Indie Film Hustle® - A Filmmaking Podcast

Today on the show we have writer/director Alejandro Montoya Marin. He had the pleasure of being selected to be a director on Robert Rodriguez's Rebel without a Crew Television Show. If you've been following me at all over the past three years you'll know how much of a fan I am of Robert Rodriguez (check out How to Make Rodriguez's Guacamole Gun). Here's some info on the show. Armed with a ridiculo...

Today on the show we have Neil Ames from Distribber. Neil is the Netflix Yoda over at Distribber. He's been working with Netflix since before they were a streaming juggernaut. I wanted Neil to come on the show and pull back the curtain on the inner workings of Netflix. We discuss: What Netflix is looking for? How to submit an indie film to Netflix? How does Netflix decide what to license? What you...

We are here! Episode #250! I can't believe we got here. I'm humbled that the IFH Tribe has allowed me to continue this show for almost three years now. I wanted to do something special for episode #250 so today I'm going to talk about The Secret to Making Money with an Independent Film. After being a part of over 60 features films and studying hundreds more I've noticed a few things that filmmaker...

Today's guest is Carole Kirschner. Carole was at CBS Comedy and then hired as Vice President of Steven Spielberg’s first Amblin Television. During that time, Carole heard more than 3,000 pitches, bought hundreds of scripts, and was involved in developing dozens of television series. In all, she probably read about 5,000 scripts. She created the CBS Diversity Institute Writers Mentoring Program, wh...

Today's guest is producer Major Dodge. His new film Bomb City is quite frankly...da bomb (sorry I couldn't help myself). Here's some info on his film. Bomb City is a crime-drama, about the cultural aversion of a group of punk rockers in a conservative Texas town. Their ongoing battle with a rival, more-affluent clique leads to a controversial hate crime that questions the morality of American just...

In over 240 episodes of the Indie Film Hustle Podcast,​ I have never tackle one of the most important topics filmmakers need to know...AUDIO. Understanding sound is imperative if you are going to become a successful indie filmmaker. Today on the show we have Matt Davies and Rich Bussey from Studio Unknown. We discuss how to capture good audio, the entire sound post workflow and finally sound deliv...

Today on the show we have color master Ollie Kenchington. Ollie is a filmmaker, editor, and colorist. He has released an amazing new course called Directing Color. The course focuses on the use of color not only in color grading but also on-set. Since I've been a colorist for over a decade I know the importance of color and want to share that info with the IFH Tribe. Ollie's company, Korro Films,...

Today on the show we have director Caleb Price. Caleb has directed a great documentary called Connect. Here's a bit about the film. In a social media-centered world, the smartphone​ has become a cultural rite of passage for kids. But is that rite all wrong? With six teens, Kirk Cameron fully understands this dilemma. So he went to the experts and what he learned will enlighten, challenge, and enco...

Many of you know I have an obsession with Tommy Wiseau's horrible masterpiece The Room. The joy I have when I watch is something that can't put into words. So when I ran into Robyn Paris, she played Michelle in The Room, I lost my mind and completely fanboyed out. If you don't know about The Room check out the trailer for The Disaster Artist, the film about the making of the worst film ever made....

How to Make Money as a Filmmaker I always get asked, "How to make money as a filmmaker or can you make money as a filmmaker?" The short answer is yes, of course, you can but will it be easy, HELL NO! What's a filmmaker to do? I've been able to develop an over 20-year career making money as a filmmaker. So if I can do it you can too. In this podcast episode, I go into details on all the money makin...

On today's episode, I'll be giving you a sneak peek of producer Suzanne Lyons' new course Indie Film Producing Masterclass. This is part one of two so enjoy this look inside the best selling indie producing course. How do you legally option a screenplay? What are the agreements you need? Suzanne goes over everything you need to know in this episode. Enjoy! Here's some info on the course: Have you...

I had the pleasure the other night to see two of my inspirations speak on stage. Mark and Jay Duplass or as they are known The Duplass Brothers, were at a book signing for their new book, Like Brothers, and gave an awesome talk about how they got started, playing the Hollywood game and making​ up your own rules. Many of you know that the Duplass Brothers are the reason why I got off my ass and mad...

Today's guest is Heather Hale, author of How to Work the Film and TV Markets: A Guide for Content Creators. Heather Hale is a film and television director, screenwriter and producer with over 50 hours of credits. She is currently under contract to direct an indie romantic comedy. She directed, produced and co-wrote the million dollar feature Absolute Killers (2011) which was marketed by distributo...

Today we have a special crossover event between The Indie Film Hustle Podcast and The Bulletproof Screenplay podcast. Since I’m the host of both podcasts I thought it would be fun and educational to do these kinds of episodes every once in a while. Today’s guest is best selling author K.M. Weiland, the author of Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author’s Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot...

Have you ever wondered if you could actually make money making short films? Take it from the guy who made over $90,000 selling a short film, yes you can (click here to hear that story). Today on the show we have the founder of the world's largest short film distribution company SHORTS International, Carter Pilcher. Carter Pilcher founded Shorts International in 2000. Coming from a background in bo...

If you are fans of episode  IFH 088: Why Filmmakers are Always So Damn Broke & What They Can Do to Change It, then you are going to love this one. I wanted to put together an episode as a wake-up call for the IFH Tribe. I wanted to scare the hell out of you a bit but in a good way. So many people talk about their dreams and so few actually doing anything about it.  This episode is hopefully the ki...

We have a very special episode of the Indie Film Hustle podcast today. Our amazing guest is Qasim Basir, co-writer, and director of the Sundance 2018 hit film A Boy. A Girl. A Dream. The film stars Power‘s Omari Hardwick and Meagan Good is the story of two people who meet in Los Angeles on the night Donald Trump is elected President of the United States. The film was just picked up by Samual Goldw...

Today on the show we have film editor Lawrence Jordan. Lawrence is a veteran feature film and television editor who has worked with many of the top creatives at the world’s largest entertainment companies, including Time Warner, Sony, Fox, MGM, HBO, Netflix, and Disney. He has supervised creative aspects of the post-production process on over 45 feature films and television shows with budgets rang...

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. Check out his current demo reels below.     John Badham has not only continued directing but is involved with some of the most cutting-edge television s...

Today's guest is bestselling author and creativity expert Jeff Goins. In this episode, he dismantles the myth that being creative is a hindrance to success by revealing how an artistic temperament is, in fact, a competitive advantage in the marketplace. For centuries, the myth of the starving artist has dominated our culture, seeping into the minds of creative people and stifling their pursuits. B...

  Today we are going to discuss Test Screenings. Are they a waste of time? How do you handle comments and criticisms? Who do you invite to test screening and how do you perform a proper test screening? I have a group of five types of creatives I like to invite to see rough cuts of my films. Director Writer Cinematographer Editor Producer In the episode, I go deeper into how to handle critiques and...

How to Engage an Audience Before & After You Make Your Indie Film Today's guest is Kia Kiso, co=producer of the hugely successful indie film Mile… Mile & A Half. Kia and her team where case studies in last weeks guest RB Botto's book Crowdsourcing for Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd because of the amazing job they did crowdsourcing. Check out the trailer below. In an epic snow ye...

So today on the show we have returning champion RB Botto from Stage32.com. RB has been on the show six times. Between film festival panels, interviews, and  Sundance. He's always a favorite of the IFH Tribe so I thought it was time to bring him back. He finally finished writing his remarkable new book Crowdsourcing for Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd. Here's some info on the book...

Today’s guest is screenwriter/podcaster Ashley Scott Meyers from Sellingyourscreenplay.com. Ashley is a working screenwriter in Hollywood. He also spends his time running a popular screenwriting blog and podcast. His focus is on helping you sell your screenplay. Here’s a bit of his philosophy in his own words: If you ask 100 different screenwriters how they broke into the business you’re going to...

Today's guest is Adam Rifkin. Adam Rifkin is a Writer/Director whose eclectic career ranges from family comedies to thought-provoking indies to cult classics. Most recently, Rifkin Wrote and Directed THE LAST MOVIE STAR, a poignant drama starring screen legend, Burt Reynolds, Ariel Winter and Chevy Chase. The critically acclaimed film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival where it was bought by A...