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

Today on the show we have director and entrepreneur Jakob Owens. Jakob is a visual director based in Los Angeles California. He began directing music videos while still in film school at ASU. He began traveling to California so much for shoots that after graduation he made the leap to LA and has been directing music videos, commercials, and short films ever since. He is also the creator and owner of TheBuffNerds Youtube channel which has accumulated over 230+ million views and almost 800K + subscribers.His work has been displayed on all of the major music television networks such as MTV, VH1, BET, REVOLT and more. He has collaborated and worked with artists such as Chris Brown, Wale, Jesse McCartney, Chamillionaire,  Nick Carter, The Braxton Sisters, iLoveMemphis, Dawin, Futuristic, KYLE, K. Roosevelt, Dizzy Wright, and much more.Among his music video endeavors, Jakob is an avid world traveler. He travels the globe creating "Travel Films" of the various destinations he visits.Jakob's built a very strong socia

I can't believe we are here. Episode #300. It is truly remarkable that the show has landed at this point. When I started the Indie Film Hustle Podcast over 3 1/2 years ago I never dreamed the show would be so well received by the filmmaking community. I am truly humbled. I plan to continue creating amazing content for the IFH Tribe for the years to come. Thank you all for all your support and well wishes. Now on today's show, I want to tackle the thing that stops many filmmakers and screenwriters dead in their tracks on the journey to follow their dreams...FEAR! Fear is a disease that is not only plaguing the filmmaking community but people around the world from all walks of life. "The Cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek" - Joseph CampbellIn this episode, I go down my road with fear, how it stops me and caused me so much pain on my journey. I also discuss techniques that can liberate you from fear so you can focus your energy on creating the life and career you want and deserve. Strap in boys a

Today on the show we have the legendary and Emmy Winning cinematographer Michael Goi A.S.C.Michael Goi has compiled over 70 narrative credits, including films for cinema and television screens such as "American Horror Story," "Glee," "Salem" and "The Town That Dreaded Sundown." He has received Emmy nominations for "Glee", "My Name Is Earl" and "American Horror Story." He was nominated for the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Award for the telefilms "The Fixer" and "Judas" and for the pilot "The New Normal" and the mini-series "American Horror Story: Asylum". He also wrote and directed the dramatic feature film "Megan Is Missing" about the subject of internet predators, and several episodes of "American Horror Story" and other shows.Michael Goi is a past president of the American Society of Cinematographers, serves on the Board Of Governors of the ASC, and is the editor of the 10th Edition of the ASC Manual. He was made an Honorary Member of the Indian Society Of Cinematograph

Noam KrollToday on the show we have the writer, director, post guru, and podcaster Noam Kroll. Noam has directed a killer micro-budget feature film called Shadows on the Road. In this episode, we discuss how he shot this extreme micro-budget film and still made it look gorgeous. Noam also runs a great podcast and blog that helps indie filmmakers. You can find links to his sites below in the show notes. Here's a bit about Shadows on the Road.After potentially killing her attacker in the midst of a violent altercation, Zoe - a runaway youth - befriends Silver, a charming beach dweller, who offers to drive her to the Mexican border and help her make an escape. As their journey unfolds, the blossoming relationship between the two is threatened by Zoe’s dark past, which not only haunts her but puts both of their lives in jeopardy.Here's some more info on Noam Kroll:Noam Kroll is an LA-based filmmaker here to share my thoughts, experience, and perspective on all things film with you. He has worked in the film and t

Today we will tackle the toxic filmmaker mindset. That screenwriting mindset. That artist mindset. We discuss the mindset. How the beliefs we have stop and derail our dreams and life. So many of us have belief systems that limit us. Today we are going to break this down and give you some tools to reprogram yourself into the person and filmmaker you want to be. "To have results that very few people have you have to start doing things that very few people do."Please share this episode with anyone you think needs to hear it. Listen to this often. Enjoy and keep on hustling.

Today on the show we have writer​/director Jen McGowan on the show. We discuss the state of women directors in Indie FIlm, her new film Rust Creek and what it is really like to be a female director, from her perspective in today's world.Jen McGowan is a director based in Los Angeles. Her first feature KELLY & CAL (Juliette Lewis & Cybill Shepherd) premiered at SXSW where she won the Gamechanger Award. The film was released theatrically by IFC Films to rave reviews. McGowan got her start with award-winning short films, CONFESSIONS OF A LATE BLOOMER and TOUCH, both of which played at over a hundred festivals worldwide. TOUCH qualified for the Oscar when it won the Florida Film Festival.McGowan studied directing in the MFA program at USC where she was honored with a scholarship from Women in Film and a grant from The Caucus Foundation. She received her BFA in Acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, studying under David Mamet, Bill Macy & Sam Shepard at the Atlantic Theatre. She is the creator of fi

What are you willing to sacrifice to make your dreams come true? How bad do you want it? These are the questions I'll be discussing in today's episode. If you are looking for something to get you revved up look no further. This is my "tough love" episode. I keep running into filmmakers and people in the business who just like to talk or hide behind excuses. I have two things to say about that.Life doesn’t care. The film business doesn’t care.There are 24 hours in a day. I breakdown 24 hours and I promise you will find out that you have, at least, 4-6 hours a day to dedicate to your craft and dream. Yes, even for those who have a 2-hour commute, work 8 hours and has a family. The power to make your dream to become a reality is only in your hands. No one else's! I really hope this episode lights that fire in your belly to make your dream come true.Please share this episode with anyone you think needs to hear it. Listen to this often. Enjoy and keep on hustling.

Today I'm talking about marketing! Yup, marketing. If you, as indie filmmakers, do not understand branding, marketing, and social media YOU WILL NOT MAKE IT IN THE BUSINESS. I really want to get through to you guys. I've been consulting more and more filmmakers lately and I see there is a MAJOR disconnect between filmmakers and understanding the basics of branding (whether personal, company or project), marketing, and social media.In this episode I'll be discussing:Tribe or Audience BuildingBrand Marketing vs. Directing MarketingUnderstanding your smallest viable audienceBrand BuildingBuilding Your Personal BrandDiscovering how you can love the GRIND or your journeyChoosing platforms to build your brandContent creationAlso below are six books that will help you along your path to understanding these basic concepts. I truly hope that you find value in this episode. The understanding, at a basic level, of branding, marketing, and social media is not a luxury but a necessity in today's and tomorrow's world.  Don

We have all wanted to have a killer song we love in one of our films or projects, that perfect song that makes the scene pop off the screen. When you begin to investigate how to get permission for the song you soon discover the maze of red tape and crap you need to deal with in order to have the song in your film.From getting film festival rights to broadcast rights to VOD rights, Music Licensing is a headache and a half. Today on the show with have Chris Small, a music licensing professional here to demystified the ridiculous and antiquated process of licensing music for film. Chris breaks down the way to properly license music without falling into legal pitfalls.Chris also works for Soundstripe, a music licensing company that is disrupting the way filmmakers get music for their films and projects. I just love what the team at Soundstripe is doing so I've partnered with them. Soundstripe is now the OFFICIAL SOUND LIBRARY OF INDIE FILM HUSTLE.As part of the #IFHTribe, you get an exclusive DISCOUNT CODE: IFH (

Today on the show we have writer, director, author, actor, and all-around indie film pioneer Mark Polish. His new film Headlock (aka Against the Clock, more on that later in the interview)  is out in theaters and VOD.Also, do yourself a favor and read his amazing filmmaking book The Declaration of Independent Filmmaking which is easily one of my favorite filmmaking books of all time. Mark and I discuss his career, the challenges of maintaining your creative vision and working within and out of the Hollywood system. We also discuss how Sundance has radically changed over the years and some of his horror stories when shooting and distributing his films.Enjoy my epic conversation with Mark Polish.

You must be saying,Wait? What? You want to give me $30,000 to make a web series?Yup, that is exactly what I want to do. I've partnered with Filmaka.com to launch an amazing Web Series Filmmaking Competition.We are launching cross-platform Web Series filmmaking competition, sourcing diverse ideas & pitches. Filmaka & Indie Film Hustle will select and award the Web Series competition winner with a production budget for completion of the winning series.HOW IT WORKS:Filmaka members have three weeks to submit written Pitches only for the 3-5 minute pilot of an original web series they want to create based on the prompt: THE HUSTLE.After the Pitch competition closes, up to four (4) winners will be given $5000 each to shoot their Short/Pilot which is their pilot for an original web series. The winners will have eight weeks to submit their Short along with nine (9) written Scripts, that together make up a ten-episode web series. Of the up to four (4) submissions, one winner will be awarded $25,000 to produce

The teasing is over. Here it is, I've written a book and not just any book but a book about the craziest and darkest time in my life. Read below to get the skinny on what I'm talking about.A bipolar gangster, a naive, young film director, and Batman. What could go wrong? Alex Ferrari is a first-time film director who just got hired to direct a $20 million feature film, the only problem is the film is about Jimmy, an egomaniacal gangster who wants the film to be about his life in the mob. From the backwater towns of Louisiana to the Hollywood Hills, Alex is taken on a crazy misadventure through the world of the mafia and Hollywood. Huge movie stars, billion-dollar producers, studio heads and, of course, a few gangsters, populate this unbelievable journey down the rabbit hole of chasing your dream. Would you sell your soul to the devil to make your dream come true? By the way, did we mention that this story is based on true events? no, seriously it is.Writing this book is easily one of the toughest things I’ve

Have you ever had writer's block? We all have at one point or another and it sucks! Today's guest, Matthew Kalil, has the cure. He has written a new book called The [easyazon_link identifier="1615932860" locale="US" tag="whatisbroke-20"]Three Wells of Screenwriting[/easyazon_link]. Working from a writer’s perspective, the book explores these Three Wells and helps you consciously draw from them to develop new scripts, or strengthen old ones. It includes 29 exercises and techniques that help you to write stories that contain fresh ideas, intriguing characters, original scenes, inventive dialogue, unique locations, and important themes.I had such a ball with Matthew that I had to make it a crossover episode with the Bulletproof Screenplay Podcast. Enjoy my conversation with Matthew Kalil.

Welcome to 2019 IFH Tribe! Last year was one hell of a ride for IFH. I shot a feature, On the Corner of Ego and Desire, which is coming out in the next few months. I launched the world's first streaming service dedicated to filmmakers and screenwriters Indie Film Hustle TV and I also wrote a book called Shooting for the Mob, more on that on the next episode. Needless to say, 2018 was a crazy year for me and the IFH Tribe.On today's episode, I discuss ideas and tactics to help you reach your goals in 2019. I also go over how goals without a plan are just wishes and how you can change that. I want 2019 to be that best year of your life. I hope this episode can help you start this year's journey off on the right foot. Ask yourself the questions,"How bad do you want it? What are you willing to do to make your dream come true?"Once you answer those questions for yourself then you can get down to the business of making your dream come true. Get ready for an inspirational kick in the butt. Happy New Year, now let's

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone in the IFH Tribe and beyond. I wanted to do an episode on this subject for a long time."You are the average of the five people you spend most of your time with." - Jim RohnI wish I had someone to tell me this early on my filmmaking journey. In this episode, I go over what happened to me when I was starting out, how my friends affected me and my ability to move forward in my career and what happened to me when I moved to Los Angeles over a decade ago. I discuss how the people around you affect you on a personal, professional and even spiritual level.I really hope you find some value in this episode. Happy Holidays and keep on hustlin'.

If you ever wanted to learn how to get your local town, group or community behind your indie film this is the show for you. Today's guest did just that, writer/director Josh Doke got his entire town of Goodland, Kansas to support his film through crowdfunding, production resources and finally distribution.Goodland was filmed in his hometown of about 4,000 people in Western Kansas and he included as many locals as he could in order to help bring the project to life. We used all practical locations, had vehicles, tractors, props, and costumes donated. He was able to buy a 1990 Crown Vic for $1 from a local car dealership who wanted to help out, and then he repainted it to be a cop car - complete with a donated light bar from the local sheriff's office. The City of Goodland shut down streets, turned electricity on in abandoned buildings, and pretty much gave him free rein over the town while he was in production.Off-screen, people donated meals, lodged cast, and crew, and in return, everyone was welcome to come

Today on the show I have iPhone filmmaking master and TEDTalk Speaker Jason Van Genderen. I've wanted to have Jason on the podcast for a long time. He is a true inspiration to anyone who wants to pick up a camera and tell a story. He has made an industry out of professional shooting with iPhones for corporate clients, on commercials, music videos, and short films. Here's some more info on our guest.No script, storyboard or crew. No exposure to focus controls. A resolution of 640 x 480 pixels and a total memory of just 160MB. That was Jason’s unexpected entry into the global filmmaking stage back in 2008.‘Mankind is No Island’ went on to win numerous prestigious accolades at film festivals around the globe and was one of the very first exemplary​ films to champion a whole new emerging medium of iPhone filmmaking.With screenings and awards from Tropfest NY, Aspen Shortsfest, Palm Springs, San Francisco Short Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival right through to Sundance London, Jason’s made mobi

Today's guests are Oscar® Nominated writer/director Paola di Florio & and producer Peter Rader. They worked on one of my favorite documentaries in recent years called AWAKE: The Life of Yogananda.The film is an unconventional biography about the Hindu Swami who brought yoga and meditation to the West in the 1920s. Paramahansa Yogananda authored the spiritual classic “Autobiography of a Yogi” which has sold millions of copies worldwide and is a go-to book for seekers, philosophers, and yoga enthusiasts today. (Apparently, it was the only book that Steve Jobs had on his iPad.) By personalizing his own quest for enlightenment and sharing his struggles along the path, Yogananda made ancient Vedic teachings accessible to a modern audience, attracting many followers and inspiring the millions who practice yoga today.The story of how they self-distributed the film from booking theaters to SVOD is remarkable. They did it all on their own and the film has been viewed by millions. I wanted to bring them on the show

First off thank you for all the support that the IFH Tribe has given to IFHTV. It has been overwelling and that's why I'm so busy acquiring​ and producing amazing new content for you every month.I'll be doing these posts one a month to tell you all about the new releases I have in store for you on Indie Film Hustle TV. I've been a busy beaver and December will have over 20 hours of new content for your streaming pleasure. Also, I'd like to announce IFHTV is now available on Apple TV, Roku and Amazon TV Apps. Just go to the platforms and do a search for "Indie Film Hustle TV" and our app will pop up.Let's get to it.

Well, it's that time of year again when filmmakers around the world get that dreaded rejection letter from the Sundance Film Festival. Below is my rejection email:RE:  On the Corner of Ego and DesireDear Alex,On behalf of the entire Programming team for the Sundance Film Festival, thank you for allowing us to consider your film for the 2019 edition of the Festival. Unfortunately, we were unable to include it in our program this year. Ultimately, we are forced to make many difficult decisions throughout our process, and we consider ourselves lucky to have the opportunity to view the latest work from the independent creative community.We received a record number of submissions this year (over 14,200), and the number of worthy projects submitted to us is far higher than the number of slots available in our Festival program. The level of quality displayed in the projects we receive is higher each and every year, so it is never an easy process. We wish you the best of luck with your film going forward and we are e