Indie Film Hustle® - A Filmmaking Podcast

Being a podcaster now for over 600 episodes I've heard all sorts of stories on how people make it in the film business. From Sundance darlings to blind luck. Now today's guest story is easily one of the most incredible and entertaining origin stories I've ever heard. We have on the show today award-winning director, producer, and screenwriter, Sacha Gervasi. Sacha won the screenwriter lottery with...

Today on the show we have legendary independent filmmaker and Oscar® nominated screenwriter John Sayles. John Sayles is one of America's best known independent filmmakers, receiving critical acclaim for films including Eight Men Out (1988), Lone Star (1996) and Men with Guns (1997). He's also written screenplays for mainstream films such as Passion Fish (1992), Limbo (1999), The Spiderwick Chronic...

Television editor and author Gael Chandler is on the hot mic today.  Most of you may know by now that I started out in post as an editor. Anytime I have another editor on it’s like sailors recalling old battle stories, which are always very entertaining. It is a whole other world when a director says, ‘CUT!’ to the final scene and the elves of film production, EDITORS, get to work.  While I am cur...

Our guest today is the well-regarded screenwriting lecturer, story consultant, and eminent author, Robert McKee. Reputable for his globally-renowned ‘Story Seminars’ that cover the principles and styles of storytelling. I read his book years ago and refer to it often. I discovered McKee after watching the brilliant film Adaptation by the remarkable Charlie Kaufman. Kaufman literally wrote him into...

If you have ever been interested in directing television or a series on Netflix then this is the episode for you. Today on the show we have legendary television director Dan Attias. Dan has worked as a director in the film and television industry for 37 years. As a director of series television he has received the Directors Guild of America award for outstanding direction of dramatic television an...

Today on the show we welcome back to the show Jonathan Wolf, Executive Vice President of the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA®) and Managing Director of the American Film Market (AFM). The American Film Market is the most efficient film acquisition, development, and networking event in the world. Unlike a film festival, AFM is a marketplace where production and distribution deals are c...

HALLOWEEN BONUS from my other show Bulletproof Screenwriting. Today on the show we have screenwriter and director Jeffrey Reddick, who is best known for creating the highly successful Final Destination horror film franchise. The franchise has grossed over $650 Million world-wide. Not bad for an idea that was first conceived for an X-Files episode. Jeffrey also co-wrote the story for, and executive...

HALLOWEEN BONUS from my other show Bulletproof Screenwriting. I am extremely excited to have on the show today a fellow podcaster, established producer, director, and writer, Mick Garris. Mick’s podcast, Post Mortem with Mick Garris, dives deep into the devious minds of the greatest filmmakers and creators of your worst nightmares to bring their distinctive visions to life in fascinating one-on-on...

In the house, today is the iconic screenwriter and director, of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Shaun of the Dead and Blockbuster hit, Baby Driver, Edgar Wright. Edgar has been on the scene making and writing satirical genre films, while also acting for almost thirty years.  He’s here today to talk about his most recent and upcoming film, Last Night In Soho. It is set for release on October 29, 2021,...

Today on the show we have writer, director and actress Carlson Young. Carlson is the creator of the new film The Blazing World. Decades after the accidental drowning of her twin sister, a self-destructive young woman (Carlson Young) returns to her family home, finding herself drawn to an alternate dimension where her sister may still be alive. Through an epic journey down the darkest corridors of...

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 stuf...

I read an article the other day about a filmmaker who spent the better part of a decade trying to finish a movie due to unforeseen circumstances and spiral depression. I was immediately intrigued because that's part of the package that this line of work comes with that we don't talk about as much.  So, I brought on the award-winning filmmaker and writer Lucas McNelly to talk about his movie, Upcou...

It was a pleasure having today's guest on because, as a self-proclaimed hustler, I recognize another when I see one, and for the best part of his career, Joseph Alexandre has hustled hard in this line of business.  My guest today is director, writer, and producer Joseph Alexandre. He is most known for films like The Starck Club Documentary-The Final Cut, Back Home Years Ago: The Real Casino, and T...

I'm excited to talk to a fellow low-budget independent filmmaker today.  Granted, he does low-budget films on a completely different level than I or most people do at this point. But if we are going to talk about budget filmmaking, it is only fitting to have expert horror film and television producer, Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions.  Our chat sort out knowledge gems on Jason’s mentality behin...

The legacy of the crime drama television series, The Sopranos remains a defining art of storytelling for mob TV shows. We have the genius behind this hit TV series, David Chase as our guest today.  As expected, Chase is a twenty-five-time Emmy Awards-winner, seven times Golden Globes winner, and highly acclaimed producer, writer, and director. His forty-year career in Hollywood has contributed imm...

I am pleased to have on the show this today, the gracious Rebecca Eskreis.  Rebecca has had a thrilling path to her dreams of filmmaking. Now a director, writer, producer, teacher, and film consultant whose projects have been recognized by huge platforms like SXSW, TIFF, SIFF, deadCenter, Savannah, Munich, Stockholm, and film Thessaloniki festivals, she’s surpassed her childhood dream. Last year,...

Today, we are going to be talking all about one of my favorite topics; how to raise money to get our films made. I think every filmmaker wants to know how to make or get money for their films. But it becomes very challenging. My guest is an expert fundraiser, film financing consultant, facilitator, and author, Morrie Warshawski. He’s facilitated a lot of fundraising throughout his 35 years career...

My guest today has done it all. He’s gone from cinematography on small-budget indie films to $200 million-plus projects which is literally goals for many in this line of business.  Director and cinematographer, Shane Hurlbut's thirty-plus experience and success as a storyteller is categorically innovative to the craft and inspiring for other filmmakers. Shane's latest film Love Hard is set for dig...

The Purge franchise is one of the most iconic dystopian action horror series of all time and the man behind it, James DeMonaco is not stopping anytime soon. Jame is our guest today and even though we talk a great deal about the various Purge films he’s either written or directed, which are all fan favorites, we start off with his most recently released film, This Is The Night, that was digitally r...

Today, my guest is a prolific cinematographer, accomplished photographer, and member of the American Society of Cinematographers, Dean Cundey. Dean rose to fame for extraordinary cinematography in the 1980s and 1990s. His early start was working on the set of Halloween.  Dean is credited as director of photography on five Back To The Future films and Jurassic Park. The Halloween slasher franchise...

After 500 episodes I need a break. To celebrate this insane milestone we are flipping the script. Many of you in the IFH Tribe have asked me to have someone interview me on the show. So I asked my long-time friend and current IFH Show appearance record holder (he's been on the show 13 times) writer, producer, actor and [REDACTED] come in and take hosting duties for me. [REDACTED] and I sit-down to...

Ever since I saw District 9 and learned of all the mythical stories behind the short film becoming a  feature, I have been a massive fan of today’s guest, Neill Blomkamp. Though Neill is here today to talk about his new sci-fi horror fiction film, Demonic, we also chatted up about his other films that have been successful over the years. Released in August 2021, Demonic follows a young woman who u...

It’s always way fun to have a guest who is also a fan of the show. This week’s guest is definitely a member of the tribe. We chatted up pre-interview about some of his favorite IFH podcast episodes and I knew front hen on we were on for a treat. My guest today is award-winning writer, director, and producer, Chris Sparling. Chris has written some of Hollywood's most original and fascinating screen...

This week I brought on the show, playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor, John Pollono.  I wanted to go down the road a little bit about his remarkable journey in the business which expands across theatre and short films.  John is one of the founders of the Jabberwocky Theatre Company in 2004 which became the Rogue Machine Theatre in 2008 where he produced his earlier plays. His big break ca...

Back in 1981, the action-adventure movie Raiders Lost Ark was a fan favorite for many. But the ultimate fans were a teenage trio who kind of took it a little bit further. At age 12 and 11, in the summer of 1981, our guest today, director, Eric Zala, and friends devoted what turned out to be seven years of their childhood to shooting a shot-by-shot adaptation of Steven Spielberg’s, Raiders of the L...