Sam Mirpoorian: Sacrifice, success, and Greener Pastures

Seriously Authentic

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”

Talent Advisor Serena Board