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Gravitas Ventures: Confessions of an Indie Film Distributor If you have ever given any thought to the process of distributing your feature film, you know it can be nutz! The film distribution landscape has changed, and changed again as I'm writing this article. Finding a good and reputable film distributor in today's world is hard to say the least. So I wanted to bring onto the show a film distributor that has a very good reputation for working with filmmakers, being transparent and honest. Enter Michael Murphy, President of Gravitas Ventures. Indie Film Distribution from the Ground Up Gravitas Ventures is a global entertainment distribution operation with the ability to connect filmmakers and producers with consumers through hundreds of media platforms throughout the world. Gravitas was one of the first companies to develop a global network of digital media platforms as partners and now has relationships with many of the key providers of cable video on demand (“VOD”), subscription video on demand, electronic sell through and electronic rental platforms around the world. CEO Nolan Gallagher founded Gravitas Ventures in 2006 after helping shape VOD strategies for the largest North American cable operator (Comcast), and a major studio (Warner Bros). With a simple mission to deliver ideas to the digital market, Nolan recognized that Gravitas could build a bridge between filmmakers and consumer friendly technology offerings. Soon after Gravitas’ inception, Nolan and Gravitas’ President and co-owner Michael Murphy began attending worldwide film festivals in search of thought-provoking features and documentaries while establishing distribution relationships with worldwide cable, satellite, television and internet based partners. While not abandoning its digital roots, Gravitas Ventures is now one of the largest all rights distributors in the world, with the ability to distribute films into theaters and brick and mortar retailers. The company releases over 400 new films annually and is a scalable partner to new media outlets interested in licensing from our library of thousands of titles. As technology advances and new distribution opportunities arise, Gravitas Ventures continues to stay at the forefront, providing exceptional film product to audiences worldwide. So as you can see Michael knows is stuff. I wanted to grill him on what it takes to get an indie film distributed to the world. Enjoy my interview with Michael Murphy from Gravitas Ventures.

From Dusk Till Dawn to Nickelodeon with Director Joe Menendez This week on the show we have the very talented director Joe Menendez. Joe is an award-winning filmmaker of both a successful feature film director and a prolific television director/producer as well -- having moved seamlessly between both mediums his entire career. Joe Menendez has directed over 95 hours of television (both single and multi-camera), written a handful of teleplays, produced several TV series and films, and has directed eight feature films and TV movies so far. He is a multi-genre veteran of drama, action, comedy, family entertainment, horror and rom-com. His numerous and varied credits show that he is a skilled craftsman and an accomplished, versatile storyteller. For this reason I had to have him on the show. Joe Menendez is currently in post-production on Nickelodeon's LEGENDS OF THE HIDDEN TEMPLE, an action-adventure TV movie he directed for Nickelodeon, based on the popular game show of the same name, from the 1990s. His last feature, the action/comedy, LADRONES (THIEVES), was released by Pantelion Films October 9th, 2015, and received a CinemaScore of "A". LADRONES is the sequel to his 2007 feature film LADRON QUE ROBA A LADRON (TO ROB A THIEF), which opened at the time to a record-grossing opening weekend at the box-office for a Spanish-language film in the U.S. Joe Menendez has directed multiple episodes of the one-hour drama FROM DUSK TILL DAWN: The Series for Robert Rodriguez and his El Rey Network, multiples of the new Amazon Series JUST ADD MAGIC and the Prequel Series plus the "uncensored" episodes for the 2nd season of HULU's hit drama series EAST LOS HIGH. I also wanted to have him on the show to discuss what's it like working with a filmmaking legend like Robert Rodriguez. He did not disappoint. His stories are AMAZING! Get ready and enjoy my conversation with Joe Menendez. LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Joe Menendez - Official Site Joe Menendez - IMDB From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series Legends of the Hidden Temple Ladrones SPONCERS VideoBlocks.com - (IFH Discount SAVE $50) Werner Herzog Master Class Aaron Sorkin 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!

How to Break-Through Your Fear & Shoot Your First Feature Film Fear, the one thing that stops most indie filmmakers from moving forward and following their dreams. Fear of shooting their fist feature film, writing that screenplay, making that short film or just taking the first few steps towards their goals. Fear has been a strange bedfellow of mine throughout my career. It has slowed and out right stopped my progress. It has taken many years of failures to final realize I have nothing to fear. As they say: "We stopped checking for monsters under the bed when we realized they were inside of us." Breaking through the Fear I finally decided to "feel the fear and do it anyways". Directing a full blown feature film always seemed like this huge, monstrous mountain I had to climb. It was like going to hike Mt. Everest when I never even climb a mountain before. Then I figured out that that a feature film didn't have to be a "huge, monstrous mountain" and that many filmmakers started off shooting smaller films before climbing Mt. Everest. Chris Nolan shot The Following before he made Memento and then the The Dark Knight Trilogy. In that spirit I ventured off into uncharted territory with the making of my first feature film This is Meg. Below is the story on how I got that film started. LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE This is Meg IFH 075: What Does It Really Take to Make in Hollywood with Sebastian Twardosz Sebastian Twardosz - Email Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure Steven Spielberg's 1941 Robert Rodriguez Mexico Trilogy Rebel without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player SPONCERS VideoBlocks.com - (IFH Discount SAVE $50) Werner Herzog Master Class Aaron Sorkin 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!

How to Brand, Market and Build an Audience Using Social Media & Marketing Hustle So I had the plesure of speaking at the HollyShorts! Film Festival at a "fireside chat" with my brotha from another mutha RB Blotto from Stage32.com. We sat down and discussed How to Brand, Market and Build an Audience Using Social Media & Marketing Hustle. I had a ball and as promised I recorded the evening for those of you who couldn't make it. Check it out below: You’ve got an amazing script, now what? The first step is to identify your audience and create a brand for yourself that you can leverage when crowdfunding or selling your film. Once your film is done, the next step is marketing and promotion. Join us for a fireside chat with Writer/Director and Indie Film Hustle founder, Alex Ferrari, and RB Blotto, Stage32.com founder, as they offer best practices on building an audience, creating a brand, marketing yourself and your film, and finally, getting the word out via social media, which is crucial to your success. Sit back and enjoy this knowledge bomb filled episode.

What is this guy talking about? No money = better filmmaker? He must be nuts. We'll I'll have to disagree with you. As I am going through my adventure on the making of my first feature film THIS IS MEG, I have discovered that is the truth. Having less resources has made me a better filmmaker. When you have no money and limited resources you discover new and creative ways to solve problems. The creative ways end up on the screen and that is where innovation comes from. Doing something people say is nuts. "No one can stop you from doing exactly what you want to do. If you can accept that the cavalry won't come, and if you can be the cavalry, it gives you a chance to be happy." - Mark Duplass When I announced I was going to direct This is Meg with a micro budget I can't tell you how many people said I was nuts. BTW, I love it when people do that, it lights my fire. I still think most of the cast and crew still don't know how we're going to pull this off. In this podcast I go over the techinques I used to not only get the ball rolling but also get the film shot and edited. Enjoy!

This podcast episode comes straight from the heart. Diversity in the film industry is a problem. The numbers do not lie. The film business needs to have many points of views and not just a select few. The more points of views you have, the better the industry as a how will be. Filmmakers can not use their gender or race as an excuse for "not making it". The diversity problem in Hollywood is SLOWLY getting better. Ava DuVernay, the director of Selma, has become the first African-American Female director to helm a major studio film with a $100 million dollar budget. I hope this episode inspires filmmakers to go out and make it happen...no matter what! Take a listen. Keep hustlin' my friends! https://www.indiefilmhustle.com/diversity-problem-in-hollywood/

Life After Winning Sundance with Diane Bell I always talk about not counting on the "lottery ticket" mentality that so many filmmakers today count on. Winning Sundance is not a distribution plan. Well I was involved in a project, written and directed by Diane Bell, that did just that. It won not one but two awards at Sundance. She didn't count on winning, hell she didn't think in her wildest dreams that she would even be accepted. Here's the story. In 2010, 16 feature films were selected out of 1,058 submissions to be screened in the US Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. Diane Bell's OBSELIDIA was one of them. It was made for less than $140,000, it had no movie stars in it, and none of the cast or crew had connections to Sundance. And yet it was picked out of the slush pile, and selected to premier on this world stage, alongside movies that had cost 100 times as much with big name movie stars and recognized directors. OBSELIDIA, premiered in the US Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival 2010, where it won the Alfred P. Sloan Award and the award for Excellence in Cinematography. It was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards 2011, including one for Best First Screenplay. It won acclaim at festivals around the world, including being named as Best of Fest at the Edinburgh Film Festival, Best Narrative Feature at Ashland Independent Film Festival, and winning the Youth Jury Prize for Best Film at the Valladolid Festival, Spain. If you ever wanted to know what it was like to be accepted and win awards at the Sundance Film Festival sit back and enjoy on conversation with Diane Bell.

We I have a MAJOR treat for the tribe this week. I have no other than Jim Uhls, the master screenwriter behind David Fincher's "Fight Club", one of the greatest films in my generation, in my humble option. When Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club was making the rounds in Hollywood, it was a tough sale to be adapted for the screen. But then Brad Pitt got involved; add David Fincher and Ed Norton, throw Jim Uhls into the mix and you've got a modern classic. Jim’s sceenwriting credits include of course the modern classic “Fight Club” the feature-film "Jumper" the NBC television film "Semper Fi" and the SyFy miniseries "Spin". In this remarkable discussion Jim Uhls breaks the first rule of Fight Club: He talks about it, working with David Fincher, why he hates outlines and why you should interview your characters. Step inside the mind of the man who figured out how to conquer Hollywood as he lays down knowledge bomb after knowledge bomb in this eye opening interview. Towards the end of the interview Jim gives easily the GREATEST ADVICE ON HOW TO BECOME A WORKING SCREENWRITER I'VE EVER HEARD! This podcast is not to be missed.

Why Filmmakers are Always So F*ckin' Broke I'm truly PISSED OFF guys and am tired of seeing my fellow indie filmmakers and artist struggle to make a living doing what they love. I decided to put together a lists of steps that every indie filmmaker needs to do in order to thrive in the film business. Since this website is call INDIE FILM HUSTLE the terminology I'll be using will be aimed at filmmaking or screenwriting but all of these concepts can be applied to any art form. PLEASE NOTE: If you were to ever listen to a podcast of mine, this is the one. I'll be laying out the steps in the article but I go MUCH DEEPER into each one on the podcast. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN. Right click here to download the MP3 indie film syndicate, indie film hustle, filmmaking course, online film school, filmmaking, indie film, social media LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE INDIE FILM SYNDICATE Filmmaking Community THIS IS MEG Crowdfunding Campaign IFH 005: Do I Need to Move to Los Angeles to Make it in the Film Business? Aaron Sorkin Master Class Werner Herzog Master Class Robert Townsen - Hollywood Shuffle Spike Lee - She's Gotta Have It Kevin Smith - Clerks FreeFilmBook.com (Your FREE Filmmaking Audio Book) IFH's Online Film School Intro to RED Cinema Camera - Online Course Six Secrets to get into Film Festivals for FREE! Action Items: Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud or via RSS. If you like Why Filmmakers are Always So F*ckin' Broke & What They Can Do to Change It, then click below: Werner Herzog’s Teaches Filmmaking MasterClass Media Werner Herzog, Werner Herzog Masterclass, Masterclass, Werner Herzog: A Guide for the Perplexed, Rogue Film School, filmmaking, Grizzly Man, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Into the Abyss, Aguirre, the Wrath of God, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, Fitzcarraldo, Little Dieter Needs to Fly Enjoyed Why Filmmakers are Always So F*ckin' Broke & What They Can Do to Change It? Please share it in your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, email etc) by using social media buttons at the side or bottom of the blog. Or post to your blog and anywhere else you feel it would be a good fit. Thanks. I welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in the comments section below... Get Social with Indie Film Hustle: Facebook: Indie Film Hustle Twitter: @indiefilmhustle Instagram: @ifilmhustle YouTube: Indie Film Hustle TV Podcast: IFH Podcast Podcast: Film Festival Hacks Podcast IFH: Filmmaking Hacks CmX5qNkVUAAOTeN

You knew it was bound to happen. Well the time is here. Please welcome the talented Jill-Michele Meleán to the Indie Film Hustle Tribe. Jill is the star of my debut feature film "This is Meg". She is one of the most talented actors/comedian I've ever worked with and we have worked on a ton of projects of the years. Jill-Michele Meleán, “Jilly” was born and raised in Miami, Florida (aka Cuba). She declared at a young age that she wanted to be like Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Benny Hill. Jilly started in Theatre and toured with The Coconut Grove Playhouse (which is the Broadway of Miami). In 2000, she moved to Los Angeles and needed to be on stage. She took her natural comedic timing to the Standup Stage, headlining across the country while continuing her Acting career. After many years of hard work, she’s made a name for herself in the Comedy Television world with memorable performances on FOX’s “MadTV” and Comedy Central’s “Reno 911”. However, her first love is her dramatic acting career. As she continues her theatrical Film and Television career, she’ll never stop making people laugh. Which brings us to This is Meg. Take a listen and get a window into how we are creating this "micro budget" film. LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: THIS IS MEG Crowdfunding Campaign Jill-Michele Meleán - Official Site Jill-Michele Meleán - IMDB Jill-Michele Meleán - Facebook & Twitter Indie Film Syndicate - Filmmaker Community Jill-Michele Melean, This is Meg, Micro Budget Film. Alex Ferrari, Indie FIlm Hustle

What do you get when you add a stand up comedian, a fearless actress and a great personality? You get today's guest Jenica Bergere. This is one of the reason we cast here in my debut feature film This is Meg as the bitchy nut job Ruby. Jenica Bergere began her career as a stand up comedienne becoming a paid regular at The Comedy Store as well as the Improv when she was barely old enough to vote. Jenica credits Russell Simmons for discovering and representing her as the only “crazy white girl” on his Def Jam slate. Since then she has continued to hone her craft becoming an accomplished writer, actress, comedienne and now award winning director with her feature film Come Simi for which Jenica co-wrote the screenplay with Doc Pedrolie (2010 Jack Nicholson Award for Screenwriting). Filmed ‘guerilla style’ in only 6 days, Bergere brought the film in for $10,000 and sites being a micro budget filmmaker as something she actually enjoyed. Distributors have called the film “brave”, a word that also defines Jenica Bergere as a director. Willing to take risks and do whatever it takes to get the desired results, Jenica brought her camera crew into the hospital room to film her labor and delivery, ensuring the shots were captured as she envisioned, directing everyone all the whilst. Get ready to laugh out load in this amazing interview with Jenica Bergere.

In this second episode we explore the essential tools of submitting to film festivals. Withoutabox and FilmFreeway are the two most prominent festival submissions platforms online. Although there are a number of prominent festivals that do not accept submissions on these submissions engines, together the sites represent the majority of film festival submissions opportunities. They are major players on the film festival scene and influence not only how festivals accept films for submissions but also how much they charge and how films are promoted. Our overview covers the reasons filmmakers love and hate the submissions platforms, how they are viewed and used by festivals, and the ways that both Withoutabox and FilmFreeway have shaped the festival industry over the last 16 years. Plus we’ll talk about how the platforms help festivals grow and all about the submissions mixup that taught Alex what he has in common with Winnie from “The Wonder Years.”

This is it! The inaugural episode of Film Festival Hacks, the podcast that explores the festival circuit “from both sides of the badge.” Alex Ferrari is an award winning filmmaker with nearly 600 international film festivals under his belt. He’s joined by Chris Holland, author of Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook for Independent Filmmakers who has worked closely with more than 200 film festivals including Sundance, AFI Fest, and SXSW. Together we explore the hidden world of film festival programming and pass along tips that give you that critical edge in the festival submissions game. Getting the most out of your film festival investment takes careful planning ahead. In this first episode we look at what filmmakers can do during the submissions process to make sure they get the best results and how to avoid some common pitfalls. The primary topic of conversation of today’s show is the top 3 things that annoy festival programmers. These are typical mistakes that most festival rookies make, which is why we’re here to teach you the important do’s and don’ts of getting your film in front of these crucial gatekeepers while keeping them in a good mood. They’re the little things that may not seem like a big deal to you but are major annoyances to festival directors. This episode alone will save you hours of frustration and keep you out of the doghouse, so set aside 15 minutes to invest in your festival future.

Why You Don't Need a Screenplay to Make an Amazing Film As indie filmmakers we throw a lot of obstacles on our own path to creating a feature or short film. No obstacle is larger then the almighty screenplay. How many screenwriters and filmmakers do you know that have been working on the movie script for 3, 5, or 7 years? They keep chipping at it in hopes of cracking that nut or it gives them an excuse for not actually making a feature film. I was no different. One of the biggest things that slowed, if not stopped my filmmaking journey was "the screenplay." I decided to see if there was a different way to approach making a movie with my first feature film This is Meg. In doing my research I came to realize that in the last few years, some of my favorite films happen to be (almost) entirely improvised. No structured screenplay. Some were huge tent pole studio movies, Oscar winners (Ironically for best screenplay) and small indie films. It certainly seemed to be a more prolific style among independent filmmakers and I find that it can mean success when they cast the right actors. Especially in the "Mumblecore" and "Dogma 95" indie film movements. Iron Man had no screenplay? My favorite "lack of screenplay" story was the Marvel Studios tent-pole Iron Man. You heard me correctly. The film that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that show the word what a great leading Robert Downey Jr could be. It remains one of the most enjoyable adaptations of a Marvel comic book to date. iron man, no screenplay, indie film hustle via Marvel Studios Take a listen to what Jeff Bridges revealed in a recent interview. "They had no script, man! They had an outline. We would show up for big scenes every day and we wouldn't know what we were going to say. We would have to go into our trailer and work on this scene and call up writers on the phone, 'You got any ideas?' Meanwhile the crew is tapping their foot on the stage waiting for us to come on." Although a story and structure was firmly in place, the dialogue wasn't - leading to much improvisation on set, which accounts for the film's energetic, sparky atmosphere. "I said, ‘Oh, what we're doing here, we're making a $200 million student film. We're all just fuckin' around! We're playin'. Oh, great!. That took all the pressure off. Oh, just jam, man, just play. And it turned out great!" Bridges recalled. Here is a list of film I mention and discuss in detail in the podcast: John Cassavetes - Shadows Mike Leigh - Vera Drake David O. Russell - American Hustle Lynn Shelton - Your Sister's Sister Jon Favreau - Iron Man Derek Cianfrance - Blue Valentine Mark Duplass - The One I Love & The Puffy Chair Seth Rogan - This is the End Joe Swanberg - Drinking Buddies, Digging For Fire, Happy Christmas Daniel Myrick - The Blair Witch Project Drake Doremus - Like Crazy Take a listen on why you don't need a screenplay to make an awesome movie.

How Filmmakers & Artists Should Deal with Haters! Haters, a problem that artists, filmmakers or anybody who puts themselves out there have to deal with. I know of many filmmakers who are crippled by what other people think or say about them. The fact is that you are going to create anything; a poem, writer a novel, make a movie, write a song, cook a meal or build a house, there will be people who have opinions. Now opinions are fine. As they say ever has an opinion and the internet has given everyone with an opinion a voice. Now there is constructive, mature opinions and there are straight up haters. People who want to bring you down for a myriad of reasons. I decide to shine a bit of light on this topic because it is so important on your filmmaking journey to be free of the good opinions of others, as the late Wayne Dyer used to say. You can not allow other peoples opinions or thoughts bring you down or stop your forward momentum when making art of any kind. Take a listen to my experience with haters I’ve dealt with over the years. I hope it inspires you to continue creating regardless of the good opinion of others.