IFH 724: What is Maximum Screenwriting with Jeff Schimmel

Today's guest is a filmmaker and Filmtrepreneur Michael Gallagher. Michael is one of the co-founders of Makers Studio. Makers Studios was the largest independent YouTube network in history. YouTube channels under Maker Studios have also collectively earned over 90 million subscribers and accumulated over 1.1 billion views monthly. On March 24, 2014, Maker Studios, Inc. agreed to sell itself to The Walt Disney Company for $500 million, rising to $950 million if financial milestones were met.Michael has leveraged his success as a YouTube filmmaker to become a full-blown feature film director. His latest film is Funny Story, a dramedy about a well-intentioned father who inadvertently wreaks havoc on the life of his estranged daughter when she invites him to her woodland wedding. Michael went on to direct smash hit films on Youtube like The Thinning Series and InstaFamous. He talks about the big mistakes he made distributing his first feature film Smiley, self-marketing his films, and lessons learned from building an audience on YouTube.Enjoy my conversation with Michael Gallagher.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

9 Maj 20231h 28min

Monday Motivation! We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our screenwriting journey. These episodes will do just that. Never stop chasing that dream and keep on hustling.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

8 Maj 20232min

Daniel Stamm was born and raised in Hamburg, Germany, where as a teenager he was host of a radio show and editor of a youth magazine. He toured with a theater, studied drama and published a play before he went to Belfast, Northern Ireland, as a peace worker. Two years later he returned to Germany to go to film school and study screenwriting at the Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg in Ludwigsburg. He wrote a TV movie which got nominated for Germany's most prestigious media award and directed a documentary on rock musician Nick Cave.Daniel moved to Los Angeles and graduated from the American Film Institute's directing program.His thesis film got nominated for the ASC award. In the following three years he made short films, wrote songs for local singers, sat on a film festival jury in Kosovo, became a certified hypnotist and hitch-hiked across the US. In 2008 Daniel's first feature film, 'A Necessary Death', premiered at SXSW in Austin, Texas, before winning the audience award at AFI Fest later the same year. His second feature, 'The Last Exorcism', premiered at the Los Angeles Film Fest in 2010, was distributed by Lionsgate and grossed over $65million worldwide. The film and/or its actors got nominated for the People's Choice Award, two Independent Spirit Awards and an MTV Movie Award. It won an Empire Award as well as awards in Sitges and Toronto.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

4 Maj 20231h 57min

Today's guest is a screenwriter, director, professor, and Secretary-Treasurer of the Writers Guild of America West Aaron Mendelsohn. He is best known for co-creating and co-writing the successful AIR BUD family film franchise, which sired eleven sequels and generated millions of dollars over the years. If you have kids then you probably already have seen an Air Bud spin-off film.Aaron has a number of projects in development including the drama pilot BAD MEDICINE with ITV America and the action-comedy ARMOR HERO with Alpha Pictures. His romantic comedy LIKE CATS & DOGS aired recently on the Hallmark Channel. He recently wrote the animated feature PRINCES for Warner Bros, the drama pilot THE ASSOCIATE for Sony, and the animated pilot HOODS for Cartoon Network.Other produced projects include the perennial ABC Family holiday movie THE 12 DATES OF CHRISTMAS, the Lifetime TV movie CHANGE OF HEART, the Fox TV series KINDRED: THE EMBRACED, the kid's TV pilot THE ADVENTURES OF TAXI DOG, the family feature THE THREE INVESTIGATORS: THE SECRET OF TERROR CASTLE, and the independent feature CHAPTER ZERO, which he also directed. Aaron has also written film and TV projects for Fox, New Line, Showtime, Paramount, the Spike Network, New Regency, Hasbro Studios, Bob Yari, Lightstorm, and Arnold Kopelson.Twenty years into a successful screenwriting career and he still loses his way in the thickets of story-breaking and script-writing. Aaron assembled The 11 Fundamental Questions: A Guide to a Better Screenplayto help guide his path, and they've been his road map ever since."This is a VERY smart way to deconstruct and demystify the job of screenwriting." – Billy Ray, Oscar-nominated screenwriter of "Captain Phillips"Starting out as a personal story-breaking method and evolving into a masterclass that Aaron has taught around the world, THE 11 FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS is now an ebook (newly revised and expanded for Amazon/Kindle) that shares the secrets of his successful technique. Simple and intuitive, each question in the book is strategically designed to elicit key story points, challenge lazy writing, and stimulate ideas.Wherever you are in the writing process, and whether you're writing for film, television, new media, or books, asking yourself the 11 FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS is a great way to enhance your creative process and sell more projects.This is a fun episode. Get ready to take some notes. Enjoy my conversation with Aaron Mendelsohn.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

2 Maj 20231h 27min

Monday Motivation! We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our screenwriting journey. These episodes will do just that. Never stop chasing that dream and keep on hustling.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

1 Maj 20232min

Rob Edwards has written two classic animated films for WALT DISNEY FEATURE ANIMATION, the Academy Award nominated Treasure Planet and the Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated The Princess and the Frog. He also consulted on Tangled, Wreck-it Ralph and Frozen. He penned AMULET for Warner Brother's and ANIMATED AMERICAN for Disney.Rob is currently writing projects for SHOWTIME, SONY, PARAMOUNT, and Chris Rock. Rob is also known for his work on the television shows "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", "Full House", "A Different World", "Roc", "In Living Color" and as the creator of "Out All Night." In 2012, Rob launched robedwards.net where he shares the tools he has developed over 30 years of writing professionally. He has taught and/or lectured for UCLA, Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, Syracuse University, Boston University, Howard University, The Organization of Black Screenwriters, CTN Expo, LMU, Digital Hollywood, The Scriptwriters Network, The Writers Store, University of California Riverside, Le Moyne College and others.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

27 Apr 20231h 46min

Today on the show we have the showrunning writing duo of Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit. They are responsible for bring iconic character Pikachu to the big screen. The film starred Ryan Reynolds.Ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son, Tim, to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon partner, wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth Detective Pikachu. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Pikachu, they join forces to unravel the tangled mystery.Easily one of my favorite projects they worked on is the Netflix show One Day at a Time. On that project they got to work with the television living legend Norman Lear.This comedy-drama is inspired by Norman Lear's 1975 series of the same name. This time around, the series follows the life of Penelope, a newly single Army veteran, and her Cuban-American family, as they navigate the ups and downs of life. Now a nurse, Penelope is raising two strong-willed children.When faced with challenges, Penelope turns to her "old-school" mother, and her building manager, who has become an invaluable confidant. The series offers a contemporary take on what life looks like in both good and bad times, and how loved ones can help make it all worthwhile.On television, Hernandez and Samit have written for, The Tick, Super Fun Night and 1600 Penn. They were named in Paste Magazine's list of the top 28 comedy writers of 2018. In 2019, Samit and Hernandez signed a long-term deal with 20th Century Fox Television to develop, write and produce animated and live-action seriesWe discussed how they got their big break, how they approach the craft, the world of the writer's room and much more.Enjoy my conversation with Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

25 Apr 20231h 23min

Monday Motivation! We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our screenwriting journey. These episodes will do just that. Never stop chasing that dream and keep on hustling.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

24 Apr 20238min