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

Have you ever kept seeing an actor pop up in all your favorite films and television shows? Well, that guy is probably Greg Grunberg. I've been a fan of Greg before I knew who Greg was. Greg Grunberg has been in some of the BIGGEST films and shows of all time. Yup! Greg Grunberg has been around. He's the definition of a working actor. It's worth a listen just to hear his stories from Comic-Con and the set of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.Greg Grunberg also hosts a show with Kevin Smith called Geeking Out! Here's some more on that.Actor Greg Grunberg talks with Kevin Smith about working with J.J. Abrams and those notoriously tight 'Star Trek' uniforms. Grunberg also gives details about his new late-night AMC talk show "Geeking Out," which he hosts with pal Smith. Greg also has an amazing friendship with writer/director JJ Abrams and we go into how that relationship came to be.In this episode, Greg talks filmmaking shop, tells us stories from the set and comic cons and inspires us to never give up and keep on hus

How to Write a Super Natural Hit Film with Beetlejuice Creator Larry WilsonIf you were a kid of the late 80s or early 90s then today's guest definitely had an impact on your life. Larry Wilson is the co-creator of the cult classic Beetlejuice (directed by Tim Burton), writer of Addams Family and worked on the legendary television show Tales from the Crypt.Larry wasn't always a screenwriter, he worked on the studio side of things as well as an executive. In this interview, he tells the story of how he championed a young and pre-Terminator James Cameron to be the writer/director of Aliens. Great story! Check out some of his work below:Larry Wilson was also a screenwriting teacher at UCLA, arguably one of the best screenwriting programs in the world. He has continued to teach through his very popular workshops. His latest workshop Larry Wilson's Method to Madness-A Fantasy and Horror Workshop is filling up quick so sign up. Here's a bit about the workshop.As your teacher, my goal is to inspire leaps of imaginati

Cinema Lenses MasterClass with Matthew DuclosToday we are going deep down the cinema lenses rabbit hole. I was lucky enough to sit down and speak to the "Yoda" of cinema lenses Matthew Duclos. Matthew has been working on lenses for most of his life. Most cinematographers in Los Anges (and around the world) consider him an expert in the field.I was hearing Duclos' name on set as far as I can remember so it was a thrill to get to speak and grill Matthew on all things lensesHere's some info on Duclos Lenses:Duclos Lenses is the premier destination for high-quality motion picture optics. We strive to provide quality service to the industry's professionals who own and rent top-of-the-line cinema optics. We have the test equipment and experience required to optimize and maintain all of your lenses. We're a family owned and operated business who not only appreciate and respect customers in a way only a small business could, but also thrive off of our customers satisfaction and repeat businessEnjoy my conversation wi

Adventures at Cinequest with the Cast of This is MegIt's a been a long journey but This is Meg finally had it's World Premiere at the Cinequest. I was fortunate enough to have a bunch of the cast make the trek up to San Jose, CA from Los Angeles. We had an amazing time. Cinequest really loves and supports filmmakers. They treated us like royalty.So in between screening, parties, and meetings I grabbed the cast: Joseph Reitman, Jill-Michelle Meleán, Lahna Turner, Holly Wortell and Ruben Dario and did an impromptu podcast in our hotel room. We discussed the festival, their experiences working on This is Meg, what the state of the biz is and much more.This episode is educational and funny but a bit "blue" in its language so if you are a parent you've been warned. Enjoy my conversation with the cast of This is Meg.Right click here to download the MP3Download on iTunes DirectWatch on IFH YouTube ChannelLINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEThis is MegThis is Meg Cinequest - TicketsJoseph ReitmanLahna Turner

How to Make $250K Indie Film Look Like $25 Million Blockbuster with Gaelan ConnellEvery once in a while I come across a filmmaker who is just a bit crazier than I am. This is true for writer/director Gaelan Connell who's film Blood Sand and Gold is a true indie film miracle. This mad man decided to raise $250,000 (much of which was out of pocket) and go off and make a big budget action film, just one problem he didn't have a big budget.Yes, I know $250K is a lot of money but it's not enough for what Gaelan was attempting to do. Check this out, Blood Sand and Gold was shot over the course of 58 days across 5 countries and 4 continents! It has Jason Bourne/James Bond style action. I mean it's nuts. Check out the trailer below:I had to have him on the show to reveal his secret sauce on how he was able to accomplish this crazy mission. Not only did he jump on the podcast and drops some MAJOR knowledge bombs, he also wrote up an article laying out his top 5 filmmaking tips. Take a listen to the podcast then read G

The Reel Truth on How to Survive Making an Indie Film with Reed MartinHave you ever wish that you could avoid pitfalls and mistakes that other filmmakers made before you? Today's guest does just that. Reed Martin is the author of the best-selling book The Reel Truth: Everything You Didn't Know You Need to Know About Making an Independent Film. Reed Martin is a former adjunct professor at NYU's Stern School and Columbia Business School. Previously, he has worked as the Director of Marketing at Independent Pictures, the New York-based production company of producer Cary Woods ("Swingers," "Scream"). Martin is also a former research associate at Harvard Business School, where he created class materials for the senior faculty.Check out the video below:Here's a bit on his best-selling book:The Reel Truth: Everything You Didn't Know You Need to Know About Making an Independent FilmDid you know that most of the biggest indie filmmakers, screenwriters, and producers working today each made the same avoidable mistakes

How NOT to Shoot a $50,000 Short FilmSo as filmmakers we all want to make the best films we can. Sometimes filmmakers think that a bigger budget is the answer, that bigger is better. This is what I thought when I went down the road and create my short film Red Princess Blues. After going down this road once before with my first short film BROKEN, I thought bigger had to be better. If $8000 was good (budget of BROKEN) then with $50,000 I could blow everyone away.BROKEN opened a ton of doors for me as a filmmaker. I was contacted by studios, executives, producers, agent, you name it. BROKEN was an ambitious short film, to say the least. You can listen to that story here: How I Made Over $90,000 Selling my Short Film + Video Tutorials. In this episode, I discuss the mistakes I made when I made a $50,000+ short film. Mistakes withBudgetCrew ChoicesSize of Crew and CastProduction DesignDistribution PlanROI (Return on Investment)Who is the end user (audience I'm trying to reach)Here's more on the short film:ZOE, a

Lessons Learned from Running Indie Film HustleI wanted to put together this episode to share with the IFH Tribe the amazing lessons I've learned over the past year and a half running both IndieFilmHustle.com and the IFH Podcast. I wanted to show you how these lessons can be applied to your filmmaking or screenwriting journey. When I started IFH I really had no end game. I knew I wanted to reach as many filmmakers and artists as I could but that was it. The key for me was just focusing on the day to day tasks and not the monstrous mountain I wanted to get to the top of. BTW, I'm nowhere near the top of that mountain, I'm still at the bottom at base camp =)In this episodes I go into the 5 Lessons I used every day in my creative, professional and personal life. These are: ConsistencyLearningHow to React and AdjustPatienceHustleI break down each lesson and go deep down the rabbit hole on how you can apply these to you filmmaking and creative life. Enjoy and keep on hustlin' Right click here to download the MP3Dow

Turbo Kid & How to Create an Indie Film Ecosystem with Shaked BerensonI speak a lot on IFH on how filmmakers should create their own ecosystem and revenue streams, today's guest has done just that. Shaked Berenson is Co-Founder of Epic Pictures Group, a film financing, production, and international/domestic sales company based in Beverly Hills, CA.Shaked has produced films like the cult hit  Turbo Kid, Sundance Film Festival Selection Entertainment and the animated film Space Dogs: Adventure to the Moon. What is great about Shaked is that he has created his own ecosystem. From financing to production to distribution, all under one umbrella. This way he cuts out the middle man and he can keep more of the profits. Shaked came to my attention when I found out he produced the internet darling Turbo Kid. The way that film was marketed, sold and distributed is something all filmmakers should study. We go deep down the rabbit hole all things Turbo Kid, indie filmmakers, building your own revenue streams and much

6 Mistakes To Avoid Your First Day On a Film Set1. Arriving LateIf you’re not early, you’re late. I aim to get to work at least 15 minutes early each day on a film set. This gives me time to setup, read my call sheet and sides, cram in some extra breakfast and make my boss a coffee. If you are late on day one you instantly create a bad reputation for yourself and this industry is built on reputation and relationships. Set your alarm early for the first day, pick out what you need to wear the night before and make sure you’ve had a look at where you need to get to so you don’t get lost.2. Forgetting NamesNo one will remember your name but don’t let that be an excuse to forget theirs. It’s great if you can remember as many names as possible on your first day on a film set, at least those in your department. This will make you stand out and give you the best chance of them remembering you. I sometimes even write down people’s names in a notebook or phone when they aren’t looking so you can refer back to it. Alte

Why I Edited My Feature Film on DaVinci ResolveI've been editing features, shorts, commercial, and everything else shot on film or video for over 20 years. Editing on almost every non-linear editing system you can imagine I know what I want and like in an NLE. When it came time to edit my directorial feature film debut, This is Meg, I knew my good old Final Cut Pro 7 wouldn't cut it. So I decide to give Davinci Resolve 12.5 a try. I've been color grading on Resolve for years and always jumped over the "edit tab" on my way to the color tab. Once version 12 came out I was blown away. So powerful, so intuitive and it just plain worked! I have to tell you,"DaVinci Resolve is what all Final Cut X should've been."The good folks over at Blackmagic Design invited me to speak at the Slamdance Film Festival 2017 to discuss my experience editing, color grading and finishing on Davinci Resolve. Enjoy!Right click here to download the MP3Download on iTunes DirectLINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODELearn how to edi

How to Sell Your Idea to Television with Agent Matthew DoyleSPECIAL SUNDANCE EDITION of the Indie Film Hustle PodcastToday's guest cracked open a door to a part of the industry I had no idea about, television. Matthew Doyle is a television lit agent at the Verve Talent and Literary Agency. He's an up and comer in the industry and definitely a hustler. My co-host Sebastian Twardos and I wanted to get an "in the trenches" perceptive on the television market and Matthew delivered. He tells a great story on how he got promoted to an agent with a prank by the partners at Verve. Here's a bit on Matthew Doyle:Doyle joined in January as Verve’s first off-desk TV lit coordinator. He implemented a new system for information flow and tracking, redesigned current grids, and helped lead Verve to its most successful staffing season ever, with 80% of clients staffed on broadcast and cable shows. He has been an aggressive recruiter, interviewing and training new employees. Worked with up-and-coming clients such as Arkasha St

Jason Michael Berman - Producing 5 Sundance Films & Making it in HollywoodSPECIAL SUNDANCE EDITION of the Indie Film Hustle PodcastI had the honor of speaking to Jason Michael Berman at Sundance this year. He's a Sundance vet. He has premiered 5 features at Sundance over the years and has the record for the highest selling film at Sundance ever, The Birth of a Nation which sold for $17.5 million. Crazy! This year he premiered the remarkable film Burning Sands at the festival. The film is about the intensifying violence of underground hazing on a college campus.Jason dropped some great knowledge bombs in our interview with my co-host Sebastian Twardosz. Here's a bit on Jason Michael Berman:Jason Michael Berman is the Vice President of Mandalay Pictures, where he is responsible for developing and structuring financing for Mandalay's slate of independent films, in addition to packaging projects.Berman has produced feature films that have debuted at premiere film festivals around the globe, including the Sund

How to Break into the Film Industry with Stage 32's RB BottoSPECIAL SUNDANCE EDITION of the Indie Film Hustle PodcastOne of my most downloaded episodes ever was my interview with Film Industry vet and CEO of Stage32.com, RB Botto (Click here to listen to that interview). Ever since then I've been wanting to bring him back on to the show. The stars aligned at Sundance and I didn't just get him on the podcast but I also recorded the interview for the IFH YouTube Channel.Here's a bit on our guest:Stage 32 is a US-based social network and educational site for creative professionals who work in film industry, television and theater. Stage 32 links professionals in the entertainment industry including directors, writers, actors and entertainment staff.It caters to film industry professionals with featured bloggers, online education taught by industry professionals, news from Hollywood and filming locations around the world, Stage 32 meetups page, an online lounge and a film business jobs page that allows members to

Disrupting Sundance & Helping Filmmakers with Slamdance Co-Founder Dan MirvishSPECIAL SUNDANCE EDITION of the Indie Film Hustle PodcastIn our journeys through the Sundance Film Festival, we ran into the David to the Sundance Goliath, Slamdance Co-Founder Dan Mirvish.  Dan has been a rebel, author, filmmaker, disruptor, festival creator, and true indie film hustler. This interview is one of the most entertaining I've ever done. Dan Mirvish tells stories of how he challenged the Oscars, had Robert Redford call him "a parasite" and why the best deals are done in a hot tub. Here's a bit on Dan Mirvish:A co-founder of the upstart Slamdance Film Festival, Dan Mirvish is also an active director, screenwriter, and producer. Labeled a "cheerful subversive" by The New York Times, and "Hollywood's Bad Boy" by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Mirvish has been named as one of Variety's Top 50 Creatives to Watch, as well as one of Film Festival Today's Top 25 Most Influential People in Independent Film.Dan also has just wr

Chasing Sly and the Family Stone Documentary for 12 years with Michael RubenstoneSPECIAL SUNDANCE EDITION of the Indie Film Hustle PodcastWe all hear stories of filmmakers working on films for years and years. Well, I don't know about you but I've never met one until now. In my journeys at Sundance and Slamdance I met one of these crazy and passionate filmmakers, his name is Michael Rubenstone. Michael the director of the documentary On the Sly: In Search of the Family Stone, which premiered at this year's Slamdance Film Festival. When I heard his crazy story I had to have him on the show. Michael has been chasing Sly from Sly and the Family Stones for over 12 years. The stories he told us in the interview were insane. Talk about passion. We can all learn something about dedication, persistence and just plain nuts.Check out some teasers of the film below:Here's a bit about the film: Director and super-fan Michael Rubenstone sets out in search of long-time reclusive funk legend, Sly Stone. Along the way, he me

Sydney Freeland: Working with Netflix & Maintain Creative FreedomSPECIAL SUNDANCE EDITION of the Indie Film Hustle PodcastI ran into many filmmakers while fighting the blizzard at this year's Sundance Film Festival but one of the most impressive of the bunch was director Sydney Freeland. Sydney has had a challenging journey to become a director and her story is inspiring, to say the least.Prior to making her first feature-length film, Sundance darling Drunktown's Finest, Sydney Freeland previously worked as a production assistant, as a writer, and as a camera intern. Freeland worked in a number of areas, including; National Geographic, Walt Disney, The Food Network and Comedy Central. Freeland garnered her first taste of success with the six-minute short film, Hoverboard, utilizing Kickstarter to help fund the short. The film was inspired by her love of Back to the Future Part II.Drunktown's Finest is her second venture into filmmaking. The 95-minute long film is a coming-of-age story about the complex is

Rebel in the Rye & How to Become a Producer with Jason ShumanSPECIAL SUNDANCE EDITION of the Indie Film Hustle PodcastEvery once in a while we get a real Hollywood producer on the show. Jason Shuman is a producer and director, known for Lone Survivor (2013), Role Models (2008) and Bangkok Dangerous (2008) and this year's Sundance hit Rebel in the Rye (2017), written and directed by Danny Strong. Now not only is Jason a very accomplished producer but man is he a nice guy.He was so generous with his time and knowledge. He was dropping knowledge bombs left and right. Jason Shuman started producing with indie films like one of my faves, Comic Book Villains (2002) and moved quickly up to studio films with horror classic Darkness Falls (2003) (based on a short film). Check out the Darkness Falls short below:Get ready to have an inside look at what it takes to become a Hollywood producer.  Thanks to Jason Shuman for taking the time to do the interview. All of these Sundance Series episodes will be co-hosted by S

Inside the Spec Script Market with Agent David BoxerbaumSPECIAL SUNDANCE EDITION of the Indie Film Hustle PodcastWe all have heard about screenwriter selling a spec script for seven figures (see Max Landis) but who is the power brokers who are helping that process along? Enter Paradigm Literary Agent David Boxerbaum.David is a senior agent at Paradigm, and his impressive client roster includes the likes of David Guggenheim, writer of Safehouse; Ken Marino, writer/producer of Wanderlust and writer of Role Models; Maria Maggenti, writer of MTV’s Finding Carter; and Ransom Riggs, writer/co-executive producer of the upcoming supernatural horror thriller, Black River.At the age of 26, David was listed as one of the Hollywood Reporter’s “Next Generation 35 Under 35,” making him one of the youngest people ever to make the list. He is known for his impeccable taste and his strong industry relationships which help him garner six- and seven-figure sales for his clients in a shrinking spec marketplace.What is an agent l

Creating a Brand & Making Killer Films with Elijah Wood and the SpectreVision TeamSPECIAL SUNDANCE EDITION of the Indie Film Hustle PodcastI wanted to do something special for the Indie Film Hustle Tribe this year. I'm in Park City, UT interview some AMAZING filmmakers, producers, agents and actors. In celebration of Sundance I'll be releasing a podcast a day during the week.I wanted to launch this special Sundance Film Festival series with a bang. In this episode I speak to indie film favorite and all around amazing human being Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings, Sin City) and his remarkable partners Josh Waller, Daniel Noah and Lisa Whalen (Company X) over at their company SpectreVision.I have to say that this is by far one of my favorite interviews I've ever done. It was part filmmaking masterclass, branding lesson, James Lipton interview and party. I learned a ton from the gang and really felt the passion these friends and partners have for making the kind of films they want to see.All of these Sundance S