Ross Dinerstein - Founder & CEO of Campfire and Producer of THE INNOCENT MAN

Ross Dinerstein spent his childhood immersed in the magical world of Blockbuster videos shelves and darkened movie theaters. Born and raised in Houston, his love for story ultimately led him to the big apple and in 2001 where he began his career in acquisitions at Miramax Films. And yes, he did cross paths with Harvey Weinstein. If you listened to episode 45 you may be thinking, “wait didn’t you already talk to a Ross at Campfire?” And you would be right. Leave it to Ross Dinerstein, the founder and CEO of Campfire, to have TWO Rosses at the same company. Fifteen years into his career, he has produced or executive produced over forty projects – both scripted and nonfiction. His films have premiered at the most prestigious film festivals in the world including Sundance, South by Southwest, Tribeca, and Toronto. There are far too many impressive producing credits to list, but some highlights are a personal favorite, the doc JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI, the Emmy-nominated short form series SPECIAL on Netflix, and the non-fiction crime docuseries, THE INNOCENT MAN based on John Grisham’s only nonfiction book.  He pursued the rights to that book for 10 years. Which reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite philosophers, Seneca “The things hardest to bear are sweetest to remember. Things take time. Art takes time. It’s important to remember the tremendous energy, patience, and endurance behind most projects that once began as an idea and now are lucky enough to exist on your screen.  So, this week we dive deep into the creative risks requires to run and sustain a young company like Campfire, how to avoid repeating past mistake, and how how to balance being patient and proactive.