Indie Film Hustle® - A Filmmaking Podcast

Robert McKee, A Fulbright Scholar, is the most sought after screenwriting lecturer around the globe. He has dedicated the last 30 years to educating and mentoring screenwriters, novelists, playwrights, poets, documentary makers, producers, and directors internationally. Those who have learned from McKee have called him "the Aristotle of our time" because of his insight into the substance, structur...

Naomi Beaty is a screenwriting teacher, screenplay consultant, and former development exec with 10+ years in the entertainment industry. Naomi is based in Los Angeles, CA. She has worked on American productions and on projects in Taiwan and Australia, including the feature film "Ghost Boy", based on the novel by award winning Australian author Felicity Pulman, produced by Morning Starr Productions...

This successful American screenwriter of comedies, many of which are remakes or adaptations of novels (i.e., "Brewster's Millions" 1985, "Pure Luck" 1991), had worked in collaboration with Timothy Harris. The Wisconsin-born Herschel A. Weingrod and his British-born partner have generally met with commercial approval for their efforts like "Twins" (1988) and "Kindergarten Cop" (1990), both of which...

Tom Schulman graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Philosophy. He studied at USC Graduate School of Cinema, with Jack Garfein at the Actors and Directors Lab, Los Angeles, and with director Joan Darling. He directed the Actors’ Studio first west coast production, Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker. Tom wrote Dead Poets Society for which he received an Academy Award for best original scree...

Today on the show we have returning champion the legendary Linda Seger. Linda and I discuss her new book You Talkin' to Me?: How to Write Great Dialogue. We do a deep dive into how to write great dialog. Here's a bit about the book. Unlike the chitchat of everyday life, dialogue in stories must express character, advance the story, suggest a theme, and include a few memorable lines that audiences...

On today's show, I'm going to discuss screenwriting scams that ALL screenwriters should be aware of and avoid at all costs. It never surprises me how predatory people can be with screenwriters and filmmakers in this business. I did an episode exposing ways screenwriters can get screwed on writing assignments. I do a deep dive into each of the following scams in the show. The Free Option - Optionin...

Today on the show we Pen Densham. Pen is a successful award-winning screenwriter, producer, and director, with an extensive track record in film and television. He is responsible for writing and producing some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, such as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Backdraft, Blown Awayalong with some of its longest-running television series including The Outer Limits. Starting...

Fast-talking and feisty-looking John Leguizamo has continued to impress movie audiences with his versatility: he can play sensitive and naïve young men, such as Johnny in Hangin' with the Homeboys; cold-blooded killers like Benny Blanco in Carlito's Way; a heroic Army Green Beret, stopping aerial terrorists in Executive Decision; and drag queen Chi-Chi Rodriguez in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everythi...

Today on the show we have returning champion Karl Iglesias. His last episode is one of the most popular shows ever in the history of the podcast. I wanted to bring him back to dig deeper into his thoughts on writing for emotional impact and breakdown the essential elements of every good story. Karl Iglesias has been a writer for over 20 years now with varying degrees of success — an option here, a...

Marcus Dunstan’s screenwriting with his partner, Patrick Melton, include such horror films as FEAST 1-3, SAW IV-V-VI& SAW 3D THE FINAL CHAPTER, PIRANHA , GOD OF WAR, FINAL DESTINATION 6, and SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK. Marcus Dunstan’s directing credits include THE COLLECTOR, THE COLLECTION, THE NEIGHBOUR, BLUMHOUSE’S PILGRIM and this summer’s BLUMHOUSE PRESENTS: UNHUMAN.Dunstan is a pr...

Today's guest is screenwriter and Hollywood script doctor Peter Douglas Russell. I wanted to go deep into the back alleys of what Hollywood script doctors actually do in the business. Peter's conversation was eye-opening, to say the least. Peter Russell sold two television pilots in 2017. He enjoys working on projects both as a ghostwriter and as a consultant.  And he can both write and teach what...

Simone Bartesaghi is an Italian award-winning filmmaker who has been recognized by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producer) as an artist with "Extraordinary Ability in Directing”. At the age of 24 Simone received his Master’s Degree in Economics at the University of Pisa, Italy. Three years later he established a successful Consulting Comp...

Today on the show we have author Jennifer Dornbushwho has written the book Forensic Speak: How to Write Realistic Crime Dramas. We sit down and discuss all things forensics. We even discuss the impact of the OJ Simpson case on the world of forensics. Here's a bit about her amazing book. Crime stories have always intrigued viewers and storytellers. Today, crime shows rule the airwaves and there is...

Corey Mandell is a screenwriter and screenwriting instructor known for his work in the entertainment industry. He has worked as a screenwriter, script consultant, and writing coach. While he may not be as widely recognized as some Hollywood screenwriters, he has gained a reputation for his expertise in helping aspiring screenwriters develop their skills and craft. Corey Mandell has offered various...

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...

Today on the show we have screenwriter, Eduardo Cisneros. He began his screenwriting career in his home country of Mexico. Working on countless television series including Saturday Night Live: Mexico. His career took an upward trajectory when he began working with one of the biggest comedy actor/writer/producer and director in the Latinx world,  Eugenio Derbez. Eduardo help develop the massively s...

So insane and talented Australian filmmaker Mark Toia is back to tell us how he made millions of dollars self-distributing his remarkable debut, Monsters of Man. After getting offered bad and predatory distribution deals, he wondered if there was another way. Enter my book Rise of the Filmtrepreneur: How to Turn Your Film into a Money-Making Business. When I wrote my book Rise of the Filmtrepreneu...

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 like Ed Burns and Joe Carnahan 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...

This week, I invited author, writer, and director, Jamie Nash on the show to discuss his ‘Save The Cats Writes for TV’ formula in his new book, Save the Cat!® Writes for TV: The Last Book on Creating Binge-Worthy Content You'll Ever Need. Jamie is a horror and children’s film screenwriter with fifteen years of experience writing projects for  Nickelodeon, Liongate, Discovery, Amazon Prime, Netflix...

Today on the show we have returning champion author K.M. Weiland. I wanted to bring her back on the show to discuss her new book Writing Your Story's Theme: The Writer's Guide to Plotting Stories That Matter . Enjoy my conversation with K.M. Weiland. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support .

Today on the show we have screenwriter and script doctor, John Winston Rainey. John is the co-author, along with legendary script consultant Linda Seger , of the book  You Talkin’ to Me?: How to Write Great Dialogue . John has written 25 screenplays of which 3 have been produced and 10 have been optioned. He has been a script consultant since 1989 and is the author of Screenwriting Style That Sizz...

Today on the show we have screenwriter, consultant, and studio executive, Jeff Willis. Jeff has been in the film business for over 15 years as a writer and executive working on films like Avengers: End Game, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther to name a few. Around 30 minutes into the show we begin to discuss the business of screenwriting and more importantly what screenwr...

Today on the show, we have Greg Gertmenian, who is the Head of Script Analytics and Film Development at Slated. He is also the co-inventor of the Script Score, the only screenplay evaluation tool proven to accurately predict good films. Helped arrange to finance of films like SUPER TROOPERS 2, DEEP MURDER, CRUISE, AT FIRST LIGHT, GOD BLESS THE BROKEN ROAD, BECOMING, and WHAT BREAKS THE ICE.Prior t...

I always wondered how someone would get into the video game writing business. Today's guest is screenwriter/game development guru Robert Denton Bryant and he answers that question and so much more. Robert Denton Bryant has worked in Hollywood in marketing and production, and in video games as a publisher and a developer. He has been Executive Producer on dozens of games on platforms ranging from C...

After many requests, I decided to finally tackle the dreaded query letter. I bring back to the show screenwriter, author, and IFH Academy instructor Geoffrey Calhoun. Below Query Letter Checklist and a few areas, we discuss in the episode. No Snail Mail Do Your Research Address the Letter to Individuals, not "To Whom It May Concern" It's about the script, not you! Be Casual but not too casual Cut...