Written by: Natasha Lee, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
International Award-Winning Filmmaker, J.R. Fortin is a leader in every environment that he enters: work, school, and home. J.R. is dedicated to the development of not just himself but his team members as well. J.R. Fortin is a multi-talented, emotionally intelligent, ambitious, inspirational and driven individual. He’s highly skilled in leadership, management, and customer service as well as exceptional people skills. His latest project Hearts of New England recently debuted on Prime Video.
Congratulations on your show landing on Prime Video. Please tell us all about the project and why you encourage movie lovers to watch it.
J.R. Fortin: Hearts of New England follows a soldier who comes back for peace but finds war at home. The first season is officially on Amazon Prime as of about a month ago. If you love New England you should watch it for the cinematic views from all over as well as recognizing a ton of local talent. The best part about the show will be seeing the improvements over the seasons. There is a big difference between season 1 and 2 and season 3 looks like a whole new show from a quality perspective. If you like watching progression and growth you will see that in this series. If you love mafia films or soap operas this is the two combined and in just the 17 episodes that have been released, it has already won 120 awards!
What other film and acting projects have you completed recently or are currently working on?
J.R. Fortin: Ironically I’ve had a Christmas script in the works with Christopher Fyfe. This will begin production in April 2024. I say it’s ironic because this year I’ve been cast in two Christmas movies, both with very talented directors: A Little Christmas Story with Josiah Pitchforth and The Other Christmas Show with Adam Griswold. A local magazine from Maine has asked me to film three short horror stories; we will be starting with Night Light. I am also involved in a lot of other films but they’re currently under NDA’s. I also had the privilege of Directing a film written by Josiah Pitchforth called My Coworker is a Vampire and that was absolutely incredible. KJ Traynor and Mauricio Viteri were outstanding!
We’re very interested in learning about your educational background. What can you share with us?
J.R. Fortin: I got an Associate’s Degree in Legal Studies shortly after High School. It was a short program and by the time I finished it I was promoted a few times and made more than paralegals so I stayed where I was at. Then I waited too long to go back but recently finished My Bachelor’s at Southern New Hampshire University in Business. Soon I will start their MBA program at SNHU because I was recently accepted. I also enrolled for a second Bachelor’s Degree at Penn State University in Psychology. I graduated from SNHU with honors and became a member of the National Society Of Leadership and completed the executive level. Education is a very important thing to me. The first thing I tell my kids who are soon to enter the workforce is not to work for a place that does not pay for college. A good employer pays for the growth of their employees. There are no exceptions to this aside from Mom-and-Pop stores and restaurants that literally can’t. There needs to be super pushback on big companies not assisting their employees in college education while giving their leaders six-figure bonuses.
What are your thoughts on being a leader and being inclusive while in a leadership role?
J.R. Fortin: A leader is not someone who measures their success by their achievements but by the achievements of those who they’ve mentored and trained. I feel like the term has become too loose in modern society. A lot of people calling themselves leaders are managers. There is a difference: you don’t need to have a lead or leader on a badge or in a title. A leader is how someone else perceives you. A leader knows that leadership is a privilege whereas a manager sees it as an entitlement. View management as a task you need to complete and leadership as how you can inspire and drive positive change. You can always tell the difference because a leader always has the people standing with him whereas a manager has them standing behind him. Diversity and Inclusion have made progress but not enough. I’ve worked in places where nine out of ten of the leaders are around the same height, the same sex, and no joke the same haircut. If someone is a real leader they will be inclusive with everyone, there are no exceptions. If you want to test your leaders ask them to tell you three things about the employees on their team that have nothing to do with work. When they can’t red flag the crap out of that, you’re dealing with bosses, not leaders. When you have a true leader and lead with integrity and inclusion you not only gain respect but retention. I remember once having a team of only nine people and I was told it couldn’t ever be staffed because of the location when I left that role I had 28 active people on my roster.
What else would you like to share with our readers at this time?
J.R. Fortin: Remember to always act with integrity and be knowledgeable that you are never done learning. If you’re going to lead, do it like a quarterback. First one on the field, last one off and be selfless. Your teammates come before yourself. Also, Season 2 of Hearts of New England will soon be on Amazon Prime and Maine Event Films will be releasing some films in the very near future.
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Natasha Lee, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Natasha Lee, a Business Enthusiast, Thought Leader, Speaker, Influencer, Philanthropist, Editor, Educator, and serial entrepreneur, is the proud Founder & CEO of Make Your Dreams Come True (MYDCT) & Being That Girl (That Girl). Make Your Dreams Come True (mydct.net) is an internationally known outsourcing firm. Professionals, Aspiring Entrepreneurs, Innovators, Fortune 50 and 500 companies outsource their business needs to the firm, and Natasha makes sure that it gets done! There is no project too small or too big for the firm. Now in regards to Being That Girl, the agency encourages, supports, and celebrates the success of women. The collaborative partnerships stretch from the USA to the UK. It's been a tremendous experience for Natasha to serve countless business owners and organizations over the last 15 years. Wearing many hats when servicing her clients and community, she's identified as a consultant, a mentor, coach, and cheerleader, and described as a Shero by many. Natasha and her team assist individuals and organizations daily, offering services that promote self-esteem and creating companies daily from idea to conception. When executing dreams, she is the missing antidote to business success. Services include call center, procurement and fulfillment, marketing, strategy, business development, sales, technical support, design, seo, training, programming, recruitment, pr/media, and new processes and services implementation. Natasha is always on the call; though complex, it keeps her busy doing good things. Natasha Lee continues to mentor individuals of all ages, helping them build self-esteem, chance their dreams, celebrate one another and create together.
Photo Credit:
Epic Studio ME
Photographer:
John Paul Rondeau
