If you're not catfishing someone for romantic reasons, then it's going to be hard to sympathize and be compassionate with someone who is doing it for revenge, who's doing it for fun and games, who's doing it because they want to be on TV.Collection: Romantic
I put a lot of time and energy into studying the art of filmmaking, but I hadn't put a lot of energy or time into the art of learning how to manage people.Collection: Learning
I often wonder if I should adopt a cause to call my own or start tweeting inspirational messages. And when tragedy strikes and the world takes to social media, is it now my responsibility to respond with #RIPs and #prayfors?Collection: Inspirational
I think people throw the term 'sociopath' around a lot without knowing what it means - but people who don't understand that what they're doing is mean and wrong and cruel, they need to be made to understand that.
No one has it easy, and to some degree, everyone feels lonely and powerless, which may cause them to make hurtful decisions.
I think with social media and Instagram, people are able to see what's over the fence of everyone else, and it all seems within reach.
'Catfish' is a great project that we have a blast doing, and it's really fun and at the zeitgeist in the world - certainly in the U.S., hopefully in the U.K. and I imagine the rest of the world. Being at the centre of this discussion and this subject has been really incredible as both a filmmaker and someone who likes to participate in pop culture.
Trump's hate-filled rhetoric, blatant chauvinism, mean bullying, and open admiration of authoritarian rulers are more than just hints of what's to come if he is elected.
I worry about revealing too much of my life on my Instagram posts.
The truth is complicated, and few people are actually monsters.
I was actually cyberstalked twice.
I mostly get noticed in shopping malls, airports, red states. The Cheesecake Factory. I am more likely to get stopped in San Antonio or Oakland than in New York or L.A.
When I say I'm famous, I'm not kidding myself. I know my place in the celebrity kingdom - right at the bottom next to reality-show contestants, local politicians, and day-players on 'Law & Order.'
As fame becomes more democratized, we might all have to start struggling with the powers, anxieties, and responsibilities of being a minor celeb.
What's easy to forget once you're minorly famous is how nerve-racking it is to walk up to someone famous and interrupt them. When I'm taking a picture with a fan, it's not uncommon for their hands to be shaking or for me to feel their heart pounding through their rib cage. But the best part is how easy it is for me to make someone's day.
Most people who recognize me don't even know my name. They just yell out ''Catfish!'' or 'Where's Nev?' or sometimes just 'Nev!'
When you make a movie with a lot of music in it, you can't always put all the songs onto the soundtrack. They just don't all fit.
I am a huge Sublime fan, and I think their music immediately puts you in SoCal when you listen to it.
I have long been a fan of Holy Ghost! and think they've got the best dance grooves around.
I love bridge-and-tunnel characters. In some respects, they have a chip on their shoulders, but they're proud of where they're from. They're fun and colorful.
Getting everyone on the same team is a form of hustling.
I grew up in New York City. We used to diss Long Island and Jersey. Every big city has its own suburb like that.
'Trainspotting' is among my favourite films of all time.
I love the tradition of male coming-of-age films like 'Saturday Night Fever' or 'Mean Streets' or 'Go.' I love those films that work music into those stories.
One thing we see a lot is this - the idea kids have now that they don't have to go to college. They don't have to get a real job. They feel they can become 'Internet famous' by taking selfies. They think they can become a star through social media. We see that a lot. You can succeed. But it takes time and persistence.
Those elements that make 'Catfish' so interesting to watch, elements of deception and mystery, make any movie or any piece of content exciting to watch. It makes characters complex and interesting.
What I like so much about Vero - the app and the community - is that it offers the perfect venue to share my work and myself with like-minded, curious people and without the negativity and hate that can come in other online forums.
As someone who's been a filmmaker and an editor, I was wary of being on camera.
The safest person, sometimes, is a stranger on the Internet who lives in a different place. If they're a daily source of support and advice, no one really wants to lose that once they have it. If they know deep down that the person they're talking to isn't exactly who they say they are, it's not worth finding out.
I don't know why we have this shame about obesity, but it's kind of a good thing that we have this shame about obesity - we shouldn't accept the fact that everyone is obese.
We've had Obama for eight years, who, to me, is a model of integrity, sensitivity, empathy. He's wise, he's patient, he maintains his composure, and I would have voted for him again.
In documentaries, the process is that you film a lot of things, and out of what you've shot, something organically reveals itself, and there's a discovery process.
I was an English major.
Book stores drive me insane because I know that I will never be able to read everything I want to in my lifetime.
The thing I really love about 'Saturday Night Fever' is that the movie is a gritty drama. Most people just remember the amazing, whimsical fantasy dance scenes, but then, when you watch it again, it's raw.
Even bros have depth, complexity, and emotion.
I feel like there are probably more films about white male friendships than almost any other types of movies.
I'm from New York City. I grew up in the city. Suburban life was very odd to me.
For basically three years, I was doing 'Catfish' and 'We Are Your Friends' at the same time - it was like straddling two very long-term creative marriages. And when you're in a long-term creative commitment, you tend to daydream and fantasize about smaller creative flings that you want to have.
When it comes to creating a product or running a company, you need to prioritize the goal of the company or the creation of the product over and above every personal interaction you have.
I'm a fairly neurotic person.
The things I'm making for Vero are very pure. They're from my point of view, and I'm not pulling any punches.
I don't know why so many people seem upset about the fact that Nev Schulman and I are so against Trump.
There is a lot of sadness in America.
When you grow up Jewish, you are exposed at a very young age to the phenomenon of anti-Semitism and its extreme manifestation in the Holocaust. I spent a lot of time as a little kid wondering how something like that could happen.
As the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, our president is more than a list of policies. They set the tone of our national character.
We've seen the worst that human beings are capable of. We've seen what happens when leaders abandon common decency in favor of rage and hate. Through the lens of history, the Holocaust happened yesterday, the civil rights movement was this morning, so we are not as out of the woods as we might have thought.
No one believes that they're a bad person at the end of the day.
We all have excuses. We could all take all of the things that have happened to us over the course of our lives and use them as excuses for being cruel to others.
If you live in a big city, and you're surrounded by people, you're way more in touch with humanity than you would be if you lived in a very remote area and just spent all day long on the computer.