Indie Film Hustle Podcast

I have a treat for you today. On the show we have filmmaker and podcaster Alrik Bursell from the podcast Making Movies is HARD! I've had the pleasure on be on his show before and have another episode coming up in Nov where I talk about Rise of the Filmtrepreneur. “Who am I to even have a podcast? Why is my opinion more valid than anyone else? In some ways it’s not, but that’s also kind of the point. We’re just two examples of ... Read more

The legendary Oscar-nominated actor Robert Forster has passed away. I had the honor of working with Robert on one of my films, Red Princess Blues. He supplied some remarkable narration that set up my film perfectly. He was easily one of the most professional and talented actors I have ever worked with; a professional of the greatest caliber. He will always hold a special place in my heart because of not only working with him on my... Read more

Today on the show we have film producer, distribution expert, and today's "go-to" authority of how to get a film to market, Jerome Courshon. He has broken open the "exclusive club" of successful independent producers with his innovative 3-Day Program, "THE SECRETS TO DISTRIBUTION: Get Your Movie Distributed Now!" A producer in his own right (he secured a profitable distribution deal with Warner Bros. on... Read more

Ever wanted to know how to build a large following on social media? Today's guest Brendan Kane was able to get over 1 million followers in 30 days. His new book, One Million Followers: How I Built a Massive Social Following in 30 Days breaks down how he was able to achieve such a feat. Brendan Kane is a growth hacker for Fortune 500 corporations, brands and celebrities. He thrives on helping brands systematically find and engag... Read more

Today we are going to BLOW THE LID off this entire Distribber/Film Aggregator mess. Today's guest is Joe Dain from Terror Films. Joe has been on the frontlines of this Distribber debacle and has been affected in a large way. He had many films placed through Ditribber and has been working diligently to save the films he has placed through Distribber. Joe wrote an amazing guest post speaking the real issue facing filmmakers in th... Read more

In this episode, I lay out the future of making money in independent filmmaking as I see it. The old legacy model of making and movie and handing it over to a distributor doesn't work anymore. A new model needs to be created and I hope the method I go over in this show will help you generate multiple revenue streams from your film projects. I also warn you about many concerning issues I see in today's revenue model for film... Read more

First of all, we made it to 350 episodes. HOLY CRAP! Thank you all for all the love and support that you have given me, this show and Indie Film Hustle in general. To celebrate I'm launching the first-ever MAKE YOUR MOVIE BOOTCAMP. The Bootcamp is a LIVE two-day intensive designed to show you how to make, market and sell a feature film. I've been working on this for months and I finally get to release it to the world. I wa... Read more

Today on the show I had Klaus Badelt, the founder of Filmhub.com. We do a deep dive in the state of independent film and self-distribution. We also discuss the Distribber debacle and how filmmakers can get access to their films back from Distribber. Klaus is not only a tech entrepreneur he also writes the occasional score for feature films including The Thin Red Line, The Prince of Egypt, Gladiator, and Pirates of the Caribbean: T... Read more

Today on the show we have writer/director Rob Smat. His niche film is THE LAST WHISTLE. It is a Football Drama with a budget 125K, the crew was almost entirely film students, shot in 13 days in Texas, distributed worldwide by Vertical Ent. for 10 theater release this past June and originated as a pitch for Rebel Without a Crew TV show and was turned down so I made it myself Rob formed a cast from high-level B-list stars, fostered ... Read more

There are a few filmmaking books that have made as big of an impact on the craft of directing like today's guest's Film Directing: Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen, written by director Steve Katz. Shot by Shot is the world’s go-to directing book, now newly updated for a special 25th Anniversary edition! The first edition sold over 250,000 copies, making it one of the bestselling books on film directing of a... Read more

In this episode, I ask the question do film aggregators make sense anymore? Does it make sense for every indie film? I also discuss the larger problem that the Distribber meltdown has shown us about the entire film agreeation business. This is an eye opening show. I also give you updates on the Distribber debacle and bring you the latest information from the frontline. Take a listen. I hope this helps!

In this episode, I update filmmakers on the emergency situation going on with the film aggregator Distribber. In last weeks episode, I spoke a bit about what is going on with this company. After that show I kept getting emails, messages, and tweets of filmmakers telling me their horror stories of no one return email, no people picking up calls, nonpayments​ for months and so on. I'm in the same situation with my film This is Me... Read more

Today on the show is one take filmmaker Gavin Michael Booth. Gavin is obsessed with one take movies, music videos and real-time filmmaking in general. His latest film is Last Call. Shot in two true single takes, filmed simultaneously in two different parts of a city, Last Call, is a real-time​ feature presented in split-screen​ showcasing both ends of a wrong number phone call that has the potential to save a life. The film's m... Read more

I'm pissed off guys. I'm tired of getting emails, messages, and calls from filmmakers who have been or are going to get taken advantage of by a traditional film distributor. THIS NEEDS TO STOP! So many filmmakers have been taken advantage of by predatory film distributors over the years that is has become a punchline. It's not funny. These predatory film distributors are destroying the lives of filmmakers. I know filmm... Read more

Today episode is probably one of the most important shows I have released in some time. On the show is filmmaker Naomi McDougall Jones the writer, actress and producer behind the indie film Bite Me, a subversive romantic comedy about a real-life vampire and the IRS agent who audits them.  The filmmakers of Bite Me have decided to take a radical approach to distribute their film: they're doing it themselves. For 3 months, they ... Read more

Every 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 wha... Read more

As promised in this episode, I bring to you the live recording of my workshop from the 2019 HollyShorts! Film Festival on audience building and surviving the film industry with my brotha from another mutha RB Botto from Stage32.com. We discuss the best way to build an audience online, do's and dont's, and tips on surviving the film industry from two filmmakers with a ton of shrapnel. Enjoy!

We have all been there. A film project that just goes on and on and doesn't seem to have an end in site. While you are waiting for the punishment to finish your life starts to take a downward spiral into a blackhole. You look up and five years have passed and you wondered what the hell happened? That is exactly what happen to today guest filmmaker Theo Hogben. Theo reached out to me to tell me his story in an almost 2000 word ... Read more

We all have gone through it, a project falls apart after months if not years of you working on it. It has happened to me so many times I lost count. I based my book Shooting for the Mob on my biggest and most painful failure. In this episode, I share my experience on how to deal with a dream crushing event.  "ALL filmmaking careers are forged by the failures you have in this business." You need to understand that EVERY FI... Read more