Today I am joined by filmmaker, director, and actor Scott Monahan to talk all about his brand new feature film Anchorage. Anchorage was shot in just 5 days on a budget of barely over $50,000, but that didn’t stop the film from landing a wildly successful festival tour and eventual theatrical release. Throughout the interview we take a deep dive behind the scenes look at this innovative feature. We also go in depth on the importance of telling personal stories, the production process,...

Today, I am thrilled to be joined by Tom DeLonge of blink-182, Angels & Airwaves, and To The Stars, here to talk all about his debut feature film Monsters Of California. As a longtime fan of Tom’s, it was a treat to host this conversation and hear about his evolution into filmmaking first hand. We discuss the origin story of Monsters, how Tom’s band Angels & Airwaves sparked his interest in cinema, and Tom’s directorial approach to making this film. Tom also speaks to how his DIY...

In this episode I am joined by writer / director Bishal Dutta to talk all about his debut feature film It Lives Inside. After making dozens of short films, Bishal leveraged his impressive body of work to develop an amazing feature film with NEON. Throughout the interview, we discuss Bishal’s trajectory from making self funded projects to a theatrically released feature. We also touch on the nuances of the horror genre, Bishal’s creative approach to directing, and much more. Links from the...

Today, I am thrilled to be joined by Jennifer Esposito, here to discuss the incredible journey making and releasing her debut feature film, Fresh Kills. Throughout the episode Jennifer documents her creative process at length - from conceptualizing the first female driven organized crime movie, to navigating countless obstacles to raise production financing. She also shares invaluable insight for filmmakers on vetting producers, building a team, and working with actors, along with her...

In this episode I am joined by acclaimed cinematographer and Columbia University film professor Tal Lazar. Throughout the interview, Tal shares his perspective on the art of cinematography from a storytelling perspective. We discuss visual tactics for directors, how to achieve a specific cinematic vision, and the improtance of developing your own visual language. Tal also shares his philosophy on why cinematography is not inherintly a technical artform, recommendations for buying vs....

In this episode, I am joined by professional location scout Jillian Fisher - Known for her work on films like The Whale, Theater Camp, Reality, and countless others. Throughout the interview, Jillian shares a behind the scenes look at her career, from breaking into the business to working on Hollywood feature films. She also talks about her journey to build up the local film industry in Kingston NY, micro-budget scouting tactics, and many lessons learned along the way. Links from the...

Today I am thrilled to be joined by filmmaking legend Larry Kasanoff, known for his work on major feature films like True Lies, Terminator 2, Mortal Kombat, Platoon, Dirty Dancing, and countless others. Throughout the episode, we discuss Larry’s unique career path - from his early feature film work to his breakout success as a producer and studio executive. He also shares his unique philosophy on navigating life and creativity, which is expanded upon in his new book A Touch of the Madness:...

Today I am joined by filmmaker Jason Abrams, here to talk about the unique origin story and process behind his debut feature film. Jason was inspired to make Hungry Dog Blues - a small town crime thriller - after his father’s business was indicted and raided by the federal government. This led to a 5 year journey to write, produce, direct, and ultimately act in a feature film that loosely tapped into his real life experiences. Throughout the interview we discuss the unconventional origins...

Today, I’m thrilled to have Joshua Caldwell return to the show to discuss his latest feature film Mending The Line. Josh is a prolific filmmaker who got his start with the $6000 feature film Layover, before leveraging its success to develop numerous subsequent features that have each grown in scope and budget. His latest feature Mending The Line (now in theaters) marks his biggest production to date, and stars Brian Cox and Sinqua Walls. Throughout the interview, we discuss Josh’s process...

In this episode, I am excited to be joined by acclaimed producer Sevier Crespo to discuss his path as a filmmaker over the past 20 years. Sevier’s career kicked off after a mentorship with Robert Townsend inspired him to pursue film producing. Over the next two decades, Sevier produced countless film projects that have premiered at majors film festivals like Cannes, and has worked with the likes of Al Pacino, David Beckham, Kendrick Lamar, Kurt Russell, Ariana Grande, Mandy Moore and Demi...

In this episode, I am joined by filmmakers Craig Melville, Ben Yannette, and Andy Hassell - who I initially connected with through my filmmaking community The Backlot. Last summer, this filmmaking trio took part in a community-driven competition that required them to produce a trailer for a new feature film concept. Ultimately, their trailer won the top prize in the competition, and they were awarded a camera from Blackmagic Design, a partnership with We Make Movies, and other exciting...

Today, I am excited to be joined by Jens Jacob - an acclaimed film producer, entrepreneur, and founder of the startup Saturation.io. Throughout this episode, Jens shares his journey building his new budgeting platform for filmmakers. One that re-imagines film budgets from the ground up, making them more accessible to emerging filmmakers, and more powerful for studio level productions. Jens also shares his philosophy on the importance of collaborative producing, and the specific tools...

Today I am joined by editor, writer, and producer Gray Jones - who holds no less than 290 credits in film and television, and also runs a prolific stock footage business. Throughout this episode, Gray shares lessons from his new book Make Six Figures With Your Smartphone, which serves as a practical guide for filmmakers looking to build passive income using footage they may already have sitting on their phone. We discuss the benefits and pitfalls of selling stock footage, the importance of...

In celebration of this milestone 200th episode, today I return to the origins of the podcast with a solo episode - all about my experience making our latest feature film (Disappearing Boy) with no crew. Throughout the episode, I break down the highly unconventional workflow that went into this production, which spanned the course of a year, 30+ locations, and multiple shooting blocks. I also unpack the creative benefits of taking time off in between shooting dates, my approach to writing...

In this episode I am joined by filmmaker Tom Levesque to share the story behind his debut feature film Shut Eye. Shut Eye is the first feature film that delves into the strange world of ASMR, and is inspired by Tom’s own experiences with insomnia. Throughout the episode, we take an in depth behind the scenes look at this project, from concept to budgeting to distribution. Tom speaks to his documentary-style approach on this feature, which helped him complete principal photography in just 15...

In this episode I am joined by filmmaker Josh Guffey, here to share his journey and a behind the scenes look into the making his debut feature film "All Gone Wrong". Throughout the interview, we cover the process from end to end - discussing the realities of working with limited budgets and resources, and how Josh navigated these challenges at each step. Josh also details his collaboration with actors and crew, his distribution model, maximizing efficiency when producing, maintaining...

Today I am joined by folk filmmaking pioneer Dan Lotz, here to talk about his impressive body of work - which consists of no fewer than 19 feature films. Throughout the episode we discuss Dan’s innovate approach to filmmaking, which has allowed him to create movies under incredible circumstances. From making a feature film on an 8 day vacation, to shooting an entire realtime movie in just 3 hours. We also discuss the benefits of releasing films on YouTube, different production formats for...

Today I am thrilled to have writer/director/photographer Carter Smith back on the show to talk about his latest micro-budget feature film Swallowed. Carter’s first short film (Bugcrush) won Sundance in 2006, and led to his feature film work which includes The Ruins, Jaime Marks is Dead, and multiple recent Blumhouse movies. His latest feature though, is a departure from larger studio productions to say the least. It was produced with a skeleton crew using very DIY tactics, yet managed to...

Returning to the show today is writer/director/editor Pete Ohs, who you might know from his feature films Everything Is Beautiful Far Away, Youngstown, and his most recent - Jethica. Jethica was produced with no crew and on nearly no-budget, but that didn’t stop it from premiering at SXSW or securing theatrical distribution. Pete’s story is an amazing case in point for the power of DIY filmmaking, and just how much can be achieved by getting truly creative with your approach. Throughout the...

In this episode I am thrilled to be joined by David Rock (AKA DRock), who you might know as Gary Vaynerchuk’s Executive Creative Director, and the man behind many incredible content pieces and social media innovations. Throughout this episode, we talk all about DRock’s career trajectory, from meeting Gary to making his first video to scaling their content empire. DRock also shares his wealth of knowledge on growing an audience (with specific tactics for filmmakers), talks about best...

Today, I am joined by filmmaking duo Evelyn Lorena (writer/director) and Maris Lidaka (producer/editor) - the team behind Gabriela, a new short film. Evelyn and Maris were able to leverage the success of their short film to secure a filmmaking grant and fellowship from Netflix, making them another great case-in-point for green lighting your own projects. In this episode we discuss their journey to create and release the short film, how it created new opportunities for them, lessons learned,...

Returning to the show is acclaimed director and editor Mike J. Nichols, here to talk about his latest feature doc John Waite - The Hard Way. Mike’s latest feature was put together under incredible constraints, and was fully edited in just 9 weeks. Throughout the episode, we discuss some of the benefits and challenges of working this quickly, and Mike’s creative workflow from end to end. Mike also shares some incredible advice for fixing problem areas. For instance - trimming a feature film...

In this episode I am joined by actor, comedian, and filmmaker Marisela Grajeda Gonzalez to talk all about navigating a career as a filmmaker. Marisela began her filmmaking journey at age 35, when she went back to school to study acting - eventually graduating with a BFA at almost 39 years old. Since, she has forged her own path as a filmmaker by producing her own work. Throughout the interview, Marisela talks about going into filmmaking later in life, dealing with self doubt, and making...

Joining me in this episode is script supervisor turned television director Faye Brenner, who just made her directorial debut at age 69. As a script supervisor, Faye has worked on feature films like "Stand By Me," "Ghost," "Father of the Bride 2," and "Clear and Present Danger" to name a few. After decades in the business, Faye was able to break in as a director on "The Rookie" by showcasing her talents with a powerful short film. Throughout the episode we discuss Faye's unique path, along...

In this episode I am joined by filmmaker and entrepreneur Matt Osterman, known for his feature films "Ghost From The Machine", "400 Days", "Hover", and now "Bitcon." "Bitcon" tells the story of a missing hard drive with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency, and the issue of trust in the modern era. Throughout the interview, Matt generously gives us a behind the scenes look into this film, his creative process, and his unique career path. Links from the show: "Bitcon" Movie -...