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I've been getting asked almost daily if filmmakers should submit to film festivals during the pandemic since most festivals are moving online? Well, I went straight to an expert to discuss this. On the show today I have one of the leading authorities on film festivals, Chris Holland from Film Festival Secrets.com. Chris is a 20-year veteran of film festivals, journalism, marketing, distribution and literally wrote the book on the subject, Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook For Independent Filmmakers. If you are a listener of the show you also know that Chris and I created a FREE Podcast Series called the Film Festival Hacks Podcast. Chris and I discuss the pros and cons of submitting to film festivals in today's world, what value film festivals have in the current marketplace, and if festivals can bounce back after the brutal hit they took from COVID. Enjoy my conversation with Chris Holland.

In Season 2 we will be deconstructing the work and career of film director David Fincher on The Directors Series Podcast hosted by Cameron Beyl. Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network http://www.ifhpodcastnetwork.com

We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our filmmaking or screenwriting journey. This show will do just that. Never stop chasing that filmmaking dream. Keep on hustling. Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (ifhpodcastnetwork.com)

When I wrote my book Rise of the Filmtrepreneur I hoped it would help filmmakers around the world. I never thought that a filmmaker halfway around the world would read it and change his entire marketing and distribution plan for his million-dollar+ indie film. Today's guest is Australian filmmaker Mark Toia who created the insane indie sci-fi action film Monsters of Man. After reading Rise of the Filmtrepreneur he reached out to tell me what he was thinking of doing. He was planning on self-distributing his film as an experiment to see if he could do it and also to prove to filmmakers around the world that you can get a great ROI on a million-dollar+ indie film without any major bankable stars. I asked him, "So a million-dollar Filmtrepreneur experiment?" Mark said yes. He had already been offered multiple seven-figure deals from distributors but after looking at the convoluted fine print of the distribution contracts he decided to opt-out. The payment schedules were so insane it would take Mark forever to get any money at all. The traditional film distribution path was not designed to help him get paid and if a film like Monsters of Man is having these issues the system is most definitely broken. Then he discovered my book and down the Filmtrepreneur rabbit-hole, he went. When I saw the trailer for the first time I almost fell out of my chair. I recently had the pleasure of watching the film and all I can say is: "Monsters of Man is one of the BEST films I've seen in 2020. A must watch!" To get the most bang for his buck Mark shot the film in Cambodia. He was able to hire an amazing local crew while also capturing the breath-taking locations, and culture that the country had to offer. The production value was off the charts. This is a once in a lifetime Filmtrepreneur experiment. Can a multi-million dollar sci-fi, action indie film be self-distributed successfully? We will find out. Mark agreed to keep me updated on the progress of the film and come back next year to tell the tribe how it all went. I can't be more excited to share this episode with you guys. Enjoy my inspiring conversation with Mark Toia.

Today we go inside the mind of screenwriter Randall Jahnson (The Doors, Mask of Zorro). Randall Jahnson is an American writer, director, and producer. His works include Dudes, The Doors, The Mask of Zorro, Sunset Strip, and episodes of the HBO TV series Tales from the Crypt. He also wrote Gun, a Western video game which was voted Best Story at the IGN Video Game Awards.

The impact that Blake Snyder's Save the Cat® book series has had on Hollywood screenwriting is incalculable. Rarely does a book change the way screenwriters approach story and structure. In his best-selling book, Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told, Blake Snyder provided 50 “beat sheets” to 50 films, mostly studio-made. Now his student, screenwriter and novelist Salva Rubio applies Blake’s principles to 50 independent, auteur, European, and cult films (again with 5 beat sheets for each of Blake’s 10 genres in the book Save the Cat!® Goes to the Indies: The Screenwriters Guide to 50 Films from the Masters. If you're a moviegoer, you'll discover a language to analyze film and understand how filmmakers can effectively reach audiences. If you're a writer, this book reveals how those who came before you tackled the same challenges you are facing with the films you want to write. Writing a “rom-com”? Check out the “Buddy Love” chapter for a “beat for beat” dissection of Before Sunrise, The Reader, Blue Is the Warmest Color, and more to see how Linklater and Krizan, David Hare, and Kechiche and Lacroix structured their films. Scripting a horror film? Read the “Monster in the House” section and discover how 28 Days Later and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre are the same movie – and what you need to do to write a scary story that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. Want to execute a great mystery? Go to the “Whydunit” chapter and learn about the “dark turn” that’s essential to the heroes of The Big Lebowski, The French Connection, and Michael Clayton. Want your protagonist to go up against an evil “institution”? Consider how Mamet handled Glengarry Glen Ross and Tarantino's famed Pulp Fiction. Writing a “Superhero” story? See how Susannah Grant structured Erin Brockovich, Anderson & Baumbach worked out Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Gilliam & Stoppard & McKeown laid the foundation for Brazil. With these 50 beat sheets, you’ll see how “hitting the beats” creates stories that resonate the world over for these outstanding writers—and how you can follow in their footsteps. Salva Rubio is a novelist, screenwriter, and author. He has been nominated at the Spanish Goya Awards for Best Animation Feature. As a graphic novel writer, some of his works have been published in America, including Monet, Itinerant of Light (nominated for an Eisner Award), and The Photographer of Mauthausen. Salva is an associate member of the WGAW (Writers Guild of America, West) and a member of the Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Enjoy my conversation with Salva Rubio.

Happy New Year IFH Tribe! We are starting 2021 with a bang. Today on the show with have Zack Arnold, an award-winning Hollywood film & television editor (Cobra Kai, Burn Notice, Empire, Shooter, Glee), member of the American Cinema Editors, a documentary director GO FAR: The Christopher Rush Story, narrated by Mark Hamill), and creator of the Optimize Yourself program and podcast. Zach has been working on the #1 Netflix show Cobra Kai since season 2. If you haven't heard of Cobra Kai here's the skinny. Thirty-four years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, a down-and-out Johnny Lawrence seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his rivalry with a now-successful Daniel LaRusso. Zack and I talk about Cobra Kai, how he became a healthy editor, what it was like working on some of the top shows on television, and how he retired early from editing, except Cobra Kai, of course, to run his own lucrative online business helping creatives optimize themselves. Enjoy my conversation with Zack Arnold.

In Season 2 we will be deconstructing the work and career of film director David Fincher on The Directors Series Podcast hosted by Cameron Beyl. Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network http://www.ifhpodcastnetwork.com

Well, 2020 has been one hell of a year. Our industry has been turned upside down and inside out. The way business is done in Hollywood has been changed forever. There has been so much pain and suffering this year. People lost their jobs. Legendary companies that were thought to be unbreakable filed for bankruptcy. The mear act of being on set became a highly dangerous occupation. So many beloved filmmakers and actors passed away. Film festivals closed their doors. Movie theaters giants shut their doors, some for good. COVID-19 devasted not only our business but the world. 2020 just f**king sucked! With all that said I see a light of hope on the horizon. Like every New Years before Jan 1 brings with it a new hope, an opportunity to improve things, and for your life to be better than before. 2021 has a lot of pressure on it for sure. I know so many tribe members have had a rough go of it but the only thing we can do is to take charge of what you can control. You might not be able to control the world, the virus, your employer, or the economy. But you can control what you do on a daily basis, how you act, how you think. You can think everything sucks and there's no hope for you or your dreams or you can think that you have the power to change where you are in life right now. Every dream, every success story started with one thought, I CAN DO THIS. As Henery Ford once said "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." The power of your own thoughts is so much more mighty than you think. Trust me I speak from experience. Looking back on my life I realized that in the roughest moments my thoughts were destructive and when I was experiencing great successes my thoughts were constructive. Whatever you focus on grows so if I were you I'd focus on the positive and not the negative. This year I came to a profound truth that the key to success is to help others. The moment I launched Indie Film Hustle my life began to change. The more I helped others the better my life became. The opportunities I had been chasing for decades just started showing up at my door. Don't get me wrong, as you know I hustled like crazy but not on getting things for myself as much as providing value to other people. As Les Brown said “Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.” In 2021 make it a goal to help others with their dreams and I promise you that things in your life will change, it did for me. In 2020 I released my second feature film On the Corner of Ego and Desire, created BulletproofScreenwriting.tv, my premium online education platform IFH Academy, launched the IFH Podcast Network and multiple podcasts including The Filmmaking Motivation Podcast, The Directors Series Podcast, Inside the Screenwriter's Mind Podcast, and spoke to legendary filmmakers and screenwriters on my shows like Oliver Stone, Barry Sonnenfeld, Alex Proyas, James V. Hart, and John Badham just to name a few. And most importantly I was inspired by you the Indie Film Hustle and Bulletproof Screenwriting Tribes. Your stories of overcoming obstacles, massive successes, and following your dreams moved me. Getting emails and messages from around the world gave me hope that yes we are in tough times but even with all that you, the tribe, continues to move forward like an unstoppable creative force.

In Season 2 we will be deconstructing the work and career of film director David Fincher on The Directors Series Podcast hosted by Cameron Beyl. Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network http://www.ifhpodcastnetwork.com

Today on the show I bring you one of the most influential and iconic filmmakers in the history of cinema, three-time Oscar® winner Oliver Stone. Throughout his legendary career, Oliver Stone has served as director, writer, and producer on a variety of films, documentaries, and television movies. His films have been nominated for forthy two Oscars® and have won twelve. I hope this conversation inspires filmmakers and screenwriters to never give up. Oliver struggled for years taking jobs as a production assistant, cab driver, office assistant, and any other gig he could find to help him survive while he was chasing his dream. He wrote and wrote, meeting his goal of one to two screenplays a year, no matter what. Never give up, never surrender. Enjoy my epic conversation with Oliver Stone.

CHRISTMAS THROWBACK: I'm here to finally put to rest one of the greatest cinematic arguments of all time, is Die Hard a Christmas movie? I thought I'd tackle this epic question with my good friend Stephen Follows. In this Special Christmas Edition of the Indie Film Hustle Podcast Stephen and I use data to finally put this debate to rest. I believe without a shadow of a doubt that Die Hard is the greatest Christmas movie of all time. Stephen is not so sure so we go to the data to find out. Stephen wrote an EPIC article about this a while ago where he does what only Stephen does. Below are some of the graphs he created for his dissection of this issue. From google trends to actual frames from the film that we see actual Christmas references. We leave no stone unturned in this debate. I promise you after this episode you will be armed to debate and film nerd at the next Christmas party. I wanted to create a fun episode for all the film geeks out there. Enjoy my ridiculous and entertaining conversation with Stephen Follows. And don't forget to have a Yippee ki-yay mutha f**king Merry Christmas!

We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our filmmaking or screenwriting journey. This show will do just that. Never stop chasing that filmmaking dream. Keep on hustling. Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (ifhpodcastnetwork.com)

Today on the show we have returning champion author K.M. Weiland. I wanted to bring her back on the show to discuss her new book Writing Your Story's Theme: The Writer's Guide to Plotting Stories That Matter. "Theme Is What Your Story Is Really About." Theme—the mysterious cousin of plot and character. Too often viewed as abstract rather than actionable, theme is frequently misunderstood and left to chance. Some writers even insist theme should not be purposefully implemented. This is unfortunate because in many ways theme is story. Theme is the heart, the meaning, the point. Nothing that important should be overlooked. Powerful themes are never incidental. They emerge from the conjunction of strong plots and resonant character arcs. This means you can learn to plan and implement theme. In doing so, you will deepen your ability to write not only stories that entertain, but also stories that stay with readers long after the end. Writing Your Story’s Theme will teach you: How to create theme from plot and character. Why every supporting character and subplot should enhance the theme. How to prevent theme from seeming preachy or “on the nose.” What to consider in identifying the best theme for any given story. And much more! Conscious mastery of theme will elevate every story you write and allow you to craft fiction of depth and meaning. Enjoy my conversation with K.M. Weiland.

So many IFH Tribe members have reached out to me to ask if I could help or guide them on how to shoot an indie feature film or series during COVID-19. So I decided to release a series of interviews with filmmakers who have done just that. First up is filmmaker Austin Williams. Austin was shooting his new feature Red Stone in the middle of COVID before anyone in our business knew what to do. The film had a respectable $500,000 budget. In this conversation, we discuss the methods he used to keep everyone safe on set, how he dealt with SAG, and the costs associated with dealing with COVID safety measures. Enjoy my conversation with Austin Williams.