Seriously Authentic

Sam Mirpoorian: Sacrifice, success, and Greener Pastures

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This week, Larissa speaks with Sam Mirpoorian , an award-winning Iranian-American filmmaker.

Sam explores societal themes at the intersection of time, isolation, health, and science. Sam has been busy promoting his first documentary feature, Greener Pastures, which follows 4 farmers across the Midwest. It documents their day-to-day lives on small multigenerational farms over the course of 5 years. The film is about mental health, industry nation, food production, and climate change. Sam started out doing everything: producing, directing, and driving hundreds of miles. Along the way, he got funding and support from Emmy-nominated producers. Greener Pastures was acquired by PBS and is now being screened.

Larissa & Sam chat:

  • Growing up under pressure to excel, influenced by his father's Iranian heritage
  • His father, a tech supervisor, exposing Sam to technology and filming everything with a camcorder, which kickstarted Sam’s love for hands-on storytelling
  • Whether it was worth it to have a childhood so focused on the hustle and grind
  • Sam championing mental health during the making of Greener Pastures
  • Mental health’s connection to shame and secrecy
  • The importance of “just listening”
  • The 5 years making greener pastures, crashing on farmers’ couches, starting with no money
  • Thinking Greener Pastures was never going to get finished
  • When a mentor told Sam his characters were not compelling
  • Driving across the Midwest alone: Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin
  • Social sacrifice, not seeing friends or dating
  • Submitting Greener Pastures to 18 film festivals, rejected by all of them
  • Starting with no money to linking up with David & Linda Cornfield Emmy Award-Winning Producers and getting funding money
  • Sam’s pitching story, and being honest that he was 25 years old, had no producer, and was shooting sorority videos on the weekends
  • Self-comparison on social media
  • Future filmmaking dreams. Top of the list, making a high school basketball story
  • Letting go of over-promising under-delivering
  • Feeling like an adult for the first time

    • Follow Sam:

    • @WorkofSam (IG)
    • Check out Greener Pastures
    • Screen Greener Pastures on PBS

      • Follow Larissa:

      • Sign up for Seriously Authentic Newsletter with resources, tips, insights on how to be your most authentic self to achieve your dream life.
      • @larissavictoria (LinkedIn IG)
      • Work with me (1:1 Coaching)

        • Original music by Haile Meirow “inside your tears”

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        Seriously AuthenticBy Larissa Victoria