Friends on the Move – Ronnie & Eddie

by Michael Westman

GED Magazine recently sat down with Ronnie Kroell, one fo the founders of Friend Movement and well known model, to talk about his new show with “Laughing Eddie” Lobo, The Ronnie and Eddie Show.

How did you two meet?

Laughing Eddie and I first met on MySpace back in 2008, directly after I finished filming “Make Me A Supermodel” on BRAVO. Being that we were both in the entertainment industry, we shared a mutual interest in the arts that kicked off our friendship. He was filming Desperate Housewives and very active with the Miss America Organization as a certified judge when my show was on TV. He had been paying close attention to my progress and was rooting for me to win, scoring me each week as if he were one of the judges! Our friendship grew from there and we realized that outside of the entertainment industry, that we both had a passion for people and making a difference in the community.

How did the idea of The Ronnie and Eddie Show come about?

Originally we were going to call the show “Friends With Benefits” (also the name of our monthly networking events) and center the plot only on our company, Friend Movement. However, we were advised by industry professionals that no one would want to watch just a feel good/do good show. Saddened by that realization, it was back to the drawing board. That’s when we received some divine inspiration!  We decided to keep our work at Friend Movement as the focal point of the show, but to spice up each episode with a bit of our personal lives in the entertainment industry — behind the “smoke and mirrors” of Hollywood.

Was your Indiegogo campaign successful? How can folks support the project (financially or otherwise)?

Thanks to our #FriendFamily rallying behind our vision, we were able to successfully raise $15,000 on Indiegogo to help bring our show to life! The funds we raised are enabling us to produce three mini-episodes of “The Ronnie & Eddie Show” for release on YouTube and also for pitching to network television. Our goal is to get the show “green-lit”, as we say in the industry, or picked up for a full season. Currently, we have created a stretch goal of $20,000 to help us put some finishing touches on the final product. We welcome our supporters to go to our Indiegogo campaign page to claim some fun perks and even to sign on as a producer of the show! None of this would be possible without the support of the community and we could not be more grateful.

What is the show’s concept? Will viewers be laughing, crying or both?

The show concept of “The Ronnie & Eddie Show” marries the feel good friendship of “Laverne & Shirley”, with the drama of our friend Lisa’s “Vanderpump Rules”, and the heart of “Extreme HomeMakeover”. Our viewers will be taken on a journey behind the “smoke and mirrors” of Hollywood to see what it really takes to make it in the entertainment industry, the challenges of building a small business, and to witness the power of friendship as we leverage our expanding network (FM Dream Squad) to bring the dreams of our viewers to life! That’s right; we want to help YOUR dreams come to life.

Any show about Hollywood will have celebrity appearances… who can we watch for in upcoming episodes?

Absolutely! Our work in Hollywood has given us opportunities to make friends of all different shapes, sizes, genders, races, religions, sexual orientations, abilities and more. That also includes celebrity friends that really believe in and support shifting the conversation from “anti-bullying” to “pro-friendship”. We don’t want to give away too much, but I think you’ll notice some of the celebrities that we’ve worked with in the past like Lisa Vanderpump, Bruce Vilanch, Lance Bass, Tim Gunn, Adam Lambert, LeAnn Rimes, Michael Rooker, Frenchie Davis, Karamo Brown, and more will be stopping by to say hello.

Tell us more about “Friend Movement” and how our readers can participate.

Whenever you are against something, you give it power. SO, at Friend Movement we’ve decided to be for FRIENDSHIP! We are committed to exploring what it truly means to be a friend to ourselves and others through art, media, and education. At the end of the day, bulling can be defined as “Hurt people, hurt people”. When we do not know how to love ourselves, or we have endured abuse (physical and/or emotional), we are more likely to lash out at others around us (they become victims.) It’s important to realize our energy is contagious, both positive and negative, but ultimately it is our choice to decide which one we wish to fuel and pass along.

For example: 

When someone cuts you off on the expressway, we can choose to get angry and bring that energy into the office and hurt someone else inadvertently, or we can chose to let it go. Of course it is easier said than done, but the first step to living friendlier, happier, and healthier lives is recognizing our conscious and subconscious patterns of thought.

Your readers can also participate by taking time to reflect on bullying situations of their past, choosing to forgive their bullies (and themselves), and committing to being a better friend each day. When we purposefully set aside time to figure out how to practice self-care and build ourselves up, we then become more authentically ourselves and our self-confidence is boosted. When we go about our day with a renewed sense of self-confidence, self-love, and compassion for our fellow human beings — healing and peace becomes possible.

Last, but certainly not least, we welcome your readers to check out our website at, www.friendmovement.com, follow us on social media and to add the word “FRIEND” as their MIDDLE NAME to keep the conversation going, and of course they can contribute to one of our many growing community out-reach programs like “Friendly Meals, feeding the nearly 60,000 homeless individuals in the greater Los Angeles area each month.

What is YOUR version of the Hollywood Dream?

Our version of the Hollywood Dream is one that recognizes that we all have talent to share, that there is room for all of us to reach our goals, and that by supporting one another along the way — we all win! Group success, collaboration, and having one another’s back are so important in Hollywood. Yes, it is Show Business and there will always be an element of competition, but let’s make that competitive nature with ourselves rather than with others. Let’s commit to cultivating a more diverse, inclusive, and classy Hollywood of days gone by. Artists have always been the ones to touch hearts, shape minds, and to help our communities improve. We not only have the exciting job of entertaining people, but we also have the responsibility to educate and lift others up by creating quality programming.

Everyone has a hidden talent… what’s yours?

Well, let’s just say that I speak for both Laughing Eddie and myself when I say – we are like Dorothy on the streets but like Blanche in the sheets. However, I’m not one to gossip, so you ain’t heard that from me. Shhhh, our little secret . . .