Scott Briggs on “Compassion Spreads Like Wildfire”

We were able to virtually interview Scott Briggs, the writer and producer of “Compassion Spreads Like Wildfire: The Vickie Minor Story”. Briggs was able to expound on the roots of where this story began, casting, and funny stories during the production.

Warren:
We’re showing more films than ever at the Utah Film Festival. And coming up on September 3rd, we’re going to be showing some really cool world premieres, including this one from our new friend, Scott Briggs. Scott, tell us what your movie is all about.

Scott:
Well, thank you for having me on. It’s a pleasure to be here with the Utah Film Festival, and I’m grateful to be able to speak about our film. “Compassion Spreads Like Wildfire” is a movie about Vickie Minor, and Vickie Minor is just this incredible human being that I’ve been privileged to get to know. I was filming another movie while working on a documentary about the Yarnell Hill Fire, where we lost 19 of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. And I was speaking with one of the families, and they told me the story about this incredible woman with so much love and compassion in her heart and and such a healing nature about her and this organization that helps these families go through the process, the grieving process.

But the main thing that they do is they they help bridge the money. That because what happens when these firefighters die on the line, these families are just cut off for months without any funds. And then on top of, you know, going through what they’re going through, they’ve got to file all this paperwork and do the workman’s comp and all the other benefits. And it’s just this horrible thing. They’ve got to do their grieving and it’s just awful. They’re just kind of left to fend for themselves. And so these families are spoke so highly of her, I had to get to know her.

So I got her number and I called her directly and I spoke to her for about 4 hours. The first time I spoke to her. And she’s like, you need to get your bed up here to Boise and hang out with us. And so I was on a plane the next day and I got up there and spent a lot of time and got to know Vickie and Burke and the staff and got to know how they do and how they bridged the gap between, you know, what happens on the fire line of death or when there’s an injury or something. And you watch these families and they just fill in the gaps and they give these families the money that they need to pay their mortgage, pay the car payments, you know, make sure that they can fly to the funerals and, you know, whatever they need, they’re there for these families.

And they’re it’s just a phenomenal organization and it’s all just done with such love. And Vicki, is this the warmest human being you’ll ever meet? And, you know, the first time I met her was just a big, big, giant bear hug, you know, and and I it’s just it’s just been an amazing experience.

I spent a lot of time I went up there a couple of times and then hung out to kind of watch the organization and see how they what they do. And when I got home one night, I fell asleep and I woke up after having a dream. And I dream this movie. And and I got up and I wrote the screenplay immediately. And then I sent it off to my dear friend Emily Roth, and she was like, Wow, this is a great story. I wrote this and I’m like, I did. She’s like, What? So anyway, so what we just kind of put together this movie that, that, that details and it’s done a docu drama form where these actors portraying how Vickie started this organization in her kitchen and she saw a need and she ran with that need and she, you know, built this organization into what it is today. And it’s just it’s just phenomenal what she’s done. And it’s just, like I said, it’s been done all with love and compassion. It spreads. And when you do a good thing, it goes on together. So it’s a real feel good story.

Everybody that I saw in the film, too, is that all tears in their eyes afterwards, but they never get tired of tears. And so it’s been it’s been a real pleasure to share that now, because this movie is based off on a real person.

Warren:
I would imagine the casting process was something a little bit tricky to navigate. What was your process finding the right cast?

Scott:
Well, as far as the casting goes, yes, it definitely is a challenge. And the most important, you know, obviously, is that lead role. And who would play Vickie? Well, the easy part for me was in my dream it was my dear friend Sue Rowe. And Sue Rowe is just the most fantastic actress. To me, it’s like, why she’s not right up there with Meryl Streep.

It’s just the world needs to get to know who’s hero, and she’s phenomenal. And I remember when I met Vickie, I just kept thinking, that shouldn’t be so much a Sue. Like she just the personalities, the way they talk and and that they just have this wonderful outlook on life and people they just love people. And and and there’s such deep concern for for people and so soon the easiest part to cast and fortunately Sue caught COVID and that right before the film and there she wasn’t she wasn’t doing very well. And it was it was a real scary moment for all of us because we love Sue dearly. But she she pulled through and like a trooper, she was she was ready to go a couple of weeks later. So we were grateful to be able to, you know, make sure that Sue was a part of this.

Emily Roth is, you know, she’s my cohort and all this. And she really helped put this together. And I trust Emily and she is a casting director. She does a lot of feature films. She’s kind of the definitely the go to person in Utah.

But I know she works all over the place and she is just phenomenal. She’s got a list of people and knows everybody in the world. And it was very important that we had some people who had fire experience in this movie so that there would be that authenticity, so that they would they would know how to how to act and how to out of how to be. During some of these scenes. And a lot of women brought their own PPE. We were lucky enough to get Fred Scheffler, who was a hotshot with the Payson Hotshots.

He was a superintendent for about 35 years, was in the Forest Service forever. And one of the old salts and just an amazing, you know, man who has just seen it all on the fire lines. And he’s been there through most of most of those tragedies. Fred, just he he just brought such a you know, that doesn’t see a lot in the movie, but that’s kind of Fred and and he’s just perfect perfect in his role and what and how he carries that that that part the the other actors and actresses, you know, those were those were all because of Emily. And she’s she’s just phenomenal.

Now with Burke, we had another person of mine and he was great and I think it would have been great. But Sue asked me to look at this guy named Jason or Phony, and he sent me this song and he wrote this song for the movie. And he had, you know, he had known a little bit about the movie that I was doing. So he the song just touched me and it just has become such an integral part of this film. The songs stay in the black.

The black is the area where the wildling firefighter sits. You know, they want to keep one foot in that black that’s already been burned. So the fire doesn’t get get it in there. And then and then that that keeps them safe. And so it’s kind of a saying within the fire community, you know, keep one foot in the black and Jason just got it. And so he came up with this incredible soundtrack and and they’re like, Hey, check him out for Burke.

And I’m like, Oh, yeah, he’s he’s perfect. Jason’s my brother and how are you are and I just I love him. Every time we get together, we’re always playing songs and and strumming guitars. And we did a lot of that on the set.

But he really encapsulates, encapsulated and captured who Burke Minor was, and they’re very close now to it. It’s kind of funny. It was kind of I’ll get into some of the funny stories in a little bit. I think that’s one of the questions you you mentioned you’re going to ask.

But but it’s that that’s how he came up with with the cast and or just I’m just thrilled to have everybody that was on that film.

Warren:
Every production has its own challenges and rewards. I’m curious that on your production, did you have anything funny happen on set?

Scott:
I think the funniest moment on the film was when, you know, when I approached Burke Miner about doing this film, he was very it’s a little apprehensive, but he’s like, you know, I’ll go down the rabbit hole with you, Scott. Like, I get it. And he goes, I know when you have a dream, it’s a pretty powerful thing. And he really liked the idea when we got it to film and you got out of out of the makeup trailer and walked out as Vicki the first time, his eyes about popped out of his head. We got some funny pictures of Burke with with Sue as Vicki, and he’s like, This is so surreal. And then when we were filming, you know, Jason doing Burke scenes, you know, Burke was just like, it’s like watching me.

It’s so weird, you know? I was kind of one of my favorite moments for the film. Vickie didn’t know about this film that was being made. This is done as a surprise. And and she’s surprising because now, since she has been very surprised and big is like one of the most humble people in the world, she’s like, you made a movie about me, like, why would you do that? And so she called down to the set one time while we were while we were working. And she got on the phone and Burke and Burke put it down on the speaker and she’s like, What the hell are y’all doing down there? We wish she could hear the laughter. She goes, I know you got people down there. What do you do in Bergen and Saris? Anyway, it was it was pretty funny. It was. We just had so much fun on set.

Everybody just was very, very light hearted and really enjoyed, you know, hanging out with the cast as it brought my six year old son Jackson with me. And we thought this would be an amazing experience for him to to, you know, be behind the scenes and on on the movie set and Burke and Vickie at the Wildland Fire Foundation or in the very first scene as well. And just this kind of background people. And it’s it’s kind of funny when you see again, you see Sue as Vicki come up and give Burke a hug. So I think she even says, You’re my favorite.

Warren:
So now outside of the Utah Film Festival screening on September 3rd, how can people find out more about your movie?

Scott:
So as far as how people can find out more about us on the outside, the Yarnell Hill Fire documentary will be out later next year.

It’s unfortunately a it’s a difficult subject. And it’s a hard one. So it was very refreshing to film this kind of feel good movie kind of in between. And it’s that’s a tough subject and, you know, trying to handle it very, very delicately, but also trying to tell the truth of what really happened out there by people can reach us at the into the by productions dot com and obviously we’ll be on Facebook and Instagram and all the other places as well. But I’d like to draw the attention back to the Wild and Firefighter Foundation, because this organization is just phenomenal what they do and how they help these families.

They’re funded almost entirely by the wildland fire community. These, you know, and that’s what I’m hoping that this film reaches out. Beyond that, people can understand who these wildland firefighters are. And they’re incredibly hot shots and stuff.

They put on, you know, marathons and and they’ll they’ll do golf tournaments and, you know, whatever they can to raise money for for the foundation. And they really love to see that funding come and come from America like we are.

They’re out there saving our public lands and saving our houses and and keeping us safe. If we could just have everybody can just give five, ten, 15, 20 bucks, whatever, you can do it.

This money goes to such a great cause. And how helps these guys out so much? You know, these guys, they they join and the 52 club which is a thing where you give a dollar a week and they do it because they know that they could be the next one, their family could be affected like they get it. And so, you know, this wildland firefighter community’s just they’re an amazing bunch of group and, you know, people and and what they do for for all of us, we owe them that, dad. And I hope every this movie really touches people’s hearts and and help helps people to understand what they do.

And, hey, let’s give them a hand and let’s give them a few bucks, and that can help them out. Go to their Web site of wildlandfirefighterfoundation.org they got the coolest swag I my favorite are these hoodies they’re they’re super bomb you know they got cool hats and you know and all sorts of stuff. I mean, all that money, again, just goes to goes directly to these families and helps them out. This is a lean organization. They only have about four or five staff members. They really do all this work without without a lot of.

And these guys are not compensated very much. So I know how hard they work and they really deserve your support. And, you know, it’s such an honor to do this for Vicki and she’s such a sweet soul and she’s so humble and she’s like, you did a movie about me.

Like like, why would you do that? It’s like, you’re so inspiring. She saw a need in the world, and she said, Someone’s got to do this, and it might as well be me. And how about that? Like, you know, if all of us could just be inspired by that and, you know, find our passion and find something that’s near and dear to us and, you know, take that challenge and say, you know what? I’m going to do my part and I’m going to change something in the world. I’m going to make it a little better place.

And like she says, compassion, it spreads like wildfire. You know, one good actor, you just it just has that ripple effect with everyone. So that would be the message I would want to get out there. And I hope everybody gets that with this movie.

So thank you again for the Utah Film Festival for having us. It’s been a pleasure and look forward to seeing you at the event screening. Vicki will be there as as a guest as well. And I promise you during the Q&A, I’m going to bring her up there. But she might be shy at first, but you’re probably up to the microphone out of her hands. So be ready for that. Scott, thank you so much. All right. Thank you guys so much.