Shows
Movies Inc: The Business of FilmThe Importance of Clearances with MARIA BLAIS O’LAUGHLINWe get into the weeds with Maria Blais O’Laughlin, a veteran film and television clearance coordinator. We chat to Maria about what a clearance process looks like from start to finish on a film, all the steps that go into clearing one item, examples of where things have gone wrong, and why clearances are so important (spoiler: so you can get insurance and deliver to your distributor!). Disclaimer: This episode should not be construed as legal, commercial or financial advice and should be used for informational purposes only. About the Guest: Maria Blai...2025-07-2348 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmData and Predictive Modeling with CHRISTIAN MONTIWe chat to Christian Monti about using existing data as a risk mitigation tool in financing feature films, the pros and cons of Cinelytic software, the software's genesis, how it improves the film business for independent producers, and the use of predictive modeling in the financing, casting and distribution phase of a film's lifecycle.About the Guest: Christian is the COO at Cinelytic. Prior to joining Cinelytic, he was a studio executive for 17 years and developed a deep knowledge of Studio analysis and distribution. His positions included managing the international television business development and distribution f...2025-07-0232 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmProduction Legal (and the importance of a signed agreement policy!) with AMY STEIN SIMONDSWe chat to Amy Stein Simonds about her work as an entertainment lawyer, what production legal actually entails, how to budget for it, and the importance of a signed agreement policy on set. About the Guest: Amy Stein Simonds is a partner in Pryor Cashman’s Media + Entertainment Group. Amy has provided production, finance, and distribution legal counsel for more than 100 studios, streaming platforms, and independently financed productions, mostly advising throughout the evolution of a project, from development all the way through exploitation.Amy has been recognized as a top attorney among her peers, including in...2025-06-1830 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmProducing ‘The Luckiest Man in America’ with AMANDA FREEDMANWe chat to Amanda Freedman about producing the acclaimed ‘The Luckiest Man in America’, the “produced by” credit and what it means to be the only producer on a film, the role of film critics in the context of sales, the changing market and whether the film industry is still a boys' club (spoiler: it is). About the Guest: Amanda Freedman is an LA-based, Toronto born independent producer. She graduated with an MA in media theory from the New School, and went on to do her MFA in AFI's producing program. Amanda produced the multi Indie Spirit Award nom...2025-06-1137 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmSelf Distributing ‘Hundreds of Beavers’ with KURT RAVENWOODSelf distributing HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS broke the Hollywood system, and Kurt takes us behind closed doors. He walks us through the catalyst for the filmmaking team in deciding to take fate into their owns and distribute their own film, the marketing strategies and tools implemented, what lead to their success, and what they learned along the way. About the Guest: Kurt Ravenwood, a producer and marketer from Wisconsin's Northwoods, is a founding partner and Executive Strategy Director at Milwaukee-based SRH. Under his leadership, SRH has collaborated with brands like the Green Bay Packers and Harley-Davidson.SR...2025-06-0443 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmBranded Content and the Changing Landscape of Film Distribution with BRIAN NEWMANWe chat to Brian Newman, founder of Sub-Genre, about the relevance of film festivals in the current market, the rise of branded content and the importance of values alignment between brand, filmmaker, and the film being made, and why every filmmaker needs to budget for self distribution. About the Guest: Brian Newman, founder of Sub-Genre, consults on film and media content strategy, distribution and marketing for some of the top brands in the world. His company guides companies through the process of leveraging entertainment to showcase their values, have greater impact, and to stand out f...2025-05-2854 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmIndependent Producing & The Making of a Black and White Festival Darling with Rachael FungWe chat to NY based producer Rachael Fung about the high’s and low’s of independent producing, being picked as Variety’s top producers to watch, the practical realities of different budget levels, balancing competing business and creative interests and we talk a lot about the business behind making FREMONT, Babak Jalali’s fourth feature film, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.2023-08-3045 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmHeartstopper: Exec Producing Unique Stories with Patrick WaltersThe second half of season 2 is back! We kick off with Patrick Walters, Executive Producer of Heartstopper from See Saw Films! Pat chats to us about what it means to be an Executive Producer in Television, working with broadcasters and streamers, creating unique stories for global audiences, and the importance of building the right team. Pat’s cats also make a brief appearance. 2023-08-0241 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmMusic, Docs and The Art of Fair Use with Katy Alimohammadi CrownWe all know documentaries can take certain liberties that scripted film and tv shows can’t and those of us operating in the unscripted world are thankful for it! Meet the culprit - U.S. fair use laws. We were joined by Katy Alimohammadi Crown current business and legal affairs at A24 and former partner of Donaldson Callif Perez, a firm renowned for specializing in unscripted and documentaries. Katy carved out some time to run us through the pros and cons of fair use, how it plays out in scripted vs. unscripted productions, using music in music documentaries, and th...2023-03-3039 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmPay Your Taxes and Other Ways To Make Your Financiers Happy with Paul Finegan and Andrew ChowThere are 2 things we can’t escape - death and taxes. When it comes to making movies, distributing them and collecting gross receipts, having a good tax accountant on board from beginning to end is key. They’ll do more than just file your annual tax returns for you! We were joined by industry veterans Paul Finegan and Andrew Chow from Lutz & Carr to talk us through their average Tuesday, film tax credits, collection accounts, foreign investments in films and the tax implications, as well as much more! 2023-03-2239 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmNFTS in Film - Sara and Charlotte Get Schooled with Jeremy S. GoldmanWhat in heaven’s name is an NFT and how are filmmakers using it to finance their films? We had absolutely no idea so we went to the leading NFT attorney in the country - Jeremy S. Goldman at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz. He talks us through the different ways NFTs are being used to finance film and what we should be thinking about in doing so, how effective entertainment law is in keeping up with the changing tech landscape, and his views on the Quentin Tarantino/Miramax lawsuit.2023-03-151h 10Movies Inc: The Business of FilmCreating Buzz with Sylvia DesrochersIt's Oscars week and we chat to Hollywood publicist Sylvia Desrochers about her 20 year career in Tinseltown. From what publicists actually do, to how valuable For Your Consideration campaigns are, and why you need to invest in a production photographer, Sylvia gives us the lowdown on creating buzz in a crowded distribution market.2023-03-0837 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmFrom Scheduling to Running the Joint with Jess KwanAfter 2 years of us pestering Jess Kwan to join us for an episode, she finally agreed! We kick off Season 2 with the current VP of the Concordia Fellowship and chat to her about the evolution of her career from supporting executives, to being the executive, differences in the biz between narrative feature films and docs, what business development in the film industry actually means and the importance of building a network and genuine relationships. 2023-03-0141 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmGet It In Writing with Sasha H. Levites and Marcie ClearyWe chat to Sasha H. Levites and Marcie Cleary who are partners at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, one of the leading firms in the U.S. We pick their brains about keeping up with emerging technologies and new formats (NFTs! Podcasts!), the benefits to talent having an all inclusive team of manager + agent + lawyer, the importance of those long winded indemnification and insurance clauses, and 2 fundamental rules - get it in writing and don't sign anything without having a lawyer look it over and give it the OK.2022-04-0651 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmGut Instinct with Polly Staniford and Angie FielderWe chat to Academy Award nominated Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford of Aquarius Films about first starting out, lessons learned early on, the benefits of having the right producing partner, the realities of foreign productions vs. domestic productions and the importance of always listening to that gut instinct.2022-03-3034 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmA Down to Earth Approach to Doing Business with Stephen FitzgibbonWe chat to Stephen Fitzgibbon about starting his own production company and building a slate, how he transitioned from acquisitions to producing everything from music videos to feature films. We find out how he picks his co-producing partners, the learning curve of navigating rights and transparency as the fundamental value when doing business in this industry.2022-03-2434 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmThe Internationalization of Television with Matt VitinsWe chat to Matt Vitins, COO of Matchbox Pictures, about going from corporate law to running an NBC backed global production company. He takes us behind the scenes of what his day-to-day is like, his perspective on different negotiation tactics, producing Australian productions for a global audience, and muses on whether lawyers are keeping up with emerging technologies. 2022-03-1635 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmThe Stuff Debt Financiers Really Care About with Sharon MenziesWe chat to Sharon Menzies, Managing Director of Fulcrum Media Finance, about going from a small start up to one of Australia and New Zealand's largest specialist film financing companies, the benefits of tax incentives and gap finance, film financing strategies in the age of COVID, the key differences between investment and debt finance, where problems arise before and during production, and the stuff global debt financiers really care about.2022-03-0941 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmTrust as the Bedrock of the Business with Emile ShermanWe chat to Emile Sherman of Academy Award, BAFTA and Emmy winning See-Saw Films about his 20 years’ worth of experience going from a boots on the ground producer to leading an international film and television production company and the lessons he’s learned along the way. We pick his brain about co-productions, indie film financing, being one of the first companies to transition to cinematic television and the importance of trust in the film business.2022-03-0250 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmThe Casino That is Film Distribution with Andrew MackieWe chat to Andrew Mackie, Co-Founder of Transmission Films about the risks of distribution, the rise of SVODs and the changes to theatrical windows, acquiring films where the director has final cut, the importance of filmmakers knowing their audience and how to train yourself to predict box office numbers!2022-02-2332 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmDIY Tales of a No Longer Emerging Filmmaker with Monica ZanettiWe chat to our mate, Monica Zanetti about writing, financing, making and selling her first two feature films - the challenges she faced, from early conversations with distributors, to navigating the Australian tax incentives, contracts, production accounting and finding the right co-producing partners. She shares the things she wishes she knew before coming into the industry, the things she’s still learning, her go to’s to have her questions answers and much, much more.2022-02-1537 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmTrends, Tracking and Tricks of the Trade with Alexis GalfasWe chat to Alexis Galfas about her average Tuesday at the very unique, Cinetic Media, current industry trends and the impact of COVID-19, what to do if someone else is making the same movie you’re making, and the importance of understanding the fundamentals of the business of film. She gives some seriously good advice and we are 100% on board. 2022-02-1535 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmGood Advice From Good Thing with Virginia Whitwell and Nick BatziasWe chat to Virginia Whitwell and Nick Batzias from Good Thing Productions about starting up their very own production company. We pick their brains on how to pick your co-producing partners, the important conversations to have with those partners and your creatives early on, the human element to the film business, the importance of building your team around you and the commercial differences between documentaries and narrative productions.2022-02-1542 minMovies Inc: The Business of FilmMovies Inc: The Business of Film TrailerMovies Inc: The Business of Film is coming soon! Launching February 16, 2022 wherever you get your podcasts! 2022-02-0101 min