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Mid‐Year Rewind: Wins, Lessons & Late‐Night Soundtracks
46 films, 7 albums, 1 secret project... here’s my 2025 halftime highlight reel.
Corey Lightner
August 01, 2025 • Estimated Read Time: 6 minutes
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
Summer is taking its final lap around the playground. It’s that time of year again. But before we breeze past it, let’s pause and reflect on crossing the halfway point of 2025.
March: Kicked off Prod. 101 workshops, relaunched 98&UpToDate, and shared my Monday‑morning happiness hack.
April: Started casting for a secret project 🤫, leaned into creative risk, and saw Sinners in theaters… multiple times.
May: Binge‑watched Forever on Netflix and hit pause to reflect with purpose.
June: Went all‑in on secret project production, skipped the newsletter, and watched the best BET Awards in years.
July: Found a social‑anxiety life hack, won a public‑speaking award, doubled up on DC + Marvel movies, and celebrated 3 years in LA.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming with some updates for you.
👇️ 👇️ 👇️ 👇️ 👇️ 👇️ 👇️ 👇️ 👇️
NEW SPEC AD COMING SOON 😉The secret project is not so secret anymore. It’s officially in its glow‑up phase. We wrapped filming, and the first cut has already made its debut to a group of USC alumni for story feedback. They dropped some helpful notes, so we’re finessing the edit before locking it, adding color, on‑screen text, and all the finishing touches that make it shine. Stay tuned—she’s almost ready for her close‑up. |  THE CREW!….well, most of us. |
Feature Story
SOMETHING FOR THE PLANNERS
Some of you already know I quietly launched an Etsy shop this year—and it’s officially stocked with two templates I swear by:
The Creative Rolodex – A clean, digital Rolodex to keep track of your collaborators, vendors, and creative contacts so you never lose a name (or an opportunity) again.
The Weekly Creative Schedule – A simple but powerful planner to map out projects, deadlines, and content without the chaos.
I designed these for my own workflow first, and they’ve saved me from countless “Wait…who was that lighting guy again?” moments. If you’re a creative who juggles people, projects, and ideas, these tools will help you stay organized—and honestly, they make the process kind of fun.
Check them out here and let me know if they level up your workflow. I’m always down to hear how other creatives use them!
P.S. The Prod. 102 workshop curriculum is officially finished! It even walks you through how to use one of my templates—and yes, you’ll get that template free with your sign‑up. We’re kicking things off very soon, aiming for 2–4 workshops in August (a mix of 1–2 remote and 1–2 in‑person sessions). Stay tuned!
COREY’S CORNER
Believe it or not, we’re about 5 months away from 2026! If you feel like time is flying, remember to change up your routine. When things are the same, time speeds up. Small pattern disruptions slow down time. With that in mind, these weeks finds will reflect on the best of what I’ve found so far in 2025.
Favorite Tune To Tune Into: So far, 7 albums have made my 2025 favorites list—earning their spot by slapping on at least half the tracks, with bonus points for heavy replay value. This year’s winners: If Not Now, Then When (Joe Kay), Unreleased (Blxst), Swag (Justin Bieber), Entries (Mack Keane), Fuck A Friend Zone 2 (Jacquees x Dej Loaf), Eternal Reverie (Tokimonsta), and 13 Months of Sunshine (Amine).
They all orbit a smooth, late‑night R&B and alt‑soul vibe—relationship stories, quiet ambition, and after‑dark energy with global and electronic textures. Basically, the soundtrack for coasting through the city at night, equal parts chill and self assured. Drop your recs if I’m missing something.
Stream-Worthy Selection: I’ve been on a movie streak this year, trying to keep up with my record of 100 films. Currently we sit at 42 films (76 hours!) and counting. Instead of shows, I’ve been diving into the big screen, and a few favorites have truly stood out (full list here). So far, the Goofy Movie documentary takes the cake. Still on my 2025 watchlist: Knives Out 3, Wicked for Good, Zootopia 2, Roofman, The Long Walk, and Highest 2 Lowest. Do any of these make your most anticipated watch list?
Something Stimulating, Shocking, or Silly: “The bigger your goals become, the better the who’s you’ll need.” That gem comes from one of three books I’m currently reading. A friend recommended it, so I dove in (via audiobook). The narrator’s voice? Slightly annoying. The insights? Surprisingly solid. Worth a listen if you’re curious.
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