Bruce Campbell, writer and director of the heartfelt indie comedy “Ernie & Emma,” says it’s time to stop waiting for an opportunity and start making your own.

If you were a film geek in the ’80s and ’90s like me, Bruce Campbell’s face and voice are permanently etched into your brain. He’s the legendary actor behind Ash in the Evil Dead films, the star of Burn Notice and Bubba Ho-Tep, and the author of three New York Times bestsellers. Now, with his wife Ida Gearon, he has written, directed, produced and self-funded Ernie & Emma, a sweet, funny, chainsaw-free film about a widowed salesman. Bruce skipped traditional distribution and is touring with the film himself on an 18-city Alamo Drafthouse run continuing through November.

Bruce joined me on How Success Happens, and I’ve broken down five highlights from our conversation to help craft your own success.

In real life, Bruce loves The Sound of Music, the Carpenters and happy endings. But he’s known as “the chainsaw guy” to Hollywood, so nobody was writing him the parts he wanted. So instead of waiting to be cast, he wrote the role himself. “My fingers ain’t broken,” he told me. “Writing is the cheapest part of the arts.” Bruce expanded on that, adding, “Freedom is everything, man. Give me liberty or give me death.”
Takeaway: If nobody is offering you the opportunity you want, build it yourself.

Bruce kept shooting days to about ten hours and promised never to waste anyone’s time.

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