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About this episode

In this podcast episode, host Adi Soozin interviews actor Richard Maldone—best known for his role as Albert Barese on The Sopranos—about his eclectic career and his transition behind the camera.

Maldone reflects on his unconventional entry into the acting world, his early Hollywood opportunities, and his parallel career as a high-end DJ in Miami.

The conversation ultimately centers on his upcoming $5 million independent film, Finding Frankie, a crime redemption drama that he wrote and plans to produce and direct.

Together, Soozin and Maldone delve into the gritty realities of film production, discussing the necessity of rigorously vetting collaborators, the importance of securing reputable funding sources and the strategic use of state tax incentives to maintain creative control and maximize financial returns.

A special thank you to our sponsor, ⁠National Energy Holdings⁠ . For the empire builders and developers looking to execute on this exact strategy, ⁠National Energy Holdings⁠ is the premier firm engineering, constructing, and operating energy infrastructure for commercial real estate. By utilizing highly profitable 80/20 revenue-share models over 25-year terms, they navigate the technical complexities so you can instantly transform your existing physical footprint into a high-yield energy asset without the standard operational friction.

About this guest

1. Notable Acting Background: He is an actor best known for playing Albert Baresi on The Sopranos. He entered the acting world unconventionally after stumbling into a cold-reading class in Los Angeles, though he ultimately chose to build his career on his own terms between New York and Miami Beach.
2. Transition to Complete Filmmaker: He is currently expanding his career to become a writer, director, and producer. He is spearheading a $5 million independent crime redemption drama titled Finding Frankie, focusing on emotionally driven storytelling rather than heavy social or political messaging.
3. Successful DJ Career: Alongside his work in entertainment, Maldone has maintained a long-standing parallel career as a DJ, performing at prominent, high-end venues (such as the Setai Hotel and SLS) and private events in celebrity homes across Los Angeles, Miami and NYC.

The Sopranos

Street Time

The Irishman (audition)

Southern Lawyer (audition)

Connect with this guest

Connect with Richard on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-maldone-62b5637a/

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Show Notes Generated by Gemini

These show notes were generated by AI

• Podcast Introduction and Sponsor: Adi Soozin introduced the guest, Richard Maldone, a Sopranos actor known for playing the character Albert Baresi. The episode sponsor is National Energy Holdings, a company that provides renewable energy solutions, such as solar panels and small wind turbines, to commercial real estate sites to help asset managers stabilize energy costs and increase net asset value (00:00:02).
• Acting Career Origins: Richard Maldone recounted starting his acting career after an unconventional beginning in Los Angeles, where he stumbled into a cold reading acting class taught by Brian Reese while pursuing a woman (00:02:07). Despite being a novice, he received praise for his natural performance during a cold reading exercise, leading to an invitation to continue training (00:05:00).
• Early Acting Opportunities: Richard Maldone discussed an early opportunity to join the cast of a 9 to 5 series spin-off, a role initially cast for a New York-style character (00:09:39). Through a chance encounter at a nightclub in Palm Springs, he met Steve Glick, an assistant at the William Morris Agency, who helped facilitate the audition process (00:10:35). Although Richard Maldone secured the role, the part was later re-characterized as a California surfer type, causing him to lose the position (00:12:29).
• Relationship with William Morris Agency: Richard Maldone maintained a long-term connection with Steve Glick, who eventually rose to lead the TV division at the William Morris Agency (00:12:29). Despite Glick’s repeated efforts to sign him and insistence that he move to Los Angeles to advance his career, Richard Maldone chose to prioritize personal commitments in New York and Miami Beach, ultimately preventing him from fully pursuing the agency’s offer (00:14:19).
• Finding Frankie Production Needs: Richard Maldone is currently developing a feature film titled Finding Frankie with a $5 million budget. He emphasized the importance of building a competent team, specifically looking for a line producer to manage finances, as he has already completed the script and budget breakdown but requires external funding and a professional production team to proceed (00:16:20).
• Security and Vetting Partners: Richard Maldone and Adi Soozin discussed the necessity of vetting potential investors and partners in both film and private equity. They emphasized the importance of maintaining a trusted circle due to potential security risks and the aggressive behavior often encountered when significant capital is involved (00:19:42).
• DJ Career in Miami: Richard Maldone detailed his long-standing career as a DJ in Miami, having worked at prominent venues including the Satai Hotel, One Hotel, SLS, and Barton G events (00:21:45). He shared that while he is not a full-time resident DJ anymore, he continues to work private events and high-end functions in Miami and occasional bookings in Los Angeles (00:23:46).
• Clarification on Event Hosting: Adi Soozin clarified for the audience that she is not an event host, but rather a speaker at various international events. Richard Maldone apologized for any previous misrepresentation, and Adi Soozin reiterated that her involvement is limited to speaking or small investor group meetings (00:25:41).
• Finding Frankie Story Synopsis: Richard Maldone outlined the plot of Finding Frankie, a crime redemption drama about an ex-con, Frankie Duca, who has 21 days to save his home from foreclosure and reconcile with his past (00:28:15). The story incorporates subplots involving a vengeance-seeking mobster, a search for redemption, and a developing romance with a reporter, all framed by Frankie’s difficult relationship with an abusive father and a desire to connect with a daughter he has never met (00:29:17).
• Filmmaking Philosophy: Richard Maldone expressed a desire to be a complete filmmaker—writer, director, and producer—rather than focusing solely on acting. He emphasized a preference for telling emotionally driven, compelling stories rather than modern films heavily focused on political or social messaging (00:38:07).
• Networking and Communication: Adi Soozin and Richard Maldone agreed that sharing contact information on the interview page should be handled via LinkedIn rather than email to prevent spam (00:39:33). Both participants shared experiences about the risks of publicly posting personal contact details, which often attract unwanted solicitations (00:40:36).
• Funding and Talent Procurement: Richard Maldone discussed the status of Finding Frankie, noting that he has a potential director, Alan Taylor, and interest from actors like Winona Ryder, but confirmed that talent will not commit without full funding in escrow (00:41:32). He likened the need for secured funding to real estate investment practices, where stakeholders require verification of the total budget before proceeding (00:43:31).
• Film Production Incentives and Strategy: Richard Maldone highlighted the financial benefits of filming in New York and New Jersey, citing tax returns of 30% and 35%, respectively (00:44:31). He advised against accepting upfront money from major distributors, suggesting instead that filmmakers should self-fund to retain a larger portion of the return on investment (00:45:42).
• Closing Remarks: Adi Soozin concluded the episode by thanking Richard Maldone for appearing on the show and wishing him well with his project and family (00:46:45).

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Transcript

This transcription was generated by Gemini & edited by ChatGPT

00:00:02

Adi Soozin: Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of 9×90. Today we have a very special guest. For those of you who were fans of the show, The Sopranos,

Richard Maldone: All

Adi Soozin: we have we have one of their uh the favorites,

Richard Maldone: right.

Adi Soozin: many fa people’s favorite uh character on the show with us today. uh he is going to share the story of not only his acting career but also what he’s working on now and his career as a famous DJ throughout South Florida Miami Beach area. Um first we wanted to give a quick thank you to our host of uh our sponsor for this episode. It is National Energy Holdings. They go to existing commercial real estate sites such as data centers, industrial grocery retail, multifamily. They put solar panels, wind turb, small wind turbines that are aesthetically pleasing onto the roofs and they also put battery backup systems but behind the buildings um to allow those commercial real estate operators and asset managers to increase the net asset value of their properties to stabilize their energy costs.

00:01:12

Adi Soozin: And if they are in a location where they produce excess energy, they connect to the main grid to help them sell that energy back to the grid. So, Richard, thank you so much for joining us.

Richard Maldone: Thank you so much for having me and thank you to our sponsor

Adi Soozin: Yeah. So,

Richard Maldone: please.

Adi Soozin: let’s walk through your your acting career. We met at a Wall Street party hosted by Brock Pierce and the Wall Street legend and they they introduced you as their favorite actor from The

Richard Maldone: Correct.

Adi Soozin: Sopranos. That was

Richard Maldone: Well, that was pretty kind of him. Uh if I’m their favorite,

Adi Soozin: it.

Richard Maldone: then that’s a thank you very much to those guys. Um I was a reoccurring role. Uh by the way, I played Albert Baresi who was a a captain loyal to Tony Soprano in the story

Adi Soozin: Okay.

Richard Maldone: line.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: I was on 12 episodes I believe. And um yeah, go ahead. Next question.

00:02:07

Richard Maldone: I want to run over you.

Adi Soozin: So, how did you get into acting in the first place? How old were you when you started? Where did you start? What do you think your big break

Richard Maldone: I’m still waiting for that one as far as I’m concerned.

Adi Soozin: was?

Richard Maldone: Um, wow. Well, I have a I have a kind of a checking past. I’m not uh I’m not your standard actor guy that went to, I don’t know, did plays in high school and other stuff. I grew up in New York on the streets and kind of lived a life less less ordinary. Uh without getting too detailed into um in how less ordinary it was, I would say that in around around 17 at 17 18 years old, I left I went out to LA to visit a friend and u just you know LA is the place right where stars are born and stars are paid. And you know, you meet people in bars and at parties, everybody’s going to promise you some sort of rose garden and maybe the their promises are

00:03:06

Adi Soozin: Oh

Richard Maldone: kind of uh tainted with some other concepts or ideas.

Adi Soozin: yeah.

Richard Maldone: But anyway, to to I met some directors or some that were building their careers at the time. They they offered me um some small roles and I think Deadly Force was was it deadly force? I can’t remember what the name of it was. Um it was a it was a very low low budget indie and I I just felt like you know I could do this. But actually the the first bite of the apple was um I’m driving in my car in West Hollywood. I think it was on Fountain Avenue and I see this hot woman. She actually resembles you. Her name was Anna Beyond. She was uh I think she was a model actress from from Sweden or something. She walked she was entering this building that just had black windows and black black door. You didn’t know what it was. It kind of looked like a private sort of club of some sort some sorts.

00:04:06

Richard Maldone: Right. So I pulled the car over because I found her stunning and I was a very ambitious young man with with ladies um more more then than now, but that’s another conversation. So, I parked my car and I I walk into this this building, this doorway on Fountain Avenue, and it’s an acting class. It’s the middle of Actors on Stage. Uh, the name of the class was Brian Reese. Brian Reese acting class. So, I sat down. I mean, because people turned around, you know, a couple people turned around, looked at me. Why did I open up the door and let all the light in at this point? I sat down, waited till the break, do a break halfway through, and the teacher, Brian Reese, approached me and says, “Hey, man. welcome to the class. And I said, “What kind of class is this?” And he left and he said, “You’re joking.” I said, “No, I’m not joking.” He says, “You know where you are?” I says, “Yeah, I came in here. I followed that that broad over there.

00:05:00

Richard Maldone: Look at her. She’s gorgeous.” And he starts laughing. He says, “That’s why you came in here?” I said, “To be honest with you.” Says,

Adi Soozin: Oh my

Richard Maldone: “You’re a funny guy.” He said, “I like to talk to you, you know, when the class is done.” So the class finished,

Adi Soozin: god.

Richard Maldone: you know, an hour and a half later. And uh he he whispers to me she’s married just just to let you know I think she’s pretty happily married. I says all right well so much for for that idea. And uh he says you seem like a pretty interesting guy. I I I’d like to have you come in and and you know do a class with us. It’s a cold reading class. A cold reading classes for auditions. When you go when an actor goes on an audition uh you know anybody that doesn’t really know this, you you don’t get a whole script. You get a couple of pages, one to three pages, and you actually read your audition cold act because it’s unrehearsed, so they call it cold.

00:05:51

Richard Maldone: So, you get to hold your your sides, which is uh the name for the the lines. You hold your sides and and you’re allowed to hold your your lines and refer to the casting director or the actor and go back and forth in your dialogue. And that’s how you know and you do your scene that way. So he tell he asked me, “Richard, you know, I think you’re pretty cool. You got a lot of a lot of balls the way you just came in here chasing that girl. I I’d like you to read some lines and do something one of our actresses.” So I agreed with him and again I agree with him because I thought maybe I could get around this woman’s husband and get her on a date to be he wasn’t there. I was just that was my objective anyway you know at the time.

Adi Soozin: No.

Richard Maldone: Um so I uh I rehearsed this in the whole with in the hallway with another actress maybe about 20 minutes half an hour and I get up on the stage and yes I’m nervous.

00:06:49

Richard Maldone: um not nervous in anything else in life, but that was different for me to get on a stage and you know in front of 20 people with the lights off and all of them on you and we we it’s a relationship scene with you know with some conflict which is my whole life is conflict. So I was kind of comfy with that. Now, I I I forgot my line several times,

Adi Soozin: Oh no.

Richard Maldone: but I with frustration. Now, I didn’t realize this, but the frustration in my not knowing what my next f****** line was, excuse me, uh went along with the moment in the scene. So, it actually the audience didn’t know it unless they knew the play or the film what that we were doing. So, when you know when the scene was done, it was a three or four page scene. Uh, I felt embarrassed and I was like, “f***, I should have never got up here.” And then the teacher asks questions and then the the class gets to ask questions to the actor.

00:07:45

Richard Maldone: And this is, I think, standard in many acting classes. I’ve only been in two, but uh, this is what it was. And the feedback, I was like shocked that they they clapped when I was done. And I was like, what are they clapping? They must be clapping at her because I know I f***** up. And the the feedback was, “You’re very natural and you you you come off very real. There’s something different about you.” And I said, “Yeah, whatever.” Um, so Brian Reese, the teacher, asked me after the feedback, um, hey, I’d like you to come and do my classes with me. I think you I think you could have a career here. And I said, listen, you’re just hustling me for the for the 200 a month. Don’t you b*******. And he cracked up. He said, it’s that kind of response. is who you are that I think in this business that you might be very

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: successful just by being you.

00:08:39

Richard Maldone: I mean, you kind of got away about that. So, I I I I agree. The class was I did for a couple of months and then I kind of whatever I was I was more into interested in partying and

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: girls and you know I wanted to do it but I wasn’t like committed to anything at you know in in your late teens early 20s. I mean, what are we committed to? you were probably committed to to something more productive than I was. But, you know, I was a young boy with too much testosterone and uh long story short, I I left the class. Um, but while in the class, one of the actors in the class was an assistant for Lynn Stallmaster, who was the at the time one of the top casting directors in Hollywood. This was back in uh I don’t want to give away my age, but whatever. uh sometime in the 80s uh early 80s and he tells me Rich you know there’s a part we’re casting for the the new series 9 to5 which was a spin-off on the movie with Jane Fonder and Dolly Parton.

00:09:39

Richard Maldone: It was a big film uh back in the mid 80s sometime. So one of the networks decided to do a series on it. So, one of the characters they were casting was a New York guy, sort of like a Tony Danzer and Taxi, if you remember his character. A guy who’s New Yorky in Brooklyn, but he works in the mail room in um in a media place out in LA. So, uh he says they’re looking for a guy like you, man. All the actors, they they don’t have the accent. And the actors that are good, I mean, they just don’t come off like they could be. This role, this character is, you know, it’s in the description. He’s in New York with little Brooklyn ease. He said, “I think you should come in and read.” So, I go in to read. I I read for Lyn Stallmaster, which is the cold reading audition like we’ve been doing in the class. And he says, “I want you to come back for a screen test. I love what you did.” I said,

00:10:35

Richard Maldone: “Okay, sure. I’ll do He says, “But, you know, just have your agent call us.” Now, I don’t have an agent at the time. I I this is not my career. Coincidentally, a few weeks prior to this, I’m in Palm Springs in uh that’s like a desert town. I’m sure a lot of people know about it out in Los Angeles. And I’m in a disco in a nightclub. I’m by myself actually. And I start talking to this gal who’s with another gal talking to another gentleman. So, there’s two girls and now I join them. I’m talking to the the single woman. uh at the time and some drunk dude comes up, interrupts our conversation and puts his arm on one of the gals that’s talking to the other guy. And without emphasizing my vulgar stupidity, I uh I kind of chased him away, you know, with a little bit of menacing New Yorker in me. And the guy that’s standing there thanks me so much.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

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00:11:31

Richard Maldone: And he says, “What’s your name?” name. I says, “Uh, Richard Maldone.” I says, “Normally people don’t ask last names where I come from.” So, he left and he says, “Are you an actor?” And I said, “It’s funny. I I went to an acting class last week, couple weeks ago, or so. I’m not an actor, but you know, you know, it’s interesting.” And he said, “You should take my card. I’m a secretary assistant for David Schiff at the William Morris Agency.” So, I said, “Yeah, I’ll keep your card, whatever.” So I kept the gentleman’s card. So after the audition for 9 to5, I said, “Let me call this guy Steve.” His name was Steve Glick. Steve Glick was an assistant at William Morris for an agent. Steve Glicks did my audition quote contract. If I get the role, when you do a screen test at the this is what they did back then. If they if you do end up getting the role, you have to have a contract prior to the screen test.

00:12:29

Richard Maldone: So he does the deal for me. Um I get the part as a series in 9 to5 but the network changes the role a few weeks later be you know a couple of months before it starts filming to a valley guy a valley like a for sure type of surfer guy because because the Shan Penn movie um where he’s like this hot smoking

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: hippie surfer I forgot the name of it. It’s really really funny. So that movie had came out and that that did really well. And then Nick Cage did a movie called Valley Girl. So they changed my role to a California surfer type valley guy and I lost

Adi Soozin: Uhoh. Um.

Richard Maldone: I didn’t get the part was the wind up. What the good thing that came out of this other than you know getting in front of the big casting director was that Steve Glick, the assistant to the agent, flash forward 10 years, is now the head of the TV division at William Morris and he and he’s

00:13:29

Adi Soozin: No.

Richard Maldone: one of the biggest agents in the in the corporation and he reps directors and actors and we stay in touch even though I wasn’t serious about being an actor at the time.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: I just, you know, I did it as a off the hip. Uh, I always give him a call every couple years. Hey, Stevie, how are you, buddy? He goes, “Hey, Richard, what? You ready to come to Hollywood?” And I said, “I’m in Hollywood.” I was there for a couple of years, by the way, at the time. And he said, “No, you know what I mean. I told you I I think you got you got something.” And I said, “When I’m ready, I’ll let you know.” Flash forward another 10 years later and lots of winding roads of um roads less traveled I’ll call it in in my in my personal life. Um I contact Stephen and say I’m ready and he says come out to LA. I haven’t seen you in I don’t know 10 12 years.

00:14:19

Richard Maldone: I want to see what you look like and I don’t want a picture. Come come in front of me. So I go there and he’s got like an entire floor. This guy’s running things. I mean he’s huge. And again I met him. He was insistent. It was no nobody. And um he tells me, “Listen, if you want to be an actor, uh you got to you’re going to have to live in LA because I can represent you. I’m the I run this division. If I don’t represent you and you you could never get into this agency. We only represent established people, but I like you.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: I think you got some.” And I said, “I appreciate that, but I’m not moving to LA right now. I got things going on in New York.” and he like gives me a smirk like I hope they’re really good man because what I’m offering you I don’t do this to many people and I appreciate it we’re friends we’re going to roll one day uh one day came a little bit too late you know I was

00:15:05

Adi Soozin: Yes.

Richard Maldone: uh really not interested and he asked me to move again he did sign me by the way he signed me to William Morris as a as a an actor not as a writer at the time uh he signed me a contract and he got me a couple of auditions I was Miami Beach at the time and my girlfriend was pregnant with my first daughter and my then my daughter was born and I wasn’t leaving her to go move to LA and after several missed appointments he told me,

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: “Listen, dude, I really like you. I got a lot of respect for you, but you’re not ready for what I’m offering you because you just you’re not ready.”

Adi Soozin: Mr.

Richard Maldone: Yeah. So,

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: I I I missed the call with him. So, how does that relate to what’s going on in Finding Frankie? Well, I have uh I have my business plan ready for this feature film. I have another film on the shelf I’ve had uh I’m about completed in and I recently met a possible investor who’s asked for the business plan and again like you might have mentioned earlier or or the other day uh who’s attached to this project at this at this point.

00:16:20

Adi Soozin: Mhm.

Richard Maldone: And once I got this gentleman involved and he was looking, by the way, uh the budget will be a $5 million budget. We could do other breakdown items later on if you want, but it it encouraged me that when I had a I have a gentleman that says says he’s interested, quote, says he’s interested, that I need to start building a team. It’s not all about me as the writer, and I’ll get into my writing in a minute. I’ve been writing for writing and practicing and doing seminars and reading books for probably 20 years. Um,

Adi Soozin: It’s it’s always about the team though. It’s always about the team. Even in real estate,

Richard Maldone: and

Adi Soozin: like most of our audience is real estate investors. It’s always about the team. When we come in and we present a deal and we don’t present the team, the investors are trying to just take the deal and put their own team on it.

Richard Maldone: 100%

Adi Soozin: when we come in and we present the we say this is what the returns are going to be this is the team and their track record and this is the deal then they’re like I want that team I don’t care what deal I put down that team is going to deliver so it’s it’s always about the team so you’re building out your a team now and we were speaking before the recording started how you’re you’re interviewing line directors right now correct because the best one you could

00:17:38

Adi Soozin: get was too expensive Not a good investment of the not a good investment for investors. So you’re looking at someone that’s more economical. Maybe there’s an investor in the audience who has a line director they like. They would invest in this film line producer.

Richard Maldone: line producer producer line producer that’s that’s

Adi Soozin: They they would they would invest in your film and bring their own line producer with

Richard Maldone: right

Adi Soozin: them.

Richard Maldone: well the uh when I was asked for uh I get I have a det I have a detailed breakdown in in my in my memorandum but as you as you mentioned as I excuse me as I spoke to another

Adi Soozin: Okay.

Richard Maldone: possible investor about a couple ago as could I provide him a more detailed uh breakdown of the funds out. I have a general one but like he wanted a more detailed one and I explained to him I haven’t hired a line producer uh yet. Now the the producer is this the CFO basically of the film. He handles everything to do with finances to payments to the union,

00:18:34

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: insurance, production company, catering. Uh he he doesn’t do the actual payouts to the talent. That’s that’s referenced in in film is uh ABL above the line. So above the line in film for anybody out there who’s not familiar with this, the talent block. So that’s the actors, the writers, the directors. Below the line is the production, the marketing staff, all all of that through. So the above the line, the line producer is he’s not the most important like you know in your team, you have teams, people do specific tasks, right? But he’s the money guy and and this is this business is business and the money guy is

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: important. So when you hire a line producer to actually you there’s two ways to hire him. You can hire him as as the freelance to just break down the script and budget it, which I’ve already done, I’m gonna say about six years ago with a gentleman in New York. It was it was a one-time fee.

00:19:42

Richard Maldone: I gave him a few grand. He broke down the script and the the above the line breakdown goes by what actors is is going to receive what what fee. right now because we don’t have the actors yet because in this business you can’t get a commitment from talent that means actors or directors without money in funds and escrow unless you know them personally their agents and managers really won’t just like in your business I’m sure you vet people before you get into long conversations that because people don’t want their time wasted by big jaws

Adi Soozin: You’ve been there with me when I had like crazy stalkers making these insane threats to

Richard Maldone: Of course. Yeah,

Adi Soozin: like to terrorize and destroy my family.

Richard Maldone: of course.

Adi Soozin: Like you have to vet people.

Richard Maldone: Yeah.

Adi Soozin: As soon as there’s more than $10 on the table,

Richard Maldone: I’m witness.

Adi Soozin: the crazies come out and you have to you have to close your circle.

Richard Maldone: Yeah, of course. Absolutely.

Adi Soozin: You have to keep people near you that you can trust, people that are going to watch your back because like yeah, you just there there’s too many too many moving parts.

00:20:52

Adi Soozin: Like remember your your daughter like went in the hospital and I was like was it an accident or was it someone coming at you? Like you just as soon as you get into like the real private equity space um and I I think that’s where we should segue into your your prominent roles as a DJ in all these big pl big places in uh in Miami Beach. Um you have to be careful. You just have to keep people around you that you can trust who have a clean clean record. Um,

Richard Maldone: Agree.

Adi Soozin: yeah. So, so you’re working on this, you’re working on producing this film.

Richard Maldone: Agree.

Adi Soozin: Um, and then let’s let’s jump into your DJ career a little bit and then we’ll come back to what the story is for the

Richard Maldone: Sure. Sure. So, uh,

Adi Soozin: film.

Richard Maldone: I don’t have to go back to my childhood. I’m just an average average music guy. Like I’m so into music. I it’s I can’t live without it.

00:21:45

Richard Maldone: I’ve always been that way as a child. Um I started DJing professionally back in New York at the uh excuse me, Lock 61, which is a very which was a very notable um upscale. You know, if they don’t know you, you’re not a celebrity. You’re not getting in. I I had a friend that knew Amy Sako. She owned the place and she owned a couple of those.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: you’re not getting in unless you pay me to rich places. So I I got an opportunity to open up for a DJ there and did fairly well. And I just said I think I want to do this not as a full career but I I I love doing it. At the time it’s mostly house music which is an electronic dancebased music. Um my genre styles go from chill out jazzy like old school vintage jazz. I remix some songs that have like, you know, a smooth kind of groove tempo for a mature crowd, a mature crowd, a cocktail party, hotels. I was the music director at the Satai Hotel back in

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00:22:45

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: 2008 or nine years and the resident DJ there for a few years. Then I was music director DJ at the famous One Hotel, which is, you know, several blocks away.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: Uh, I was there for five years as music director, DJ, and SLS on Bickl. Uh, I think it’s it’s called DA now, but SLS on Bickl, I was there for two years. And Fenna, I was there first. And the Delano, the Delano Hotel and Fienna, when they first broke ground, not broke ground, but when they first opened their doors, I talked my way into um through the manager and the food and beverage director saying, “I’ve been DJing since I’m 15 in New York.” and like, you know, told them all these places and, you know, kind of like faked my way in. But at the end of the day, the music was good and, you know, I I like to dress up and look clean and and kind of shop and, uh, I’ve had success with it. You know, I’ I’ve had very good success with it.

00:23:46

Richard Maldone: I’ve worked for Barton G in Miami, uh, Barton G restaurant and events. I’ve done his events for the past 15 years, his New Year’s Eve parties.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: Uh now show top Keep going. I’m almost done with this resume with the musical resume. I had beaten Gloria Estafon at one of Botan G’s uh big tent events at the sky mansion and she invited me to do her grand

Adi Soozin: Mhm.

Richard Maldone: after party at the Grammys after party at the Hard Rock. Uh from there I met Shaq and I did his wife’s birthday party and you I started

Adi Soozin: Oh my god.

Richard Maldone: getting these big private events where you know I was getting you know good exposure. You know I’ve never produced anything so I’m not famous in any way as a DJ but on Miami Beach I’ve worked uh the best hotels and again Barton G is one of the you know the finest restaurant caterers

Adi Soozin: Oops.

Richard Maldone: in in town and uh I fly to LA on occasion for private events.

00:24:45

Richard Maldone: I was the the resident DJ Avalon Avalon nightclub in Hollywood across from Capitol Records. It was a legendary nightclub for many years. And the Supper Club at W Hotels. I’ve done, you know, dozens of jobs with those guys. And uh I I still do it. I don’t do it every day. I’m not a resident DJ right now. Currently, I prefer private events uh at homes and hotels. and maybe one of your events one day if I if I can build up to that that

Adi Soozin: I I don’t I only speak at events. I don’t host events.

Richard Maldone: level.

Adi Soozin: I I like host investor meetings, but I don’t like host events. We have one event that’s going to be in person this year, and it’s because Stanford University didn’t give us an option to say no because one of their

Richard Maldone: Okay.

Adi Soozin: professors is is speaking at the event and they were like, “We’re hosting it in person. You can fly here.” But usually I do not I do not host inerson

00:25:41

Richard Maldone: Well, I know you’re not an event person,

Adi Soozin: events.

Richard Maldone: but for a cocktail hour, main me because I’m not talking about club music for I’ve been to many of your events and they’re phenomenal.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: They’re not part so I get

Adi Soozin: Yeah. There. But but to clarify for the audience uh they’re not like I’m not an event host.

Richard Maldone: that

Adi Soozin: They’re events that I speak at. So I speak at a lot of events around the world. Um every every month I get invited to speak at three to five events in different countries around the world. So, the events he’s speaking about are are not my events. They’re just events that I speak at that are run by other people. I I cannot and will not and I’ve had a lot of people ask me this, so I need to clarify. I just do not have it in me to ever be an event host. I watch my friends who host these events with like 500 people and I’m like, I have no idea how you do it.

00:26:25

Adi Soozin: I would literally lose my mind. Like, please just give me a real estate project. Do you want me to help you with building a city or like an energy infrastructure project or like structuring a fund? I can do that. But running events with like hundreds of people, no. Like it just it gives me hives thinking about it.

Richard Maldone: I hope I didn’t misrepresent you.

Adi Soozin: No, no, no.

Richard Maldone: My apologies.

Adi Soozin: It’s it’s fine. I just I I don’t want people to then start saying to me like, “Hey, when is your next event?” I’m like, I do not host events.

Richard Maldone: Yeah,

Adi Soozin: We have like we we’ll have like uh Yeah,

Richard Maldone: she does not host events.

Adi Soozin: we have investors get together for like there’ll be like 20 of us get together to swap deal flow and stuff like that, but that’s the largest I go.

Richard Maldone: Gotcha. Gotcha. Well, anyway, so through the DJing, I happened to meet some, you know,

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

00:27:12

Richard Maldone: great people, industry people, and uh I’m still I’m grinding my way. I was trying to maybe hook up with with somebody for the film business through these private events. They’re pretty phenomenal. But listen, this is the journey, man. It’s what I’m

Adi Soozin: Yeah. Yeah. No, I I think I think you’ve made it.

Richard Maldone: doing.

Adi Soozin: A lot of people dream of being the DJ at the private events for celebrities and ultra high net worths like where everyone wants to just be themselves at a secure quiet off thereord event. Um DJs dream of that day and you’ve you’ve nailed it. So, is that what the Finding Frankie story is about? Is about your career as a DJ or what is the story

Richard Maldone: No,

Adi Soozin: about?

Richard Maldone: Finding Frankie. Can I should I read you this the storyline synopsis?

Adi Soozin: Yeah. Yeah.

Richard Maldone: Because I mean I mean listen,

Adi Soozin: Let’s hear it.

Richard Maldone: Finding Frankie is is is a crime redemption drama with a New York mob background and a love story weaved in.

00:28:15

Adi Soozin: Okay.

Richard Maldone: Okay. So that that would be like sort of like uh the the tags that you would put next to finding. So I’m going to read you now the story synopsis if you can let me find it a second. Not that I don’t know it but it’s a little more polished if I read it. I’m almost there. Okay. So the story of prison,

Adi Soozin: Uhoh.

Richard Maldone: he has 21 days to save his nest egg home from foreclosure and redeem his soul. A vengeful gangster has other plans for him. The theme of the movie is everybody pays nobody rides free. Crime drama revene story. I would say it’s an Italian’s way. If you’re familiar with the Alpuccino movie Caro’s way, he gets out of prison. He wants to change his life and sort of gets go straight and that’s a difficult thing for people that have spent time on the street and you know that’s all they know is crime and violence is not an issue.

00:29:17

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: Uh so we they they have um the intentions of changing their life upon the release from prison, but sometimes that doesn’t always work out that way. So,

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: I’m I’m gonna continue reading Finding Frankie, and this is in the the business plan for, you know, for the investor to to get a full description before they read the the entire script. Finding Frankie is a character-driven crime drama thriller, redemption, loyalty, revenge, and love story set against the backdrop of New York’s criminal underworld. The story follows Frankie Duca. a recently released excon and career thief who has 21 days to save his nest nest egg home from foreclosure while confronting the ghosts of his past. Unbeknownst to him, a local mobster harbors a deep secret childhood vendetta against Frankie and his father. His father, a feared mobster in the same crime family who is currently serving a life sentence. As a child, Frankie was violently abused and regularly beaten by his father, creating the tough, callous man he has become. On the bus ride home the day of his release from prison 15 years after Frankie is let go into society, he passes an old church with a sign out front.

00:30:45

Richard Maldone: Salvation, will you be saved? That’s absolute reference to the to Frankie’s character arc. It’s a question to the audience. You don’t notice it maybe while you’re watching the movie, but in the in the writing descriptions, it’s important because that’s a question for the movie for the main character. Salvation, will you be saved? He looks at this sign and he can’t make much of it because he’s not that kind of guy yet. He’s still the hardened guy, criminal guy. He doesn’t believe much in God and those type things. That’s a message to the audience, a question. Will he be saved? Which will hopefully, if I’m a good writer, will be answered by the end of the story. I’ll continue. Frankie yearns to see the relationship with his daughter whom he has never met.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: She was conceived on a conjal visit while serving his prison sentence by his wife. She was conceived by his wife while on a conjal visit.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: Uh for anybody who doesn’t know that uh they don’t happen in federal prison, but in state prison if you are legally married, some facilities allow you to have a night in a little cell.

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00:31:57

Richard Maldone: Not a cell, but in a little room with your spouse, your wife can’t be your girlfriend. And people have babies. I guess that’s what happens when when you when you make love.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: Okay. So a upon his release, Frankie has decided to walk away from his criminal past,

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: sell his home, open up a restaurant, and live a quiet, peaceful life. The subplot love story. Okay, the subplot love story. Just days after his release from prison, Frankie meets a beautiful Latina news reporter who who reveals a caring, sensitive side of him he never knew existed. deepening his inner conflict and the new challenges he faces once he returns home. His outer goal is after several failed attempts to borrow the money from his father’s mobster friends to save his home from foreclosure. He ultimately decides to revert to his former life and do one last scatar robbery with his lifelong friend. a childhood associate, excuse me, a childhood associate, an official member, meaning an official gangster inducted member of his father’s crime family, owes Frankie a large sum of money from a heist he gave him years ago.

00:33:16

Richard Maldone: Coincidentally, the heist goes south, landing him the 15year sentence that Frankie just served. After his release from prison, his associate, this associate, attempts to recruit Frankie for one last easy score to settle his debt. This associate owes Frankie $100,000. Frankie needs $200,000 to save his home. This kind of cuts the bill in half. Instead of giving him the money, this associate offers him an easy score, a robbery, a crime. to resolve the debt. Give him the 100. He’s gonna give him another 150 to entice him. This isn’t in the pitch. I’m just letting the audience know. Okay. So, if Frankie accepts this score, he’ll squash the $100,000 de and will reward Frankie another 150,000, giving him $250,000, which technically would save his home. His home is actually worth $2 million. Now, just for the audience, you know, with for the numbers. Okay. So, Frankie is was back into Frankie’s backstory. Once Frank is is uh released from prison, he resides with his sister Cara, who’s a regular gal, a religious woman.

00:34:34

Richard Maldone: She’s not the street girl like most people might expect. Okay. So, Frankie is given a Bible from his sister. This Bible belonged to their loving devout mother who passed away from sadness and despair having lost one child in an accident and the other to a long prison sentence and a life of crime which he believed was influenced by her criminal husband’s upbringing and abuse that was Frankie. Okay. So his mom is gone. the si his sister Cara gives him his Bible and there’s deep meaning to it because Frankie never engaged or you know in anything to do with God his mother was devout and that’s his connection and love for his mother makes him think wonder about what does this Bible mean to him so this is part of the story and part of his resolving his issues with who he is and and what he who he could You know, maybe there is some sort of affinity for for a higher power or for God. You know, we don’t know yet. So, the question to to all to these things I mentioned in the story would be resolved in a resolution.

00:35:45

Richard Maldone: Will he over overcome these challenges? Will he save his home? Will he build a relationship with his daughter? Will he fall in love with this Latina news reporter that he meets? Will he open up this restaurant? That’s his dream. Sell his home, get the money, buy a restaurant, mind his business, and last, will he save his soul? Like the first, like the sign he saw on the old church after his bus ride home. Will he save his soul? So, Finding Frankie combines the emotional depth of a ruthless loner with a big heart. Troubled by his past and conflicted by the abusive father who made him the man he is with the nuance of love with love story set against the backdrop of the New York mob and the violent streets of New York. While the ticking clock of the foreclosure drives the external plot, the emotional engine of finding Frankie is a profound journey of self-discovery. A man haunted by his childhood memories, yearning to be the father he never had, and finding a new kind of love with a with a woman he has never known.

00:36:57

Richard Maldone: Blinded by his desperate search for one last god to save his home, a means to an end, he ultimately finds himself, finding Frankie. I hope that was clear.

Adi Soozin: Okay. Yeah. Yeah. That’s interesting. How how much of that script came was inspired by your time working with the actors on Sopranos and how much of that was just based off of everything else you’ve read and experienced throughout your your own

Richard Maldone: Oh,

Adi Soozin: life?

Richard Maldone: mo most most of that was a lot of experience and observation. Yeah.

Adi Soozin: Okay.

Richard Maldone: Not not so much the sopranos anything. Uh the sopranos to me was a a a a lesson and experience in acting, writing and directing because I worked with Terry. He was one of the headwriters and producers on you know some story stuff and some

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: charact some character development um from experience and people I’ve known or might have met and you know he was very curious about how the mind certain individuals from that background uh function and you know so I collaborated with him

00:38:07

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: uh on a lot of stuff but this story has absolutely nothing to do with with the Sopranos. Um, I was just inspired by to be a writer uh by by the show and hanging around the set on on days when I wasn’t filming just to see I was a director choose this set up the shots because I my dream is to be a full filmmaker, an actor, writer, director, producer. I’m I’m I’m really not interested in stars and stripes and and fame and glory and flashing lights and parties. I want to make phenomenal films that are emotionally driven stories. But let me let me be clear. emotional driven stories without concept of many films and TV series today. I personally believe they have gone in the direction of messaging whether it’s politics or whatever it is. I I I I find it so much less entertaining uh film and television than it than today than it was, you know, in the 70s, 80s, 90s. They they were they were just deeply entertaining with emotion and characters and w without the messaging without me getting in what I think what messaging because that’s that’s really not what I want to do.

00:39:33

Richard Maldone: Uh I want to tell compelling stories and you know I’m very interested in

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: in the the complete filmmaker as opposed to just the actor that you know gets to wear the sunglasses like these and you know get all the autographs signed. You

Adi Soozin: Yeah. Oh, very cool. So,

Richard Maldone: know,

Adi Soozin: you have some information that you’re going to embed into the this interview page for people to watch to go if they’re interested in learning more about the Frank Finding Frankie project. And then we can embed the link to your

Richard Maldone: okay.

Adi Soozin: LinkedIn.

Richard Maldone: Yeah. Well, the link is, you know, it’s it’s a basic about my uh my career, the things I’ve done as far as acting and DJing and,

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: you know, other businesses. I might have been Uh, I think I’ll just provide an email uh if anybody’s interested in

Adi Soozin: You don’t you don’t want to provide an email, then you’ll get a ton of spam.

Richard Maldone: in

Adi Soozin: Um that’s why if you provide if you provide your your LinkedIn on your interview page, uh LinkedIn is pretty good with cleaning for bots.

00:40:36

Adi Soozin: So that’s why you’ll just get people connecting to you who are serious.

Richard Maldone: awesome.

Adi Soozin: Yeah,

Richard Maldone: Awesome. Yeah. Know my my apologies. I wasn’t Yeah, correct.

Adi Soozin: there’s no way for you to know about the spam armies until you’ve tried it.

Richard Maldone: You’re right.

Adi Soozin: But we we we did that with some early 9×90 interviews where I would like put their email address

Richard Maldone: Yeah.

Adi Soozin: on and then they’d message me later and they were like, “Please take it off. I’m getting so many cold pitches for things I don’t need.

Richard Maldone: No, no, no. I mean, I I I’ve done similar and and made the mistake of advertising uh an email or a phone number publicly once before and then between u you know uh skylights and sunroofs, discounts and car washes and erection pills and hookers and all the other crap. It just you got to change your email eventually. I I that’s what happened.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: So thank you for helping

Adi Soozin: Yeah, of course.

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00:41:32

Adi Soozin: No worries. All right. Well, thank you so much for coming on the show.

Richard Maldone: me.

Adi Soozin: Thank you everyone for tuning in. Uh for those of you who do invest and are active in the film space, you have uh Frank, Finding Frankie is an upcoming film that you can check out um with a very very lean team who is open to you bringing your own what is it called? Mine producer.

Richard Maldone: Uh, well, I have a line producer. I have a director Alan Tam who was um a director and many other hit shows if I can’t think of them all right now because I know we’re running out of time. Correct.

Adi Soozin: Yeah, we have a few

Richard Maldone: Okay. I have uh Steve Glick who is the head of the William Mars TV division for directors and

Adi Soozin: minutes.

Richard Maldone: actors. I have him on board. Um I have spoken to uh Winona Ryder,

Adi Soozin: Okay.

Richard Maldone: one of the the co-leads.

Adi Soozin: Okay.

Richard Maldone: She’s interested in the project.

00:42:24

Richard Maldone: Nobody commits until they see the money in escrow.

Adi Soozin: Yeah, of course.

Richard Maldone: Uh the budget is a $5 million budget and which which

Adi Soozin: Which is nothing.

Richard Maldone: is a which is a modest budget. As the lead actor,

Adi Soozin: That’s

Richard Maldone: I’m taking very modest pay because I want to get the film done, you know, I want and but I want to get it done correctly. So Alan Taylor is an extremely experienced uh drama director that’s familiar with this genre. He’s done maybe 30 episodes on The Sopranos and um other major major uh TV TV series and some films and what who else did I speak with recently? Um I got a mental block. My apologies. So we got Alan Taylor Glick Winona Ryder. Um I’m not going to mention any other names because nobody no I haven’t spoken to them but I do my list but the thing is with with talent in Hollywood uh until they their agent their manager sees the the money in escrow procured they don’t entertain you know much of conversation because uh you know you understand they want to vet

00:43:31

Adi Soozin: No, that’s the same in real estate until the until the lead sponsor puts the first 20% % or like two to 20% in, they’re not looking at the fund seriously. They’re like, “Who’s your lead investor? Who’s who’s putting the uh which of the G how much are the general partners putting into the project?” Yeah. So,

Richard Maldone: They actually want to see the full budget in escrow because if

Adi Soozin: it’s Yeah.

Richard Maldone: somebody, you know, if it’s a $5 million bud budget,

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: if somebody gave me, you know, five 500,000, that’s 10%. They I can’t make the movie with them. That’s not they want it all there.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: They want they want everything ready to go. And that’s all, you know, that’s when you can really fully put the team together. I have the um the marketing company uh and the production company crew.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: I have a friend of mine, Carlos Kovian, who’s been a a teamster for 38 years who has the ties to every single legitimate production company uh I mean production trucks film film

00:44:31

Adi Soozin: Heat.

Richard Maldone: crew uh in New York. He’s worked Saturday Night Live for 12 years and all the Wick films with Kiana Reeves. So, I I’ve got a pretty good start with some very powerful people, you know. And what else I was going to talk about? The the tax tax returns. Uh Prof. Anybody that isn’t aware of this is right now it’s currently 30%. So, we’re going to be filming in New York and New Jersey. It’s a 35. 35% tax return. So, right off the top on the five million, you get 30% in New York, 35% in New Jersey returned to you guaranteed uh if you’re out in states uh within six to eight months. So,

Adi Soozin: That’s

Richard Maldone: five million,

Adi Soozin: amazing.

Richard Maldone: you’ll get back a million dollars give or take. I’m not a math magician, but you’d get back a million dollars pre within seven months just on the other funds would come in in a

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: waterfall uh series. Uh basically once the film is completely uh filmed and I I highly suggest that’s the best way to do it when independent filmmakers take on distributors.

00:45:42

Richard Maldone: I’m just using this as an example, Amazon, Netflix or I’m just using them as a name now. upfront money prior to filming. That means you’re going to use their funds to make the film. Uh I highly uh suggest not to go that route because then they end up owning the film and your ROI is uh is minimal because they put a lot of money up. They’re going to get the big chunk. So the best way to get the most return on your money is you make the movie for the five million whether it’s you

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Richard Maldone: or a group of whatever couple of people or friends of yours you make the movie once the movie is filmed and edited then when you go to Netflix and your international

Adi Soozin: Oops.

Richard Maldone: distributors they didn’t fund the picture so they get much smaller percentage so most of that that film uh most of your return goes right back to the you know, I have more details in in the in in the in the budget memorandum uh for anybody interested.

00:46:45

Richard Maldone: I don’t know how we can share that later on. You’ll um your advice for any for anybody interested in the more

Adi Soozin: Yeah. Yeah.

Richard Maldone: detailed uh

Adi Soozin: Reach out. Yeah. Reach out via LinkedIn and then you can give me some materials that you want to share on the web page for them to look through before they

Richard Maldone: breakdown.

Adi Soozin: decide if they want to reach out via LinkedIn.

Richard Maldone: Absolutely. I would appreciate that.

Adi Soozin: Excellent. All right. Thank you guys so much for tuning in today and thank you uh for joining us.

Richard Maldone: Yes.

Adi Soozin: I appreciate you coming on. I hope you and your daughter are doing well and I’ll see you at the next family office investment summit.

Richard Maldone: Thank you so much. Appreciate you

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