PROVIDING ARTWORK & PHOTOS OF RICK GRIFFIN: THECHAMBERSPROJECT.COM 15
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