Some documentaries are too urgent to wait for normal distribution. BIG ROCK BURNING (2025), David Goldblum’s directorial debut, certainly qualifies. The film covers the aftermath of the California wildfires this year in Big Rock from a man who lost his home in the fires.
The film is still embarking on a festival run but because of the immediacy of the story, it is now available for streaming on Vimeo. Alongside this film, David has tackled some of the most pressing topics facing our country today, and he’s been able to do it by making the title executive producer into something more than just a famous wallet.
How did he do all this, especially after losing his home? What a story writer, director, and producer David Goldblum has to tell.
In this episode, David and I discuss:
David's Indie Film Highlight: ALL THE EMPTY ROOMS (2025) dir. by Joshua Seftel
Memorable Quotes:
“I think it’s all kind of learning how to leverage, so you leverage the thing that you have to get the next thing.”
“When you look at the credits of a film, I think executive producer is the one that you never know what they really did.”
“I had to sneak my camera guys in my trunk every day.”
“Everbody was pointing fingers and I wanted to show that everybody’s to blame in this.”
“ I've seen enough stories that people make long form documentaries about a very important issue. And then by the time it comes out, it's five years later and it's like the next big school shooting has happened or the next big whatever, like we've just become so desensitized.
“I try to look at who cares about these issues that I’m exploring, whether it’s incarceration or the sex industry or fires or whatever And then I look for those types of funders so the funders are really aligned with the topic already.”
“I love producing writing because originally I’m a writer; I think more than anything I’m actually a writer.”
“So they gave me a three movie producer deal, but I didn’t get to choose my movies.”
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