Name and title at Divide?
Russ Cundiff
Co-Owner? On some paperwork I’m listed as President.
We just kind of make it up as we go along.
How long have you been with us?
You mean how long have I been with myself? 14yrs.
How did you get started with Divide?
I was at Milo’s house and he gave me this cool tracksuit. We were talking for a while about frustrations we had within our industry and then Milo asked me if I wanted to start a production company and simply replied, “yes.”
Your favorite Divide memory?
I have a few of them, showing up to set and having my food waiting for me. M-R telling me people are scared of me…that was pretty funny. Standing outside of Screen Gems with David Shaye 7 months ago. I have a few more, but they will remain private.
Where do you see Divide in 5 years?
Hopefully doing what we are doing now. Milo will be in Tunisia, I will be more of a shut in, my vacations will become more and more remote. We will find more projects and material that we are passionate about.
Where do you see Divide in 10 years?
I hope we make content for 7 yr olds.
I see divide expanding, but still having that mom and pop sentiment.
I was just out in the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii with Tammy and we were talking about what the future beholds… I made a comment “hopefully I will be doing the same thing.” She responded, “What the hell else can you do?” I thought it was funny, I always tell people I read comic books and talk about movies all day, I think/hope I will be doing the same thing in 10 years. Either that or we will start over.
Milo’s answer to this question will be “Drafting Tables.”
Tell us about your education.
I attended the following schools:
Neil Elementary Burnsville, MN
Greenbrook Elementary Danville, CA
Normandale Hills Elementary Bloomington, MN
Oak Grove Middle School Bloomington, MN
Olson Jr. High Bloomington, MN
St. Thomas Aquinas St. Paul, MN
Thomas Jefferson Sr. High Bloomington, MN
Montana State University Bozeman, MT
Columbus State Community College Columbus, OH
Hillsborough Community College Tampa, FL
University of South Florida Tampa, FL
I should have just interned at CAA or WMA. It’s about education, but its also about drive and just going out and doing what you want to do, Anyone can be a critic or make a comment very few can go out and “do.”
Advice: Just read a lot, remember what you read and shut up and listen to people. You will run a business one day.
What made you want to produce?
I saw Empire Strikes Back at the Southtown Theater. It changed the way I looked at everything. I was 6. At that point I had been thinking about what I wanted to be and I found out that if I “produced content” then I could wear all sorts of hats. I really thought like that when I was 6.
My mom would rent me crazy movies when I was young. JAWS, RAMBO, TERMINATOR, OLD BRUCE LEE MOVIES and the VACATION films… she really helped me look at different movies. When I saw the Godfather I was hooked. I watched all 3 movies and then read the book, and then I re-watched them again and thought, “How did they make that?” “What would I have done different” “Why is there an orange in every 5 scenes?”
How did the comic opportunity come about?
Milo was really passionate about REST, We were a small company so we found an opportunity and we took it. It’s a great way to create material. Milo and I have this way we work, we work together, but it’s more like handing it off to one another…it’s like we take turns grabbing the rungs in a latter. The details are really boring, but we just wanted to make comics so when people ask what do you guys do?, we could say, “We make comic books.”
