From Omaha to Indie Stardom: Chris Maher on Nova, Stunts, and Building a Career in Film

This week on Geek Freaks Interviews, actor and producer Chris Maher joins Frank to talk about balancing passion and practicality in the film world. From his early days in Omaha theater to earning an economics scholarship in China, Chris shares how his unlikely journey shaped the way he builds a career in indie film. They dive into Nova, his upcoming sci-fi romance that’s grown from a short to a full feature, and talk about his business-minded approach to acting, producing, and investing in his own work. Chris also gets candid about rejection, screen tests, self-funded stunts, and why a headshot and a good class can change your career.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome and intro
00:40 – Chris’s acting roots in Omaha
01:48 – Almost became a veterinarian
02:25 – Why he left the arts to study business
05:00 – How modeling brought him back to acting
06:31 – What Nova is and how it evolved into a feature
09:00 – Producing the feature and finding cast
10:25 – Differences between shorts and features
12:26 – Editing, logistics, and post-production
15:05 – Using his background in economics and crypto to fund films
17:06 – Favorite genres: comedy, action, and the struggle of being “big” on camera
20:01 – Doing his own stunts (yes, even jumping out of a car)
21:38 – Constantly auditioning, staying positive
23:00 – When a role is written just for you
24:11 – What it’s like being flown in for a screen test
27:10 – Best advice for new actors (hint: headshots and classes)
30:58 – Upcoming projects: Boardwalk Winter, Vindicator, Hack Job

Key Takeaways:

• Nova is a passion project being developed into a feature after sweeping festivals.

• Chris’s economics degree helps him invest smartly in indie films.

• He emphasizes that auditioning is the real job, and consistency is key.

• His favorite genre to perform is comedy, but he has major respect for dramatic subtlety on camera.

• Acting classes aren’t just educational—they’re networking gold.

• Doing your own stunts might be easier if you grew up without a smartphone.

Quotes to Pull:

• “Auditioning is the real job. Filming is the reward.”

• “Shorts are practice. Features are war.”

• “This business is about longevity. Talent matters, but business acumen keeps you in the game.”

• “They wrote the role for me. That’s the dream.”

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Apple Podcast Tags:
Chris Maher, Nova