The Art of Film Funding
Discover the secrets to funding and creating successful indie films with The Art of Film Funding Podcast. Join Carole Dean, President of From the Heart Productions and author of The Art of Film Funding, and Heather Lenz, director of the award-winning documentary Kusama-Infinity, as they chat with top film industry pros. Get practical insider tips on crowdfunding, pitching, saving on budgets, marketing, hybrid distribution, and the latest in A.I. filmmaking. Whether you’re funding your first project or navigating new trends, this podcast has everything you need to succeed. Subscribe and let’s get your film funded!
Own Your Film, Own Your Future: Nicki Micheaux on Funding, Pitching, and Creative Power
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What if you could stop waiting for Hollywood to discover you and learn how to fund your films, pitch investors and buyers, protect your creative vision, and build a successful filmmaking career on your own terms? Our guest is Nicki Micheaux, an accomplished actress, award-winning writer and director, producer, and founder of Elevate Creative Talents. Nicki built a remarkable acting career starring in the television series Lincoln Heights, earning three consecutive NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
After successfully bringing her own feature film to a...
The Magic Happens in the Editing Room: How a Great Editor Can Transform Your Film Featuring accomplished editor and award-winning filmmaker Steven Lifshey
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Steven Lifshey, an award-winning editor, director, and filmmaker with more than 30 years of professional post-production experience. Steven has worked with major television networks, including A&E, AMC, Discovery, Showtime, Comedy Central, and Food Network. His credits include editing episodes of Hoarders, Tiny House Nation, and Cold Case Files, along with promotional work for acclaimed television series including The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Dexter, and Chopped.
(https://stevelifsheyeditor.vids.io/videos) Steven’s videos and email: [email protected]
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Grant application: https://fromtheheartproductions.com/roy-w-dean-film-grants-and-awards
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Hollywood Goes Vertical: How Filmmakers Can Create, Sell and Make Money from Vertical Drama
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Dana Protsyshak is the founder of Dana Productions, the LA Vertical Drama Market, and Vert-I-Go Media, a vertical drama platform designed with creators and community in mind.
Grant application: https://fromtheheartproductions.com/roy-w-dean-film-grants-and-awards
Join our new educational platform From the Heart THRIVE and get free classes on film funding: https://fromtheheartproductions.thrivecart.com/from-the-heart-thrive/
Beyond the Festival: How to Protect, Distribute and Extend the Life of Your Independent Film
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Apple TungFong is the founder and CEO of CineLot, a technology platform designed to connect the many stages of the film-festival process—from submissions and judging to programming, screenings, filmmaker communication, and opportunities beyond the festival. Today, through CineLot and its partnerships, Apple is also helping bring professional film-identification and content-protection tools within reach of independent filmmakers.
We are also joined by Marc Gray who is Chief Executive Officer of SonicOrigin, the provenance infrastructure company. A serial entrepreneur with a proven track record. Under his leadership SonicOrigin was named a Fast Com...
Don’t Wait for Hollywood: Garrett Patten on Building Your Own Independent Film Career
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Garrett Patten is a versatile actor, director, and filmmaker known for his work on Self Custody. As an active force in the West Coast creative community, Garrett builds projects at the intersection of independent film, visual storytelling, and contemporary culture. He explores narrative depth both in front of and behind the camera, bringing fresh creative energy and strong industry connections to every project.
Join our new educational platform From the Heart THRIVE and get free classes on film funding: https://fromtheheartproductions.thrivecart.com/from-the-heart-thrive/
Grant application: https://fromtheheartproductions.com...
Hook Them From the First Frame: The Art of the Fundraising Trailer
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Today we have an important conversation about one of the most critical aspects of film funding. Your trailer. This is by far your most important funding asset. Our guest today is Carole Joyce, Vice President of From the Heart Productions and Director of our Roy Dean and the Carole Dorothy Joyce Grants. Carole has the unique opportunity to see over 500 trailers a year from applications for the Roy W Dean grant. She knows what impact a trailer has on a judge and winning grants.
Carole Joyce is an award-winning film and te...
Move beyond traditional funding models with Simone Pero, Emmy nominated producer
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Today we're talking with Simone Pero, an Emmy-nominated producer and the founder of For Impact Productions. Simone helps mission-driven artists move beyond traditional funding models and build real ecosystems of support around issue-driven work, through her signature Artists for Impact™ cohort program. She's also a sought-after public speaker and writer on the role of art and creative expression in social change. Her website is www.forimpactproductions.com, and you can download her free guide “Your North Star for Social Impact" at www.forimpactproductions.com/guide/.
Winning Film Grants with Carole Joyce
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Our guest today is Carole Joyce, Vice President of From the Heart Productions and Director of our grant programs, including the Roy W. Dean Grants and the Carole Dorothy Joyce Grants. Carole has the unique opportunity to see grant applications from the other side of the table. She knows what makes an application memorable, what causes an application to lose momentum, and what filmmakers can do to communicate the heart, purpose, and potential of their projects more effectively.
Grant application: https://fromtheheartproductions.com/roy-w-dean-film-grants-and-awards
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The Producer Is You: How Filmmakers Can Build, Fund, and Finish Their Films
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Today, we are talking with Irina Chernikina, producer/director/writer, about one of the most important—and often misunderstood—roles in independent filmmaking: the producer. What does an independent producer actually do? How does a producer guide a film from its earliest development through production and post-production?
The Film Funding Group event takes place Thursday, 8-6-26 at 4pm PT / 5 pm MT / 6pm CT / 7pm ET
Learn More at https://www.facebook.com/groups/filmfundinggroup
The Event Recording will be posted in "featured" section at http...
Brace for Oblivion: Xackery Irving on Courage, Truth, and Ukraine’s Front Lines
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Over more than 30 years, Xackery Irving has produced hundreds of hours of nonfiction programming for The New York Times Television, History, and National Geographic. For his work on Brace For Oblivion, he was granted the p.g.a. mark by the Producers Guild of America. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Employment Committee of the Producers Guild of America.
Join our new educational platform From the Heart THRIVE and get free classes on film funding: https://fromtheheartproductions.thrivecart.com/from-the-heart-thrive/
Human-Powered Filmmaking: Ben Wolf on Craft, Community and Change
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What happens when a neighborhood asks for one dangerous street to be made safer—and discovers that the fight is really about power, money and who gets to shape the future of a city? Stay with us as filmmaker Ben Wolf reveals how he transformed that battle into his feature documentary directing debut, Changing Lanes.
www.changinglanesdoc.com
Join our new educational platform From the Heart THRIVE and get free classes on film funding: https://fromtheheartproductions.thrivecart.com/from-the-heart-thrive/
Bodies of Water: Transforming Grief into a Global Story
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Today, we are speaking with award-winning documentary filmmaker, writer, and storyteller Betsy Murphy.
Her documentaries have screened at international film festivals and appeared on Hulu, Showtime, and Amazon Prime. Her projects have also been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The UK Sunday Times, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, and Sports Illustrated.
Betsy is also the author of eight books, including Autobiography of an Orgasm, Grief Glimmers Grace, and Write On: A Daily Writing Practice for Anyone with a Story to Tell.
<...Scaling a Documentary for Global Change: Nivi Jaswal’s Path from Self-Funding to 1,000 Screens
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Alternative ideas for Outreach distribution for the documentary, Third Degree Burnout – A Survivor’s Guide.
In 2020, Nivi Jaswal-Wirtjes lost her father to COVID-19 while struggling through her own burnout after 15 years in high-pressure global marketing and strategy roles across consumer packaged goods, life sciences, and media. That dual reckoning — grief and exhaustion — became the catalyst for her life’s new direction: uncovering the connections between personal well-being, food systems, and planetary health.
She founded The Virsa Foundation Inc., and. the JIVINITI Research and Advocacy Pr...
Faith, Film & Funding: Jessica Wrabel's Journey with her film
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Today, we're delighted to welcome Jessica Wrabel, a versatile and respected actress and producer with more than two decades of experience in television, film, and theater. Today we'll discuss Jessica's journey as a producer, how she financed her film, the unique opportunities, and challenges of faith-based filmmaking, and what she's learned about bringing an independent film from concept to audience.
Join our new educational platform From the Heart THRIVE and get free classes on film funding: https://fromtheheartproductions.thrivecart.com/from-the-heart-thrive/
Production Management 101: The Real Business of Making Movies
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Deborah Patz’s book, Film Production Management 101, has become one of the industry's most respected resources and is often described as the “essential roadmap to the business side of production.” The newly updated third edition covers everything from budgeting and scheduling to respectful workplaces and sustainable production practices. Deborah covers important producing skills in this podcast.
Deborah is also the author of “Write! Shoot! Edit!” for teens - both books published worldwide by MWP Productions. She has worked in the industry since the mid-80s, with a filmography that spans micr...
Short Films, Big Impact: A Conversation with Rae Shaw
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Rae Shaw is a Black female writer-director whose work has been evolving to stretch the boundaries of how Black women see and are seen in the world. Her work concentrates on lifting the experiences of Black women and women of color by telling stories that dimensionalize us in spaces that have sought to diminish, exploit and punish us through stereotypes. Her screenplays have won honors at top international screenwriting competitions, and her film work has screened at top film festivals. She is the author of the recent screenwriting book, THE SHORT, from MWP, th...
The Future of Independent Filmmaking: Inside From the Heart THRIVE
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Check out our new educational platform From the Heart THRIVE!
This platform brings together all of From the Heart’s Courses, Classes, Services and Resources in one convenient central hub.
Learn more and sign up at https://fromtheheartproductions.thrivecart.com/from-the-heart-thrive/
Use Coupon Code AFFPOD10 for 10% anything in the platform.
Today, we’re talking about the next evolution of that mission: From the Heart THRIVE — a new educational and membership platform designed specifically to help...
The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Formula: Joanne Butcher's Seven Steps to Get Your Film Funded, Made, and Seen Worldwide
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Joanne Butcher has shaped the careers of more than a hundred independent filmmakers as a Consulting Producer, helping them navigate the business realities that define success in the industry. Her deep experience in fundraising and distribution has supported the completion and release of dozens of feature films, and she has been directly involved in bringing over 25 features to screens around the world.
What sets her apart is the way she empowers artists to evolve into savvy industry professionals—storytellers who not only understand craft, but who can confidently communicate with investors, fu...
How to Throw a Film Funding Party That Raises Real Money with Carole Joyce
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Carole Dean interviews her daughter, Carole Joyce — a two-time Telly Award–winning producer and Vice President of From The Heart Productions. With decades of experience helping filmmakers develop, finance, and promote independent films, Carole Joyce has guided countless projects from idea to screen and has become a respected mentor within the independent film community.
Together, they explore how filmmakers can create intimate, inspiring fundraising events that not only raise money, but also build relationships, generate momentum, attract new supporters, and help bring important stories to life.
Join our new...
Think Outside the Box Office: Mastering Film Distribution in Today’s Market
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Jon has been at the forefront of independent film for decades. Today, we’re diving deep into what it really takes to get your film seen—and how to survive and succeed in a very challenging distribution landscape.
Jon Reiss is a filmmaker, author and media strategist who wrote the book Think Outside the Box Office. His company, 8 Above, creates custom audience-building strategies, theatrical experiences and digital release campaigns for independent feature and documentary films. Reiss has consulted with hundreds of filmmakers and film organizations throughout the world including The...
The Future of Film Funding: Predicting Audiences Before You Shoot
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Imagine being able to understand your audience before you even shoot your first scene… to test your story, evaluate casting choices, and anticipate market performance—all from your script. That’s no longer science fiction. It’s happening now.
Benjamin Schnau is a multilingual actor, producer, host, book author and public speaker native in English and German plus conversational French who also built a successful career as a business development and account executive in the tech industry working for companies like Splunk and Nasdaq. He is now overseeing client accounts...
The End of the Old Budget — How Two Veteran Producers Are Reinventing the Way Hollywood Manages Money
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This is a revolution to budget making. If you want to learn how to budget your film with the newest program that will save you hours and be accurate, listen to these two brilliant, intelligent line producers Stephen Marinaccio & Matthew Cuny, Co-Founders of Cinematic Apps who took years to create and share this new way to budget your film.
Learn More!
Line Budgeter: linebudgeter.com
LinePM: line.pm
Art of Film Funding listeners can use code filmfunding10 for 10% off.
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Owning Your Film’s Future: Lessons in Independence from Mike Camoin
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From PBS broadcasts to grassroots theatrical screenings, Mike has built a career defined by independence, impact, and a deep belief in cinema as a communal experience. He has worked across productions that have been screened at major festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, Cannes, and Toronto, and has been a driving force behind the independent film movement in upstate New York.
What makes Mike’s journey so powerful is not just what he’s created—but how he’s done it: with courage, clarity, and a commitment to bringing audiences together.
Learn...
Is Texas the New Hollywood? How Smart Producers Are Rethinking Where They Film
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Danielle Guilbot is an Austin-based actress and film-tech entrepreneur. She is the founder of TexasFilmScene.com: the Texas Movie Operating System. TFS is a clearinghouse connecting producers, crews, and talent with everything they need to bring productions to Texas — from firsthand producer insights and crew resources to a full breakdown of the state's film incentive programs.
Join our new educational platform From the Heart THRIVE and get free classes on film funding: https://fromtheheartproductions.thrivecart.com/from-the-heart-thrive/
The New Filmmaker’s Reality: AI, Ethics, and the Future of Storytelling
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AI is no longer something on the horizon. It’s already here, quietly reshaping how films are developed, produced, edited, and even distributed. But with that power comes critical questions—about ethics, authorship, and the future of creative work itself. In this episode, we’re not just talking about what AI can do—we’re exploring what it should do, and how filmmakers can stay aligned with their creative voice while navigating a rapidly evolving industry.
From Film to Brand: How Filmmakers Can Finance and Distribute Through Branded Content
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In this episode, we’re diving into one of the most powerful opportunities emerging right now—branded content.
What if your film could be funded not by waiting for a studio or investor… but by aligning your story with a brand that shares your message and your audience?
What if branding wasn’t a compromise—but a creative partnership?
Our guest, Johann Garcia, founder of BrandedStreams, is at the forefront of this movement. He works with filmmakers and creators to help them understand how to position their projects a...
Surviving the New Film Industry: AI, Studios, and the Indie Filmmaker’s Advantage
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Jonathon Smith is a writer, director, and producer whose work spans independent film development and forward-looking conversations about the evolving film industry.
Known for his thoughtful approach to storytelling and production, Jonathon has been actively exploring how emerging technologies, shifting studio structures, and new distribution models are reshaping opportunities for filmmakers.
As both a creative and a strategist, he brings a valuable perspective on how filmmakers can adapt to industry disruption while staying true to their artistic voice.
Jonathon is especially interested in how independent...
Ethos Film Festival & The Power of Purpose-Driven Cinema
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Anabelle Munro is an award-winning writer, producer, director, and singer and owner of Blue Boots Productions whose creative work spans film and music with a deep commitment to socially conscious storytelling.
She is the creator and manager of the Ethos Film Festival, a festival designed to celebrate films that embody integrity, purpose, and artistic excellence. Through Ethos, Anabelle has built a space where independent filmmakers can showcase their work in an environment that values meaningful cinema, thoughtful dialogue, and creative collaboration.
Her leadership reflects both artistic passion and entrepreneurial...
From Set to Software: How Smart Producers Are Reinventing Film Production
We’re joined by two experienced producers who have worked at the highest levels of film and television — from major studio features to award-winning streaming series — and who are now building tools to help filmmakers work smarter.
Stephen Marinaccio is a veteran producer with over 35 years of experience across global feature films and television, and co-founder of Cinematic Apps. He has worked in over 30 countries and served in key production roles on projects including Ghosts of the Abyss with James Cameron, Netflix’s Marco Polo, Amazon’s Jack Ryan, and as interim VP of Production at Paramou...
The New Frontier of Film Distribution with Rish Aggarwal of Kinema
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Kinema is a technology-driven global screening and streaming platform designed to democratize film distribution and empower independent filmmakers. Before launching Kinema, Rish was a Principal at Human Ventures, where he supported and invested in early-stage startups across a range of industries. Prior to that, he worked in fintech, leading strategic projects at Transactis ahead of its 2019 acquisition by Mastercard. At Kinema, he champions community-led screenings, virtual events, direct audience relationships, and, most recently, partnered with Show&Tell Films to expand resources and education for filmmakers within the Kinema ecosystem.
Beyond Kickstarter: Using WeFunder to Build Investor-Driven Indie Films
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Mark Elias is a Los Angeles-based writer, actor, and independent filmmaker focused on grounded, commercial indie films with bold concepts and strong character work. He is the producer of We Could Be Heroes, a comedy-crime heist rooted in gaming culture. Mark is currently raising the film through WeFunder, allowing the public to invest and follow the project’s real-time journey from campaign to production. His work blends entrepreneurial execution with story-driven filmmaking, with a mission to build audience-first entertainment that can break out commercially.
Format Is Power: How Scripts Get Taken Seriously in Hollywood
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Christopher Riley is a screenwriter, director, and author with a career spanning award-winning international cinema and major studio assignments. His groundbreaking 1999 German-language courtroom thriller After the Truth earned multiple awards, and his screenwriting work includes projects for Disney’s Touchstone Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sean Connery’s Fountainbridge Films, Mandalay Television Pictures, and the Fox television network.
Chris is also the author of The Hollywood Standard, the definitive script format manual celebrating 20 years as a best-selling reference for screenwriters worldwide, as well as The Defining Moment: How...
Film Funding Mastery: How THE CROWDFUNDING QUEEN™ Raised Thousands and Built a Global Crowdfunding Model
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THE CROWDFUNDING QUEEN™ is a fundraising expert and innovator, as well as a multi-award-winning European-American film and theater director and producer. She has garnered over 37 awards and accolades and was once an Oscar contender in the “Best Documentary” category for her acclaimed feature-length film, Torn from the Flag. She is also known for her Cannes-award-winning short Brown Paper Bag. THE CROWDFUNDING QUEEN™ is recognized worldwide as acrowdfunding consultant. She engineered the FROM ZERO TO A MILLION IN 90 DAY...
Helen Hall shares how to use MIPCOM for funding your documentary
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Helen Hall is an award-winning producer, director, and composer whose work explores the intersection of art, science, and energy. With more than 30 years of experience, she creates films that combine original research with cinematic storytelling to explore complex and unusual subjects
She is currently completing the feature documentary Pictures of Infinity, based on more than two decades of research into Nikola Tesla’s long-hidden blueprint for a sustainable energy future. The film has received major honors, including the Roy W. Dean Award and the Carole Dorothy Joyce Award for Excellence in Do...
Christine LaMonte — Craft, Collaboration & Creative Excellence
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Christine La Monte, producer/director/writer and former film marketing executive at Universal, Disney, and Orion is the founder/president of La Monte Productions where current projects include VIVA VERDI! the feature documentary Shortlisted for Best Song, where she serves as producer, writer and executive producer. Also on the awards circuit, AI WEIWEI’S TURANDOT, a co-production with Italy’s Incipit Film and La Monte Productions
Post-Cinema: Scott Billups on AI and the Future of Filmmaking
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Scott Billups is an award-winning cinematographer and visual effects creator who has worked on over fifty motion pictures. As a world leader in the creation of virtual characters for movies and games, Scott went back to school in his forties to study AI as a way to breathe life into his inanimate creations. Armed with an entirely new tool set, Scott was Apple’s first evangelist to Hollywood, co-founder of the AFI Media Lab, CTO of the game industry’s leading supplier of AI (Rival Theory, which became a subsidiary of Goog...
ALL THE WALLS CAME: Ondi Timoner on Creating Transformative Films - Hosted by Heather Lenz
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Our special guest this week is the award-winning filmmaker Ondi Timoner. Timoner founded Interloper Films and is known for movies about visionaries challenging the status quo and personal documentaries that reveal the bittersweet side of facing seemingly impossible challenges. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and the Television Academy and chairs the Nonfiction Subcommittee for Special Projects at the DGA. Timoner is the only director to win Sundance's Grand Jury Prize twice—for DIG! and WE LIVE IN PUBLIC. Both films are in MoMA's permanent collection. Her numerous credits in...
From Script to Screen to Strategy: Spade Robinson on the New Era of Filmmaking
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Spade Robinson is an award- winning screenwriter and director, with experience that spans feature film, documentary, television, commercial and theater. Spade is the owner of full service production company, Spade Ink Media, producing and developing a slate of film, television and podcast projects. Spade is also the owner of Atlanta Film Project, a screenplay and documentary consulting firm, helping storytellers and companies to tell the most compelling version of their stories.
What Everyone Gets Wrong About Crowdfunding — with Bri Castellini
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Description: We’re joined by Bri Castellini, one of the top crowdfunding experts in the indie film world. While at Seed&Spark, Bri helped filmmakers raise over $25 million—achieving an incredible 85% success rate. Bri is an independent film and screenwriting consultant and a subject matter expert in arts crowdfunding, indie filmmaking, film festivals, podcasting, romance novels, and the USA television show Burn Notice. As a filmmaker herself she's known for her short film Ace and Anxious (writer/director, 160k+ views on YouTube) and for her podcast Breaking Out of Breaking In. She personally helpe...
From Twilight Zone to Today: Paul Chitlik on the Art of Screenwriting
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A master storyteller shares decades of lessons and his newest book.
Description - : Paul Chitlik has written for all the major networks and studios in English and in Spanish. He was story editor for MGM/UA'S "The New Twilight Zone," and staff writer for Showtime's sitcom "Brothers." He directed episodes and was coordinating producer for “Real Stories of the Highway Patrol” and “U.S. Customs Classified.” He wrote and produced “Alien Abduction” for UPN. He wrote, produced, and directed “Ringling Brothers Revealed” a special for The Travel Channel. (He had been a roustabout for Circ...
