EP105: Brothers on Three

In this episode of the WPAOG podcast, we sit down with West Point graduates Brian Anthony  ’01 and Sean Mullin ’97, filmmakers and former Army officers,  to explore the making of their new documentary Brothers on Three. The film captures more than a championship rugby season; it’s a story of resilience, identity, and brotherhood at West Point. Through the lens of the Army Rugby team, the film examines leadership under pressure and the power of trust, commitment, and love within a team.Brian Anthony is a West Point graduate who served in the U.S. Army from 2001 to 2010, including as a Ranger and Special Forces Green Beret. Today, he’s a screenwriter whose credits include CW’s Kung Fu, Constantine, The Night Shift, and Station 19. His comic book short Terps was featured in the SOLDIER STORIES anthology for Veterans Day 2022. Sean Mullin, also a West Point grad, served as an Army officer in Germany before finishing his service as a Captain in the New York Army National Guard, where he led soldiers at Ground Zero after 9/11. He later transitioned into filmmaking and comedy, building a successful career as an independent director and producer.Listeners will hear how Sean and Brian translated their shared experience on the rugby field into a powerful film narrative, the emotional revelations captured during filming, and the surprising leadership outcomes among Army rugby alumni. They also discuss the challenges of independent documentary filmmaking, from funding to field logistics, and reflect on the evolution of West Point’s culture of masculinity and emotional strength. The episode is a behind-the-scenes look at a deeply personal and cinematic tribute to the long-lasting bonds formed at the Academy.Give us your feedback by taking our short survey__Key Quote: ”One of the more kind of impressive stats that came out during filming, the typical West Point cadet has a 1% chance of getting promoted to the rank of general officer. But if you play rugby, you've got a 3% chance. So that's a 300% Delta, which is a massive Delta statistical anomaly. It's not even close, not double, it's triple. And I'll be honest with you, I started crunching more numbers, it's probably higher than three. So I feel confident saying that we've been, we've had a couple guys just get promoted recently, too. It's an incredible thing, and that was definitely something we wanted to investigate with this film is what's in the sauce. Why is that? I do feel like that's not just in the military chain of promotions. I do feel like also in the civilian world, you see a lot of business leaders and you see a lot of entrepreneurs who have a rugby background because again, there is a certain element of risk to this sport. And I think that translates well into people who maybe metabolize risk in a different way in the business world.” -Sean Mullin, Class of ’97__Episode Timestamps:(01:20) The Message Behind Brothers on Three(05:45) The Long Road to Making This Story Happen(08:30) Discovering Unexpected Moments of Brotherhood(14:20) Community Reactions and Premiere Plans(21:40) The Surprising Stats Behind Rugby and Leadership–Links:Find where Brothers on Three Playing Near YouConnect with SeanConnect with Brianhttps://www.westpointaog.org/news/podcast-from-ground-zero-to-hollywood-director-with-sean-mullin-97-award-winning-filmmaker/. We’d love your feedback—take a minute to complete our short podcast survey and help us make future episodes even better!