The Documentary Life5 Sep 2019

The Fundraising Houseparty For the Documentary Filmmaker

What if there was a pretty straightforward way for the independent documentary filmmaker to raise a quick infusion of funding for their documentary film… simply by holding a party? Well, there is. It’s called the fundraising houseparty. And there is a science to it. And we’ve got film fundraising guru, Morrie Warshawski, back on the show to give you the step-by-step process to that science. You’ll be holding parties and raising monies for your film in no time!

And then we’ll learn how to make even more money, when our host, delves into this recent Cambodia trip to garner finishing funds for his own doc project, Elvis of Cambodia. Following on from last week’s episode, where Chris and Steph discussed their plans in Cambodia for finishing their film, Chris travels down to the capital city of Phnom Penh and starts banging on doors. And asking for money. Doc Filmmaking Fundraising 101 ensues.

Topics Discussed

why individual donors tend to make up the largest percentage of funds for doc films
the importance of the fundraising houseparty invite and tips for producing it
the types of people that you should invite to your fundraising houseparty
step-by-step process for the day of the fundraising houseparty
the doc filmmakers responsibilities for the fundraising houseparty

Additional Resources

THE BOOK

Think you might be ready to hold that fundraising houseparty and make some serious money for your doc film? There are two ways in which you can purchase Morrie’s book. You can buy from Amazon.

Or an even cooler way is to purchase directly from Morrie himself. Tell Morrie you heard about the book from The Documentary Life and he’ll give you an additional $5 off the price of the book!

SubscribeApple | Spotify | Stitcher |

Rate and Review

If you have found value in this podcast please leave a review so it can become more visible to others. Simply click the link and then click on the Ratings and Reviews tab to make your entry. Thank you for your support!

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(147)

Episode 146 | Wearing Every Hat: Surviving as a One-Person Crew | With Dandan Liu

Episode SummaryWhat does it really take to make a documentary when you’re the entire crew?Working as a one-person crew can offer documentary filmmakers an extraordinary kind of freedom. With less equi...

16 Sep 47min

Episode 145 | AI and the Documentary Filmmaker | With Philip Shane

Episode SummaryHow can documentary filmmakers actually use AI—and where does it belong in the creative process?Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of the filmmaking toolkit, but beneath t...

2 Sep 48min

Episode 144 | The Ethics Lab: Access, Consent & Trust | With Alan Berry & Mark Enochs

Episode SummaryWhat does it mean when someone trusts you with their story?Access may get a documentary filmmaker through the door, but it is only the beginning. The deeper responsibility lies in earni...

19 Aug 46min

Episode 143 | How Do I Sustain My Documentary? | With Jilann Spitzmiller

Episode SummaryWhat happens when the money runs out—but the film isn't finished?For many documentary filmmakers, securing initial funding feels like the biggest hurdle. But as the months stretch into ...

5 Aug 37min

Episode 142 | How Do I Fund My Film? | With Liz Nord

Episode SummaryHow do documentary films actually get funded? It's one of the most common questions filmmakers ask—and one of the least honestly answered. While conversations often focus on grants, pit...

22 Jul 40min

Episode 141 | Building a Sustainable Documentary Life | With Ondi Timoner

Episode SummaryEpisode 141 marks the beginning of a new chapter for The Documentary Life — not as a relaunch or reboot, but as a recommitment to the questions that matter most. After a five-year hiatu...

8 Jul 53min

All Good Things Must Come to An End

Can you believe that it was over four years ago that we first began producing episodes of The Documentary Life?? Well, neither can we. But as they say, all good things must come to an end!It has been ...

2 Okt 202030min

Winning an Oscar for Your Documentary Film

Imagine stepping up to the podium to accept your award for Best Documentary Feature for the film that you have put your heart, soul, blood sweat tears into. What would you say? Who would thank? Where ...

18 Sep 202051min