[00:00:00] Joe Towne: Hi, I’m Joe Towne, and this is The Better Podcast.

If this is your first time here, welcome. If you’re joining us again, welcome back. And thanks so much for joining us. Each week, we’re going to explore the concept of better, how being better leads to doing better and how it impacts all areas of our lives. I’m feeling super inspired when thinking about Lino Disalvo, my guest today. Who is Lino?

Lino is an Italian American. He was born in Brooklyn, raised in Franklin Square on Long Island. His family is Sicilian. Lino has a lot of skills. You’ll hear about how he worked for his family business. And he’s worked in animation now for most of his adult life. After graduating from Vancouver [00:01:00] Film School, he went on to work at Disney for almost two decades.

He was an animator on Meet the Robinsons, Chicken Little, a supervising animator on Tangled and Bolt. And he was head of animation on a small film called Frozen. He went on to serve as creative director for Paramount Animation before joining Paris-based On Animation Studios as their head of creative. He directed the Playmobil movie and he’s now actively producing his own creative projects.

You may know his voice as Vinny, the pigeon and bolt or Gristle Toe Joe in Prep and landing. He’s a dad, a husband, an avid bicycler. The one thing that jumps out to me the most about Lino is that he’s an optimist. He likes helping encourage others. It’s one of the things I appreciate most about him. Let’s jump right into the conversation with Lino Disalvo, which is all about how we never know how, what we’re training will set us up for future success.

So Lino, Lino Disalvo [speaks Italian]

[00:02:08] Lino Disalvo: [speaks Italian] Joe. 

[00:02:09] Joe Towne: Excellent. Excellent. Lino, I have this question that I want to start with, which is, imagine that you, your life was a country. People were following you around and there was a national newspaper about your life today. How I’m finding you, what would today’s headline say in the newspaper of your life?

[00:02:31] Lino Disalvo: Oh my gosh, amazing question. It would say, uh, artists takes on one too many projects due to, I love being busy and um, so, you know, I crafted that way. I’ve, I’ve got quite a few things at various stages of development from an animated series to a few features [00:03:00] to a short to a graphic novel. Um, but I go home and I’m happy. Right. So, so that’s good.

[00:03:10] Joe Towne: You called us in, you set this vision. Being at different stages—Is it easier to manage because they’re not all at the same stage?

[00:03:20] Lino Disalvo: Yeah, that’s exactly right. It’s um, th the most difficult thing for me up until now, till today is the nature of, you know, that we’re in a pandemic and the video record, uh, meetings and working remotely and, uh, Sometimes it’s not easy to go from back to back to back to back meetings, especially when the tone of projects are different.

And you’ve got to switch gears and speaking to writers, right? Certain writers want it? Tell me, tell me what you need. Fix all the writers. Write you. You’ve got to [00:04:00] kind of like, you know, they, they, they need, they need their processors and you need to slowly get into the notes. 

[00:04:09] Joe Towne: Pandemic fatigue is real.

There are a lot of articles that talk about everything from burnout to languishing and the impact these last couple of years have had on us. Lino is working across multiple time zones and on several projects at once. It can get easy to get sucked into never switching off and always being available.

One of the things I find to be fascinating is the idea where did our commute go? Whether in a car or on a bike or public transport, we used to have transition time. Now, sometimes our commute is walking down the hall. Or opening up our device. And some of us may not miss the multiple hours that we were on the road or away from our loved ones.

But for others, that time was necessary to get quiet before the storm, or get into a flow [00:05:00] or come down from our days and process what happened. So how do we cultivate routines and habits that help us with the things that our commute used to be helpful for? What are the best practices that we want to bring back online as we start to open back up?

That’s something I’m curious about. What about you? 

[00:05:19] Lino Disalvo: All that part is like I’m learning on the fly. I guess there’s a lot of us are, don’t do more. 

[00:05:26] Joe Towne: I’m hearing a couple of things in there. I’m hearing one context matters, right? If you have a relationship and you know, some people need more of this right.

Focus on what the challenges are. Let’s get right to that. Other people may be more process oriented. And, um, I’m hearing that in the business. That sometimes there’s not really enough transition time. Things are stacked and that’s part of what you asked for, but at the same time, maybe it, um, maybe it would, in some ways be better.

If there was like a, [00:06:00] a mini window where you could take a breath, remind yourself of what the next meeting is, remind yourself of the context and then go into it in a different way. 

[00:06:09] Lino Disalvo: Joel. That’s exactly right. You, you know, what’s the equivalent of if we were, if we were all back in the studios, um, me walking to the next meeting on the opposite side of the studio, that it almost trains you mentally and physically, like as a reset, I’m going into a different room, right?

I’m going upstairs. I’m going into this story room with all the artwork for that particular story. And it allows you to reset, but you know, over the internet and zoom. You’re able to enter another meeting so fast 

[00:06:47] Joe Towne: it’s so wild. Yeah. People have been talking about this regarding a commute. So some people have this love, hate relationship with the commute.

They don’t miss the time that they were away from their family or [00:07:00] had to get up early or, you know, had to navigate that chunk of time. But in some ways people use time in the car for rolling calls, for podcasts, for music, for silence, for processing. And I love that you use that term reset that little mini reset sounds like it.

That transition really helped you when you had it. And now when your commute is walking down the hall, it’s almost hard to build that in. 

[00:07:28] Lino Disalvo: And sometimes as you know, you’re a dad, um, that it’s almost like, and I live, um, when I do go to the office, which is. When I go back home, I live so close that even then there’s no, I don’t have a time to decompress before I walk in the door.

So, um, yeah. It’s like, it’s like relearning, right? How to be creative and stay creative. 

[00:07:56] Joe Towne: I love that. You just brought up decompression and specifically about being [00:08:00] a dad, because I find that too, after a long, busy day of exhilarating work, where I’m excited to go home and share in the joy of the creative process, there’s a little bit of depletion because my relationship with my son is that he really wants full and focused attention.

I’m not saying that’s unique to him. I think that’s what kids really crave like oxygen. It sounds like you’re saying the same thing. And when I haven’t had that decompression time first, sometimes I can feel less patient sometimes I’m, I’m still somewhere else and I’m not quite here yet. And they can say.

And I haven’t solved how to put that time in, because I’m trying to get that last email in or check something off the to-do list and feel accomplished. And, um, both that reset and that decompression feel like really important things to pay attention to in terms of sustainability, in terms of [00:09:00] how we do what we do.

[00:09:01] Lino Disalvo: It’s so true and I’m on the east coast. So I’m working on projects with producers in Europe, and I’m working on projects with producers in LA, right. So if I’m not strategic about shutting my computer off, um, I have a potential, the moment I wake up early at 5:30 AM every day. Uh, so I’ve got European emails to answer.

And if I. Give myself a set time to shut the computer off at night. I can be up til midnight answering the LA emails. Right. So, um, and I think for most artists, um, I think if you’re not fresh, right, you’re toast, right? You’re you’re not being as creative as you can. Um, so I I’ve been really good [00:10:00] about, uh, seven my time, right?

The emails have to wait until tomorrow.

[00:10:06] Joe Towne: Setting that boundary sounds like it’s protecting tomorrow, protecting creativity. And what I heard is freshness, that you value freshness. And if that is present for you, you can do your job better. And that it seems to be that sometimes things can wait is part of the message you’re sharing.

You know, there, maybe some things can’t, but certain things can. And other people’s urgency sometimes bleeds into, you know, to be true. 

[00:10:38] Lino Disalvo:  And I would say, man, I wish I would’ve known this. When I was getting into a leadership position.

I would say the majority of times where I felt excited about an email and I felt passionate about getting a message across [00:11:00] those the times where I, I just jumped into the email, I read it and I was fresh and I didn’t process it. More of those emails, almost caused problems, the ones where I process and I thought about it overnight, and that I addressed them after giving them some serious consideration.

The majority of those conversations, 99% of them go through. Right. There is something about an artist and a reaction, but how you feel about how something is said in email and specially when it comes to creative and notes and things can go downhill so quickly. So whenever things are, whenever you feel like things are really important and there’s a topic being discussed, I’ll force myself not to answer, even if I want to jump in and say something, does that make sense?

[00:11:58] Joe Towne: It really does. And the [00:12:00] depth to which, you know, yourself stands out to me. And I think that must be a large part of your success over time. And I’m also hearing, being aware of what activities you do well at certain times a day, especially when you have to do different types of creative work, logistical work, transitioning between the different kinds of roles that you have.

And I love that you said, I w this is one of those things I wish I knew when I stepped into a leadership position because. And I’m always curious about that time machine question. Is there a point you’d go back to, is there something you’d try to change? And even if you don’t really, you know, I don’t know.

Do you ever feel that way, that you wish you had a time machine and could go back and give your younger self XYZ? 

[00:12:45] Lino Disalvo: That’s a hard one because I’m happy where I am. Right. And I, and I, you know, I’ve, I just feel, I mean, there’s, there’s one thing that I’ve definitely noticed. I think when I was, when I was earlier in my career, um, [00:13:00] and I felt, I felt a certain way about something, either direction of how, you know, being launched on an animated shot.

And one thing was for certain is whenever negativity entered my mind about a meeting, about what, you know, a comment on something I was doing the moment, anything negative entered my mind, and I felt myself getting defensive. Um, You can’t be creative, right? Like you just can’t like the minute that goes into the room.

So I’m so precious with that. So I really have worked really hard to make sure if it’s a producer, if it’s a writer, if it’s an animator, if it’s a, if it’s a fellow director, if it’s, you know, like I think the more you can keep it open and honest and never let egos get in the way and just keep it, you know, creative, keep the [00:14:00] room.

You know, I think whenever the, whenever you feel like, um, you’re asking an honest question and you show vulnerability, think the room respects that. Right. I think the minute you start pretending that you know something, or you let negativity enter it, it just doesn’t work out. 

[00:14:19] Joe Towne: Yeah. I’m really hearing you talk about cultivating a space for creativity and you’re using negativity.

I, I perceive you to be a pretty optimistic and very positive person. The language that I see you using the way you choose to communicate, you know,

I’m sure if we stop and think. We all have an opinion about optimists and how it feels to be around them. But I wonder how many of us know the science of optimism? According to Shawn ACOR, who was one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between happiness and [00:15:00] success, there’s some solid science to back up training optimism.

He’s found that optimistic salespeople outsell their negative counterparts by 37% doctors in a positive state of mind performed diagnoses 19% faster and more accurately than doctors at neutral positive employees are 31% more productive than negative employees. In other words, optimism has an impact on productivity, intelligence, creativity, endurance, and engagement work.

Optimism is not just about us. On the other end of the spectrum. Visionary work optimists are also contained. Positive psychology research reveals that when we’re in contact with visionary work optimists, we start to feel more positive, engaged, and hopeful at work. At this time, the term infectious has had such a negative connection with [00:16:00] the worldwide pandemic and all, but taking a page from the science of optimism.

We can also think of the ideas we spread as being infectious as well, even though that impact is positive. So don’t just consider it for your life. Consider it for those around you more on Shawn ACOR, author of the happiness advantage in the show notes, it feels to me like the, the negative, the negativity you’re talking about, you relating to defensiveness and that defensiveness kills creativity, that it doesn’t foster that openness.

And it also feels connected to vulnerability, which, you know, it’s so it’s so wonderful to hear a man say. You know, I, I, I think growing up vulnerability is not something that was really modeled for me. So to see someone who’s a successful creative artists, dad, husband, human friend, mentor, embodying that, thinking about that, prioritizing that I think that’s [00:17:00] something for us to lean into.

So I’m really excited. And I want to get a sense of a little sense of your journey. And so I would love to jump into a time machine if you don’t mind, but where I want to take you back to is I want to start with a dream and I want to start with risk. So in the 1970s, your parents took a bit of a risk and they had a dream, uh, what were they seeking?

[00:17:21] Lino Disalvo: 

Oh my goodness. It’s so cliche. But they talk about it all the time. They were seeking the American dream, right? They were hearing stories. They’re both from Sicily and they keep, they kept hearing stories from New York. Specifically about the economy and how, um, there was, there was a growing community of Italians and you can work as much as you want, and your pay would reflect that.

And you know, my grandfather and my dad and my [00:18:00] mom and, um, uncles, they, you know, they came over for that American dream to help, um, their children have more. Um, and it was, it was great. It was great time growing up. 

[00:18:16] Joe Towne: Yeah. I love that there was sort of baked in a dream. It took some risks to get there, but the idea was rooted in providing rooted in.

Um, I want to be able to prosper by allowing me to determine how much I work and. My pay can reflect that and seeking opportunity. But I also heard community, you know, the idea that there was a growing community and sometimes that is enough encouragement for us to take that risk. And I want to come back to risk.

But in terms of story, I’m curious. Do you remember the first story you fell in love with? 

[00:18:58] Lino Disalvo: My, [00:19:00] my grandfather was an artist and I lived with him for most of my life. And he was a type of guy that no matter where you were, you know, people would tell him, Bartolo, tell his stories, tell him. And he would, you know, he, he would totally eat it off and he loved it and he would play his guitar and tell stories.

So as a kid growing up, I used to see like this man. Um, making people laugh, making people cry and, um, and he would have them in the palms of their hands. Right. And the way I would tell, I would see his cadence, how he would change certain parts of stories. I knew all the stories I’d sit on the stairs, going up.

I sh I should have been embedded and I would tip toe down, watching him tell his stories with like 40 Italian sitting around the table. And, um, yeah. And I knew growing up, I was going to get into something that [00:20:00] involved, um, creating a narrative. Right. Like I knew it. 

[00:20:06] Joe Towne: Um, well, you, you shared a story about, uh, a bear and a frog and a toy box.

And, and, and what came from that, your very first memory storytelling. I wonder if you could share that story. 

[00:20:24] Lino Disalvo: I remember I was doing this exercise years ago when, um, someone was asking me, what is, what is the first memory of your life? And the thing that came to mind was sitting behind a toy box and putting on a puppet show with Fozzy bear and Kermit the frog.

And these may have been the same people that my grandfather used to tell stories too. So I have a captain, you know, I have a captive audience in there [00:21:00] they’re watching and, and I’m making them laugh. Like it got to a point where they were like, they were really into it. And then that feeling of, I don’t know how old I was, maybe five, maybe, um, six, uh, But I remember this, that energy of people wanting more and feeling like the laughter was genuine and I became obsessed, right.

Drawing pine more Muppets. But yeah,

[00:21:36] Joe Towne: the lipids created by Jim Henson in 1955 are an ensemble cast of puppet characters. Kermit the phone was one of Jim’s first creations and is one of the most beloved frogs around and is voiced by Jim himself. Fozzie bear voiced by the great Frank Oz is the Muppet’s resident comedian who tells bad jokes [00:22:00] and is Kermit’s best friend, despite their occasional philosophical differences and fuzzies offensive taste in ties.

The Muppet show first aired in 1976, which ran for five seasons. And the Muppet movie came out in 1979. It was very much in the zeitgeists and that’s who Lino is reference. When he was playing in front of his toy box, the Muppets are also very beloved in my house. And so I wanted to give a shout out to them here.

Beautiful. And it sounds like it was really modeled for you. Um, you know, your grandfather incorporated music, incorporating familiar stories, but had people in the Palm of his hand. And it sounds like you really embodied that when you told that story and, and the connection there helped make you want more.

And I’d love to ask next about your first experience with pressure. So you’ve talked about standing in front of angry new Yorkers in front of eight or 900 [00:23:00] degree ovens as one of your first jobs, right? Your parents part of this dream was they cooked for people. They cooked for the community. They found themselves in, they became quite successful love through food.

And part of your job was helping feed these hungry sometimes, maybe hangry, new Yorkers. I’m curious, what was your first experience with pressure and what has it taught you about pressure 

[00:23:23] Lino Disalvo: now? It’s so interesting because when I look back, when I look back at my childhood, it always felt like, uh, it felt so organic that what my parents were doing, but my dad obviously had things very calculated of what I was experiencing as a young teenager, um, and the jobs they were giving me at the restaurant.

So I worked at the front of my parents’ pizzeria in Oceanside, New York. And, um, I was in charge of two of [00:24:00] the ovens and the pizza that was going in those ovens were Sicilian pizza, the thicker pizza.

[00:24:11] Joe Towne: How hot are we talking about? Your oven at home? Goes up to. 450 500 degrees, and then it reaches broil. Most commercial pizza ovens cook at temperatures ranging from 700 to 800 degrees, which is almost twice as hot as the hottest oven. You normally use. Some might say that that heat creates the perfect pizza at high temperatures.

The crust can get crispy without getting dry, and so it can create amazing crust, but also the cheese. If you cook pizza in a cooler oven, the cheese may not melt, completely leaving cold spots on top high oven, temperatures mean evenly melted cheese. Over the whole thing. 800 Fahrenheit is about 700 Kelvin.[00:25:00] 

The surface of the sun is 57 78 Kelvin, which is like living in the valley in Los Angeles, especially in recent years. So for some context, normal oven is like Santa Monica. Pizza oven is. And the valley is just like the surface of the sun. Everybody got that. 

[00:25:23] Lino Disalvo: And I would handle the register and I would work with the customers little by little.

My, my dad would give me more responsibility. And then before, you know, it he’d be gone on the weekends and I would be there on Saturday and Sunday and little by little, he started right. I was never given the title manager or supervisor didn’t exist. Right. I was just always working the counter. But when I look back now at 47 and I think of all my experiences, I look back at that and what was really happening in real time, [00:26:00] right?

Is you’re finding yourself and I’m watching how my dad diffused potential issues, how he was making customers happy, how, how he was. Still getting what he, what he needed, but making customers happy. Like it was incredible, right? My dad never graduated from college. She didn’t finish high school, but holy cow, his problem solving skills and this ability to take a situation and diffuse it and make everybody happy and keeping and keep customers coming back to the restaurant.

I think through osmosis that you know, that I was aware, I always knew I was absorbing all of that. Um, so my first day at Disney, I think when, when everyone else was really stressed out about, oh my God, like the pressure, the pressure on we’re [00:27:00] at Disney and we’re animating, we’ve got responsibility for me.

It was like, this is amazing because I heard you felt like I had, I overcame so many obstacles as a young teenager. For that feeling to know like I’m drawing for a living. I think I can handle this. And it’s all because of my years at the pizzeria. 

[00:27:20] Joe Towne: Yeah. They really helped so many ways. I’m hearing front of house, connecting with customers, diffusing situations, knowing how to engage them and keep them happy, you know, the balance between the creative work, but also managing those relationships and then him leaving you in charge and it feels like it’s maybe coming full circle in a different way.

What do you think pressure comes from? 

[00:27:43] Lino Disalvo: Is it some, I mean, my brain’s going a million miles a minute. It almost feels like it’s something that you present on yourself. Right. It almost feels like, um, you, you have certain expectations, [00:28:00] right? Is that, am I, am I going in the right? 

[00:28:03] Joe Towne: I really was curious to know how you would wrestle with that question because, you know, I asked you about a pressure situation going through pressure.

By the time you got to a situation where other people were feeling pressure, you’re like I’ve been in pressure as opposed to, I’ve only been in ideal circumstances. So now that I’m feeling this pressure, all of a sudden it feels different. I don’t know that I can perform. And I love the idea that it comes from ourselves.

I love that it comes perhaps from expectations and, you know, there’s, uh, something that I find to be fascinating. So when I was in high school, you were either, you know, part of the artistic community in some ways, or maybe you were part of the sport communities, you’re a fan of sport. Right? And when I think about an athlete going into an opposing team’s stadium or rink or something, they have this balance between the energy they’re getting and what they choose to do with it.

[00:29:00] And so if it’s self-directed, if it’s all controlled within a, and that’s where pressure comes from, then they can either put it on themselves. But I also do feel that there is an energy that comes from a hostile environment. And so I think pressure can come from both places. Um, I think it’s what we choose to do with that energy, you know, athletes that thrive on that and athletes that crumble under it, but we can also do it to ourselves.

We can thrive on our own energy or crumble on our own energy. So, um, yeah, I’ll be curious to know. Um, yeah, what, maybe that question will ping around a little bit and you’ll have, uh, another answer the next time we chat. Yeah, 

[00:29:40] Lino Disalvo: Joe, it’s interesting as being in high school. Um, listen, I feel like there’s a trend in a lot of the things that I choose to do.

Um, so, so when I was a junior in high school, I think I weighed 115 pounds, skinny, skinny, skinny, and I used to [00:30:00] watch the football player. The senior football players and I love football growing up. Who was your team? I mean, New York. 

[00:30:09] Joe Towne: Yeah. New York football giants. Yeah. That was my family. Nope, no jets, no Mets, no nets.

That was

the New York football giants are one of the most storied American football franchises in football history. They are the league’s longest established team in the Northeastern United States. The team ranks third among all NFL franchise. Eat NFL championship titles for in the modern Superbowl era. And for before 1956, only two teams have more.

The Packers were 13 and the bears with nine, the giants played a game, which is often referred to as the greatest game ever played and is considered one of the most important events in helping the NFL become so popular. The giants are in the NFC east division. They won a super bowl in [00:31:00] both 86 and 1990 Lawrence Taylor and Phil Sims as quarterback.

And more recently with Eli Manning topping the Patriots in both 2007. And again, in 2012, if you’re a new Yorker, you likely rooted for a New York team, your choices were either the Buffalo bills. If you’re from near Buffalo, the New York giants and the New York jets and the New York giants play in east Rutherford, New Jersey.

At MetLife stadium, which they share with the jets and which is five miles west of New York city, make 

[00:31:36] Lino Disalvo: that make sense. So I remember growing up and someone commenting, uh, that I was a bag of bones and that I should get off the football field. So make a long story short. I became the captain of the football team.

I, the summers leading up to [00:32:00] varsity football. I was in the gym all the time, put a whole bunch of weight on, I got really fast and I started both ways on offense and defense and I was on special teams. And, but, and then there’s a weird parallel to my art career, which is, you know, As I was creating my portfolio, people kept telling me I should stay in my lane, uh, as an Italian American working in the restaurant with parents that own multiple restaurants.

That’s my future. And it’s a wonderful one. I should embrace it. 

[00:32:37] Joe Towne: Stay in your lane, shut up and dribble, stick to sports. It’s something that athletes hear a lot from fans and pundits and politicians. It implies that an athlete doesn’t have expertise in anything other than their craft. And it’s meant to shut down.

The conversation also seems to be a way for people to control other’s [00:33:00] behavior and belittle them into submission. Fortunately, Many athletes use their platform as a way of advancing others’ interests and shining a light on things like social justice, climate change, and mental health advocacy. For speaking out against systemic trauma, as recently happened in the world of gymnastics for artists, it can be very similar, stay in your lane.

Don’t go outside your expertise, stay in your box in how I see you and don’t cause any waves. I believe so strongly that we can have many talents and skills. And if you’re paying for someone to occupy space in the public eye and demand that those people speak to the media, then it’s their right to speak up for what they believe in.

And so staying in our lane works two ways for those giving the advice as 

[00:33:50] Lino Disalvo: well. And then again, I took that energy and I said, how dare you? And I were [00:34:00] I obsessed about my portfolio? And I created a pretty decent portfolio and it ended up resulting in not only Disney, but a lot of the other studios making me an offer.

And if you take those incidents of conflict out in my life or obstacles, I don’t know what would happen. It’s so interesting to think about. 

[00:34:24] Joe Towne: I love that so much this portfolio, this is what you developed when you went to VFS, or even before that this is at the front, 

[00:34:32] Lino Disalvo: it’s both right. It’s the portfolio to get, to get into art school at VFS.

And then it was the port once you’re there. Now what you creating to get a job, right? Right. 

[00:34:42] Joe Towne: Yeah. So this moment, I want to ask you about this moment because it’s your last year at VFS. Your dad has charged you with don’t come home unless you have a job, right. Which again is potential for pressure. And you take this risk to people.

Come up [00:35:00] to VFS and they’re teaching a class. It sounds like from dream dream quest images. So dream quest originally was founded in a garage in Santa Monica in 1979. It started with piecemeal work on projects like escape from New York and E T the company relocated to semi valley and their special effects work on the abyss.

And total recall each earn the company and Oscar’s award. The Walt Disney company purchased the company in April of 19 96, 3 years later. Dream quest images merged with Walt Disney feature animations, computer graphics, operation to form the secret lab. The lab made only one computer animated film dinosaur released in 2000.

A general decrease in special effects work led to the unit being closed. However, the labs last week, It was for the castle rock entertainment and Warner brothers comedy [00:36:00] kangaroo, Jack,

I just want to paint this picture for everyone. What dream quest means, what it is. It’s a Disney owned subsidiary since 96. So if anybody had ever seen escape from New York or ITI or one from the heart, they’d won Oscars for the abyss and total recall. So you, you take a bit of a risk again and you ask them if they’ll look at your portfolio and I’m curious to know, like, why do you believe you approached them to show them your real, what was driving that 

[00:36:36] Lino Disalvo: do Joe?

I swear that I think that moment was my background was my Italian background, right? Like growing, you know, being, I was born in Brooklyn and watching my parents, uh, haggling for prices and, and. You know, my dad going out for jobs and construction, when he first moved here and [00:37:00] my parents, you know, always taking initiative and getting what they want and grabbing my hand and going food shopping.

And, and, and just knowing, like, if you, if you want to get it, you need to go out and get it right. Like you, you need to kind of take the initiative and do it. I just remember feeling we’re in the computer lab and these guys are in the industry and I want to be an animator so bad. And there’s this moment in time where they walk into the lab and there’s this TV that’s on this media rack with an old-fashioned VCR and a beta.

And my real is close to done. And I wait for them to turn the corner. Put my demo reel into the VCR and a week for them to look up and I hit play and they both [00:38:00] stop and they watch my reel and the reel is done and I asked them questions and I said, can I send you, do you mind, can I send my real to you guys?

And they were like, oh, we’d love to send it to us for sure. We get into conversation. And that moment, right. You, I can, I can argue is the moment that got me into Disney. It’s a dream quest. 

[00:38:25] Joe Towne: And in terms of the content you talked about, um, creating this real, so is one of the clips, a man with a mustache trying to smush an ant.

[00:38:38] Lino Disalvo: Yeah. So I designed this little Italian looking old man as your grandfather. Yes. I didn’t know what at the time. Right. But, um, I think as an artist, you could only caricature what you know. Uh, so I designed, I basically gave myself, I knew I wanted to do certain exercises to [00:39:00] flex my animation muscle. So I crafted a loosey goosey story, um, that would highlight my skills as an animator.

So I didn’t just go into making a short film because then I don’t think I would have had time to highlight my skills as an animator, which that’s a whole different conversation. Um, what animators should be highlighting, but, so I just did this thing of like, oh, I want to do, I know I want to do these five scenes.

Uh, let me just thread them together in some kind of narrative. Um, it was an old man trying to get rid of these ants. Uh, I know it was his battle with his aunt. Um, I love that 

[00:39:41] Joe Towne: I’m hearing that there was this balance between showcasing your talent, but also your creative. You’re creating a narrative through line.

And in some ways, it sounds like you’re trying to learn something in the process. And from what I know of you continuing to [00:40:00] learn and grow, it feels like something you’re going to be about for a long time. It’s not like something that you’re just done doing. 

[00:40:07] Lino Disalvo: I mean, yeah. I mean, Joe listened to the, one of the most common things I get asked is you left Disney.

You decided to leave Disney. 

[00:40:20] Joe Towne: So Leno had been at Disney for almost 17 years. Disney was his absolute dream job and he was part of it as an. Uh, supervising animator and a head of animation, as well as voicing several characters throughout the years, he went on to be the head of animation on frozen, which was the first film by Walt Disney animation studios to win the academy award for best animated feature.

And it also grossed well over a billion dollars. So Leno had this internal gauge that when he experienced certain things, career milestones, if [00:41:00] you will, that he wouldn’t want to rest on his laurels. That he would want to try something new, which is something nice to see in theory. But when it comes to actually doing something about it, you never know how people might react.

Anyway, on the heels of frozen, you had a conversation with his wife and she not only reminded him of the pact he had made with himself, but also let them know that she would support his decision to take a big risk, even though it meant bracing for the unknown and with her encouragement, he left Disney to go work at paramount animation as their creative director, which led him to where he is 

[00:41:37] Lino Disalvo: now.

I think that goes to what you’re saying is I, I, I, I just couldn’t fathom the idea of not feeling what it was like out in the wild, outside of Disney, because Disney is my dream job. Right. But I couldn’t, I had to, I had to kind of like challenge myself and see what was out there and how it felt. And. [00:42:00] What it was like being an independent filmmaker.

Um, I’m obsessed with this idea of learning and challenging. 

[00:42:08] Joe Towne: Yeah. And it, it feels like part of it was mirrored back to you by your spouse. Right. You had said out loud, I want to accomplish a few things. Once I’ve accomplished those things, perhaps I want to take a risk and see more. And when she reflected back to you that you had done a musical, right.

That you had made people feel something, um, that you were proud of, the tone and the style and the piece you’d created, that inner checklist you’d created for yourself. The other thing I’m reminded of is, you know, a quote from our friend, the frog, you know what I could stay here in this cozy little swamp, but I could also make millions of people happy, you know?

So. Totally took a pretty big risk again. 

[00:42:57] Lino Disalvo: And Joe, it’s so funny that you [00:43:00] bring that up because Roseanne and I were just talking about that yesterday. We have friends in town and, and I don’t know if I would have, if I would have left Disney, if it wasn’t for Rosanna’s saying go do it, like go, yeah, go start that other journey.

Um, because frozen frozen was an incredible experience. It’s almost impossible for me to put into words how rewarding right. Living and breathing something for four years and then being received the way it was. It’s it’s incredible. 

[00:43:44] Joe Towne: I know we’ve had a few conversations about this. I do have a question, um, because I know you get asked about.

Frozen a lot. And there something that stood out to me, which is, you said when you believe in your story and the actors know that you do that, that’s 50% of [00:44:00] the battle. What I’m curious about is what’s the other 50%, I think 

[00:44:03] Lino Disalvo: it would have to be collaboration. Yeah. I think Joe, you know, what’s so interesting is being at Disney and working with some of the most talented, unselfish, wonderful artists that the thing that made a Disney story room, a Disney story room was collaboration.

A great idea. Come, come can come from anyone. And, um, and certain ideas, what you can see how the room would react to it, right. And feed it and prop it up and see where it goes. And, and, you know, other ideas with. Naturally just fall away and, and how the leadership would steer the ideas. And, you know, you could, you can pitch an idea in there and even if no one liked it, you [00:45:00] never felt bad.

You never felt like, oh, I’m such a failure. No, you just would, it would roll into the next idea. And man, that’s something special, uh, that everyone has bought into this idea, right? You’ve got 20 to 30 people can all make their own movie right on their own. And they’re all in this room. They all believe in this process of let’s help this particular movie and story be the absolute best it can be.

That’s I mean, it’s something, I think studios. Years trying to cultivate a interesting thing. Um, I think is what makes Disney, 

[00:45:50] Joe Towne: it certainly sounds like an ideal, um, culture. It sounds like an ideal environment that was cultivated and it doesn’t seem like it was by accident. It [00:46:00] seems like it’s very purposeful.

You had leaders who empowered all those people that could make movies on their own and trusted them. Reminds me of your dad, trusting you to run the position back at the pizzeria. And it sounds like that trust combined with the vision of let’s seek, if this can be the best it can be, uh, and where mistakes or risks aren’t going to be punished.

Um, there’s this term, I’m curious to know if it was a part of. Called plussing. And I wonder if you might share with us what that term means 

[00:46:38] Lino Disalvo: to you? Yeah. In, in automation, uh, whenever, whenever that was mentioned, it’s basically building off of someone else’s idea. How do you make this stronger? How do you take, how do you take what’s already there at its core without changing it, [00:47:00] but making it creatively, maybe be smarter or funnier depending on what it is.

Um, and yeah, it feels like that’s, that’s the process that I fell in love with, which is right. I grew up in the Disney system. I just love this idea that all, everyone in that story room is going to go on a journey and walk down the path and you can get at the end of that road and there can be a brick wall.

And then everyone’s going to pick their stuff up and we’re all going to walk back to the beginning and we’re all going to go that way. Now we pick up our stuff and we all walk the path that way. And if we go there and that’s a dead end, it’s okay, we’re going to pick our stuff up and then we’re going to, and, um, it’s invaluable, right?

Because the, the things that don’t work are almost as valuable as what does, right? Like [00:48:00] knowing, knowing that that those particular items or those characters or, or that characters want versus need didn’t really work because certain things weren’t connected to it, tearing it apart and examining that, oh, man, 

[00:48:20] Joe Towne: I heard you say limitations are valuable, uh, that limitations in animation.

Um, can bring out greatness. And it sounds to me like the brick wall in that example is a similar thing, teaches you something. And it also sounds like really good improv, right? You’re yes. Ending what is, instead of denying what is, and if that’s baked into the iterative process, you know, you talked about it’s all iteration.

And, you know, for any storytellers out there who have a vision in their head, and if they are trying to do the last draft in the first draft, it probably means that they haven’t figured out a way to trust [00:49:00] going through the stages, going through the process, letting the first draft be claim or allowing themselves to go on a journey and discover a brick wall.

The yes, end rule or principle in improvisation basically means that in improvisational storytelling, you always want to be adding information by using what your scene partners are giving you the opposite of saying. Is basically saying no. And trying to do your own thing instead. Yes. And came from the reflection stage or post game of several of the compass players, as they chatted about the experiments they were doing on stage, what they wanted to make sure that they continued to do moving forward.

All of these chats happened in their kitchen and became a part of the kitchen rules. And the rule is now known as the first rule of improv club taught everywhere. Except this is a rule you can talk about. I think it’s [00:50:00] amazing that you got to experience that. And I imagine it, uh, it continues to be something that you try to foster and create now that you’re putting together these ways of working.

[00:50:11] Lino Disalvo: Yeah. And I would say, um, one of the traits that most of my favorite people share, like the people I look up to in the industry, um, They’re always the ones that are willing to share their work in progress. Right. They’re always willing to show you the, the blocking pass of it. That’s like, you’re, it’s such a vulnerable position to be in.

And I embraced that as well. There’s a, there’s a short that I wrote. Um, and I, you know, I had to send that to studio is, and it’s terrifying because it’s, it was a blocking and it’s a first [00:51:00] pass and it’s really, I just had to take my own advice and my philosophy and just share it. And I think there’s something to the stream of consciousness that art is have that’s, it’s rough and needs fixing, but man, there’s a truth in there.

Right? Uh, I don’t believe in editing while you’re creating. And, and that’s how I animate and that’s how I try to direct. And, um, yeah. Instead 

[00:51:31] Joe Towne: of trying to only share, finish finished projects, they’re flawless, share your process and trust that people will see the value in there. And you’re going to live through a note session.

You’re going to live through that creative process. And I want to lean into that a little bit. If we could, what does the term feedback loop 

[00:51:52] Lino Disalvo: meaning? Oh man. Being an animator, uh, and now a director, uh, [00:52:00] your CA it’s constantly a feedback loop. It’s constantly getting feedback, iterating, addressing the notes, finding the note under the note, bringing it back for feedback as an animator, you’re doing that on an individual shot as a director, you’re doing.

Based on screenings of movies. Um, and you’re trying to take the notes that, um, you feel are aren’t the core of an issue of a story issue, potential problem that might be there. And then as an animator, is it the, I think it’s more of addressing the notes and listening to what the director and the supervisors are saying.

Um, I think it’s all about how you would, how you, uh, how you would trust those, that feedback.[00:53:00] 

[00:53:01] Joe Towne: When we talk about where confidence comes from and how to train it, we have to look at two components. Firstly, the way we are speaking to ourselves, no matter how well we perform. How we talk about it before, during and after the process matters. Secondly, in an effort to have self-talk, that’s credible, we need to trust the source, giving us feedback.

So whether that comes from a coach or teacher or someone anchoring that perspective for us, or it’s a colleague we’ve made an agreement with, or we’re giving ourselves feedback, these loops can determine whether or not we can ultimately trust that we are saying, and hearing is true. Feedback loops are the method of how we back up.

Our self-talk. One of our favorite phrases from sport is simply that tape doesn’t lie. Okay. We have a lot of different kinds of artists and creatives that are going to be listening to [00:54:00] this podcast. What is the note behind the note? How does you make sense of that and how do you start to identify relationship to distilling 

[00:54:07] Lino Disalvo: that.

For me what I’ve experienced and I’m, I’m gonna, I think I’m a unique cat because, um, I was an executive for a little while at paramount. Um, so I actually got to be on the other side, giving artists thoughts on screenings and some feedback and notes. And, um, uh, I think if you see a trend, if you see a trend in a certain, uh, um, a set of notes, you as the director, I think in many ways and writers and actors, you need to figure out what are they really [00:55:00] saying there, if, if enough people are poking at this one area, What, what, why is it, is it something that’s setting up that 10 pages before that’s making that one moment unclear and I think it’s, it’s, um, like for me really great producers and executives, they’re not trying to solve it for you, but they’re, they’re sending up a flare saying, we think this is a problem area.

We got to this part in the movie, you know, it was bit confusing and the tone and something felt fake about it. I think as the filmmakers, you need to go back and say guys, right? Like we got an issue in this part of the movie. Um, and then we can all kind of like jump in and examine what’s going on. I think poor or, or I think green executives and producers, they show you, or they send up that flair [00:56:00] and they’re trying to fix.

How they think it should be fixed. And that usually doesn’t work 

[00:56:07] Joe Towne: sure that I can, I can there’s this term form versus essence. And it seems like a form is, you know, is what it is at this moment. And you’re almost moving and distilling the note behind the note into, um, like the spirit of the note, the essence of it.

And you need to sit with it with your team on your own and see where it wants to become a new form. And sometimes the person who’s aware of where to put up the flare may not have the language or the exact nuance or context to be able to solve it for you. So I can imagine that knowing, take what you need from the note taking process and leave the rest.

It’s probably a pretty valuable skill. It sounds like some of this came from your cross-training perspective. So, um, [00:57:00] you’ve been an animator you’ve studied. You’ve overseen animation departments. You’ve been the head of animation. You’ve moved on. Like you said, the paramount is a creative director. You’ve written story.

You’ve pitched story. You’ve executive produced. You’re directing. Now you’ve even voiced several characters in several projects and probably more that we haven’t seen, but three that I’m aware of. What else does having those different perspectives give you as a collaborator? 

[00:57:27] Lino Disalvo: The thing is, is that I have always been in the mindset of, I want to support the filmmaker that gets me excited as someone has a vision.

And I want to go on that journey with them. And, you know, over the years with all of the amazing actors I’ve worked with, I don’t think I’ve ever told an actor how to do anything. I don’t work that way. My, my, the reason why I’m hiring a certain actor, because I know they [00:58:00] can deliver the goods. And my job as the director is I look at it as I’m the conductor of the orchestra, right?

I’m not telling the first violin the technique to use, right. I’m giving them the, the mood, the where we’re, where we’ve come from, what scene we’re leaving, uh, where, you know, with the characters, potentially thinking with the scene to after our, uh, but I like to paint a picture and then, uh, do adjustments that I give are, are subtle.

And it’s usually, um, Bree, I’m obsessed with, um, breadth and the characters nervous or excited. And to me that feels like that gets an actor, the quickest, the most, um, uh, direct route for me to get a performance is to talk about, [00:59:00] um, the brown. Uh, but sorry, I’m going off on tangents now. 

[00:59:05] Joe Towne: Oh, this is exactly what I was hoping you would do.

Um, I have, like, my wheels are turning now. I’ve got so many questions about it. Um, as a human being, you’ve probably experienced highs and lows. And within your career, you’ve experienced highs and lows. Before I had a podcast, I spent a year trying to ask people when I would sit down with them the same question.

And I would like to ask you this question now, which is how do you process disappointment? What have you found that isn’t so helpful? And is there anything that you’ve found that is? 

[00:59:40] Lino Disalvo: I don’t even know if I’ve, I’m learning how to process disappointment. Um, uh, it, it would, what’s challenging is as an artist.

Um, I think it’s safe to say you’re doing what you’re doing because you want to make people happy. Right? We’re not. [01:00:00] You know, I’m, I’m being an animator. I’m, I’m crafting these characters because I want to sit in the theater and watch in continuity, that character make you feel something. So I think when you do something and you have negative feedback, or it feels like people don’t like it, it’s a, it’s a difficult thing to process.

Uh, I learned not to linger on it. Uh, and I think it’s one of the reasons why I like being busy because you know, there are ways for you to be lost in your work and your passion and your, um, you’re not obsessing about what a critic said. Um, or producers said when the executive said you didn’t get that, that part on that movie.

Uh, again, it’s a, it’s a, it’s a difficult, it’s a difficult thing. It’s, I’m still figuring out.[01:01:00] 

[01:01:03] Joe Towne: I spent a year asking people the same question. Everyone. I sat down with creative executive family member had asked the same thing after something doesn’t go away. You’d hoped. How do you process disappointment? What surprised me is most people said they didn’t have healthy ways. Some would shop others would dive back into work or try to wait until the feelings passed, but that wasn’t actually processing anything.

It wasn’t until I came across the work of Peter Levine and waking the. Somatic experiencing was one of the first tools I was offered and using it was incredibly helpful. So whether it’s his work or the Nagasaki sisters, there are lots of people out there with incredibly useful science-backed practices that we can do with a facilitator or partner, or sometimes on our own.

I think that’s beautiful that you’re in process with it. And it sounds to me [01:02:00] like part of it is not dwelling. Part of it is about refocusing on the creative process. And also I’ve heard you say that to some degree, it’s finding the lesson and I don’t, I don’t want to speak for you. You can pick any disappointment you’ve ever had, but I’m wondering if, um, there is a tool that I think you’re currently working with that came out of some moment of maybe where things didn’t go the way you’d hoped.

Maybe it didn’t make people as happy as. I’m wondering if you can share one of those lessons or one of those tools that you’re now playing with. It matters. 

[01:02:39] Lino Disalvo: Yeah. So I started meditating. Uh, I go on hikes every morning, every morning and I find a really wooded area and I’m currently in Montreal. So there’s a beautiful, uh, in central downtown called Mount Royale.

And, um, it’s, it’s completely [01:03:00] changed my mindset every day completely. Um, uh, and then also, also knowing it’s weird, Joe, because you know, you, uh, you, you re you, you see how people react to certain things, and then there’s the reality that you’re living. And sometimes they’re, they’re not even closely related.

Right. I go into a theater in Paris and people watch a movie and they’re in love with it and they’re cheering and chanting, and there’s a Q and a that lasts for two hours. And then you’re reading an article where a critic, you know, skewers you and, and, and you’re trying to make, you know, try and make sense of it.

All who matters, whose opinion matters more. And, [01:04:00] um, and then what you realize is, um, at least part of how I’ve been, you know, dealing with the ups and downs of being in the industry is almost everything you do is going to find an audience. Some projects find a small audience, some projects find a ginormous audience.

When you’re done with that project, you’re onto the next one. Right. And so obviously social media skews, negative. Um, uh, so, you know, I used to have a Google alert from my name. I used to Google my name and it was like, what am I doing tomorrow? So, 

[01:04:45] Joe Towne: well, it’s a feedback loop, right? And it sounds to me like it’s hard to distill the note behind the note there because everyone’s opinion is going to fall along a bell curve and perhaps gathering information from there matters less to you [01:05:00] than, you know, being more connected to your interior life.

Hearing that you’re meditating going into nature, being still listening, knowing yourself. Nelson know that, you know, Yogi Berra said the main thing is to keep the main thing. The main thing, Lawrence, Peter Yogi Berra was an American professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of manager and coach.

He played 19 seasons in major league baseball, mostly for the New York Yankees. He was a hall of Famer, a three-time MVP, 18 time, all star went to 10 world series. But his wit is one of those things. He was most remembered for. He, most famously said things like baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical.

He also said it’s like deja VU all over again for every one of those, he would say things like you can’t hit and think at the [01:06:00] same time. Or if the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be. So when he says the main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing, it sticks with me, and you have this tool that you’re now using, which is to keep whatever story you’re telling distilled down into one sentence or one image, and you carry it with you, you look at it on a regular basis.

Can you talk about that? 

[01:06:24] Lino Disalvo: Yeah. Yeah. Um, are you talking about the post-it note? Yeah, so, um, I think in the process of, uh, and I think this, this lends itself to writing, acting, directing, producing, I think the thing that attracts you to that project, and if you’re a writer or director, the reason why you wrote that story and the reason why, um, you want to go on the journey to tell it.

You need, you need to [01:07:00] capture that you need to capture the spirit of how that makes you feel. And, uh, I think everyone should take a moment. And before they begin the journey and lose perspective on a small little post-it note, in as few words as possible, write down why they’re emotionally connected to the project and what they want to say with the project and why an actor is playing this role, or why a writer is writing this script or why a director is directing the movie.

And I think they need to look at it often because the way our industry is set up, where you’re shooting out of continuity and automation can be three, four year process things move. So slowly, you almost don’t notice that they’re changing and. My experience, you know, [01:08:00] directing has been, um, you’re going to get producer and executive notes.

You’re gonna get studio notes. Uh, and then you get notes from your colleagues and you’re gonna have to know how to process all of those different, um, note, those category of notes. And if you have a tool to remind yourself, I’m working on this thing for this, then at least, you know, you can be honest yourself.

And then, uh, you won’t be three years down the line and you’ve made a move. You didn’t intend to, 

[01:08:38] Joe Towne: it sounds to me like an emotional compass and it reminds you of the direction that you’re going. And, uh, reminds me of the phrase. Remember why you started, it sounds subjective. It sounds personal. And it sounds connected to your emotional.

Almost like secret reason [01:09:00] for saying yes. And if you can distill that into a post-it note, that feels really important. The ability to be able to articulate it that succinctly. 

[01:09:11] Lino Disalvo: Yeah. And Joe, one of the things too, um, and you know, I’m, I’m a work in progress and I’m learning as I go, which is why I’m always trying to, I’m trying to share the things I’ve learned.

If it can save anyone, even a little bit of heartache, uh, I’m all for sharing. Um, you know, sometimes appeasing a producer or executive isn’t what the movie needs. And those moments are very, very difficult. You know, standing up to a note, defending something that you want to see. In the movie and why you’ve made that decision because it’s so easy to feel like a hero every day and make everyone happy.[01:10:00] 

But when the movie is in theaters, you no longer have a voice, the movies, the voice, right. You’ve already had your turn. You had three years to have a book. So once that movie is done, it’s done. There’s no take back. So, um, yeah, 

[01:10:18] Joe Towne: I love that. Okay. I’m wondering if we can, uh, play for a minute. What I’d love to do.

This has been so amazing to go on this journey and, uh, got up just a few more questions for you, and then I’m going to let you go. But before I get to those final questions, I want to just have a little fun, a little bit of a lightning round. Just like what comes to mind based on what I share with you. If you don’t mind.

Okay. I’m going to throw out a word or phrase and I just would love to know quick hit feedback. What, what stands out to you? So if I say the term Strong Island.

[01:10:49] Lino Disalvo: That’s where I grew up. Long island. 

[01:10:54] Joe Towne: Home, okay. Uh, Brian Trottier.

[01:10:58] Lino Disalvo: New York Islanders. [01:11:00] I’m a big New York Islanders fan. 

[01:11:02] Joe Towne: Three 90 West Hastings, Vancouver, BC.

[01:11:06] Lino Disalvo: Vancouver Film School

Joe Towne: Reign of fire.

Oh my goodness. That was the biggest. So just Joe, real quick. Recently, I found out that the Game of Thrones dragon, the artists that are animating the Games of Throne dragon, they use the Reign of Fire dragon as reference

[01:11:27] Joe Towne: This is for the opening title sequence?

[01:11:30] Lino Disalvo: Or just in general, like all of the Games of Thrones flying dragons in their scenes. They say they referenced that they, they love the Reign of Fire dragon. I’m like. 

[01:11:44] Joe Towne: This is a creature you helped animate and bring to life in one of your very first jobs. 

[01:11:49] Lino Disalvo: Great experience. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Gotcha. Gotcha. Gospel God shot. Um, Siciliano is where my parents were [01:12:00] born and raised before they came.

[01:12:02] Joe Towne: And you’ve gone back to visit right?

Lino Disalvo: often. Yeah. 

Joe Towne:  Can you paint us a picture? Like if we were to close our eyes and imagine ourselves on the ground in Sicilia, in your home, your grandparents’ hometown, your parents’ hometown. What’s one thing we might see?

[01:12:19] Lino Disalvo: um, olive trees lining, uh, uh, a hill, um, that lead down to a smooth Rocky.

shore to the Mediterranean ocean, um, the smell of salt in the air from the ocean, um, people picking sea urchin to eat that afternoon and all of the delicious Sicilian pastries in little white boxes as people go.

[01:12:56] Joe Towne: Okay, now we’re talking. Okay. [01:13:00] Eugene Fitzherbert 

[01:13:01] Lino Disalvo: Oh, that’s Flynn Rider, right from Tangled. Um, he, I mean, he was definitely one of my favorite characters I’ve ever animated.

Uh, and the one I learned the most because Glen Keane was one of the supervisors on tangled. And, um, I think I grew the most as an animator on that show. 

Joe Towne: Jingle jingle. Bam 

Lino Disalvo:  um, uh, Gristletoe Joe from Prep and Landing. The Christmas specials that Disney animation did. Uh, and I animated and voiced Gristletoe Joe, the Coal Elf.

[01:13:41] Joe Towne: Yeah, you did. We, uh, we just wash it over and over again, this past holiday season, Luke was at an age where he was just so excited about Christmas stories. It was like the perfect length, it made us laugh. It was so well done and so beautiful. And, yeah. [01:14:00] Okay. Forza.

[01:14:01] Lino Disalvo: Forza Azuri or Forza Italia. Italy won the Euro cup, which is pretty badass, 

Joe Towne: It was remarkable, 

Lino Disalvo: so we’re all pretty stoked.

[01:14:13] Joe Towne: Okay. Imposter syndrome. 

[01:14:15] Lino Disalvo: Oh my God. Um, listen, if it’s any consolation to any artist out there listening, I’ve been doing this for almost 25 years, and every time I need to either show a screening of a movie I’m directing. Or show a draft of something I’m writing or show scenes that I’m animating. I feel like every time I I’m there getting a critique is that this is the day that people are going to realize I’m a fake and I don’t have what it takes to this day.

So if it’s any constellation to actors or writers and, [01:15:00] um, I don’t think that feeling ever goes away, you just learn to put it aside and show the best of yourself. Um, and while it was talking about coming full circle and, you know, expressing your truth and going and listening to notes and, and, uh, yeah.

Beautiful. 

[01:15:22] Joe Towne: Okay. Monica 

[01:15:26] Lino Disalvo: voloka Monica is. Uh, the region and an area that influenced a movie I’m directing today, it’s beast on a little town of injury, sta in Northern Italy, the beast of the Alps. In two times a year, they have this festival where they take this creature called the battle of risk. And the battle is reveals every one in the town’s truth.

So that the next [01:16:00] year they can, uh, live freely in this creature areas out their grievances. Um, but I’m hoping to visit Valcom Monica very soon. Amazing. 

[01:16:10] Joe Towne: And this is part of your, uh, one of your missions I’ve heard you say, which is to share aspects of the Italian culture that wasn’t represented when you were growing up.

[01:16:20] Lino Disalvo: Yeah, that’s exactly right. You know, as a, as a kid growing up, you know, unfortunately. Sicilians, you know, in an Italians in general, they’re, they’re portrayed as criminals and movies and, you know, that’s kind of brutal. I was a kid growing up and not, not seeing another version of you, um, made me feel really crappy.

Uh, you know, and there’s a, there’s so many wonderful Italian stories. There’s the other side, the superstitious, the magical, the, well, the full Glor [01:17:00] and mythology and magic that isn’t the Italian culture. Uh, I’m hoping I can at least share a little bit of that in this new project. 

[01:17:11] Joe Towne: Yeah, me too. I’m hoping it inspires a whole new wave of storytelling and, uh, ways that we can tell, uh, Italian stories better.

Okay. Just curious. What are you, what can you not stop? Is there anything that you find yourself coming back to again and again? Oh my 

[01:17:29] Lino Disalvo: God. Um, uh, bill Murray just makes me happy anything with bill Murray and it, I mean, I didn’t, I never really realized it was him, but, uh, yeah, like what about Bob? Um, Groundhog’s day Ghostbusters.

Um, uh, I have children, they love watching Goonies [01:18:00] and I love that. They love watching Goonies once a week. It makes me so proud. I feel like I’m doing something right as a father that they have good taste. Um, uh, and then obviously any animated project that comes out, uh, family and I make time and we’d go to the theater, um, or wash out enough.

Okay. 

[01:18:24] Joe Towne: The theme of this podcast is better and I need to ask you, uh, two challenging questions. Now I realize what I’m asking you, but what is something that you do better than most people? 

[01:18:37] Lino Disalvo: Oh my goodness. What do I do better? 

[01:18:43] Joe Towne: What do you know that you do better than most people? I know I’m asking you to in many ways, brag on yourself for a moment, but if you had to own something about a skill you’ve cultivated and awareness, you have, like, 

[01:18:58] Lino Disalvo: I think I listen pretty [01:19:00] well.

I would, I would say, yeah, I would say, um, uh, creating a positive energy and listening and being supportive kind of thing. 

[01:19:15] Joe Towne: Okay. What’s something that you’re working to get better at.

[01:19:22] Lino Disalvo: Being more comfortable with protecting an idea and the feeling that I have and not easily being convinced to change it again, it’s a little bit of a by-product of me growing up at Disney and being surrounded by so many talented people that usually when things get said, you’re used to supporting the idea, but now as a director and as the conductor of the orchestra, if you want to flourish here and a silent note there, and you [01:20:00] believe that’s going to make the music in the song better, you’ve got to protect those elements and I’m learning.

I’m, I’m learning. I’m learning to do that as just, it’s a little bit of, I guess, believing in myself a little better 

[01:20:15] Joe Towne: onoring that instinct and that awareness of what matters. And balancing that with flexibility to go down on an adventure and potentially find a brick wall, but not losing sight of what matters.

So what’s the best way for people to follow your journey and support what you’re doing? Is it on Twitter? Is there another platform LinkedIn? 

[01:20:37] Lino Disalvo: Yeah, I visit on LinkedIn and Twitter. I’m on Twitter specifically. I post a lot about my journey and my trials and tribulations and, um, and you know, I think there’s value in following an artist.

That’s had, um, a fair share of [01:21:00] ups and downs thinking helps things make it makes things a little bit more real. Um, uh, but yeah, Twitter, mostly. 

[01:21:08] Joe Towne: You seem to have a real, um, mission about sharing and giving back and encouragement. What’s driving that?

[01:21:17] Lino Disalvo: I love what I do. I, people, I remember envisioning what it must be like to work in animation and, and, and it’s so much better than you think, right?

Like being an actor, being a writer, being a director, it’s so much fun and it’s so worth pursuing and it gives so much, and it gave me direction. Right. It made my life whole, it made it fulfilling that if there’s people out there that want to be actors and writers and directors and animators, um, you just, you have to [01:22:00] work.

You have to just know that. I think it’s easy, Joe, to look at things and be like, oh my God, that person has it. All right. Like, they’re so talented. Of course they’re successful. The majority of us working really hard. To, to make it happen. I think people need to know you’re going to have creative setbacks and you’re going to have success.

And then sometimes mostly creative setbacks and then success. And that’s just part of the journey. I never, no one ever told me that. So if I can save someone, some heartache and anxiety and stress and um, then why not.

[01:22:40] Joe Towne: Yeah, it seems like demystifying and peeling back the layers on process because you’re so process-oriented, and it sounds like a very similar mission to why you got into telling stories.

I wanted to make people feel good. That’s my goal. So if I can help them not feel bad, it feels very much in alignment with the same, uh, or [01:23:00] encouraging people through wisdom. Um, I just, I so appreciate you Lino. Thank you so much. I know how valuable your time is, your wisdom, your heart. I really admire how you show up in the world and I am grateful to call you friend. Thank you so much for spending time with me and this audience today, and, um, my love to you and your family, Lino. 

[01:23:23] Lino Disalvo: Thanks Joe. Keep up the great work— I love. And then dude, you’ve got amazing positive energy and things for what you do as well. It’s amazing. 

[01:23:33] Joe Towne: [speaks Italian] See you very soon.

[01:23:37] Lino Disalvo:  Thanks Joe. Thank you.

[01:23:47] Joe Towne: Wow. I walk out of that conversation. So full, filled with creativity, brimming with inspiration. I can’t wait to listen back to that conversation and hear things the second time. What [01:24:00] really stands out to me from that conversation is Lino’s warmth. And relate-ability, I’ve heard that when presidential candidates are being.

One of the characteristics is whether you’d have a beer with them. Well, Lino has this ability to make you want to go to a coffee shop and sit down and talk for hours. He’s so approachable and makes me feel his warmth and his friendship. You can find out more about Lino and his projects on Twitter.

You’ll often find him on there, offering a great anecdote or piece of advice or words of encouragement. His upcoming project will be listed in our show notes and take a look there for anything else related to Lino. The other thing that stands out to me is this, when Lino said that as an Italian American, he only saw himself represented on screen as criminals.

And that made him feel really crappy. [01:25:00] When, when I think of the great Italian stories, almost every one of them includes the mob from The Godfather, Goodfellas and even cars to a kid’s Pixar film, which we enjoy in our house. I think it’s so great that Lino is using his experience and longing as a call to action, to tell a different kind of story, celebrating the wonderful Italian stories that we haven’t seen yet.

And this is really why representation matters for all of us, why we need to see ourselves represented up on screen and why it’s so important to consider. When we’re creating and producing stories of our own or using our money to support projects that are created by others. It’s also important to consider when we’re cultivating a writer’s room, because as Viola Davis said in her 2015 Emmy speech, you cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.

So that feels like a place [01:26:00] to lean into how we can be better storytellers and custodians of the mantle of being a mirror onto the world. And please let him and us know what you thought of this conversation. It means a lot when you do. Gentle reminder, please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast. If you click on a rating for it, or like it, it truly helps us sustain and grow these efforts and our audience.

So if you’ve already done it, grazie and if you haven’t done it yet, that’s okay. Keep it in. You won’t want to miss next week’s guest. Kevin Carroll. Kevin is a beautiful storyteller and creative. He studies humanity and helps show us to ourselves. His adventures have led him to become a head trainer for the Philadelphia 76-ers. Nike’s co-founder and chairman Phil Knight hired Kevin to act as a catalyst, someone who infuses the workplace with creativity. 

He’s inspired companies and students and athletes worldwide. His presentations are engaging and dynamic, and he is one of the most sought-after speakers. I know he’s been featured on multiple TED stages. Kevin was even named by Success Magazine as one of 19 seers changing the world. When you chat with Kevin, you can feel his passion for purpose, for belonging, for play. 

To me, he leaps through my device, fills my inspiration cup to overflowing, and his generosity is evident above all. What a human, this Kevin Carroll. So come hang out. Thanks again for being here, until we meet again. Be well.[01:28:00]