The world is filled with people telling you that you can’t do something or you can’t do it your own way. Screenwriter and producer Art D’Alessandro has ignored those naysayers and in the process, bucked two Hollywood trends.

First of all, he does not live in Los Angeles, and he’s over 50.

His most recent project is the movie, The Final Season, starring Sean Astin and Rachel Leigh Cook. It’s based on a true story about a small high school baseball team.

Art talked to Growing Bolder about brining his vision to the silver screen and how he deals with the long, painful pre-production process.

Plus, he talked about what he learned about perseverance and patience, lessons he learned during the nearly 15 years it took to get his movie, She Drives Me Crazy, onto television.