The First 3R Screening: Where Stories Came Alive
The movie theater has always been a special place for me. I love the smell of popcorn, trailers of upcoming films, the lights dimming down before a movie begins, and the way a big screen transports you into an incredible experience. The world outside of seems to disappear for awhile you’re in tune with the film.
With 3R, I knew from the beginning that we’d have to host screenings of our own. The visuals we’re creating and sharing are best seen on a bigger screen then a phone or laptop.
On August 17th, that vision became real.
The night opened with the beautiful welcoming smell of fresh, buttery popcorn from our brand-new machine. I knew I had to buy a popcorn machine and make it fresh at the event. It heated up the kernels and spat out popcorn so fast my friends couldn’t catch up. It was a hilarious mess.
Before the films rolled, I introduced 3R: the platform, the flow, and the heart of what we’re building. Storytelling is our foundation, rooted in the rhythm of creatives and entrepreneurs whose behind-the-scenes journeys create the base of what 3R is built on now.
The Vault Series is that base of work and continues to grow where every Tuesday and Thursday a new episode drops.
Finding Rhythm, Root documentaries, and Burnt Toast are the original series coming soon that live as 3R Originals.
The original music of Root has been added to the platform and the page will be expanded on with tools for meditation, focus, and relaxation.
Finding Rhythm highlights the process of creatives/entrepreneurs with myself as a host. Root documentaries explore a subject in depth, getting to the root of it within my personal exploration of it. Burnt Toast will be an original comedy series featuring relatable day to day life things but where things always go south in amusing ways.
The Screening
This was special. Part of the inspiration for the way the screening was put together came from TV! I wanted to splice in some commercial work that fit within the storytelling vibe, weaving it alongside the 3R projects and visual breaks. We opened with our mission video and the screening trailer, which set the perfect tone for everything that followed.
We shared stories from the Vault Series: our archive of past projects that show just how far the mission has come! The episodes we screened pulled people in, with artists telling stories full of unique arcs and perspective. That’s what give the series its EDGE. With Rashad Wright on the panel, we featured two of his 3R pieces: his Emerge interview and sit-down with the band he was previously part of.
The screening then transitioned into our ‘Comedy Vault’ and showed comedy skits from the pandemic. These skits were created with the goal of providing joy and laughter during a time when things were pretty rough. Watching those on the big screen reminded me that the mission has always been the same: spread love, spread community, spread story. Lot of laughs were had with skits inspired by Michael Bay, Quentin Tarantino, and action movies. Dakota Jane had her piece featured as well, Boss A$$ B*tch, which is a skit we made together years ago.
All of these felt incredible to screen again to new eyes and under a new purpose.
The Panel
Diego (left), Rashad Wright, Dakota Jane
After the screening, the conversation got deep. I sat alongside poet Rashad Wright and writer/director Dakota Jane, both longtime collaborators. Together, we spoke about our creative journeys, our evolving work, and the challenges of producing and sharing ideas in today’s media space.
The dialogue flowed into the audience: fears of putting ideas out into the world, the courage to test and experiment, and the truth that momentum is built not by perfection but by persistence. Every project leads to the next. Every attempt adds fuel to the snowball of ideas.
A very natural conversation formed around persistence and consistency; the more someone creates and improves their execution, the better outcome each project / idea will have. Another important aspect of creativity is collaboration. An artist asked, “how do you scope out who is serious vs not when collaborating?” It’s a process that is an example of trial and error. Reading how another collaborative partner could potentially work is a skillset that’s worked at through the experimentation of just trying.
The underlying lesson is to continue to get out of the comfort zone, try out new ideas, relationships, and executions all rooted in planning, self-critiques, and strategy.
I felt honored to host such a space presenting inspiring visuals and a really great conversation on the creative journey. It’s conversations like that that have people leave closer to the mission of 3R but also understanding even more about being creative.
The Takeaway
By the end of the night, what we all felt was clear: this wasn’t just a screening. It was proof of what happens when stories meet a community ready to listen.
And this is only the beginning!
On September 14, we return with the announcement of a new 3R series and the launch of 3R Collaborators. For the first time, the voices of our panelists and peers will live on the platform alongside 3R Originals, creating a space where multiple visions can thrive together.
3R is still young, but as we saw on screen, the rhythm has already begun.
— Diego Roq
