Tampa entrepreneur executive produces, appears in Elon Musk movie

Tampa entrepreneur Nick Friedman is no stranger to the spotlight. The co-founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving, Friedman has spent the past 21 years turning the moving company he launched with his childhood friend into a national franchise with nearly 200 locations across the U.S. and Canada. 

Now, though,Friedman is stepping behind the camera to help tell one of the most ambitious stories in modern business history: he is serving as executive producer and appearing on screen in “Elon,” a new feature film exploring the rise of tech billionaire Elon Musk. 

The film traces Musk’s journey from a young immigrant entrepreneur to one of the most influential — and controversial — figures of the 21st century. "Elon" tells the story of Tesla’s volatile early years, when the company’s survival repeatedly hung in the balance, according to a statement.

The first trailer for the film was released Thursday ahead of the film’s limited theatrical release this fall. 

For Friedman, the project represents a natural extension of his lifelong fascination with entrepreneurship. 

“What drew me to this story was the entrepreneurial journey,” Friedman says in the release. “At its core, this isn’t just a film about Elon Musk. It’s a film about conviction, resilience, resourcefulness and what it takes to pursue an idea when almost everyone tells you it can’t be done.”

The film is produced by entrepreneur and filmmaker Armando Gutierrez, who also stars as Elon Musk. It’s a story of high-stakes battles, near-bankruptcy moments, leadership conflicts and a relentless pursuit of innovation, the release says, and comes at a time of continued global interest in the man behind the business empire that is at the front of the line on artificial intelligence and innovation. 

“Whether you admire Elon Musk, disagree with him, or simply find him fascinating, it’s impossible to deny his impact on modern history,” Gutierrez says in the release. “This film focuses on the entrepreneur before the mythology — the risk-taker who repeatedly bet everything on a vision that many believed would fail.”

“Elon” features a cast of emerging actors along with appearances from entrepreneurs, creators and social media influencers, the release says. It is directed by Julien Lasseur, who has director credits on several TV shows, commercials and independent films. 

Friedman and Gutierrez previously worked together on the feature film “Bezos: The Beginning.” That film, released in 2023, chronicles the rise of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, also played by Gutierrez. Friedman played computer programmer Shel Kaphan, Amazon’s first employee. 

Friedman’s College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving was founded in Tampa in 2005 and is a full-service franchise providing residential and commercial moving, junk removal, donation pickups and labor services. The brand brings in more than $290 million in annual systemwide sales and has been named to the Inc. 5000 list for fastest-growing private companies.