Find something that’s big. Find a big, cultural phenomenon and say something about it in a beautiful way. I think that’s part of the reason for [our film’s] success. -Prescott Harvey

Soon after Disney announced that JJ Abrams would direct the next Star Wars trilogy, the clever creatives at Sincerely Truman responded with a beautifully-directed film called “4 Rules To Make Star Wars Great Again”.

The film speaks with the collective voice of practically every Star Wars fan in the universe: “Dear, JJ Abrams, please don’t mess this up.”

The video went viral.

Over 126,000 Star Wars fans have signed the petition at the main site DearJJAbrams.com*.

Sincerely Truman (a small creative agency in Portland, Oregon) was nominated for a Webby Award.

JJ Abrams got the message.

…and director Prescott Harvey was invited to pitch one of his original feature film ideas to JJ’s team at Bad Robot Productions.

In this interview, Prescott Harvey and art director Robert Perez share their personal success stories and take us behind the scenes of ‘4 Rules For Star Wars’…



*Unfortunately, Sincerely Truman closed it’s doors and the ‘Dear JJ Abrams’ site is no longer functional.

Watch ‘4 Rules To Make Star Wars Great Again’:

Before you listen to the podcast interview, you should definitely watch the film.

Listen To The Interview:

“You have to spend the time thinking it through. Then you have to spend the time making it good. If you do those things… If you can really look at it and say, “I believe in this 100%.” Then you’ve got something that people will love.” -Prescott Harvey

[ download the mp3 ]

Episode Highlights:

How your own visual voice can influence the work of the big studios.

How to amplify your creative passions and get viral attention.

How creative fandom can inspire beautiful art.

Why darkness is important in all-ages storytelling.

Why The 4 Rules Work:

As often as you can, try to release something that comes from your heart. -Prescott Harvey

Are you storyteller?

Read Prescott Harvey’s insightful blog post about Why The 4 Rules Work and consider what it reveals about all stories and all audiences.

…this conversation is much bigger than Star Wars.

The ‘Dear JJ Abrams’ Concept Art:

What Do You Think?

What kind of “jedi wisdom” did you gain from the interview with Prescott and Robert?

What lessons can you draw from the success of the film or the ‘Dear JJ Abrams’ website and apply to your own art career?

Sure, we could use this time for geeky debate about the fate of the next Star Wars Trilogy (which I love) but I would rather look deeper…