This episode is brought to you by Anthropic. Claude is the AI for minds that don’t stop at good enough—it's the collaborator that actually understands your entire workflow and thinks WITH you, not for you. Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude Pro when you use our link – www.claude.ai/makeit This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketing Hello, Hello! In this episode, we welcome back Daril Fannin, founder and CEO of Kino Studios, to celebrate the major milestone of his horror film Undertone being acquired by A24 and its theatrical run, which generated over $9 million in opening weekend box office on a $500,000 budget. Daril shares the journey of bringing Undertone from the Fantasia International Film Festival to Sundance and ultimately to wide release, while discussing A24's unique and authentic marketing approach that helped the film connect with audiences in a meaningful way. The conversation also dives deep into the independent film ecosystem, the economics of filmmaking, the role of social media and AI tools in modern content creation, and what it truly means to "make it" in Hollywood. We also talk about: The debate around Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic and how much critical scores actually influence moviegoers' choices, including an audience poll revealing that 56% of viewers say critics don't influence their decisions at allThe viral social media post by an art director on the film Obsession, who expressed frustration about her low pay despite the film's massive financial success, and what that reveals about systemic economic inequity in the independent film industryThe rise of Neuralink and the broader philosophical conversation about AI integration into human life, including comparisons to Brave New World, social media data harvesting, and the future of human creativity and autonomyWhy horror is the new comedy in 2026, and how films like Undertone, Obsession, Iron Lung, and Backrooms are proving that audience-first, word-of-mouth driven indie horror is the most viable path for independent filmmakers todayThe power of resilience in the creative journey, with Daril sharing personal reflections on bouncing back from failure, surrounding yourself with the right people, and the importance of not sharing your biggest ambitions with those who can't understand the artist's path People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned: Platforms, Tools & Services Claude / Claude Pro (Anthropic) Cowork (Claude's agentic desktop app) Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic IMDb Letterboxd Neuralink Gemini Collection Account Management Agreement (CAMA) FilmChain Films Undertone (Kino Studios / A24) Obsession (Curry Barker) Iron Lung Backrooms (Kane Parsons / A24) The Matrix Raiders of the Lost Ark Gladiator Dumb and Dumber The Mask Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Malcolm & Marie High School Musical Sinners Oppenheimer Hamnet The Deer Hunter Nuremberg (Russell Crowe) Wedding Crashers Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (Episodes I–III) Creed III Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania How to Train Your Dragon (2025) Black Phone 2 Regretting You Avengers: Endgame Spider-Man: No Way Home Project Hail Mary The Terminator Weapons (Zach Cregger) The Drama (Zendaya / Robert Pattinson) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Meet Joe Black People — Industry & Public Figures Daril Fannin (Kino CEO) Ian Tuason (director of Undertone) (see note) Nina Kiri (lead, Undertone) Rick Rubin Rainer Maria Rilke Jordan Peele Markiplier Curry Barker (Obsession) Kane Parsons (Backrooms) Sally Choi (art director, Obsession) Kevin Goetz Jim Carrey Mason Thames Zendaya Robert Pattinson Hayden Christensen Russell Crowe Harrison Ford Brad Pitt Tom Cruise Jonathan Majors Forest Whitaker Tyler Perry Ben Stiller Will Ferrell Adam Sandler Steve Martin Siskel and Ebert Peter Travers Lon Harris Cinema Joe Christopher Nolan Elon Musk Mark Zuckerberg Dick Gregory Kevin Hart Show Team (internal — no public links) Joey "Bags" von Haeger Books The Creative Act: A Way of Being (Rick Rubin) Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell) The Crossroads of Should and Must (Elle Luna) Companies & Organizations Kino Studios A24 Neon Blumhouse Village Roadshow Orion Pictures Artists Equity (see note) Anthropic DGA SAG-AFTRA IATSE Rolling Stone Fantasia International Film Festival Sundance Film Festival SXSW Alamo Drafthouse Cannes Film Festival We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT www.themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy