Real Stories of The Bible: What I Learned by Failing as a Director

Bored as Hell (Season 2)

I acted in three episodes of Bored as Hell Season 2 — the brainchild of make-up artist and horror genius Kevon Ward, and starring the ever-charismatic Heath Heine. I had previously worked with Heath on Army & Coop, so when this came up, it felt like slipping into something familiar and fun. I played background characters, helped where I could, and mostly just got to hang around in Colorado, where everyone was making weird stuff for the love of it.

Kevon, by the way, is incredibly talented — he’s the kind of guy who can make gore look gorgeous. He even helped me with prosthetics for The Devil’s Lettuce, a stoner-horror mockumentary short I directed that originally started out as a fake commercial for a cannabis brand. (But that’s another blog.)

Tebow Time

At the time, I was working as a part-time custodian — or, if you’re being fancy, janitor. I was also working on my first Fringe show, developing ideas with Angotango Pictures, trying to figure out what Best Worst Cantina even was, and generally spinning all the plates while trying to pay my college debt and make stuff. I was at work cleaning toilets at an elementary school. That’s when Heath called me with an idea. He had come across one of those viral Bible humor memes and said, “What if we made a series out of this?” Before I knew it, I had written five episodes of a satirical show called Real Stories of the Bible. We ended up shooting four of them — all with the same crew working on Bored as Hell. The one episode that didn't get completed was the one that inspired the series. That one in my opinion was the best script.

Here’s what I learned from the experience:

1. Writing for other people gives me joy.

Writing has always been my first creative love. Improv is a very close second, but writing is the one I come home to. I can do it anywhere and at anytime. When Heath asked if I’d write this thing, I said yes immediately. It felt good to be trusted with someone else's idea and to see it brought to life. We met at a bar after I completed the scripts and then Heath was happy and he put it into production with his crew.

2. Directing is not (yet) my strong suit.

I gave it a shot. I thought I’d learn. I hoped to grow. But truthfully? I wasn’t ready. We had two productions running at once, and I was stretched thin between freelance gigs, janitorial work, and trying to run my own creative projects. I don’t think I communicated clearly, and at times I probably came off as dismissive or controlling — when in reality, I was just overwhelmed and I needed to convey it visually. I've learned that in business as well, make a power point or a presentation. My vision leaned absurdist — like if a local church produced a knock-off Faerie Tale Theatre — with intentionally overacted, overly theatrical characters. But the team wanted something more cinematic. I conceded because ultimately, this was Heath’s baby. I shouldn’t have stepped in as director. I should’ve just stayed the writer. 3. I don’t abandon projects.

The show kind of faded. After shooting four episodes and editing them, nobody picked it up to run with. But I couldn’t let it die. So I took over the distribution side through Best Worst Cantina Media. That’s something I’ve realized about myself — I may pivot, I may shift roles, but I don’t leave things unfinished. Even if it doesn't “blow up,” I believe in releasing it. Getting it out into the world. That’s the win. I think a lot of what went wrong on Real Stories of the Bible came down to classic indie film stuff — miscommunication, overambition, and poor time management. It’s not that things go wrong in indie filmmaking — it’s more that time, people, and reality make it hard to get anything finished. You’re not working with a paid crew for a full month. You’re sacrificing weekends. You’re juggling day jobs, side gigs, and real life — and then someone gets sick, someone’s car breaks down, someone’s kid needs them. The project that once had all this excitement around it starts to feel like something you just need to finish. And when things stall, people start looking for reasons — and sometimes that spotlight lands on you, fairly or not. On Real Stories of the Bible, I never should’ve volunteered to direct. I didn’t have the experience, and I wasn’t respected or genuinely interested in that position — which makes sense. I didn’t know what I was doing. Heath ultimately directed it alongside the crew, and that’s what the project needed. I should’ve just stayed in my lane as the writer. One day stands out: we scheduled a shoot right after wrapping an episode of Bored as Hell, thinking we could knock out a crossover scene where Heath would play the Devil — a fun little nod to the world Kevon had built. I was already on set as an actor that day, and after we wrapped, I stuck around, ready to shoot. But Heath had just spent ten hours in full latex, head-to-toe, under the blazing summer sun in a park. He was fried. Completely spent. And of course he was. In hindsight, it’s a total “duh” moment — why did we think that would work? They rescheduled for another day, but I couldn’t make it. I was coaching high school football and also filming games to help pay the bills. Just another job in the hustle stack. I think that’s when I realized again… maybe I should’ve just stayed the writer.

My Favorite Episode (That was produced)

But here’s the thing — even though I felt like I should’ve just stayed the writer, I never would’ve known that if I hadn’t failed as a director. Sometimes you have to try the thing you’re not ready for to figure out where you actually shine. It’s easy to say, “I’ll wait until I’m prepared,” but honestly, with indie film, you’re never fully prepared. You learn by doing — and sometimes by doing it badly. I’m glad I gave it a shot. It taught me what I needed to learn, and that’s something I wouldn’t trade.

Real Stories of the Bible didn’t go viral. It may not have had the impact we all dreamed of. But it’s still one of my favorite collaborations. It was weird and heartfelt and so earnest. I got to write comedy I cared about, see actors commit to the bit, and watch a passion project come together — even if the final form wasn’t what I originally imagined.

We made something. And that still matters.

Bored As Hell (Season 2)