The Art of Film Funding

Send us Fan Mail Dana Protsyshak is the founder of Dana Productions, the LA Vertical Drama Market, and Vert-I-Go Media, a vertical drama platform designed with creators and community in mind. Grant application: https://fromtheheartproductions.com/roy-w-dean-film-grants-and-awards   Join our new educational platform From the Heart THRIVE and get free classes on film funding: https://fromtheheartpro...

Send us Fan Mail Apple TungFong is the founder and CEO of CineLot, a technology platform designed to connect the many stages of the film-festival process—from submissions and judging to programming, screenings, filmmaker communication, and opportunities beyond the festival. Today, through CineLot and its partnerships, Apple is also helping bring professional film-identification and content-protect...

Send us Fan Mail Garrett Patten is a versatile actor, director, and filmmaker known for his work on Self Custody . As an active force in the West Coast creative community, Garrett builds projects at the intersection of independent film, visual storytelling, and contemporary culture. He explores narrative depth both in front of and behind the camera, bringing fresh creative energy and strong indust...

Send us Fan Mail Today we have an important conversation about one of the most critical aspects of film funding.  Your trailer.  This is by far your most important funding asset. Our guest today is Carole Joyce, Vice President of From the Heart Productions and Director of our Roy Dean and the Carole Dorothy Joyce Grants. Carole has the unique opportunity to see over 500 trailers a year from applic...

Send us Fan Mail Description :  Today we're talking with Simone Pero, an Emmy-nominated producer and the founder of For Impact Productions. Simone helps mission-driven artists move beyond traditional funding models and build real ecosystems of support around issue-driven work, through her signature Artists for Impact™ cohort program. She's also a sought-after public speaker and writer on...

Send us Fan Mail Our guest today is Carole Joyce , Vice President of From the Heart Productions and Director of our grant programs, including the Roy W. Dean Grants and the Carole Dorothy Joyce Grants . Carole has the unique opportunity to see grant applications from the other side of the table. She knows what makes an application memorable, what causes an application to lose momentum, and what fi...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we are talking with Irina Chernikina, producer/director/writer, about one of the most important—and often misunderstood—roles in independent filmmaking: the producer. What does an independent producer actually do? How does a producer guide a film from its earliest development through production and post-production? The Film Funding Group event takes place Thursday, 8-6-26 a...

Send us Fan Mail Over more than 30 years, Xackery Irving has produced hundreds of hours of nonfiction programming for The New York Times Television, History, and National Geographic. For his work on Brace For Oblivion , he was granted the p.g.a. mark by the Producers Guild of America. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Employment Committee of the Producers Guild of America. Join our new educat...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a neighborhood asks for one dangerous street to be made safer—and discovers that the fight is really about power, money and who gets to shape the future of a city? Stay with us as filmmaker Ben Wolf reveals how he transformed that battle into his feature documentary directing debut, Changing Lanes . www.changinglanesdoc.com Join our new educational platform From...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we are speaking with award-winning documentary filmmaker, writer, and storyteller Betsy Murphy . Her documentaries have screened at international film festivals and appeared on Hulu, Showtime, and Amazon Prime. Her projects have also been featured in The New Yorker , The New York Times , The UK Sunday Times , The Huffington Post , The Washington Post , and Sports Illustrate...

Send us Fan Mail Alternative ideas for Outreach distribution for the documentary,  Third Degree Burnout – A Survivor’s Guide . In 2020, Nivi Jaswal-Wirtjes lost her father to COVID-19 while struggling through her own burnout after 15 years in high-pressure global marketing and strategy roles across consumer packaged goods, life sciences, and media. That dual reckoning — grief and exhaustion — beca...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we're delighted to welcome Jessica Wrabel , a versatile and respected actress and producer with more than two decades of experience in television, film, and theater. Today we'll discuss Jessica's journey as a producer, how she financed her film, the unique opportunities, and challenges of faith-based filmmaking, and what she's learned about bringing an i...

Send us Fan Mail Deborah Patz’s book, Film Production Management 101 , has become one of the industry's most respected resources and is often described as the “essential roadmap to the business side of production.” The newly updated third edition covers everything from budgeting and scheduling to respectful workplaces and sustainable production practices. Deborah covers important producing sk...

Send us Fan Mail Rae Shaw is a Black female writer-director whose work has been evolving to stretch the boundaries of how Black women see and are seen in the world. Her work concentrates on lifting the experiences of Black women and women of color by telling stories that dimensionalize us in spaces that have sought to diminish, exploit and punish us through stereotypes. Her screenplays have won ho...

Send us Fan Mail Check out our new educational platform From the Heart THRIVE! This platform brings together all of From the Heart’s Courses, Classes, Services and Resources in one convenient central hub. Learn more and sign up at https://fromtheheartproductions.thrivecart.com/from-the-heart-thrive/ Use Coupon Code AFFPOD10 for 10% anything in the platform.  Today, we’re talking about the next evo...

Send us Fan Mail Joanne Butcher has shaped the careers of more than a hundred independent filmmakers as a Consulting Producer, helping them navigate the business realities that define success in the industry. Her deep experience in fundraising and distribution has supported the completion and release of dozens of feature films, and she has been directly involved in bringing over 25 features to scr...

Send us Fan Mail Carole Dean interviews her daughter, Carole Joyce — a two-time Telly Award–winning producer and Vice President of From The Heart Productions. With decades of experience helping filmmakers develop, finance, and promote independent films, Carole Joyce has guided countless projects from idea to screen and has become a respected mentor within the independent film community. Together,...

Send us Fan Mail Jon has been at the forefront of independent film for decades. Today, we’re diving deep into what it really takes to get your film seen—and how to survive and succeed in a very challenging distribution landscape. Jon Reiss is a filmmaker, author and media strategist who wrote the book Think Outside the Box Office. His company, 8 Above, creates custom audience-building strategies,...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine being able to understand your audience before you even shoot your first scene… to test your story, evaluate casting choices, and anticipate market performance—all from your script. That’s no longer science fiction. It’s happening now. Benjamin Schnau is a multilingual actor, producer, host, book author and public speaker native in English and German plus conversational Fre...

Send us Fan Mail This is a revolution to budget making. If you want to learn how to budget your film with the newest program that will save you hours and be accurate, listen to these two brilliant, intelligent line producers Stephen Marinaccio & Matthew Cuny, Co-Founders of Cinematic Apps who took years to create and share this new way to budget your film. Learn More!  Line Budgeter: linebudge...

Send us Fan Mail From PBS broadcasts to grassroots theatrical screenings, Mike has built a career defined by independence, impact, and a deep belief in cinema as a communal experience. He has worked across productions that have been screened at major festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, Cannes, and Toronto, and has been a driving force behind the independent film movement in upstate New York. Wh...

Send us Fan Mail Danielle Guilbot is an Austin-based actress and film-tech entrepreneur.  She is the founder of TexasFilmScene.com : the Texas Movie Operating System . TFS is a clearinghouse connecting producers, crews, and talent with everything they need to bring productions to Texas — from firsthand producer insights and crew resources to a full breakdown of the state's film incentive prog...

Send us Fan Mail AI is no longer something on the horizon. It’s already here, quietly reshaping how films are developed, produced, edited, and even distributed. But with that power comes critical questions—about ethics, authorship, and the future of creative work itself.  In this episode, we’re not just talking about what AI can do—we’re exploring what it should do, and how filmmakers can stay ali...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we’re diving into one of the most powerful opportunities emerging right now—branded content. What if your film could be funded not by waiting for a studio or investor… but by aligning your story with a brand that shares your message and your audience? What if branding wasn’t a compromise—but a creative partnership? Our guest, Johann Garcia, founder of BrandedStrea...

Send us Fan Mail Jonathon Smith is a writer, director, and producer whose work spans independent film development and forward-looking conversations about the evolving film industry. Known for his thoughtful approach to storytelling and production, Jonathon has been actively exploring how emerging technologies, shifting studio structures, and new distribution models are reshaping opportunities for...