Documentary First | Christian Taylor

Documentary First

Tv EN ↓ 295 episodes

The craft and business of documentary filmmaking — from people who actually do it. Documentary First is a weekly podcast for working and aspiring documentary filmmakers who want honest, in-depth conversations about how documentaries get funded, made, and seen. Hosted by Christian Taylor — award-winning director of The Girl Who Wore Freedom (25+ international awards, distributed through Virgil Films, Swank, and Canal+) — the show draws on 270+ interviews with documentary filmmakers, editors, producers, distributors, and composers across HBO, Netflix, PBS, and the independent doc world. Past gue...

Author

Documentary First | Christian Taylor

Category

Tv

Podcast website

tinyurl.com

Latest episode

Jul 2, 2026

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Episodes

Episode 119 | Time to Fly! 17.06.2021

Jeff Kurtenacker, the music composer of TGWWF, fills in for Josh Lindsay and Jason Rugg! Christian shares exciting news regarding partnering with Delta and Michelin, and even meeting with Delta Airlines CEO, Ed Bastian, in Atlanta, GA. Then, connections made during film processes are discussed and the latest stats on distribution are shared. Support us on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/DocFirst...

Episode 118 | What Happens When a Film Releases? 10.06.2021

The Girl Who Wore Freedom is out on iTunes and lots of other streaming services. We talk through reviews, strategies, cinnamon rolls, and what it's like to release a film online. We walk through the marketing plan, going grassroots, asking for ratings and letting reviews help bump the film up in the iTunes charts. The marketing wins and losses, plans for the next film, and discoverability. Then an...

Episode 117 | WWII Veteran George Ciampa Returns Again! 03.06.2021

This week, George Ciampa joins the pod for another occurrence, but first off, by the time this publishes, The Girl Who Wore Freedom film has been made available for purchase on Apple TV or iTunes as of June 1! Thanks to your support, the film has finally reached a wider audience! George tells more stories of his time at war in Germany, of being "bivouacked" and the Battle of the Bulge. The progres...

Episode 116 | WWII Veteran George Ciampa Returns! 26.05.2021

Today we’re joined by George Ciampa again, but first we need a film update. Some exciting release news for the film, in flight entertainment, and cable in Canada! And getting ready for the iTunes soft launch of the film. Then, we hear about George Ciampa’s experience at the Battle of the Bulge, and beyond. George digs in and tells us about his experience digging temporary cemeteries, the bombings...

Episode 115 | WWII Veteran, Filmmaker George Ciampa 19.05.2021

Today we're joined by George Ciampa, a WWII veteran and documentary filmmaker. But first, an update on the Delta Airlines Partnership, then we dive deep into George's history and how he became a filmmaker. We encounter some tech issues, and keep on trucking, like any podcast or filmmaker should. George walks us through his experience landing on Omaha Beach during D-Day, digging graves and the loss...

Episode 114 | Partnerships and Non-Profit Possibility 13.05.2021

This week was kinda quiet on the film front, so we talk through some of the things that happened, future plans for D-Day film screenings and the future of Christian's filmmaking career. Then Christian gives us an update on the Delta Airlines relationship and Christian's next film & Living Stories. Christian talks us through her 501c3 organization, what it means for the future and trying to keep th...

Episode 113 | Translation Deep Dive 06.05.2021

Christian gives us her usual update on the film, her experience in the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, and maybe some wins...??? Then she walks us through some of the amazing things she got to see and participate in at the festival, the connections made, and friendships forged. You'll have to listen to find out! Then, we're joined by Michelle Coupey. She's back to talk about translatio...

Episode 112 | Festival Marketing 29.04.2021

Christian's in Dubuque, Iowa for the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival! We talk through the festival activities this week, the overwhelming experience, and how the festival tried to stay COVID-19 free. Christian tells us about Dubuque's unique history, and how the festival makes use of their venues and burning cable cars. Then we get into branding, both personal and for your film, how to...

Episode 111 | Translation 22.04.2021

Today we're joined by Michelle Coupey. But first, we need an update about the Film. Christian fill us in on some interesting goings on in Wyoming, and Christian won another award, this time from a monthly film competition. Christian fills us in on new film festivals THIS WEEK, so be sure to listen in and see if you can attend. We talk through the light and dark of a distribution deal. Then, we tal...

Episode 110 | Festival Directing 15.04.2021

We're joined by Ron Tucker, director for the Beaufort Film Festival of which The Girl Who Wore Freedom was a part of last February. He has stories galore about the film world and expert advice about making it in the film business.

Episode 109 | Deliverables - Part 2 08.04.2021

*Note: Please excuse the few seconds that got clipped in the beginning, we're adjusting to our new recording software, Zencaster, thanks for understanding!    Today we have no guest! Which, feels a little weird. It's just Christian, Josh and Jason this week. In this episode, we talk about the announcement on social media of the TGWWF distribution deal, as well as the release announcement strategy...

Episode 108 | Alex Maier 01.04.2021

Today we're joined by Alex Maier, a filmmaker Christian met at the Flathead Lake Film Festival. Alex tells us about his history in hiking/backpacking, how he started making films. We talk through the technical hurdles of being an outdoor filmmaker, the advent of digital cinema, and how it changed the game. Alex tells us about Splitboarding, how he got into it, and the growing movement toward split...

Episode 107 | Electric Jesus 25.03.2021

What's a “faith based” movie? What about a “faith laced” movie? Chris White, Director, Writer, Producer, and Actor, of the film, “Electric Jesus” joins us to dig into portraying a subculture without parodying or denigrating it, and talks casting and song writing.  We talk charisma, how to hook people with an idea, and Chris shares what he's learned from making films.

Episode 106 | Tim Gray 18.03.2021

This week we talk with Tim Gray. Tim is an accomplished award-winning filmmaker with nearly 30 documentary films under his belt. He's won 5 regional Emmys. He is the founder and president of the WWII Foundation, as well as the WWII Film Festival that takes place in Normandy each year.

Episode 105 | Deliverables - Part 1 11.03.2021

This week we hear about website optimization and film deliverables! I swear, it’s more interesting than it sounds! Check out the updated “watch” page for The Girl Who Wore Freedom here: https://thegirlwhoworefreedom.com/festivals/ Then, Christian’s headed to Iowa! The film has been accepted to YET ANOTHER Festival. With a CASH prize? We dig into the financial aspect of film festivals. Then we talk...

Episode 104 | Festival Lessons 04.03.2021

We get an update on how the film festivals went, awards won, and then we get into some facts about The Girl Who Wore Freedom’s Festival run. Christian walks us through the process of entering film festivals. There are many stages, confusing titles, and work arounds. Christian recounts theater experiences, how important and rewarding it is to see/hear how your film impacts people, and how that’s mi...

Episode 103 | Behind the Strings 25.02.2021

We get an update about the film, film festivals, and we hear from Jason and Josh, who were not at all prepared for this. Christian talks us through some of the other films at the festival. Then we are joined by Michael Peroff, a filmmaker who’s film Behind the Strings dives deep into Chamber Music and the Shanghai Quartet. Michael fills us in on how he discovered Chamber Music, his history, and gi...

Episode 102 | Witness Underground 18.02.2021

Scott Homon will be the guest for this episode. Here is the link to his website if you would like to check out some of his work. https://www.bananaislandfilms.com/#1 If you would like to take a look at his film you can see it here: https://vimeo.com/467400311

Episode 101 | Michèle Phoenix - Translation Troubles 11.02.2021

Today we’re joined by Michèle Phoenix! But first, as usual, an update about film, distribution, deliverables and an update from Josh and Jason. We talk about the challenges of working on a multi-lingual film, particularly if you don’t speak all the languages. We talk through the workarounds they’ve used to live translate, and work through problems. We talk through Michèle’s history, how she came t...

Episode 100 | Party Time! 04.02.2021

It’s Episode 100, and we’ve got a whole mess of people on the show. We’ve got Jason Hoban, Jonathan Liu, Bradley Stair, and Jeff Kurtenacker! We’re celebrating 100 episodes of the podcast, and some big news for the film. We get some background on how Documentary First is made, then we dig into some exciting news! We talk through the learning experience of the film, the amazing experience of “Just...

Episode 99 | Rudy, Call Sheets and Scripts! 28.01.2021

Sandy Gordon is back! But first we have to get some updates about the film, and film festivals. 
Sandy brought some show and tell today, she brings out some scripts, notebooks, etc from previous projects. Then Sally runs down all the information included on a Call Sheet, how it’s organized and why it’s included on the sheet. Then we talk through how Rudy filled a football stadium.

Episode 98 | What is a Line Producer? 21.01.2021

Sandy Gordon is back, today we’re talking about Line Producing, the Hudsucker Proxy, and how she got involved with their production. Then we dig into line production, what is line production? How does their job affect the budget, and production? Sandy gives some great examples of how line producers help production save time and money. Sandy walks us through all the different things that go into ev...

Episode 97 | Industry Pro Sandy Gordon 14.01.2021

Today we’re joined by Sandy Gordon, Emmy Award winning producer and published author. We talk about her history in film production, how she got started, and what she’s been working on since. Sandy tells us about her first BIG break working on the movie Rudy, how she got involved in TGWWF and then enlightens us about Chicago’s tax incentive for film and TV production. Lots of stuff to learn in this...

Episode 96 | Appreciation & Anticipation 07.01.2021

In this year end podcast, we look back on what we appreciated about this crazy year and what we’re anticipating for 2021. Jason talks about being a workaholic, Josh talks about his business this year, and Christian takes inventory of her blessings. Then we dive into what we’re anticipating. Josh talks about his plans for next year. Jason talks about agents, managers, and meetings, and Christian li...

Episode 95 | Hopes for the New Year 31.12.2020

The podcast crew share hopes for the new year by thinking about the limitations, lessons, and innovations they have faced traversing the film-making and voice-over world. Also: Jason is insightful and hilarious? Find out more in this episode.

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