This Sober Spotlight is about Ninety 90 Pictures, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit film and television production company that provides jobs and peer support to people in recovery from drugs and alcohol. They were founded by Scott Langer and Rachel Ellner in 2020 and are based out of Downtown Los Angeles.
Ninety 90 Pictures Mission
Their mission is to help people in addiction recovery achieve long-term stability through gainful employment in the film industry and connect people going through recovery to those who have been through it.
What They Do
They hire people in all stages of recovery for film projects and provide on-the-job training if necessary. Matching artists in the early stages of recovery seeking support with someone who has already gone through it. This one-on-one relationship gives someone fighting addiction to ask personal questions and get support from someone who has been there before. Creating a safe space for people in recovery augmented by having a sober set and professional support systems on location.
The Vision of Ninety 90 Pictures
When they are fully realized, they will be a production company featuring an eclectic body of work and a diverse network of people who have lived to tell the tale and are stronger because of it.
SOBER SPOTLIGHT: Scott Langer, Founder
Scott Langer is the founder of Ninety 90 Pictures. He received his BA in Film Studies from the University of Colorado-Boulder and studied Method Acting at Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City.
After years of struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, he decided it was time to get sober. Scott credits the support he received from other artists in recovery and his family with saving his life. While the support of friends and family helped get him clean- it was a combination of their support, creating art, and having a job that kept Scott sober.
Q & A with Scott
I had the opportunity to Zoom with Scott several weeks back and ask him questions about his personal journey and how Ninety 90 came to be. My usual question to start these interviews is to ask about their sobriety date. With over fifteen years of sobriety under my belt, I have heard a lot of “last drink” stories. However, Scott’s story is one I have never heard before, nor am I likely to forget anytime soon.
Let’s flashback to December 2017. Scott’s and his GF at the time moved from NYC to LA. Not long after they got to LA, they broke up and he was devasted. Now, he didn’t beg her to stay because he knew what a horrible person he was at the time. Based on Scott’s recount of this story, It sounds like he didn’t like being around himself either. We’ve all been there, right?
Scott launches into a crazy bender and finds himself on a date with someone new. Gulping his Miller Lite, his mind is on fire. Bellying up to the bar, Scott goes to get the pair another round. Two for him and one for her. It feels like every part of Scott’s body is on fire inside and out. He’s miserable and his date is rambling on about crypto currancey. Going back up to the bar, Scott decides in the middle of the date he’s done drinking and he never wants to drink again. In that exact moment, he just knew he was done. The date ended and to no surprise, he’s never seen that woman again. Scott also never took another drink.
What was it like telling your friends and family about your recovery?
Scott recounts drafting a Facebook post at 5 am, in a delusion of grandeur, that this post was likely going to break the internet. While it didn’t break the internet, he did talk about how people crawled out of the woodwork from high school and college. People you would have never expected started reaching out. It solidified why Scott wanted to get sober in the first place and he realized he wasn’t alone.
How did Ninety 90 come to be?
In the summer of 2019, Sam Quinn, Scott’s co-star in Thank You For Loving Me asked him to be the Art Director on his horror short film titled Stay Calm. There were seven people on the Stay Calm set that were in varying stages of sobriety. The set by chance and not by design, was a safe space with peer support systems in place for people in recovery.
Five days in 100-degree heat in Joshua Tree on the Stay Calm set is where Scott’s idea for Ninety 90 Pictures came from- to hire people in ALL stages of recovery for projects. By grouping those who are struggling with those firmly in recovery, it will create a symbiotic relationship that inspires and supports everyone’s journey.
The bottom line is that Scott wants to make art and hire people in recovery that also want to make art. Staffing as many people in recovery as possible from producers, directors, graphic design, make-up artists, and more to create a “sober set”. Think of it like a peer support group that travels and will be made up of all different stages of recovery.
Scott is clear on his vision and has spent over 10 months getting Ninety 90 Pictures to have 501c3 status. That’s no small feat. Currently, they are almost halfway to their first fundraising goal of $30K to fund their first project.
What is your first project?
Die Pretty, which will start filming in October of 2021 in Albuquerque New Mexico, is their first project. Die Pretty is a psychological time-jumping drugalogue that intercuts between Arin Jacobs’s Bat Mitzvah, heroin addiction, rehab, and recovery. All the while she fears that she will succumb to the curse of 33- the age her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all died at.
The curse drives her reckless behavior, aiming to satiate her self-fulfilling prophecy of dying young. In turn, Arin’s drug use fractures her life into four distinct time periods.
The script has received numerous awards already. Semifinalist in the Filmmatic TV Pilot Awards (2020), Quarterfinalist in ScreenCraft TV Pilot Script Competition (2021), and Semifinalist in the Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards (2020).
What advice would you give to someone new in recovery?
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. You will need to learn to sit with yourself, your feelings, all of the emotions, and be ok with it. Don’t wrap your identity up solely around your recovery. You don’t need to continuously keep telling everyone your story. Be confident and leave it at that. Keep things simple.
How do you practice self-care?
I run the shower without getting in the shower. I like to turn my bathroom into a steam room and sit quietly listening to music.
What advice would you go back and give your newly sober self?
It’s ok if you need to cry in the shower five times a day. It’s ok if you find yourself showering in the fetal position. You are okay.
Is there a book or person that motivates you?
Quit-Lit is not my thing. Tom B from YouTube talks a lot about emotional sobriety. Let go of animalistic instincts and manipulation and be OK with being a nice guy. Learning it was ok to be a nice guy was big for me.
What are your hopes for Die Pretty?
Honestly, I didn’t think I was ever going to get this far. Getting Ninety 90 Pictures to have nonprofit status was hard, but other people are really excited about this project. The hope is to create a TV pilot that someone wants to buy and help develop. The story was built during the pandemic after asking his current GF stories about her real life. Their inspiration came from Fleabag and they knew they wanted it to be the opposite of Euphoria.
Q & A Pop Culture Round
What’s your favorite Non-Alcoholic Beverage of choice?
Diet Coke
What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?
Catfish, the TV Series – I love this show.
Favorite Pop Culture Moment in Time?
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper performing Shallow at the Oscars
Show Your Support for Ninety 90 Pictures
They envision a world where the film isn’t just art, but an inclusive medium where addiction is not a barrier to employment, stability, and a sense of community. Your tax-deductible donation goes towards film projects where they hire people in recovery, as well as people to manage their safety and well-being.
You can also follow along with Ninety 90 Pictures on their website and on IG @ninety90pictures
SOBER SPOTLIGHT: This section of our site highlights extraordinary people in recovery. Sober small business owners doin’ their thing gives us all the feels. Who is making a difference in your recovery community? If you know someone we should spotlight please connect with us at thesobercurator@gmail.com or DM us on social media.
Sometimes life is hard. Resources are available.
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
