57 episodes

Helping emerging filmmakers become working directors faster. This weekly podcast will ask filmmakers the tough questions and offer guidance every step of the way with one goal in mind: help you make a living doing what you love, directing.

For even more help expanding your directing career, visit TheWorkingDirector.Pro. There you can apply to be in our accelerator that helps you go from where you currently are to where you want to be; as well as, join our free private FB group.

Hosted by director Jenn Page.

The Working Director Jenn Page

    • TV & Film
    • 5.0 • 51 Ratings

Helping emerging filmmakers become working directors faster. This weekly podcast will ask filmmakers the tough questions and offer guidance every step of the way with one goal in mind: help you make a living doing what you love, directing.

For even more help expanding your directing career, visit TheWorkingDirector.Pro. There you can apply to be in our accelerator that helps you go from where you currently are to where you want to be; as well as, join our free private FB group.

Hosted by director Jenn Page.

    6 Reasons Film Fests Reject Your Film

    6 Reasons Film Fests Reject Your Film

    Six common reasons film festivals reject your film with Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith, Founder of The Film Festival Doctor.

    One of the hardest things to deal with as a filmmaker is film festival rejection. You worked so hard to make that piece of art, why don't they love it?!?!? We're going to go into six common reasons your film was not selected. We are also going to talk sustaining your mental health during your film festival season.

    (Episode 56)

    Hosted by Director/Producer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Jenn Page.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    If you want to be notified when the next accelerator goes live or when we open our doors to our green screen virtual production studio dedicated to indie filmmakers (and indie film budgets) and other fun events fill out the form on our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWorkingDirector.Pro.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    You can also go there to join our private FB group for directors so you can attend these live conversations and get your questions answered; as well as, to learn about The Working Director course that helps emerging filmmakers become working directors faster.



    More on Dr. Scott:

    Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith is an award-winning film festival strategist and founder of The Film Festival Doctor. Rebekah and the hard-working team behind her company are committed to nurturing filmmakers in order to help them secure film festival screenings, win awards and earn positive recognition within the film industry. Currently, her company has won more than 2,000 awards for its clients and has supported nearly 850 creatives across the world, enlightening and inspiring their journey towards achieving their goals and following their filmmaking dreams. They have secured hundreds of festival screenings including the Tribeca, Palm Springs, Sundance, & BFI London Film Festivals, to name a few. In her latest e-book, Film Festivals & Looking After Your Mental Health, she offers essential tips and techniques on how to adapt the right type of mindset and take care of yourself as you navigate the world of film festivals.



    Instagram handle: https://instagram.com/rebekahfilmdrOfficial Site: https://www.thefilmfestivaldoctor.com/


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    • 29 min
    055: How To Get Paid To Direct (w/ Working Director Katie Hunter)

    055: How To Get Paid To Direct (w/ Working Director Katie Hunter)

    It doesn't matter if you are an aspiring director or a veteran, there is a non ending question of "HOW AM I GOING TO GET PAID TO DIRECT?!"

    In this live Q&A conversation we give you some ideas on how to do just that. How do you get clients/brands to work with you? How do you use TikTok to grow your directing career/video biz? How do you keep getting asked back? And more!


    (Episode 55)

    Hosted by Director/Producer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Jenn Page.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    If you want to be notified when we open our doors to our green screen virtual production studio dedicated to indie filmmakers (and indie film budgets) and other fun events fill out the form on our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWorkingDirector.Pro.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    You can also go there to join our private FB group for directors so you can attend these live conversations and get your questions answered; as well as, to learn about The Working Director course that helps emerging filmmakers become working directors faster.




    More on Katie Hunter:

    Katie Hunter is a Chicago Emmy-nominated director. She creates commercials, short films, documentaries and viral moments for brands including Claire’s, Lincoln Park Zoo, Northwestern Medicine and more. Her creative work has been featured in the Washington Post, staged off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre in NYC and viewed by more than 15 million people on TikTok. Katie graduated from the University of Chicago where she studied theatre and film. After working as a playwright for the American Theatre Company, Katie began writing and directing indie film projects with comedians from Second City, iO and Reductress, including an improvised mockumentary web series, RideShare, a surrealist, feminist corporate comedy, It’s A Sign, and the first several episodes of a late night talk show filmed live in front of a studio audience, The L8-Bit Show. DM her your cool ideas at @mkatiehunter on all platforms.

    Katie's TikTok & Instagram: @mkatiehunter
    See Katie's work at KatieHunterCreative.com


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    • 30 min
    054: Directing Comedy (w/ Emmy Winner Mary Lou Belli)

    054: Directing Comedy (w/ Emmy Winner Mary Lou Belli)

    Directing Comedy with Emmy-Award-Winning Comedy Director Mary Lou Belli. Some things we cover:


    -How do you tackle blocking a multicam show?

    -Who’s close up do you do first?

    -How important are reaction shots?

    -How can you find the comedy beats in a script?

    -How can you help actors find & perform  the comedy beats?

    -How can an editor save your comedy?

    -How much blocking prep should you do?

    -How can you work with an actor who wants to do different
    blocking than you need?

    -What’s one of the first things you should do on a new set?

     

    (Episode 54)



    Hosted by Director/Producer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Jenn Page.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



    If you want to be notified when we open our doors to our green screen virtual production studio dedicated to indie filmmakers (and indie film budgets) fill out the form on our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWorkingDirector.Pro.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



    You can also go there to join our private FB group for directors so you can attend these live conversations and get your questions answered; as well as, to learn about The Working Director course that helps emerging filmmakers become working directors faster.



    More on Mary Lou:

    https://www.maryloubelli.com/

    Two time Emmy award-winning MARY LOU BELLI has been directing television for over 30 years including NCIS New Orleans, True Lies, Black Lightning, Bull, Legacies, Station 19, Sweet Magnolias, Pitch, Monk, Famous In Love, Devious Maids, The Quad, American Woman, and Hart of Dixie as well as Disney’s The Secret of Sulphur Springs, Ms. Pat, Wizards of Waverly Place, Sister, Sister, Girlfriends, and The Game.

    Her short film, Straight Eye for the Gay Guy won “Best Mini-short” at the California Independent Film Fest where she also premiered I Heard Something, a thriller that went on to play fests internationally. She has done ground-breaking work on web-series. Her award-winning short, America, played its 14th fest on its 4th continent at The Hague and won best micro short.

    She was recently nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Comedy Directing as well an another Emmy in the Children’s Programming category. Mary Lou served two terms as the Co-chair of the Women’s Steering Committee at the DGA where she also has served on the Western Director’s Council, presently she is on Leadership Council PAC and as an alternate to the National Board. She is an Honorary Board member of the Alliance of Women Directors and Advisory Board member of Women in Media. Mary Lou also serves on the Advisory Circle of Film Fatales is and a long time member of Women In Film as well as the Peer Group Executive Committee of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences where she presently serves as one of the Governors.

    She has served as judge and/or guest speaker for the CSU Media Arts Fest, a judge for the Miss America Outstanding Teen Pageant, a jury member at the Sapporo Short Festival, Newport Beach Film Fest, Regina International Film Festival, and The Voice awards, a lecturer at the Chautauqua Institute, and a panelist for Women In Film, the DGA, SAG, and AFTRA and the LA Times Festival of Books. She has been a guest artist at the International Thespian Festival for secondary school theatre where she gave workshops to thousands of teens and high school theatre teachers. Through her teaching, she supports many of the vibrant diversity programs including ABC/Disney, CBS, Sony, HBO Access, AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, and Warner Bros. Directing Workshop mentoring the next generation of directors.

    She is the co-author of four books: “The NEW Sitcom Career Book,” “Acting for Young Actors,” and “Directors Tell the Story” which she co-wrote with fellow DGA member Bethany Rooney. Her 4th book, “Acting for the Screen” was published by Focal Press summer 2019.


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    • 28 min
    053: Film Festival Playbook

    053: Film Festival Playbook

    How do you know what film festivals to submit to? How do you get the attention of the programmers? Why should you volunteer at festivals? Should you hire a publicist, and if yes, how do you know who is right for you? That and more on this episode with producer and festival programmer Jon Fitzgerald.



    (Episode 53)



    Hosted by Director/Producer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Jenn Page.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



    If you want to be notified when we open our doors to our green screen virtual production studio dedicated to indie filmmakers (and indie film budgets) fill out the form on our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWorkingDirector.Pro.⁠⁠⁠⁠



    You can also go there to join our private FB group for directors so you can attend these live conversations and get your questions answered; as well as, to learn about The Working Director course that helps emerging filmmakers become working directors faster.



    More on Jon:

    Learn how to submit to the right film festivals, get on the radar of programmers, create effective marketing materials, maximize your festival participation, pursue the best distribution model, and take your career to the next level.  We are going to touch on the topics Jon covers in his new book and accompanying workbook in this live discussion and Q&A with Jon Fitzgerald.

    Jon has twenty-five years of experience in independent films and film festivals. He has produced award-winning documentaries and has led many independent film projects through the maze of festivals and hybrid distribution models. As a Festival Director he has run several top tier festivals and has consulted on dozens more. Jon has also led acquisitions for several streaming platforms, and now curates movies and series for Cause Cinema. He authored the leading social impact filmmaking book, Filmmaking for Change: How to Make Movies that Transform the World, and also teaches two popular web based courses: Film Festival Mastery and Film Distribution Mastery.

     

    key links:

    https://www.causepictures.com/

    https://onthefestcircuit.substack.com/

    https://www.filmfestivalmastery.com/replay-2


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    • 26 min
    052: Pitching Yourself / Pitching Your Film

    052: Pitching Yourself / Pitching Your Film

    How do you answer the dreaded "So, tell me about yourself"? What should you have prepared for your project pitch? How many projects should you have in your back pocket? What materials should you bring in? How do you engage the room, and why are you pitching the room not the project? That and more on this episode with producer Stu Pollard.

     

    (Episode 52)

    Hosted by Director/Producer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Jenn Page.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



    If you want to be notified when we open our doors to our green screen virtual production studio dedicated to indie filmmakers (and indie film budgets) fill out the form on our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWorkingDirector.Pro.⁠⁠⁠⁠



    You can also go there to join our private FB group for directors so you can attend these live conversations and get your questions answered; as well as, to learn about The Working Director course that helps emerging filmmakers become working directors faster.



    More on Stu:

    Filmmaker Stu Pollard has produced 9 films in his home state of Kentucky, including survival thriller RUST CREEK, powerful high school drama AND THEN I GO, and bowling comedy SPLIT. He has produced more movies outside the Bluegrass as well. These include the uproarious Jack Quaid & Maya Erskine wedding rom-com PLUS ONE, Syrian refugee documentary THIS IS HOME, and docu-drama FREELAND, starring Krisha Fairchild. Stu has also directed two features: romantic comedy NICE GUYS SLEEP ALONE and suspense drama KEEP YOUR DISTANCE, both set against a vibrant Kentucky backdrop.

    Pollard founded Lunacy Productions in 2015 to expand his storytelling horizons and break free of the “one-at-a-time” indie filmmaking model. This has sparked numerous new collaborations with both emerging talent and established creators. Lunacy’s current development slate includes WE’RE HAUNTED, a horror comedy about dysfunctional roommates confronting an evil spirit; THE MAN WHO KNEW BELLE STARR, a riveting Western-infused revenge drama; THE TRESTLE, a supernatural thriller revolving around an infamous Kentucky legend; and ALAS, BABYLON, a post-apocalyptic survival parable based on the classic novel.

    Also an entrepreneur, Stu has spearheaded a number of other creative endeavors including the event planning app REUNACY, nostalgic web series THE EIGHTIES EMPORIUM, whiskey lifestyle brand BOURBONALITY, content creation collective SMALL BATCH CONTENT, and philanthropic nonprofit organization TRUNACY.

    In addition to teaching at Film Independent and USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Stu recently founded LunacyU, an online educational platform dedicated to teaching the next generation of independent filmmakers. At LunacyU, he currently teaches classes on Film Financing and Cinematic Music. He holds a BS in business from Georgetown and an MFA in film from USC, is a member of the DGA and PGA, and serves on the boards of the Louisville Film Society, the Horse Farm Workers’ Educational Assistance Fund and GU’s Alumni Board of Regents.

    https://lunacyproductions.com/



    Stu's course on financing:

    https://lunacyu.com

     

    Our essential Indie Film Financing course for independent filmmakers is designed to help you think like an entrepreneur, find the right financial partners, and finish what you start. Through video lessons and supplemental documents, this course will guide you on a transformative journey that will infuse you with confidence, empower you with resources, and put you in the best possible position to raise money for your project.

    Our Film Music Master Class covers the world of film music from licensing to composers and music supervisors. Music is one of the most confusing, challenging, and expensive parts of filmmaking. This course helps you navigate all of it with 9 sections of on-demand videos to go through at your own pace.

     

     




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    • 19 min
    051: Ask An Entertainment Lawyer: Life Rights, Music Releases, & More!

    051: Ask An Entertainment Lawyer: Life Rights, Music Releases, & More!

    Ask An Entertainment Lawyer

    In this new semi-monthly series we let our audience ask any production related legal questions their hearts desire to Entertainment Lawyer & Filmmaker Chris Edgar. 



    This week, some topics covered: 

    -What will make a distributor reject a chain of title?

    -When do you need a release when filming in a public place?

    -Do you need life rights to make a true life story?

    -How long do you need to keep production documents?

    -Is using news based content in your work fair use?

    -What contracts do you need to use music in your film?



    To follow along with Chris' YouTube channel on all things entertainment law ⁠⁠⁠subscribe here.⁠⁠⁠

     

    (Episode 51)



    Hosted by Director/Producer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Jenn Page.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



    If you want to be notified when we open our doors to our green screen virtual production studio dedicated to indie filmmakers (and indie film budgets) fill out the form on our website at ⁠⁠⁠TheWorkingDirector.Pro.⁠⁠⁠



    You can also go there to join our private FB group for directors so you can attend these live conversations and get your questions answered; as well as, to learn about The Working Director course that helps emerging filmmakers become working directors faster.



    More on Chris:

    Composer, songwriter, and lawyer ⁠⁠Chris Edgar⁠⁠ has written music for film, theater, TV, and digital series. Edgar has scored award-winning films, including The Breakout: A Rock Opera (Best Screenplay - Vancouver Filmdance Festival, Best Musical Film - Cinema Los Angeles, Best Feature Film - Michigan Comic Con Film Festival), Steve’s Quest: The Musical (Best Animated Series - International Academy of Web Television, Best Music Score - Hollyweb Festival), and Ghost in the Gun (Best Music Score - Crown Wood International Film Festival & Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood). “Possessed,” a pop song he wrote, won the Best Single award at Shockfest Film Festival. His most recent feature project is “Playing WithBeethoven,” in which the actors performed the film’s score live on set, and which recently made its nationwide theatrical debut. ⁠@filmtracts⁠




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    • 19 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
51 Ratings

51 Ratings

LA RAND 1000 ,

This Will Accelerate Your Career

Love listening to every aspect of the industry. Jenn’s knowledge base will help shave 10 years off your journey to becoming a highly paid and successful director. Lots of great value here.

Tessa Lauren ,

Another favorite filmmaking podcast

I listen to a lot of filmmaking podcasts and I was weary to add one to my ever growing list of need-to-listen. However, I was hooked just a few episodes in and now I’ve binge-listened the whole way through. Worth every second!

Jenedpo ,

Fun and Insightful

Jenn does such a fantastic job of getting great information out of her guests while keeping the conversation lively and positive. This podcast is great for those new to the film industry becuase of all the amazing insight and those of us who have been in it for a while to remember to keep it light. Thanks Jenn!!!

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