Gino McKoy Talks “Everything to Me”

Goldove Entertainment, the multinational conglomerate and premier destination for culture and entertainment in film, music production, and fashion, proudly announces the exclusive single release of “Everything to Me,” featuring singer/songwriter Gino McKoy on vocals. The original song, released on Goldove Records and currently available on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, is featured on the official soundtrack for the upcoming sci-fi horror comedy “LUMINA,” which returns to theaters September 20th.

We had the honor of speaking with multi-talented Gino McKoy about his upcoming song “Everything to Me”. The single, written by Gino McKoy and Hudson McKoy, is a hauntingly beautiful piece that captures the essence of the film’s gripping narrative. The track was meticulously mixed by 16-time Grammy Award-winning engineer Mick Gazauski and mastered by the legendary Bernie Grundman, ensuring a polished sound that resonates with listeners.

“I’m thrilled to showcase our passion for music by having our song featured in “LUMINA,” said Gino McKoy. “I’m confident that this song will truly resonate with audiences, and we’re excited to see how it will be received.”

The musical composition, created by Gino McKoy and Hudson McKoy, is a testament to the duo’s ability to craft compelling and emotive music. With Lynda McKoy serving as Executive Producer, the single is a product of collaboration and excellence, recorded at the renowned East West Studios in Hollywood and Metal Works Studio in Canada. The track is published by BMG Worldwide, with production helmed by industry veterans David Kershenbaum and Greg Phillinganes, who also served as Musical Director and musician on the project.

Despite the global pandemic, Gino directed his first Hollywood feature film, “Lumina,” in Morocco from 2020 to 2021. The film is historic, being the first sci-fi horror comedy feature entirely shot in Morocco, featuring the largest sci-fi sets ever built in the country. Despite the numerous challenges posed by the pandemic, Gino’s passion, commitment, and perseverance earned him high praise from cast, crew, and industry veterans alike, with one filmmaker noting, “Lumina was like shooting ten films in one.”

Looking ahead, Gino is collaborating with Michael Sloan, the creator and producer of “The Equalizer” series, on his next sci-fi feature, “Spidersweb,” slated for production in Morocco in 2024. Sloan praised the project, calling it “a terrific script, perfect for major studios and the global film market,” and even sees potential for it to be adapted into a novel.

Goldove Entertainment, the multinational conglomerate and premier destination for culture and entertainment in film, music production, and fashion, proudly announces the exclusive single release of “Everything to Me,” featuring singer/songwriter Gino McKoy on vocals. The original song, released on Goldove Records and currently available on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, is featured on the official soundtrack for the upcoming sci-fi horror comedy “LUMINA,” which returns to theaters September 20th.

Thank you so much for taking time for this interview! Can you walk us through your career journey and elaborate on how you transitioned from being a musician to a filmmaker, and how have these two creative paths complemented each other?

Thank you for having me, it’s an absolute pleasure. When I first got to LA, it was for music and I wanted to sign with the major labels but that changed quickly. The labels I was in talks with wanted to change my style of music, but I didn’t, so I decided to stay as an indie artist . I had to figure out a way to get my music out, so I decided to write screenplays and try to get it produced to get my music in the movie. I had written short stories and poetry before, but it was my first time writing a script. I decided to read “Heat” by Michael Mann, one of my favorite movies and “Predator” by John McTiernan. That’s how I learned how to write screenplays, I was pretty much self-taught. So, I wrote my first movie about the first female assassin for the Russian mob that involved the deep web and bitcoin, I was the first in Hollywood to write about bitcoin and the deep web and my screenplay got circulated around Hollywood at all the agencies. We had a hard time finding Directors that wanted to do a female assassin movie, we went out to more than 52 directors, this was before the whole wave of female empowerment in Hollywood. Some said I was ahead of my time with what I wrote.

Eventually I had a lot of A list attached at that time, but my project went into development hell and never got off the ground. It was the first script that the FBI consulted with me on that never made it to the screen. This was around 2010/2011 and fast forward a few years later my friend calls and says did I watch House of Cards, season 2 , episode 2. I said no I didn’t, So I started to watch, lo and behold the episode was about the deep web and bitcoin and paragraphs literally were taken from my script, they also claimed they were the first in Hollywood to write about the deep web and bitcoin, which was a lie. My script was registered with the WGAW and the Library of Congress, not to mention I had an FBI consultant working with me. My attorney said if I sued, I would be blacklisted in the industry and won’t work again despite most likely having a good case. This however wasn’t the only time my IP and creative ideas & content was stolen. Many other major movies took concepts, action scenes, ideas etc. from my scripts and used it in their films over the years. It was depressing and the worst feeling to walk into a movie and see your content on the big screen or a friend calling and saying this reminds me so much of “LMI” which was my first movie written. I managed to shake that off and moved on and wrote “Lumina” , my first theatrically released film that was released this year and is being re- released this month. Finally after over 10 years of being in the wilderness of Hollywood I wrote Lumina.  

Congrats on LUMINA! Could you give us a brief overview of your film LUMINA? What’s the central theme or story? When is LUMINA scheduled for release?

Thank you, it was a labor of love for sure. Lumina is about a man who loses his love to an alien abduction, then enlists his friends to go with him to find her and find out what happened. They go down the rabbit hole of UFOs and conspiracies, it’s comedic, it’s horror and of course, sci fi. It’s scheduled for re-release this month on Sept.20 in select theaters nationwide. 

You created LUMINA during the COVID-19 pandemic. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during production?

The hardest time in film history to shoot a film. Lockdowns, curfews, being stuck in airports, vaccines, and a lot of testing. Our original cast of Orlando Jones, Wallis Day, Tahirah Shariff, Adam Hagenbauch and Eloise Smyth walked out on the production during pre-production without shooting one frame and tried to sabotage our movie. They walked away with over 500K and we had to re-cast the film in one week. However, things happen for a reason, God works in mysterious ways, I got a great cast that really wanted to make a great movie. We had a number of other challenges as well while shooting in Morocco with unscrupulous local producers and covid 19 and SAG. The biggest challenges by far but we overcame them and moved on with the production despite the sabotage and unfair treatment. 

What do you think is the biggest misconception about making your own film?

That it is easy, it’s not easy, you have to really turn water into wine and be a great problem solver. You’re never fully ready and you will learn on the way, it was like doing 10 films in one. It’s also not all red carpet and glitz and glamour. Filmmaking requires a strong back and stomach to handle real issues that can break most people. Prepare for the unknown because you will encounter things you never thought would happen. 

Do you prefer writing music or creating films, and why?

They are equal in my mind and I don’t prefer either but I got into the film industry to showcase my music but I’ve always loved film. 

What’s the next project you’re working on?

Here’s a few but one script I wrote with Michael Sloan (Equalizer) about time travel and aliens. “Spidersweb,” is the name, Michael said it’s one of the best sci fi scripts he read this decade. 

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the film industry?

Research everything from both film finance to everything creative and learn every position on set. You can’t be one dimensional anymore, and above all, never give up.

Considering the current state of the film industry, do you think it’s easier or harder to make and distribute films today?

It’s much harder to make and distribute films now, especially theatrically. Indie films don’t get theatrical releases, it’s even harder to get funding and distribution. Of course, there are other factors at play there because the industry is highly discriminatory and there are a lot of gatekeepers that try to stop you and steal your content. Some people have the connections to make films all the time, and those people more often than not are not that good, unless it’s Mann or Nolan. Other than the great filmmakers, we have studios funding garbage content and shutting out real talent. So despite what people say, it’s harder now than ever to make a film and get it financed.  

Can you share the most interesting story that has happened to you since you started working in the entertainment industry?  

There’s so many but one stands out to me, when I wrote my first script and it was regarded as one of the best action scripts in Hollywood and I had John McTiernan visit us in LA with his wife for one weekend. He wanted to direct my movie “LMI (Little Mizz Innocent)”, the same one about the deep web and bitcoin. He said my movie was like a female death wish and he couldn’t go in a dark place because he just got out of jail for wiretapping one of Hollywood’s biggest producers, Charles Roven. He wanted to make it lighter and more like Sucker Punch. We are both Capricorns and strong minded, so we couldn’t agree creatively how the movie would go. It was interesting because Predator was the movie that inspired me to make sci fi horror.  

From your experience, what are a few ideas that we can use to effectively offer support to others who want to work in the entertainment industry?

Join The Black List screenwriting website and shop one of your scripts and see how it goes. Also like I said above, research everything and learn every position on set. Then take courses in film finance and distribution, you will need to know that inside out to avoid problems. Keep the faith!