1994: Baby's first headshot.

The year I met Mr. Burns

⏰ URGENT:** Screening registration closes in 24 hours!

Final spots: Oct 26 @ 4:30 PM PT / 6:30 PM CT / 7:30 PM ET

One of the central ideas behind Golden Wings is that life meets you where you are. It all depends on your mindset about how you choose to greet it, which is a challenge for all of us.

That truth has followed my family for generations. My grandfather created the Boeing 747 training program, never knowing his daughter would one day serve as one of the first flight attendants on that very aircraft. My mother chose to go to rehab to save her life and her career. I chose to live freely and openly after being outed at sixteen.

Life keeps showing up, ready or not. It asks who you are in that moment and how you'll answer. Sometimes the answer is just showing up, even imperfectly.

This week, life showed up with its whole damn circus.

Between preparing for Sunday's screening, juggling my day job, and (because apparently I needed more character development) taking Meta to small claims court over my hijacked Facebook account, I was already at my limit. I did all the prep work, organized every paper, put on my best suit. The confidence to wear it like armor came from years of speech tournaments with Mr. Burns: State finalist, Nationals competitor, thank you very much. I showed up thirty minutes early at Stanley Mosk Courthouse.

Standing there in that suit, wearing the same confident posture Mr. Burns drilled into me through countless weekends of competition ("Look good, look like you belong"), I discovered my case was actually in Beverly Hills.

Getting my unceremonious continuance until January 8th, perfectly dressed for the wrong venue, I actually laughed out loud. Here I was, using everything he taught me: the preparation, the presentation, the presence. Just in the completely wrong place. "45 years old,an I can't read a fucking summons," I thought. "Mr. Burns would absolutely love this."

Mr. Burns: The coach who taught us to BUST OUT

Mr. Burns was a a TRUE MENTOR to me and many others during our formative years.

He was a legend in my life. I would spend every day after school with him, weekends too, all those tournaments where he taught me to walk into any room like I owned it. There were often times when I would see him more than I would see my own parents.

Why Mr. Burns Changed Everything

Mr. Burns reshaped lives through simple truths:

Half of success, is looking the part.
Believe in yourself and others
Lead with gratefulness and humility
"BUST OUT" of limitations

But his real motto, the one we all carried with us into every round, was simpler: "BUST OUT." Bust out of prelims, bust out of semifinals, bust out into finals. Make them remember you were there.

He wouldn't discriminate against anyone. If you came to him and told him you wanted to be on the team and were willing to work hard and put in the effort, he would have you. And if you did the work and listened to his advice, success followed. If you believed in yourself, then he believed in you.

That spirit shaped me. He taught me that you don't have to compromise who you are as a person to become successful. Leading with your unique abilities will get you far. It took me years to learn that lesson, but it's one that still guides me every time I step onto a set, into a courtroom (even the wrong one), or in front of an audience.

Mr. Burns was taken at only sixty-one. Life meets us where we are, and I know he was thinking about his kids when he went into hospice. He sent my mother a message before he passed, asking her to tell "the kids" he loved them.

I know he meant my sister and me, but also every student whose life he touched. I know that in his final moments he was still cheering all of us on. Its both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

Robyn Stewart’s First Headshot July 2025

He created a culture of belief and belonging. We were all rooting for one another, and he was rooting for us. That's a rare kind of leadership, and it's the kind that stays with you, whether you're placing at Nationals or showing up at the wrong courthouse in your best suit.

One thing that breaks my heart is that Mr. Burns will never get to see Golden Wings. I know he would have loved it. He loved my mom. They were close and continued to be close throughout the years. He would have been proud of her story and the way I tell it. He was a storyteller himself, and I think he would have recognized the same spark he always tried to light in his students, that same "bust out" energy he taught us to bring to every performance.

This is one of the reasons why I decided to start doing virtual screenings, because I felt like not enough of the people I know and love have gotten to see it yet. So this Sunday's virtual screening will be in his memory. There are still a few spaces available if you'd like to come.

Caleb Mills Stewart, director of Golden Wings

If he could speak to me now, I know exactly what he would say: "Hey, you've got a screening on Sunday. You don't have time for any of this. And next time, double-check the courthouse address, but good job on the suit. Now get moving. You've got work to do. BUST OUT."

So I will. Because that's what he taught me: to keep showing up, to meet life as it meets me (even at the wrong courthouse), and to keep working toward something that matters.

Thank you, Mr. Burns. Godspeed. You taught me that legacy isn't about titles or trophies. It's about how deeply your voice keeps echoing in the lives of others, even when they're lost in Beverly Hills, wearing their best suit, fighting trillion-dollar companies over their digital existence.

*Author's Note**

This Sunday's Golden Wings virtual screening is dedicated to the memory of Mr. Burns, my beloved high-school speech coach and lifelong mentor. His belief in preparation, gratitude, and authenticity shaped who I am as a filmmaker and as a person. Every frame of this film carries a trace of what he taught me: to tell the truth, to show up with heart, and to meet life exactly where it meets you. Even if that's the wrong courthouse.

⚠️ LAST CHANCE
Registration closes TONIGHT at 4:30 PM Pacific
Oct 26 @ 4:30 PM PT | 6:30 PM CT | 7:30 PM ET

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Mr. Burns and why honor him?

My high school speech coach whose "BUST OUT" philosophy shaped Golden Wings. He taught that authenticity beats perfection—a lesson vital to the film's message.
⏰ Screening registration closes TONIGHT at:
Oct 26 @ 4:30 PM Pacific | 6:30 PM Central | 7:30 PM Eastern
→ Claim Your Spot Before Midnight

What is Golden Wings about?

A true story of intergenerational resilience: my grandfather's Boeing 747 legacy, my mother's recovery journey, and my path as a gay filmmaker. Embodies Mr. Burns' truth: "Life meets you where you are."
Explore more on my filmmaker blog.

How did Mr. Burns influence your filmmaking?

He taught me storytelling is about authenticity, not perfection. Just as he had us "bust out" of prelims by being uniquely ourselves, Golden Wings shares raw family stories to inspire others. See his classroom legacy:

A retro style logo featuring the film title and an AmericanAIrlines 747

When Life Meets You at the Wrong Courthouse: A Tribute to Speech Coach Mr. Burns