Indie Film Hustle® Podcast: Filmmaking | Screenwriting | Cinematography | Film School | Film Production | Independent Film

We all tell ourselves negative stories. I'm not good enough. I can't write that. I can't direct a feature film. These stories are killing us day in and day out. It took me 20+ years to finally change the story I was telling myself about being able to direct a feature film. When I finally changed that negative story I was able to make This is Meg, self-distributed it and even sold the film to Hulu and overseas. Once you change the stories you tell yourself you will change your life. In this episode, I do a deep dive into the negative stories we tell ourselves as filmmakers, screenwriters, and creatives. Buckle up. There are a TON of truth bombs in this episode! 

What if someone could read over 12,000 scripts that were read by professional script readers, who gave the scripts an overall score as well as scores for specific factors including plot, dialogue, characterization, theme, and voice. Then looked for connections and correlations to discover what professional script readers think a good screenplay looks like. Well, today on the show I have that man, Stephen Follows.It's a monster of a report -- 65 pages to be exact -- that examines data from over 12,000 screenplays - mostly written by amateurs, but some of them written by professionals and major Hollywood actors.  Using rigorous data analysis methodologies, Stephen and his team found some fascinating correlations.  Stephen Follows is an established data researcher in the film industry whose work has been featured in the New York Times, The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Mirror, The Evening Standard, Newsweek, The New Statesman, AV Club, and Indiewire.He acted as an industry consultant an

Today on the show we Sven Pape. Sven is an A.C.E. Award-nominated editor who cut for James Cameron, Mark Weber, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and James Franco. We get into the weeds on editing, storytelling, the business of editing and much more. Oh, did I mention Sven worked with James Cameron for three years? We definitely​ go into that. Sven Pape's YouTube Channel This Guys Edit is an awesome resource for filmmakers and editors alike. Enjoy my conversation with Sven Pape.

In this episode, we discuss proving your doubters wrong. Proving to yourself that if you have a dream and you have some hustle then damn it you can do it. Why are people so scared of your success? We get into it. Enjoy!

Every week I'll be posting new videos as part of my Weekly Motivation Series to help the #IFHTribe along their filmmaking or screenwriting path. We all need some help, guidance, motivation or inspiration on our long journey in this crazy business so I hope these video help in a small way.If you like this please share it with your friends and inner circle. Keep on hustling and never give up on that dream!

Are you a bitter and angry filmmaker? Do you hate on other filmmaker's success? Be honest! Then I hate to tell you but you are a Hater. On this episode, we dive into the mindset of being a bitter and angry filmmaker. I was bitter for most of my filmmaking career. Every time a new, young filmmaker would come into my edit suite with their $3 million indie film I'd say to myself... "Why did he get a shot? I'm as good as him. I've been busting my ass for years and no one is giving me any chances. This is some BS!"It took me years to break free of that mindset. It was only hurting me and my filmmaking career. This episode might be the cold bucket of water over your head that you have been needing. Getting ready for it. And if you are not that bitter and angry filmmaker then please share it with that bitter filmmaker in your life cause we ALL have one of those in our circle of filmmaking friends. Enjoy.

Have you ever had a near-death experience that changed the direction of your life? Today's guest has. Mike Pecci is a filmmaker with a unique path. With over 18 years of experience, Mike has cemented a name for himself not only as a photographer and music video director but as an abstractly edgy filmmaker who is undeniably devoted to the art of storytelling. His characters are the faces of his work - passionate, emotional, and distorted stories are the basis for some of Mike's most well-received films.His ability to touch audiences through his films is a credit to his commitment to understanding humanity. The work has an emotional quality that can both frighten and pull you in, playing off the darkest chasms of the human condition. ​Mike's story is inspirational, to say the least. I also love the aesthetics of his work and his ability to produce INSANE sizzle reels for films he wants to pitch.He also has a bit of cult status for directing a Punisher Fan FIlm that Marvel shut down. You can find out more about

Today on the show we have returning champion Ben Yennie. Been has the honor of being the very first guest I ever recorded for the IFH Podcast. He is a wealth of information so get ready to take some notes. As Founder and CEO of Guerrilla Rep Media, where I've gotten distribution deals for more than 8 films, that will soon be appearing on Starz and other major outlets across the globe.Ben is also the Founder and Executive Director of Producer Foundry, as well as Producer of more than 50 events on film finance and distribution.  He's worked with people like Lew Horowitz, the inventor of Indiefilm Gap Financing, Jeff Dowd, Executive Producer of Blood Simple, Fern Gully, and inspiration for “The Dude” from the Big Lebowski. Ben co-founded Global Film Ventures, screened business plans and advised the Film Angels and is the former chapter leader for the San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Vancouver Chapters of the Institute for International Film Financing.  And screened business plans for the Film Angels.Ben

Every week I'll be posting new videos as part of my Weekly Motivation Series to help the #IFHTribe along their filmmaking or screenwriting path. We all need some help, guidance, motivation or inspiration on our long journey in this crazy business so I hope these video help in a small way.If you like this please share it with your friends and inner circle. Keep on hustling and never give up on that dream!

For anyone who wasn't able to make it out to my talk at the Chinese Theater a few weeks ago you are in luck. I recorded it LIVE so I could bring it to the IFH Tribe. If you want to watch the talk check out the video below but if you are on a commute or can't watch it sit back and enjoy my velvety voice, well just enjoy. The talk is about how not to follow your filmmaking dream. The mistakes I made and why I sold my soul to the devil to make my filmmaking dream to come true. I go in deep on my story from Shooting for the Mob. I speak about things I never discussed in public before so you are in for a treat. I hope this helps a few of the IFH Tribe out and serves as a warning of what NOT to do. Here some info on the book that inspired my talk.A bipolar gangster, a naive, young film director, and Batman. What could go wrong? Alex Ferrari is a first-time film director who just got hired to direct a $20 million feature film, the only problem is the film is about Jimmy, an egomaniacal gangster who wants the film to

Today on the show we have directors Megan Petersen & Hannah Black. They are the winners of the Seed and Spark/Duplass Brother Hometown Heros Contest. Here more about this remarkable contest.Join us for an opportunity to have your feature film executive produced by Duplass Brothers Productions, Salem Street Entertainment, and UnLTD Productions and be eligible for a total of $50,000 in no-interest loans for your narrative or documentary feature. Whether you’re from a small town, the suburbs or a special corner of a major city, now is the time to bring your hometown-centered story to the screen.Their film is called DROUGHT.Join Sam, her Autistic brother Carl, estranged sister Lillian & friend Lewis, as they try to navigate life in a small town. It's 1993 and the south is in the worst drought in history but Carl is fascinated by weather. Hoping for a better life, they steal an ice-cream truck to become storm chasers.We sit down and discuss all things indie film, what it was like to direct this film while

Every week I'll be posting new videos as part of my Weekly Motivation Series to help the #IFHTribe along with their filmmaking and/or screenwriting path. We all need some help, guidance, motivation or inspiration on our long journey in this crazy business so I hope these videos help in a small way.If you like this please share it with your friends and inner circle. Keep on hustling and never give up on that dream!

Today on the show we have the legendary Linda Segar. Linda was one of my first ever interviews back when I launched Indie Film Hustle and her episode is by far one of the most popular ever. Here's some info on our lovely guest.In 1981, Linda Seger created and defined the career of Script Consultant. She based her business on a method for analyzing scripts that she had developed for her doctoral dissertation project. Since then, she has consulted on over 2,000 scripts including over 50 produced feature films and over 35 produced television projects. Linda was the consultant for Peter Jackson’s breakthrough film, Brain Dead and for Roland Emmerich’s breakthrough film, Universal Soldier.She was the script consultant on Pasttime and Picture Bride–both winners of the Audience Favorite Award at the Sundance Film Festival–as well as for the films The Long Walk Home, The Neverending Story II, Luther, Romero, and television movies and mini-series including The Bridge, the Danish-Swedish mini-series (now playing in the

Today on the show we have 17-year-old scriptwriter and filmmaker Jonathan Perry who directed a large budget short film titled SUBNIVEAN which will debut on Amazon Prime June 12, 2019, making Perry the youngest director on any streaming service. I know, it's crazy.After filming SUBNIVEAN in December of 2018, Perry and his team of producers wrote a nine-page appeal which was submitted to Amazon. Amazon accepted Perry’s appeal and formed a partnership with Perry. Perry’s partnership with Amazon includes the release of SUBNIVEAN on the Amazon Prime streaming platform, as well as coverage of select advertising costs. Additionally, Perry partnered with EDM band ODESZA for promotional sound mixing.Once offered a large sum of money for his script titled SUBNIVEAN, Perry decided SUBNIVEAN may be his golden ticket into directing his first large budget feature film. Perry, still hard at work on SUBNIVEAN, doesn’t plan on taking any breaks after the Amazon release. Recently, Perry has signed with a Hollywood director and

Seriously, on today's episode, I get RAW and REAL with the tribe. This is by far one of the most impactful episodes I've ever recorded. Truth bombs will be dropped. Hearts may be broken. The purpose of this episode is to force you to confront some real and raw truths about your filmmaking journey. My hope is to help you not turn your filmmaking dreams into filmmaking nightmares.These are questions that I have asked myself on multiple occasions. These questions have helped me refine and sharpen my filmmaking dream. I hope it does the same for you. Prepare yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you. = )

Today we have a very special episode of the Indie Film Hustle Podcast. My guest is coming from an undisclosed location somewhere in Los Angeles. His code name is BORIS: The Cinematographer. We changed his voice and image for his protection. Boris was my cinematographer on the film I almost directed for the mob. I met him while prepping the infamous feature film discussed in my book Shooting for the Mob. If you want to learn more about the story of the book take a listen to this podcast. (http://indiefilmhustle.com/shooting-for-the-mob-alex-ferrari/)I asked Boris, an industry-recognized cinematographer if he would be willing to do an interview on his experience working with Jimmy the gangster, the craziness that happened all those years ago and what it was like being in the center of that filmmaking tornado with me.Boris jumped at the chance but he asked that we change his voice to protect his identity. He doesn't want to put himself out there at this time. Trust me you are going to love this episode.Boris let

Today's guest is Paul Dudbridge, author of Making Your First Blockbuster: Write It. Film It. Blow it Up! Paul Dudbridge is a British director, producer, cinematographer, ​and educator, making feature films, television, commercials, and music videos. Paul started producing at the age of 11 when he roped in his father to shoot his first short film. When the resulting footage didn’t match up to what he had seen in his head, Paul decided to go behind the camera himself, and from there the whole notion of making films; directing, scripts, shots and angles started to come about. With over 20 years of​ experience in the business, Paul has numerous film and television credits to his name. His first broadcast credits include producing and directing ITV’s The Christmas Storybook, featuring legendary actor Joss Ackland, as well as directing music promos for MTV. His work as a cinematographer includes the action thriller By Any Name based on the best-selling book by Katherine John. As a producer and director, he helmed t

Today I wanted to discuss the concept of "Fake it till you make it. There are a lot of misconceptions on how to do it properly, when you should or shouldn't do and if it's ever a good idea. I can tell you that without faking it till you make it I wouldn't have gotten anywhere in the film business. Without creating opportunities for yourself it can be impossible to get a leg up in the business.“You must be the person you have never had the courage to be. Gradually, you will discover that you are that person, but until you can see this clearly, you must pretend and invent.”― Paulo CoelhoI discuss the proper way to fake it till you make it without hurting yourself, your reputation or anyone around you. There is an art to it, trust me. I tell Fake it till you make it stories from my own career, Oscar winners and the mythical story on how Steven Speilberg got his start. Guess what, he faked it too. This will be an eye-opening episode. Still back and enjoy.If you find value in this episode please share it with some

Today's show is going to be EPIC. Our guest is Matthew Helderman, CEO, and Co-Founder of Buffalo 8 and the BondIt Company. Buffalo 8 operates seven core divisions: development, production, post-production, distribution, client management, marketing, and creative branding services with accolades from the Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, Tribeca, and SXSW festivals.At Buffalo 8, Matthew is endlessly passionate about creative storytelling, media technology, and the business of entertainment in equal quotients; we are the fusion of entrepreneurial ethos and quality content creation with a unified ambition to provide first-class service. With a background rooted in media production, finance, and digital technology he leads the team of both businesses on a daily basis.We get DEEP into the weeds on how to raise money for indie films, how to approach investors, what companies like him are looking for and so much more. I learn a ton for this conversation and I know you will as well. Get ready to have your mind blown.Enjoy m

Today on the show we have an amazing and inspirational story from filmmaker and entrepreneur Antonio Pantoja. Antonio is an​ Indie Film Hustle School graduate, as he puts it. He has been listening to the podcast since the beginning and has used everything he has learned​ to build up his career and finally direct his first feature film One Must Fall.Antonio's story is one of the most inspirational stories I've had on the show. Coming from being homeless on the streets to building up a production company, photography business and directing career. He personifies H U S T L E.He is proof that if you have the will, positive mindset and the hustle you can make anything happen for yourself in life! If you need some motivation or inspiration then take a listen to this interview.Enjoy my inspirational conversation with Antonio Pantoja.