Ever wondered how indie filmmakers land name talent for their small-budget films? We're hoping our friend Chen Drachman can shine some light on that nagging question. In her short The Book of Ruth, she cast Broadway legend and Walking Dead alum Tovah Feldshuh, and for her live-action animation short, But I’m a Shoe, she brought in Janet Varney, the voice of Korra from The Legend of Korra. We’re gonna sit down and ask her, “HOW the heck did you get these two incredible talents on board?” … and we can’t promise this episode won't go off the rails a little. It’s gonna be a fun one.

~~~~~~~~~

Chen Drachman is an Israeli-American, award-winning actress and filmmaker based in NYC.

Chen’s first film, The Book of Ruth, starring Tony and Emmy Award nominee Tovah Feldshuh, has been in over 40 festivals in the U.S. and abroad, including the Academy Award-qualifying Cinequest and the Canadian Screen Award-qualifying Vancouver International Film Festival.

The film won multiple awards and since it concluded its festival run, it has had more than 150K views online through Omeleto.

Her newest film, But I'm a Shoe, starring The Legend of Korra's Janet Varney, had its world premiere at the Academy-Award-qualifying St. Louis International Film Festival and its International premiere at the Academy-qualifying Lebu International Film Festival in Chile. It's currently doing a run on the festival circuit.

Her newest short script, Blood and Sex Over Ambition, was a quarter finalist at the Hollyshorts script competition and a semi-finalist at the Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival script competition. A recipient of the 2024-2025 Inwood Film Festival grant, it is set to film in 2025, and an honorable mention at the Waco Independent Film Festival.

Chen is an Impact Producer for the feature Doc Looking Up and an event producer.

Instagram: @chendrachman @gracedragonproductions

Facebook: @chendrachmanpage

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gracedragonproductions/

~~~~~~~~~~

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If you’re a Walking Dead fan and a filmmaker, you might find this episode extra interesting! We’re diving into what we have decided to call “Marquee Casting.” Not to be confused with stunt casting, Marquee Casting is when you find the right name talent for your indie film and are able to leverage their star power to push your project forward. Today, we’re talking to H. Nelson Tracey about his recent feature film, Breakup Season, which has a crazy talented ensemble of actors, including their lead, Chandler Riggs. How the heck did you make that happen, Nelson!? We gotta know!

H. Nelson Tracey is a director and producer based in Los Angeles. His feature debut, Breakup Season, played at 39 film festivals nationwide in 2024 before being acquired by Buffalo 8 for worldwide distribution. After an 18-city theatrical run in November 2024, it is now available to stream on Amazon & Tubi. As a documentary producer and editor, his work has appeared on Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, and also premiered at prominent film festivals including Slamdance and Tribeca. He also works as a festival consultant, helping short and feature filmmakers navigate through their film festival journey with success. Originally from Denver, CO, he graduated from Chapman University with a BFA in Film Production. He's currently gearing up for a vinyl release of the Breakup Season soundtrack, as well as developing his next directing projects.

BreakupvSeason Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/184828025/breakup-season-vinyl-soundtrack-and-merch?ref=a6po83

Find Nelson Online!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breakupseasonmovie, https://www.instagram.com/classicnelson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Breakup-Season-61562175634540/

X: https://x.com/drivingnelson (I basically don't use this anymore after the Elon of it all)

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HintofFilm

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So exactly how much money do you need for your feature film!?! Well, that’s a great question. No matter what size project you’re working on, two of the bigger components will be LOCATION and NUMBER of SHOOTING DAYS. Currently, we are attempting to nail down our locations and all costs associated with that. BUT how many days will we need to shoot? How many locations? How many days will each actor be needed? And how can we streamline all of that? That's where STRIPBOARDS come in. Don’t know what stripboards are or how they apply to your project? This week, we will attempt to shed some light on the subject and learn a few things ourselves.

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We’re not done figuring out how we’re going to pull together the scratch to make our first feature film but we are wrapping up this section so we can dive into the other aspects of developing a movie. Before we go, let’s recap some of the highlights and key takeaways. Plus we're gonna show a few of our cards and break down what our plan might be. Things can (and will) change as we start to knock on doors and put things in motion but we’re feeling pretty good about where we’re headed on this filmmaking adventure.

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There are as many ways to fund a feature film as there are filmmakers. This week we’re going to take a look at how Writer and Director Lauren Musgrove put together the backing she needed to make her directorial debut with “Ugly Sweater.” She’s fresh off the film festival circuit where they racked up eight film festival laurels along with three wins, a major feat for any feature. Now that she’s got this first feature under her belt, we’ve got a million questions, and Lauren is gracious enough to share her experiences with us.

Lauren is an eight-time Southeast Emmy Award-winning filmmaker. She serves as an Assistant Professor of Film and Television Production at the University of Georgia, and as a Board Member of the Athens Film Festival. Her feature directorial debut about teenage anxiety and imagination, Ugly Sweater, world-premiered at the Boston International Film Festival in 2024. She Co-Directed the Facebook-viral documentary series “People of Alabama,” and Produced a Southern slasher feature set in 1979: The Third Saturday in October, which is currently streaming on Shudder. Lauren is renowned for her keen storytelling abilities, commitment to ethical production practices, and proven success in audience engagement across various platforms.

View her portfolio: laurenmusgrove.com

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FIND LAUREN AND HER FILMS:

Instagram: @uglysweatermovie, @purplemagnetproductions, @laurenmustgrow

Facebook: Purple Magnet Productions

Website: purplemagnetproductions.com/uglysweater

Wanna reach us? Email!

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Another amazing interview ahead! Today, we’re talking to Ryan McDonough about how he funded his proof of concept short and then feature film, “Last Night in Rozzie.” We’ve known Ryan for years, and he is a riot, so we know this is going to be a good interview. Now that we’re diving into making our first feature, we gotta ask him a million questions. How did you secure your funding? What were the struggles? HOW THE HECK DID YOU GET JEREMY SISTO!?!?!?! (Be still, our “Clueless” obsessed hearts.) But mostly, Ryan is just a fun guy to chat with, so settle in, grab some popcorn, and let's see what we can glean today. @mcshowoff,

Ryan McDonough has enjoyed a 30-year career in entertainment, serving as an actor, host, emcee, writer, producer, and personality. His company name, McShowoff, embodied the spirit of a jack of all trades with no shame. Notably, Ryan gained significant recognition as "Cuervo Man"—a recently sober, professional party catalyst whose unique story was featured on "This American Life."

Motivated by becoming a father, Ryan wrote, produced and raised all funds for the award-winning independent feature, "Last Night in Rozzie.” The story was inspired by his growing up without a father in the Boston neighborhood of Roslindale, and by his long, slow recovery from alcoholism. “Rozzie" premiered in select U.S. theaters and via streaming in September 2021. Prior to the feature, Ryan also wrote, produced, and co-starred in an award-winning short film based on the same compelling script; the feature screenplay was a Scriptapalooza semifinalist.

Currently, Ryan leverages his extensive experience as a video product and program lead at Google. He resides in Long Beach, CA, with his wife and 11-year-old son, alongside their two beautiful German Shepherds.

WATCH Last Night in Rozzie:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.0b0950cb-11be-4ffa-97ff-087568af607e?autoplay=0&ref_=atv_cf_strg_wb

https://www.youtube.com/live/O3P7PbKXCgY

Or just search "Last Night in Rozzie" on all your streaming services

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RYANS SOCIALS

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mcshowoff

https://www.instagram.com/lastnightinrozzie

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/ryanmcshowoff

www.facebook.com/RozzieMovie

www.facebook.com/McShowoff

X:

https://x.com/mcshowoff

http://x.com/lastnightrozzie

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Getting funding for your indie feature film…. the monumental task continues. While we all dream of a phone call from the big studios, you’ll probably have to find investors elsewhere. And sometimes magic strikes. We’re sitting down with Writer / Producer Hudson Phillips, who has two features under his belt. We will discuss how he obtained the money, managed those funds, and what he learned from his two projects that we can put to our own uses.

Hudson Phillips is a writer, producer, and founder of Mirror Box Films. He grew up in small-town South Georgia (thick accent and all) until his father relocated the family to Haiti to work as a pharmacist in remote mountain communities. After his dad unexpectedly passed away, Hudson returned to Atlanta (thankfully losing the accent) and fell in love with genre storytelling as a way to process his grief.

His first feature, the post-apocalyptic This World Alone, was released on Hulu, won Best Feature at six festivals and Best Screenplay at two, and earned a positive review in The New York Times. His second, the sci-fi romance Guacamole Yesterdays, is now available on major platforms following a nationwide 13-city theatrical tour and an award-winning 11-stop festival run.

Hudson has worked as a writer-for-hire and had an original spec optioned by Lions Gate Films. He’s also the author of Writing Unforgettable Characters and has taught screenwriting and indie film production at workshops and college campuses.

A former single dad to a now college-bound son, Hudson lives outside Atlanta with his wife, two rescue hounds, and a shit-ton of books.

WANT TO HELP US MAKE A MOVIE?

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Acast - https://shows.acast.com/were-making-a-movie

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Hudsons Info:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hudsonphillips/

Mirror Box Films:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorboxfilms

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirrorboxfilms#

Head to www.mirrorboxfilms.com to find Guacamole Yesterdays and This World Alone

Wanna reach us? Email!

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Is crowdfunding for your indie feature film giving you minor heart palpitations? We get it! We’ve done a few ourselves, and we still think raising funds via Kickstarter sounds daunting. So we’re bringing in a pro to walk us through all the ins and outs of the successful campaigns she’s been a part of over the years. We are pleased to introduce you to Paul Rhodes. Actor, Director, Producer, Paula is the ultimate go-getter. You may have seen her in any number of commercials or heard her voice in some of your favorite video games and cartoons. What we are really jazzed about is her feature film, “Delicate State”, that was made possible in part by crowdfunding. And seriously, Paula just gives great advice when it comes to this stuff. We’re thrilled to get to pick her brain.

Paula Rhodes loves challenging the pick-a-lane mentality and has stretched her creative wings in various areas from playing a stable of characters that includes Resident Evil villains and two of Barbie's sisters, winning awards for screenplays, producing multiple series, directing a feature film over the course of her pregnancy that went on to win the Audience Choice Award at Dances with Films and get global distribution, and which currently has her helping the Witches to burn back with @burnedmovie.

WANT TO HELP US MAKE A MOVIE?

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Acast - https://shows.acast.com/were-making-a-movie

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Where to find Paula:

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1955206/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paula_rhodes

Burned: https://www.instagram.com/burnedmovie

Delecate State: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/delicate-state/umc.cmc.3stxu0wymcs9n0inhtv7pu337

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#filmmaking #womeninfilm #IndieFilmPodcast

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