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How to Make Money Renting Your Film Gear with ShareGrid's Brent Barbano Have you ever wanted to make a little extra cash with that film gear sitting in your closet? Have you ever wanted o rent that new Arri ALEXA but were afraid you couldn't afford it? Well, I came across the solution for both problems, it's call ShareGrid. ShareGrid is a per to per community, think Airbnb for filmmakers, that allows list film gear for rental or rent gear directly from other filmmakers with instant insurance. I reached out to Brent Barbano, co-founder of Sharegrid to discuss how he built this community up, talk about how to be a working cinematographer and just talk shop. Enjoy my conversation with ShareGrid Co-Founder Brent Barbano.

How To Be Creative - The War of Art & Turning Pro How to be creative? This is a question that surprisingly has a simple answer. DO THE WORK! In this episode, I'll be going over a remarkable book I've read that has truly changed the way I think about life, the creative process and making films. The book is [easyazon_link identifier="1936891026" locale="US" tag="whatisbroke-20"]The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles[/easyazon_link] by Steven Pressfield. If you have writer's block, can't break through the fear or just want some tips on how to be creative this is the episode you need to hear. I'm also running the FIRST EVER Indie Film Hustle Contest. Steve Pressfield sent me a bounty of books to give away to the tribe. All you have to do to enter is "mail me", not email, but actually mail me a letter or video telling me your break through story, when you decided to do the work and stopped being afraid of following that dream Winner's story will be read on an episode of the IFH Podcast. You can send letters or videos to: Indie Film Hustle Contest - Pressfield c/o Alex Ferrari 531-A North Hollywood Way #257 Burbank, CA 91505 I can't wait to read your stories. So stop reading this and listen to the podcast already.

We all hear that self-distribution is the future for indie filmmakers. Build an audience and make a film for that audience but finding real world examples of a "true" indie film breaking $1,000,000+ using that model is tough. Well, I'm happy to introduce you to Range 15, the indie film that not only made $1 million selling on iTunes and Amazon but they have made $3 million+ to date, and growing. Today's guest is Nick Palmisciano, one of the writers, producers, and actors in Range 15. His story of how this film came into the world is truly inspiring. Nick and Mat Best, his co-producer/writer/lead of Range 15, had a crazy idea to create a feature film for the communities they had built up over the years. They are both military veterans and own military themed apparel companies Ranger up Article 15, respectively. They wanted to make a film that the military community would enjoy and they did just that. Check out the fun trailer below. They crowdfunded $1.2 million to make the film. Their goal was $350,000 but they made that in the first 30 hours of the campaign. With the extra cash, they were able to get William Shatner, Keith David, Sean Astin and Danny Trejo in the film. Check out the crowdfunding video below. As you can tell from the videos above Nick and the gang don't take themselves too seriously but what is serious is how much dinero Range 15 has pulled in. For an indie film with no studio and no distributer to break $3 million bucks is a miracle. My hats off to Range 15. Enjoy my inspirational conversation with Nick Palmisciano.

Independent Film Self Distribution & Marketing Blueprint with This is Meg Over the past 6 months or so I've been getting an enormous amount of emails and messages asking me the same question: What is your distribution and marketing plan for This is Meg? I hear you IFH Tribe, so I decide to put this podcast together and lay out the marketing and distribution blueprint I created to get This is Meg out into the world. In this episode, I break down: Why I didn't go through a traditional distributor Why I didn't do a theatrical run through TUGG How I will be self-distributing This is Meg What platforms I'll be selling on and why What my marketing strategy is This is Meg has been a giant experiment to see what happens and I wanted to share the ride with you, the IFH Tribe. Thank you for all the support. Take a listen and keep on hustlin'.

Why Creating Systems is Better Than Setting Goals We've all been taught that creating goals is important and they are but creating systems is even more powerful. How many times have you lost weight just to gain it back? How many half-written screenplays do you have sitting on your computer? When your focus is only the goal then what happens after you achieve that goal? In this episode, I discuss how to create systems that will get you to your goals faster and keep you motivated along the way. Shameless plug: This is Meg is now available for pre-order on iTunes at an early bird discount $9.99. Just go to www.thisismeg.com/itunes. I have a ton of content coming on how we are releasing the film so stay tuned. LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Buy This is Meg on iTunes IFH TV - YouTube Channel SPONSORS FilmConvert - (10% OFF - CODE: HUSTLE) Hollywood Film & Television Directing Masterclass (EXCLUSIVE 50% OFF) Directing Actors Master Course – (30% OFF – CODE: HUSTLE) Get Your Film on Netflix, Hulu & Amazon & Keep 100% off the Revenue - Distribber Hollywood Camera Work: Mastering High-End Blocking and Staging (30% OFF – CODE: HUSTLE) Werner Herzog's Filmmaking MasterClass Aaron Sorkin Screenwriting Master Class FreeFilmBook.com (Download Your FREE Filmmaking Audio Book) KILLER RESOURCES!!! INDIE FILM SYNDICATE Filmmaking Community IFH's Online Film School Six Secrets to get into Film Festivals for FREE! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. To help the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one. Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud or via RSS

Vintage Lenses for Indie Filmmakers MasterClass w/ Alan Besedin One of the main goals of Indie Film Hustle is to give real world knowledge and resources to indie filmmakers so they can make a living doing what they love. Film gear is a big part of that equation. I always am on the lookout for the best bang for the buck when it comes to film gear. I recently began to dip my toes into the world of vintage lenses. Vintages lenses are exactly that, vintage. You may be asking "Alex, why would I but a 50-year-old lens that has color redition issues or is soft on the corners when the lenses of today are perfect, clean and more advanced?" The main reason I've fallen in love with vintage lenses is exactly for that reason, they are not perfect. Years ago lenses were made by hand. Each lens had its own personality. Many of them have beautiful mistakes that made them stand out. Case in point Stanley Kubrick. If you watch A Clockwork Orange you'll notice a wide shot as the doorbell rings about 20min into the film. The crazy wide shot was filmed with a Kinoptik 9.8 F2.3. The lens is far from perfect but it has character. Kubrick was more focused in achieving an interesting shot rather than a perfect one. This coming from a legendary perfectionist. Kubrick lenses collection was made up of most vintage lenses. He would buy 10 copies of the same lenses, test them all and pick the best of the bunch and return the rest. Using vintages lenses can also take the "digital bite" off of modern day camera sensors. The best thing about getting into vintage glass is the cost. You can get a beautiful "nifty 50mm" for between $20-$80. They're literally thousands of lens you can choose from, each one special in its own way. Vintage lenses can truly give your film a unique look and make you stand out from the crowd. Today's guest Alan Besedin has been running in the filmmaking trenches for years and runs my go-to resource for vintages lenses VintageLensesforVideo.com. I've watched every video and read every article on the site. It's a wealth of info. So enjoy my conversation with Alan Besedin from VintageLensesforVideo.com. Right click here to download the MP3 Download on iTunes Direct Watch on IFH YouTube Channel

Why Indie Filmmakers Need to Break the Rules In this episode, I discuss breaking the rules. why it is important to your career as an indie filmmaker and how it can make you stand out from the crowd. I share examples on rule breakers in throughout Hollywood history and the impact it had on their careers. So get ready to break some mutha f'**kin rules! Also, I have some HUGE news. This is Meg is now available for pre-order on iTunes at an early bird discount $9.99. Just go to www.thisismeg.com/itunes. I have a ton of content coming on how we are releasing the film so stay tuned.

Please note: Throwback Fridays are archival episodes from the Indie Film Hustle Podcast. After many requests from the IFH Tribe to bring back some of the show's best episodes, I decided to create Throwback Fridays. These episodes will not be posted every week but at least twice a month...if not more. There's so much amazing info and knowledge bombs in many of these past episodes and I don't want them to be lost in the sea of IFH Content so I'll be putting a spotlight on them in Throwback Fridays. Enjoy! The 5 Lies of Indie Film Distribution Indie film distribution in a mystery to most indie filmmakers. It is filled with deception, scams, misinformation and straight out LIES! I wanted to put together an episode spotlighting the five major lies filmmakers hear about film distribution. Like many truths in the world, these might not be easy to swallow but there is hope. If you have a plan "BEFORE YOU SHOOT YOUR FILM" your odds of success go up greatly. I see so many indie filmmakers killing themselves to make their films but have no idea how to recoup their money or actually make a living doing what they love to do. I hope this podcast helps.

7 Tips To Nail Your First Week On a Film Set Your first week on a film set will be an intimidating experience. It takes time to find your feet and feel comfortable in such a unique working environment. You may have experience from college working on short film sets, but it is usually completely different working on blockbusters with hundreds of crew, cast, and extras. There can be large machinery moving around, lots of noise, multiple cameras, and camera cranes, equipment everywhere and on the stages, it is generally quite dark. You need to be aware, confident and know what happens on a film set to complete your tasks to the best of your ability. Here are some tips to help you get through your first week:

Please note: Throwback Fridays are archival episodes from the Indie Film Hustle Podcast. After many requests from the IFH Tribe to bring back some of the show's best episodes, I decided to create Throwback Fridays. These episodes will not be posted every week but at least twice a month...if not more. There's so much amazing info and knowledge bombs in many of these past episodes and I don't want them to be lost in the sea of IFH Content so I'll be putting a spotlight on them in Throwback Fridays. Enjoy! Chris Vogler: Screenwriting & The Writer's Journey Blueprint If you have seen Star Wars then you know Joseph Campbell's work. If you ever have seen The Lion King then you have seen one of Campbell's best student's, Chris Vogler, work. Related: Michael Hauge: Writing a Screenplay That Sells Chris Vogler wrote the game-changing book The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. I read this book over 20 years ago and it changed the way I look at story. Chris studied the work and principles of the late master Joseph Campbell. His book The Hero with a Thousand Faces was the bases for Star Wars as well as almost every other Hollywood feature film in the past 60 years. What Chris Vogler did so well is that he translated Campbell's work and applied it to movies. The Writer's Journey explores the powerful relationship between mythology and storytelling in a clear, concise style that's made it required reading for movie executives, screenwriters, playwrights, scholars, and fans of pop culture all over the world. He has influenced the screenplays of movies from THE LION KING to FIGHT CLUB to BLACK SWAN to NOAH. Pretty high praise from one of the best filmmakers working today. In this episode, I ask Chris to breakdown a bunch of concepts of the Hero's Journey, why it resinates with people around the world and what makes an amazing hero and villain. Enjoy my conversation with Chris Vogler.

Veydra Mini Cinema Primes: Real Cinema Lenses You Can Afford If you're an indie filmmaker and shoot your own stuff, the price of really good glass is generally too damn expensive and cinema-style primes lenses are totally out of reach...until now. Until recently, the most cost effective cinema-style primes lenses have been pre-existing stills lenses, which can create problems with matching and physical layout. You have the "pulling focus issue" that still lenses have (top marks vs side marks for the 1st AC to pull focus). Enter Veydra's Mini Cinema Primes. This amazing company has put the power back in the hands of the indie filmmaker at an affordable cost. These extremely compact lenses have an amazing build and image quality. They are light, compact and just gorgeous. Today's guest is the co-founder of Veydra lenses Ryan Avery. We discuss all things lenses, what cinematographers are looking for and the core mission of Veydra, to help filmmakers. If you want to learn a bit more about how cinema lenses work or how a couple of filmmaking entrepreneurs built a killer company then take a listen.

Please note: Throwback Fridays are archival episodes from the Indie Film Hustle Podcast. After many requests from the IFH Tribe to bring back some of the show's best episodes, I decided to create Throwback Fridays. These episodes will not be posted every week but at least twice a month...if not more. There's so much amazing info and knowledge bombs in many of these past episodes and I don't want them to be lost in the sea of IFH Content so I'll be putting a spotlight on them in Throwback Fridays. Enjoy! August Rush: The Million Dollar Screenplay Paul Castro We've all read in Variety or The Hollywood Reporter of some no name screenwriter selling his or her screenplay for a million bucks. Ever wonder how they did it? What structure did they use? What "tricks of the trade were" employed? May I introduce Paul Castro, the original writer of one of my favorite films August Rush. Paul Castro is a produced, award winning screenwriter and world-renowned screenwriting professor. "Structure...is the canvas on which we paint with words." - Paul Castro His project, August Rush was produced by Warner Brothers and starred the late great Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Freddie Highmore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The film took Paul Castro into the belly of the Hollywood beast. he business of screenwriting can be tough, but while a student at the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television, he was a finalist for the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's Award for directing and producing his original screenplay Healing, and landed a three-picture screenwriting deal worth $1 million. The lessons he learned not only from selling August Rush but many other Hollywood screenwriting adventures were invaluable. He later went back and became a screenwriting professor at UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television, teaching thousands of students over his ten years of teaching. “Paul Castro teaches screenwriting from the inside out.” - Richard Walter, UCLA Screenwriting Chairperson. After being a screenwriting professor, script doctoring and consulting Paul decided to create the ultimate screenwriting course. He calls it "The Million Dollar Screenplay." - IFH SPECIAL $10 I took the course myself and all I have to say is WOW! Paul teaches with an elegant style that's extremely understandable and straight to the point. Success leaves clues and so do masterfully crafted screenplays that sell for millions of dollars. Paul Castro shows you those secrets. Not trying to do a hard sell here but I just love this course. “What clearly resonates with me is Paul’s love for and dedication to his students and to storytelling. He is a composed and practical artist and teacher, yet highly imaginative in his approach.” - Michael Eisner, Former CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Here's some of what Paul covers in his course: Professional screenwriting techniques Plot development for the big screen Creating compelling characters to attract movie stars Winning dialogue Structure to serve as the blueprint for your movie Scene construction to evoke suspense Sequence writing to manage an ensemble cast After taking his course I reached out to him and asked him to be a guest on the podcast. What followed was not only a master class in screenwriting but also lessons on the film business and he also discussed how to discover your own voice as an artist. Pretty mind-blowing. Enjoy this whopper of a podcast episode and if you haven't seen August Rush do yourself a favor and watch it. It's worth watching for Robin Williams alone! If you're interested in downloading his course click here: The Million Dollar Screenplay - IFH SPECIAL $10 Right click here to download the MP3 Download on iTunes Direct Watch on IFH YouTube Channel

How to Make a $9000 Feature Film with Ed Burns Many of you might have heard of the Sundance Film Festival winning film called The Brothers McMullen written and directed by Edward Burns. Burns went off to star in huge films like Saving Private Ryan and direct studio films like She's the One but what you might not know is he has been quietly making completely independent films on really low budgets. How low, how about $9000. As with any smart filmmaker, Ed Burns has continued to not only produce films but to consider new methods of getting his projects to the world. In 2007, he teamed up with Apple iTunes to release an exclusive film “Purple Violets”. It was a sign of the times that the director was branching out to new methods of release for his projects. In addition, he also continued to release works with his signature tried-and-true method of filmmaking. Using a very small $25,000 budget and a lot of resourcefulness, Burns created “Nice Guy Johnny” in 2010. Again- he was the writer and director. This is a formula that may intimidate a lesser performer, but he has proven that it works perfectly for his abilities. The film “Nice Guy Johnny” was released at the Tribeca Film Festival. While he was releasing that film, Burns wrote “Newlyweds”, another film he directed and starred in. He filmed this on a small Canon 5D camera in only 12 days and on a budget of only $9,000. In his book Independent Ed (which I recommend ALL filmmakers read), Ed Burns mentions some rules he dubbed “McMullen 2.0” which were basically a set of rules for independent filmmakers to shoot by. Actors would have to work for virtually nothing. The film should take no longer than 12 days to film Don’t shoot with any more than a three man crew Actor's use their own clothes Actor's do their own hair and make-up Ask and beg for any locations Use the resources you have at your disposal I used similar rules when I shot my feature film "This is Meg". I shot that in 8 days. Take a listen to this episode and prepare to get inspired. After you listen take a read of the making of The Brothers McMullen and read Independent Ed. You won't regret it. Also, Ed Burns' DVD director's commentaries are indie filmmaking gold. He really shares his methods and all of his secret sauce. The DVD are direct cheap and well work getting. I'll put a list of them below. You won't regret it.

You are in for a treat. This week's guest, MICHAEL HAUGE has been one of Hollywood’s top script consultants, story experts, and authors for more than 30 years. He coaches screenwriters, novelists, filmmakers, professional speakers, internet marketers and corporate leaders, helping transform their stories and their audiences using the principles and methods of Hollywood’s most successful movies. Michael has consulted on films starring – among many others - Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts and Morgan Freeman, and has presented lectures and workshops to more than 70,000 participants worldwide. He is the best-selling author of Writing Screenplays That Sell (now in its 20th Anniversary Edition) and Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds: The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Screenplay or Novel Read. According to Will Smith, “No one is better than Michael Hauge at finding what is most authentic in every moment of a story.” - Will Smith After our interview with Michael Hauge and I decide to bring one of his best courses to the IFH Tribe. We called is Screenplay and Story Blueprint: The Hero's Two Journeys

How to Build a Film Brand w/ Zombie with a Shotgun's Hilton Ruiz I always talk about building a fan base and making art or products that can be sold to that audience. Well, today's guest is doing just that with his viral sensation Zombie with a Shotgun. Creator Hilton Ariel Ruiz created this film property and is really knocking it out of the park. He has comic books, posters, a web series and soon to be produced feature film. I ask Hilton on the show because I kept seeing him pop up on my social media feeds. They man knows what he's doing. With close to a quarterr million Twitter followers the man knows how to build an audience. ZOMBIE WITH A SHOTGUN is the feature adaptation of the popular web series of the same name. Aaron and Rachel are on the run due to the fact that Aaron is infected by what seems to be a zombie virus. As the story unfolds, they find that there is more to this infection than it seems. For some reason, he has not developed the full zombie virus. He seems to be trapped in a transitional phase which grants him certain abilities. One of them is the ability to communicate with other zombies. This makes Aaron a valuable pawn as he's being pursued by shadowy figures with ulterior motives. Now he must stay alive (or undead) long enough to figure out the source of his infection! Enjoy my conversation with Hilton Ariel Ruiz.