How do you get your indie film made and distributed? Ilyssa Goodman says build your rolodex and know your market.  In this episode Leslie and Ilyssa talk about writing, production and casting to make your project sellable to studios and distributors. More About Ilyssa: Director, producer, writer and distribution strategist Ilyssa Goodman has worked with many of Hollywood’s top young and established stars, and with her latest film, “#FBF”, in which Goodman wrote and directed for Timur Berkmambetov’s, Bazelevs Productions, Goodman can now add Ashley Judd to her list.  #FBF which is currently in post was shot entirely during the covid stay-at-home order and presented Goodman with a unique opportunity to address creative challenges that enabled her to take filmmaking and visual storytelling to the next level.  As an award-winning producer, Goodman is best known for the Warner Bros. hit franchise, “A Cinderella Story,” which just released “A Cinderella Story: Star Struck”, the franchise’s sixth film.  And as a screenwriter, Goodman just completed scripting “Popular in Theory”, a teen comedy in which she was hired to write for an alliance of producers that include Warner International and MarVista Entertainment.  Goodman is also scripting “The Island” for Tubi TV in which she’ll direct for the streamers June 2022 premiere. In an effort to maintain greater control of her indie films, Goodman taps into her background as a distribution executive to insure that her productions meet the mandates of the marketplace as well as to have greater involvement in making sure that her films find the best distribution opportunities and deals possible.  As an indie filmmaker advocate, Goodman also lends her distribution expertise to other filmmakers as well. In Goodman’s feature directorial debut, “The Standoff,” she is credited with inspiring stellar performances from her young cast as well as for using a single location for the entire film while juggling multiple storylines and keeping the film fluid.  “The Standoff” was released by Sony Pictures and premiered on Netflix. Goodman’s directing follow-up film, “Next Level”, a high-energy dance movie was released in 2019. Goodman’s first opportunity to direct came in the form of the successful “Say It With Skype” digital campaign and was followed by a spot for the national clothing brand Chico’s, which gained attention for using real women over forty as models. Goodman has a number of features in development and controls IP rights to several high-profile true crime stories in which she is developing into series and television movies