Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast

Learning about new and improved ways to navigate archaic structures in our line of business is always very interesting. So, this week, I wanted to take you on a deep dive into blockchain entertainment financing --- refined by entrepreneurs and producers Kim Jackson and Jake Craven of Breaker.io. Kim is a member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, co-owner of SingularDTV...

Today on the show we have legendary actor Lance Henriksen. I had the pleasure of work with Lance on my film Red Princess Blues: Genesis and if was a surreal experience. Lance has been in over 300 films through-out his remarkable career. He's mentored Tarzan, Evel Knievel and the Antichrist, and fought Terminators, Aliens, Predators, Pumpkinhead, Pinhead, Bigfoot, Superman, the Autobots, Mr. T, Jea...

Today on the show we have entrepreneur and filmmaker Michael D. Ratner. Michael founded OBB Pictures in 2016 and under his leadership the company has grown into OBB Media, an award winning production company and studio with divisions in film, TV, digital, podcasts, branded content, and social good. In addition to running OBB and expanding the business, Ratner continues to act as a multi-hyphenate...

Adam Schomer is a conscious filmmaker, president of i2i Productions and is known for going to extreme lengths to follow stories that empower us. Feature documentaries include THE HIGHEST PASS (2012), THE POLYGON (2014), ONE LITTLE PILL (2015). WOMEN OF THE WHITE BUFFALO (2022) and the #1 iTunes Best-Seller and NETFLIX hit, HEAL (2017). His recent docuseries is a heart pounding and spirit driven qu...

As filmmakers we all have challenges to make our films. Today's guest had to deal with obstacles that most of us would never have to. We have on the show filmmaker Tzvi Friedman and he has on heck of a story to tell. Tzvi is a writer and director based in NYC. He was born and raised in an ultra-religious community where almost all cinema was contraband. Growing up he secretly watched countless mov...

Matt Stawski is a Grammy-nominated filmmaker and director of Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Big City Adventure, an original feature-length Blue’s Clues & You! movie, premiering Nov. 18 exclusively on Paramount+. Marking Stawski’s first feature film, Blue’s Big City Adventure is a sing-and-dance-along musical spectacular for the whole family, featuring all-new songs and choreography with the show’s belov...

Terrence Martin is known for his films Holes (2003), Get Away If You Can (2022) and The Donner Party (2009). His new film "Get Away If You Can" starring Dominique Braun, Terrence Martin and Ed Harris is about a troubled married couple hope that sailing across the open ocean might bring back the spark that's been lost between them. But, their relationship is brought to the breaking point when one r...

Chad Archibald and Cody Calahan are Canadian film directors and producers known for their work in the horror genre. They have collaborated on several projects together, often through their production company, Black Fawn Films. Chad Archibald and Cody Calahan co-founded Black Fawn Films in 2007 with a focus on creating independent horror films. They have since produced and directed numerous feature...

Klaus Badelt is a renowned German composer and music producer, celebrated for his extraordinary contributions to film scores and soundtracks. Born on June 12, 1967, in Frankfurt, Germany, Badelt's exceptional talent for music was evident from a young age. With an extensive background in classical training and a deep appreciation for various musical genres, Badelt's unique ability to fuse different...

Scott Copper (Director, Screenwriter, Producer) made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with Fox Searchlight’s Oscar-winning CRAZY HEART, which he also wrote and produced. The film, which starred Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall, earned three Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Actor (Bridges) and Best Original Song (T Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham)....

Marc Forster is a German-born filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films Monster's Ball (2001), Finding Neverland (2004), Stay (2005), Stranger than Fiction (2006), The Kite Runner (2007), Quantum of Solace (2008), and World War Z (2013).His breakthrough film was Monster's Ball (2001), in which he directed Halle Berry in her Academy Award-winning performance; the film als...

Michael Damian is an award-winning actor, singer, director, writer, and producer. He first gained recognition for his 18-year run in the role of rock star Danny Romalotti on the #1-rated daytime television drama, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. On the stage front, Damian starred as “Joseph” in the Broadway production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMC...

Kevin Goetz has been at the center of what Hollywood calls the ‘movie research’ industry for more than thirty years and his position in the entertainment world is quite unique. Named one of the most powerful and influential people in Southern California by The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Goetz became one of the leading advisors, researchers, and focus group moderators over two decades before start...

Running Indie Film Hustle I hear story after story about predatory film distributors screwing over, taking advantage, and just plain stealing from filmmakers every day. I either get emails or read about them in our Facebook Group Community: Protect Yourself From Predatory Film Distributors/Aggregators .I'm so sick and tired of this. These parasites need a light shined on them. The only way we as f...

I am excited to have back on the show legendary writer, director Alex Proyas .The last time he was here, we discussed his career, working within the studio system, dealing with insane interference in his creative vision, why he was shooting short films . At the time, his movie, The Heretic Foundation , and his misadventures in Hollyweird had just been released. I've been following all the cool stu...

Alex Lehmann is the writer, director, and producer of “Acidman” starring Dianna Agron and Thomas Haden Church. He also directed the highly anticipated Black List feature, “Meet Cute,” produced by Weed Road, and starring Pete Davidson and Kaley Cuoco. A narrative and documentary filmmaker, Lehmann's films include Netflix's dramatic comedies “Paddleton,” starring Mark Duplass and Ray Romano, which p...

Steve Kaplan is a renowned comedy consultant and author of "The Hidden Tools of Comedy," a book that delves into the mechanics of comedy and the psychology behind humor. He has adapted Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey framework to comedy writing in a way that helps writers understand how to create engaging and funny stories. In Steve Kaplan's approach to Comedy's Hero's Journey, the focus is on us...

I can’t tell you how excited I am about today’s guest. I sat down with the legendary and Oscar® Winning Cinematographer Russell Carpenter ASC. Russell has been shooting blockbusters for over 40 years and has shot films like Ant-Man , xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Charlie’s Angels, The Negotiator, True Lies, Monster-in-Law and classic 90’s action flicks like Hard Target, The Perfect Weapon, and Death...

Pat McGowan is a longtime Film & Video Creator from Ottawa, Canada. As with many in the “biz”, his career started as a musician, moved into audio post and then into directing, producing, shooting and editing. Until recently Pat was the owner/operator of inMotion.ca, a video production company in Ottawa & Toronto. Pat has a passion for wildlife videography and can be found in the Canadian A...

Today on the show we have a true legend from the film business, director John Badham. John has directed some of the most iconic films in history. From the decade-defining Saturday Night Fever to 80’s hits like War Games, Short Circuit & Stakeout to 90’s action classics like Bird on a Wire, Point of No Return, Nick of Time and Drop Zone. John Badham has not only continued directing but is invol...

Ever wanted to learn the dark craft of being able to pitch your story idea successfully? Stephanie Palmer has made it her life’s mission to help people do just that. Stephanie Palmer is a former MGM Pictures executive and best-selling author of the book “ Good in a Room: How To Sell Yourself (And Your Ideas) And Win Over Any Audience ”Stephanie Palmer was the Director of Creative Affairs for MGM w...

Today's guest is a filmmaker and Filmtrepreneur Michael Gallagher. Michael is one of the co-founders of Makers Studio. Makers Studios was the largest independent YouTube network in history. YouTube channels under Maker Studios have also collectively earned over 90 million subscribers and accumulated over 1.1 billion views monthly. On March 24, 2014, Maker Studios, Inc. agreed to sell itself to The...

In this episode, we have Racer Max and Rebel Rodriguez. The sons of the legendary filmmaker Robert Rodriguez and film producer Elizabeth Avellán . Racer, Rebel, and I had an amazing conversation about what it was like being raised by two master filmmakers, what it was like to be on set, but also what they've learned along the way, what they are doing differently than their predecessors have, and t...

In today's show we have a returning champion Albert Hughes. Albert is a well-known American filmmaker. He is one half of the Hughes Brothers, a filmmaking duo consisting of Albert and his twin brother, Allen Hughes. The Hughes Brothers are known for their work in the film industry and have directed and produced a variety of films, often with a focus on gritty, urban themes. Some of their notable f...

Neil Landau is a screenwriter, author, and professor known for his work in the field of film and television. He has written screenplays for various film and television projects and has also authored several books related to screenwriting and storytelling. Some of his notable works include: "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" (1991) - Landau co-wrote the screenplay for this comedy film, which be...