The legacy of the crime drama television series, The Sopranos remains a defining art of storytelling for mob TV shows. We have the genius behind this hit TV series, David Chase as our guest today. As expected, Chase is a twenty-five-time Emmy Awards-winner, seven times Golden Globes winner, and highly acclaimed producer, writer, and director. His forty-year career in Hollywood has contributed immensely to the experience of quality TV. Before getting into the nitty-gritty of Chase, let’s do a bri...
Oct 13, 2021•45 min
I believe that most indie filmmakers have a dream of making a feature film, getting accepted to the Sundance Film Festival, and that film would be fought over in a massive bidding war that generates millions of dollars for the filmmakers. I’ve called this dream the lottery ticket mentally. I always say that someone wins the lottery every week somewhere. Well, today’s guest is that lottery ticket winner. Today on the show we have director Max Barbakow, the filmmaker behind the largest sale at Sun...
Oct 06, 2021•52 min
The NO Bullsh*t Guide to Making Your Indie Film with Jeff Leisawitz Have you ever been in a place where nothing is going right creatively? Do you ever feel like you are standing in your own way? Me too. Today's guest is author Jeff Leisawitz who wrote Not F*ing Around— the No Bullsh*t Guide for Getting Your Creative Dreams Off the Ground. This little pack is quite a punch. I wanted to have Jeff on the show to drop some knowledge bombs to wake up the tribe a bit. To help you get out of your own w...
Sep 29, 2021•57 min
I have an inspirational treat for you today. On the show, we have writer/producer/director Elizabeth Blake-Thomas. She has recently financed, written, directed, and sold six feature films in the past two years, with no professional film school training. Elizabeth has been involved in the creative industries for over 30 years. Studying drama from a young age led her to run theatre schools, train other students and companies and work in various creative industries, culminating in where she is now,...
Sep 22, 2021•42 min
It’s always way fun to have a guest who is also a fan of the show. This week’s guest is definitely a member of the tribe. We chatted up pre-interview about some of his favorite IFH podcast episodes like Ed Burns and Joe Carnahan and I knew front hen on we were on for a treat. My guest today is award-winning writer, director, and producer, Chris Sparling. Chris has written some of Hollywood's most original and fascinating screenplays like Buried, Greenland, Mercy, Down A Dark Hall, Reincarnate (f...
Sep 15, 2021•1 hr 37 min
We have on today, one of the best rom-com and comedy writers and filmmakers of all time a master at visual storytelling. I've been a fan of many of his films growing up, specifically, Father of The Bride. Now that I have two daughters of my own, it is fondly scary to rewatch it. Charles Shyer is an award-winning director, screenwriter, and producer whose work includes some of the best fuzzy-feel good films of all time. Shyer grew up in the film industry where his father worked with D.W. Griffith...
Sep 08, 2021•56 min
I was glad to take a deep dive into the deep end of horror screenwriting with writer and producer, Devin Watson, notably known for writing and producing The Cursed (2010) which was the first draft he wrote in only two days. He’s also written several books, the latest of which is Horror Screenwriting: The Nature of Fear. Horror has, among all of the genres in film and written works, one of the longest, most distinguished, and often misunderstood bloodlines in history. It is often overlooked by cr...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 13 min
We have award-winning author, playwright, actor, teacher, and writing consultant, Catherine Ann Jones on the show today. She’s authored a number of consciousness-raising books, plays, film, and television scripts, including, The Christmas Wife (film), Unlikely Angel with Dolly Parton, The Way of Story: the craft & soul of writing (book), Freud’s Oracle (Play), and several others. Unlikely Angel stars Dolly Parton who plays a self-absorbed singer who meets an untimely death and gets an opport...
Aug 25, 2021•1 hr 1 min
I’m taking a journey down the rabbit hole of screenwriting psychoanalysis with Professor William Indick, who is a psychology professor at William Paterson University in New Jersey, professor of psychology executive chair of faculty at Dowling College, and author of Psychology for Screenwriters. We take a nerdy dig into the world of psychology and how it affects writers, screenwriters, and characters. With some expert contextualization, William psychoanalyzes some of our favorite films and charac...
Aug 18, 2021•1 hr 15 min
I’m sure many of you are familiar with the cult indie film classic The Boondock Saints. But many of you might not know the crazy story of its writer and director Troy Duffy. Well, prepare to get your mind BLOWN. I had an EXCLUSIVE discussion with Troy this week, and let's say, he did not hold back. Nothing was off-limits - from his instant rise to fame to the brutal fate he met - getting blacklisted, all of it. He wanted to set the record straight because there is always another side to the stor...
Aug 11, 2021•2 hr 9 min
I had a fun chat with our guest today. We hit it off pre-interviewing, geeking out about James Cameron and his latest masterclass, and so much more. On the show this today is Will Hicks who is head of Screenwriting and production at Colorado Film School and an associate professor at the Community College of Aurora. Will had a start in producing and screenwriting earlier in his career until making the shift to teaching few years in --- appreciating more, the elements of studying the craft of form...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 47 min
We have today, 80s horror icon Michael Myers, also known as, Nick Castle. Director, writer, and actor - notable for directing The Last Starfighter (1984), Major Payne (1995), and Escape from New York (1981) among others. Nick’s fictional character, Micheal Myers, in the Box Office $255 million-grossing Halloween film is possibly one of his most well-known roles that have been strongly supported by fans for years. He appears in the 1978 Halloween film as a young boy who murders his elder sister, ...
Jul 28, 2021•1 hr 15 min
I wanted to take a deep dive into the marketing side of screenwriting today because it is in fact, a necessity in the industry today. Unfortunately, not many writers bother themselves as much about marketing their work. While I have some course resources on the IFH Academy website to help writers pitch stories or to get past the gatekeepers and so on, I thought it would be favorable to have marketing and development exec, Felicity Wren on the show to delve into the subject. Felicity started off ...
Jul 21, 2021•1 hr 22 min
It is an absolute thrill to have Jack Epps Jr. on the show today. The award-winning writer, USC Cinematic Arts professor and filmmaker is a member of the Writer's Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He’s best known for writing Top Gun (1986), Pigs vs. Freaks, The Secret of My Success, Turner & Hooch, and Anaconda 1997 screenplay. Jack first became involved in making films while doing his undergraduate at Michigan State University. Inspired by a student film ...
Jul 14, 2021•1 hr 19 min
It's been a hell of a year so far. I've been blessed to have had the honor of speaking to some amazing screenwriters and man today's guest is high on that list. On the show, we have writer/director Joe Carnahan. Joe directed his first-feature-length film Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane. which was screened at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and won some acclaim. In 2002, Joe directed the neo-noir crime film Narc starring Ray Liotta and Jason Patric. The film caught the eye of the biggest movie st...
Jul 07, 2021•1 hr 37 min
I am extremely excited to have on the show today a fellow podcaster, established producer, director, and writer, Mick Garris. Mick’s podcast, Post Mortem with Mick Garris, dives deep into the devious minds of the greatest filmmakers and creators of your worst nightmares to bring their distinctive visions to life in fascinating one-on-one conversations. He’s renowned for his screen adaptations of Stephen King’s books like Sleepwalkers (1992) , and creator of 2005, Masters of Horror series. The Ca...
Jun 30, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Today’s guest is a writer, director, producer, actor and indie filmmaking legend Edward Burns. Many of you might have heard of the Sundance Film Festival winning film called The Brothers McMullen, his iconic first film that tells the story of three Irish Catholic brothers from Long Island who struggle to deal with love, marriage, and infidelity. His cinderella story of making the film, getting into Sundance and launching his career is the stuff of legend. The Brothers McMullen was sold to Fox Se...
Jun 23, 2021•1 hr 43 min
I've been working on a new podcast for sometime now. Introduction Next Level Soul. The podcast that asks the big questions about living, evolving and thriving in the world today. The show attempts to answer those questions by having candid and inspiring conversations with thought leaders from every walk of life. Global icon, musician, and animal rights activist, Moby(né, Richard Melville Hall) has lived many lives right before the gazes and judgment of the world. Self-discovery is a continual pr...
Jun 21, 2021•49 min
Our guest today is the well-regarded screenwriting lecturer, story consultant, and eminent author, Robert McKee. Reputable for his globally-renowned ‘Story Seminars’ that cover the principles and styles of storytelling. McKee’s work has shaped the way Hollywood movies have been written for years. Particularly, Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting, written in 1997. A very resourceful guide for screenwriters. In Story, he expands on the concepts he teaches in his ...
Jun 16, 2021•1 hr 9 min
You should all know this by now. I love bringing on different perspectives on the craft because you never know what might click for someone. At the end of the day, we are all trying to tell a and compelling story. I invited to the show this week Julian Hoxter to talk about his book, The Creative Screenwriter: 12 Rules to Follow and Break to Unlock Your Screenwriting Potential. Julian is a published writer, lecturer, and screenwriting story consultant with extensive experience in scholarly writin...
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 19 min
After working in the IFH labs for the first part of 2021 I can finally announce what it is. May I introduce Indie Film Hustle's FILMMAKER PROCESS? Filmmaker Process offers comprehensive professional services for hire to help filmmakers and screenwriters, working at any budget level, get their film project to the finish line. I wanted to put the much-needed services filmmakers need but rarely have access to all under one roof. Filmmakers and screenwriters usually could only get access to these se...
Jun 03, 2021•9 min
There are performers that impact your life without you even knowing it and today's guest fits that bill. On the show we have comedic genius, multi-award-winning actor, writer, producer, director, and television host, Billy Crystal. We’ve seen Billy’s versatile work across all areas in the entertainment world, stand-up, improv, Broadway, behind and in front of the camera, feature films, television, live stages like SNL, and animated movies. It's fascinating how much the man has done over the span...
Jun 02, 2021•53 min
This week, I sat down with one of the most legendary and successful screenwriters/producers in Hollywood, Oscar® Winner Eric Roth. Over a 50+ years career, he's well-known for writing or producing films like Forrest Gump, A Star is Born, Mank, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Munich, Ali, and the list goes on. The critically and commercially acclaimed American drama, Forrest Gump is an adaptation of Winston Groom's 1986 novel of the same title, adapted by Eric Roth in 1994. The story depicts...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 16 min
This week, I invited author, writer, and director, Jamie Nash on the show to discuss his ‘Save The Cats Writes for TV’ formula in his new book, Save the Cat!® Writes for TV: The Last Book on Creating Binge-Worthy Content You'll Ever Need. Jamie is a horror and children’s film screenwriter with fifteen years of experience writing projects for Nickelodeon, Liongate, Discovery, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc, and also teaches screenwriting to college students. Some of his most notable horror credits in...
May 19, 2021•1 hr 15 min
Our guest today, is expert storytelling educator, author, and UCLA professor, Richard Walter--- bestselling author of Essentials of Screenwriting: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film and Television Writing. He recently retired as Professor and Interim Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television where, for more than forty years, he chaired the graduate program in screenwriting. The amazing thing about Richard is he has been the instructor of some of the most amazing screenwriters in...
May 12, 2021•2 hr 6 min
You guys better get ready for a hell of a ride because our guest today brought a great conversation. We have accomplished screenwriter and director Joe Cornish on the show today. The English comedian and filmmaker burst onto the scene in 2011 with his very successful film directorial debut, Attack The Block, starring John Boyega, who played Moses, a low-level crook, teenage gang leader, an orphan looking for respect around the block. The British sci-fi comedy horror film centers on a teenage str...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 14 min
Being a podcaster now for over 600 episodes I’ve heard all sorts of stories on how people make it in the film business. From Sundance darlings to blind luck. Now today’s guest story is easily one of the most incredible and entertaining origin stories I’ve ever heard. We have on the show today award-winning director, producer, and screenwriter, Sacha Gervasi. Sacha won the screenwriter lottery with his first-ever screenplay, which was a un-produceable short film script, caught the eye of the lege...
Apr 28, 2021•1 hr 23 min
Our guest today is the former president of the producers Guild of America, established producer, writer, and director, Marshall Herskovitz. Much of his production projects have been in partnership with his long-time filmmaking friend, Edward Zwick whose films, he’s produced and written half of. Their decades-long filmmaking partnership was launched as co-creators of the 1987 TV show, ThirtySomething. Now, Marshall had already written for the TV show, Family, in 1976. So his understanding of TV w...
Apr 21, 2021•1 hr 43 min
Well I put out an episode back in 2019 putting my dream list of guests out into the universe and in the past four months I've been humbled to have some amazing filmmakers and screenwriters on the show. Incredibly one of those dream guests has made his way on the show today. We are joined by indie film icon and Oscar® nominated writer/director Richard Linklater. Richard was one of the filmmakers who helped to launch the independent film movement that we know today with his classic 1991 indie film...
Apr 20, 2021•2 hr 7 min
I've spoken to many people in the film business over the years but today's guest is one of the hardest working craftman I've had the pleasure of sitting down with. Today on the show we have screenwriter, producer and director, Mark L. Smith. If you look at his IMDB you'll see a list of 15 projects at various stages of development. He's come a long way from entering the Hollywood scene some 15 years ago with his fear-striking horror screenwriting and directorial debut, Séance in 2006. Mark stumbl...
Apr 14, 2021•1 hr 25 min
