2 Fast 2 Francis

Synopsis

Aaron speaks at GitHub Universe to three staff members looking at their phones. Years later, he launches High Performance SQLite to 100,000 viewers—and Gmail blocks their domain mid-launch. Customers are buying, but their emails aren't arriving. $79K in four days. Keep doing the work, even when no one's watching.

The Humbling

GitHub Universe. San Francisco. The outdoor garden stage.

Aaron stands at the microphone, giving everything he has. Passionate gestures. Genuine energy. The talk he's rehearsed a hundred times.

Three people sit in folding chairs. Staff members. One scrolls through email. Another checks Slack. The third isn't even pretending to watch.

He keeps going anyway.

"I've spoken at conferences where literally no one came. You just do the work anyway."

The Grind

The apartment studio. The pegboard wall. Another Tuesday.

Aaron stares at the screen. 87 video thumbnails. MySQL for Developers, High Performance SQLite, screencasts, tutorials. Months of work compressed into a grid of rectangles.

His finger hovers over PUBLISH.

One more video. Then one more. Then one more.

"You just keep showing up. Keep doing the work. Eventually something clicks."

The Launch

Launch day. High Performance SQLite. The livestream goes live.

Aaron watches the viewer count climb. 10,000. 25,000. 50,000. 100,000 people watching. Sales notifications ping. It's working.

Then Steve's face changes. He refreshes his browser. Refreshes again.

"Gmail blocked our domain."

The words hang in the air. Half their customers use Gmail. They're buying the course—but the confirmation emails aren't arriving. No emails, no access. Thousands of dollars in sales, and customers can't get what they paid for.

Aaron keeps the stream going. Steve starts troubleshooting. The chat fills with complaints.

"Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. But we figured it out."

The Vindication

Four days later. The apartment studio. Quiet now.

Aaron and Steve stare at the screen. The number glows back at them:

$79,244

Four days. From three people in folding chairs to this.

"Keep doing the work, even when no one's watching. Especially when no one's watching."

Cast

• Paul Rudd as Aaron Francis: Our hero who keeps showing up, whether the room is empty or packed.

• Andrew Garfield as Steve Tenuto: The partner who rushes in during crisis and celebrates in triumph.

Credits

• Directed by Gustavo Karkow
• Casting by Gustavo Karkow
• Screenplay by Claude
• Edited by Gustavo Karkow
• Character Design by Claude & Gemini
• Story based on real life events from Aaron Francis
• AFCU* Appellation courtesy of Mary Perry

Aaron returns in Fast and Francis: Dallas Drift.