Forget “Glicked.” For retirement plan professionals, the only “movie” on their must-see list this week is “Retireholics The Movie: The Mughunter Adventure,” which makes its long-awaited debut this Wednesday at 4 p.m. Eastern, 1 p.m. Pacific time.
The crew over at Retireholics—known for their biweekly alcohol-infused retirement webcast with a cult following of retirement plan advisors and professionals—has been working on this project for quite some time. And it features industry icon Fred Reish, making what we can only assume is his acting debut. We wanted to know the backstory.
As in, where did the idea to do a movie—a short, really, with a run time of around 25 minutes—come from?
J.D. Carlson, Co-Founder at Seventy5 Studios, CEO and President of Plan Design Consultants, Host of Retireholics and a star of the movie, took a few moments ahead of Wednesday’s premiere to share the story with 401(k) Specialist.
Turns out that at an industry conference a while back, Penchecks Trust “came to us looking to partner or sponsor the show in some way,” Carlson said. “I responded by saying, ‘Well, if you all wanna do something really different and creative then we would be in.’ They said, ‘absolutely, come back to us with an idea.’ My brother Brandon and I had a four-hour drive home from that same industry conference and maybe 30 minutes into the drive we came up with the idea of a mini-movie.
During the rest of the drive home they roughed out the storyline, overall concept… everything. “Next, I just had to pitch it to Penchecks and those suckers bought it hook, line and sinker,” Carlson said.
The key to getting it funded, it turns out, may very well have hinged on Reish’s involvement.
“To be honest, I don’t think Penchecks would have sponsored if Fred wasn’t involved in some way,” Carlson said. “When I pitched the concept to Penchecks I hadn’t yet got Fred’s approval.”
The noted ERISA expert is well known to be the “spirit animal” of the Retireholics, as evidenced by bumper stickers and his occasional live appearances on the show—often during live webcasts from industry conferences.
“Penchecks asked me, ‘Wow, so Fred Reish has agreed to all this?’ and on the spot I totally fibbed… ‘Yeah, yeah, he is totally in.’ Thank God, Fred said Yes. He is actually a pretty cool and creative guy. He’s got an artsy side to him and I think he thought the concept was fun. He does a great job acting in the movie by the way,” Carlson said.
“They are good guys and have a remarkable blend of serious and goofy. That is a mix that I like.”
Fred Reish
“I decided to participant in the ‘movie’ because it is something that they are having fun with and I think we need more fun—both generally and in the retirement plan world,” Reish told 401(k) Specialist. “J.D. and I were at a conference together and he told me about their plans. He asked if I would be part of it and I agreed. They are good guys and have a remarkable blend of serious and goofy. That is a mix that I like.”
So what’s the movie about? Carlson explains it this way: “Retireholics The Movie is a story of four friends that hit the open road on a journey across the country, facing unexpected challenges, hidden secrets, and unforgettable adventures as they chase down a prized possession that means everything to one of them.”
That prized possession is a stolen coffee mug belonging to Reish. “I make it my life’s mission to find whomever stole the mug and get it back. I drag the Retireholics along to help me.”
What took so long?
Carlson said that while the movie was filmed quite a while ago, an “insane amount of work” went into creating something like this—which is why it took so long to make it to the big (small?) screen.
“Bro, making a movie is no joke,” Carlson said. “The amount of time, energy, and details that goes into the whole thing is nuts. My brother and our Producer Samara Zarco Goytortua are both perfectionists and if they were going to do this, they were going to do it right. So, the reason it took so long was because it was really hard and time consuming to make.”
In addition to Carlson and Reish, the movie also features Retireholics Justin MacNeil, “Robe Guy” Mark Palmini and Chad Johansen. It was produced and edited by Brandon Carlson.
J.D. Carlson said while promoting the film during last week’s show they figured “Blackout Wednesday” (so known because returning college kids tend to imbibe significantly on the night before Thanksgiving) was a fitting time for the premiere.
To watch the premiere on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 4 p.m. EST, 1 p.m. Pacific, simply go to this registration page: Www.retireholics.com/themovie.
SEE ALSO:
• Carlson Brothers of Retireholics Fame Launch Design Studio
• The Retireholi(k)s Wrecking Crew
Veteran financial services industry journalist Brian Anderson joined 401(k) Specialist as Managing Editor in January 2019. He has led editorial content for a variety of well-known properties including Insurance Forums, Life Insurance Selling, National Underwriter Life & Health, and Senior Market Advisor. He has always maintained a focus on providing readers with timely, useful information intended to help them build their business.
