Hali Anastopoulo of ‘Get Me Out Productions’: The Creative Mindset That Transformed Southern Roots Into Reality Television Success

As a part of our series about Inspirational Women In Hollywood, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Hali Anastopoulo.

Hali Anastopoulo is a founder and executive producer at Get Me Out Productions, as well as the creator of the Men of West Hollywood series. Hali also serves as the creator and director for all upcoming productions, such as Get Me Out’s latest television pilot The Brokers of Charleston, shot on-location in South Carolina.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

Thank you for having me! I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina and in a large Greek family. It was an interesting mix of Southern culture and Greek heritage, but I wouldn’t have changed anything about it.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

Growing up in SC, I was always really interested in television, and when I moved to Los Angeles, I thought why not? My grandparents and great-grandparents were immigrants and I was raised in a household where you don’t judge people by class or status and that each person should have an equal opportunity. When I created my production company, I knew I wanted to display different perspectives and voices on screen.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

When we were filming “Men of West Hollywood,” every day was interesting. One of my favorite moments came when we were filming in Big Bear and after a day of shooting, some of the cast and crew went to a local karaoke bar. The locals had never seen anything like us before, and although we got a lot of strange looks, we had a lot of fun talking to locals and bringing Britney and Cher to Big Bear.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Starting a production company at 18, you make a lot of mistakes. I have learned so much from my mistakes and I remember in the beginning when we were casting for “Men of West Hollywood,” I thought because a person translated really well on video, that that is how they would be in person. On the first day of filming, I quickly learned that this is not always the case, and we ended up having to make some slight adjustments to our cast. I learned very quickly and we ended up with a great cast of interesting and diverse people.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I am grateful to so many people who have helped along the way! The first person to join our crazy team at Get Me Out Productions was Sydney K., who has been a lifeline throughout this insane journey. None of this could have been possible without her, or my family. My family has been so supportive of me and I am so grateful to them and in particular, my dad, who has been my co-pilot throughout this.

You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

My advice is to be nice to everyone and treat everyone with respect. Also, although it’s very daunting and scary to start in this industry, my biggest advice is to think “outside the box” and be creative in your approach. Never let anyone tell you, “That’s not possible, it’s never been done that way,” and push the limits of what has been done before. There is no “correct’’ path to get into this industry and my best advice is to just start anywhere. Whether it’s making short films with your friends, researching and writing a screenplay, or applying for jobs as a production assistant. Everyone has to start somewhere.

What drives you to get up every day and work in TV and Film? What change do you want to see in the industry going forward?

Recently, our newest project is a docu-series about a man who was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death row for a murder he did not commit. This project has been extremely impactful on my life and incredibly inspiring to work on. It cemented what I already knew to be true that telling people’s stories is powerful and can create real change.

You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?

I’m so excited the show that I created and directed is premiering this January!

You can watch “Men of West Hollywood” on January 20th, 2022 on Crackle TV! It’s free :)

In addition to “Men of West Hollywood” and the docu-series I mentioned, we are working on another project that takes me back to my Charleston roots and we already have the pilot done.

We are very interested in looking at diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture and our youth growing up today?

Diversity is not just a need in the entertainment industry, but a must. Diversity in front of the camera allows people to feel seen and be proud of who they are and can create impactful change that goes beyond the stories being told on screen. Audiences experience people as people who have the same experiences, loves, heartbreaks, and joys and not as stereotypes. In addition, diversity behind the camera — from hair and makeup to executive producers — is incredibly important because it allows for authentic representation.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

1. Don’t be afraid to try something that’s never been done before.

When I first got started so many people told me, “That’s never been done before, it can’t be done.” I learned pretty quickly that just because it has never been done before doesn’t mean it can’t.

2. Don’t bet against yourself.

You can do anything you believe you can do, and it’s a hard lesson to learn but if you don’t believe you can do it, then no one else will.

3. You don’t know everything, and that’s okay.

Ask others, listen, and be curious.

4. Let go of your internal clock and timeline.

I learned during the COVID-19 pandemic that you can’t hold yourself to a mental timeline. Things happen that are out of your control sometimes.

5. Listen to your gut.

I had an idea and I knew deep down that bringing the stories and lifestyles of West Hollywood to a broader audience would be interesting and fun.

Can you share with our readers any selfcare routines, practices or treatments that you do to help your body, mind or heart to thrive? Please share a story for each one if you can.

Absolutely! I believe self-care is so important and one of my favorite things to do is to incorporate it into time with friends. My friends and I love going to workout classes like boxing, pilates, and yoga. It gives us time together while doing something that is good for our bodies and minds. I also really enjoy doing infrared saunas and guided meditation which helps calm and quiet my spirit. This is so important when running your own production company!

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

I am not sure who said it but I love the quote: “If it won’t matter in 5 years, don’t spend more than 5 minutes thinking about it.”

You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I am a huge advocate for equity and accessibility. It’s one of the things I want to demonstrate in our shows, and one of our goals is to showcase to audiences that you can find relatability in people who may be different from you.

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!

Larry David. I’m obsessed with “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?

@halianastopoulo on Instagram! Also, @menofwesthollywood on Instagram, premiering on Crackle TV on January 20th, 2022!

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!