Off The Lot: The Indie Filmmaking Podcast

Ken Kabatoff and Anthony Epp
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Off The Lot is where serious indie filmmakers level up. Hosted by Ken Kabatoff and Anthony Epp, this podcast delivers real, hard-earned lessons from the frontlines of independent filmmaking. Each episode is a masterclass — featuring directors, producers, and creatives who are in the trenches, making movies happen without a safety net. If you want actionable insights, unfiltered conversations, and the blueprint to build your own career outside the studio system — this is the show.

  1. 1d ago

    Jovanna Burke — Rejection, Film Financing & Finding Another Way

    What do you do when the traditional path to making your movie keeps saying no? This week on Off The Lot, Anthony sits down with actor, writer and producer Jovanna Burke to talk about what she’s learned after more than 20 years working in film and television — and why rejection may actually be one of the most important parts of building a sustainable filmmaking career. Jovanna opens up about transitioning from actor to producer, learning the business and financing side of filmmaking, building trust with investors, and the idea of pursuing “1,000 rejections” instead of being afraid of hearing no. They also dig into the realities of making films in Canada: the limitations of relying entirely on public funding, why international co-productions could create new opportunities for Canadian filmmakers, and how we can build more Canadian-owned companies, IP and talent instead of relying exclusively on the service-production industry. Jovanna also discusses her psychological supernatural horror feature Nuesta, currently being developed through the Whistler Film Festival Producers Lab, and her plans to build a production company connecting Canada with Latin America. In this episode: • Why filmmakers quit too early after rejection • The “1,000 rejections” approach • Going from actor to producer • Building trust with film investors • Why every producer needs to understand financing • The limitations of Canada’s traditional funding model • How international co-productions actually work • Building Canadian-owned film and television IP • Why starting embarrassingly small can be an advantage • The importance of running toward the things that scare you Off The Lot is the podcast for filmmakers building careers outside the studio system.

  2. Sep 28

    The 5 Stages of Getting An Indie Film Made

    Why do some indie films actually get made while others spend years stuck in development? In this episode of Off The Lot, Anthony breaks down the stages an independent film goes through between having a screenplay and actually getting the movie greenlit. We cover what you should be working on at each stage — and, just as importantly, what you probably shouldn't be doing yet. You'll learn: • Who you need around you before you start raising money • When to spend your own development money • How much financing you should have before approaching cast • When a casting director actually becomes useful • When to start talking to distributors and sales agents • Why attachments can create leverage — or hurt you if you approach them too early • The difference between momentum and actual progress • Why you shouldn't build your finance plan around grants • When a movie can realistically be considered greenlit • What to do when your project has been stuck for months — or years Film development isn't one giant leap from screenplay to production. It's a series of smaller steps, with each one creating enough leverage to unlock the next. The key is knowing what stage your movie is actually in — and what needs to happen next. If you're developing, financing or packaging an independent feature, this episode gives you a practical roadmap for getting it closer to production.

  3. Sep 21

    Brand Deals, Product Placement & Marketing Your Indie Film

    Making the movie is only half the battle. Once your film is finished, you still have to figure out how to get people to actually see it. And if you're still trying to finance your movie, there may be another source of money most indie filmmakers completely overlook: brands. In this episode of Off The Lot, we look at indie film marketing from both ends of the process. Ken is finishing Remnant and now facing the next challenge: building enough awareness to actually get audiences into theatres. Anthony is developing Quiet Canadians and exploring how brand partnerships, sponsorships, product integration and social content can help finance a movie before production even begins. We break down: • Why indie filmmakers need dozens of pieces of marketing content — not one trailer • Why audiences may need multiple touchpoints before your movie even registers • How brands can contribute cash, wardrobe, props, vehicles, locations and production resources • Why product placement is only one small part of a brand partnership • How behind-the-scenes content can become valuable advertising for sponsors • How to identify brands that already want access to your film’s audience • Why smaller and emerging brands may be better partners than major corporations • How sponsorship revenue can help de-risk your movie for investors • Why filmmakers should start thinking about marketing before they ever start shooting The bigger lesson: don't approach a brand asking them to help you make your movie. Figure out what audience they're trying to reach — and show them how your movie can help them reach it. Follow Ken's Indie Horror Feature Remnant here: www.remnantmovie.com Follow Ken Kabatoff's newsletter here: The Film Founder Follow Anthony Epp's newsletter here: The Greenlight Report Follow Ken & Anthony on Instagram here: @ken_kabatoff @epptri

  4. Sep 14

    How To Get Your First Film Made | Filmmaker Q&A

    How do you actually get started as a filmmaker when nobody is giving you money, grants, connections, or permission? In Episode 66 of Off The Lot, Anthony answers questions from emerging filmmakers about what it really takes to start directing, finance your first projects, break into the industry, and eventually build a sustainable career. We cover why grants should be treated as a bonus — not a plan, how to make films with the resources you already have, whether filmmakers still need traditional distributors, what micro-budget movies can realistically earn, and why your first feature may be more valuable as a career-building tool than as an immediate financial success. Anthony also breaks down: • How to start directing without waiting for someone to hire you • The biggest mistakes that kill low-budget films • Why your script, budget and schedule have to match • Whether applying to Telefilm and other funding programs is worth it • How filmmakers can build an audience through YouTube • How to actually get your first job on a film set • When film markets like TIFF are worth attending • What filmmakers should realistically expect to earn from a micro-budget feature • Why making the movie is sometimes only the beginning The central idea is simple: Start where you are. Use what you have. Make something. Then make the next thing bigger. Off The Lot is the podcast for filmmakers building careers outside the studio system. Subscribe for conversations about independent filmmaking, financing, producing, directing, distribution, and what it actually takes to get movies made.

  5. Sep 7

    How To Budget a $2 Million Indie Film

    What does it actually cost to make a $2 million independent feature? Ken and Anthony break down a hypothetical $2M movie using the Telefilm Canada budget structure and real lessons learned producing Remnant. They go line by line through above-the-line costs, cast, crew, equipment, locations, transportation, post-production, music, financing, tax credits and contingency. They also get into the costs filmmakers often overlook: actor buyouts, crew fringes, overtime, hard drives, trailers, permits, music licensing, legal fees, interim financing and the deals and relationships required to make a professional film at this budget level. If you're trying to figure out how much your indie film should actually cost — and where that money should go — this episode is a practical starting point.

  6. Aug 31

    Nat Boltt — 10 Years To Make Holy Days & The Broken Indie Distribution System

    Writer-director Nat Boltt joins Off The Lot to break down the decade-long journey behind her feature directorial debut, Holy Days. The film stars Judy Davis, Jacki Weaver and Miriam Margolyes, topped the box office in New Zealand, and went on to a global theatrical release — but getting there meant surviving years of development, financing setbacks, international co-production challenges, lost investors and an ambitious 26-day shoot. Nat takes us inside how she landed her cast, navigated funding through Canada and New Zealand, shot complex road sequences using LED stages, and pulled off a major snowstorm sequence with limited resources. But some of the biggest lessons came after the movie was finished. We talk about the realities of independent film distribution, why filmmakers are increasingly being forced to build and market their own audiences, what she believes is broken about the current system, and why she plans to approach the release of her next film very differently. A candid conversation about getting a first feature made, getting it seen, and what indie filmmakers need to understand if they want to build sustainable careers outside the studio system.

  7. Aug 24

    5 Lessons From Making My First Feature Film | Ken Kabatoff | Remnant

    I finally made my first feature film. After years of working in film and television, raising the money, assembling the team, shooting Remnant, going through post-production and now entering distribution, there are things I understand about filmmaking that I simply didn’t before. In this episode of Off The Lot, Anthony walks me through the entire filmmaking process as I break down five of the biggest lessons I learned making my first feature — from getting the movie financed and casting the right actors, to protecting the magic on set, testing the film with audiences, and thinking about distribution long before the movie is finished. We get into what actually happens when the plan falls apart on set, why casting can make or break your movie, why filmmakers need to test their cuts, how to know what success means for your film, and why nobody is ever going to care about your movie as much as you do. If you’re trying to make your first feature film, this is the episode I wish I could have listened to before making mine. Follow Ken's Indie Horror Feature Remnant here: www.remnantmovie.com Follow Ken Kabatoff's newsletter here: The Film Founder Follow Anthony Epp's newsletter here: The Greenlight Report Follow Ken & Anthony on Instagram here: @ken_kabatoff @epptri

  8. Aug 17

    Tight Lettuce: The Reality of Making Your First Feature | Harrison Houde & Dakota Daulby

    Harrison Houde and Dakota Daulby spent years trying to get a feature film made. Then a producer called and essentially said: write the movie — we’re shooting it this year. The result was Tight Lettuce, a bilingual English/French dark comedy inspired by a true story about a son trying to maintain a relationship with his heroin-addicted father. The film went on to premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival and win the Golden Audience Award for Best Quebec Film. In this episode of Off The Lot, Harrison and Dakota break down what it actually took to turn the project into their first feature — from originally developing it as a $100,000 short to suddenly having the opportunity to make the full movie. We get into: How a Facebook message eventually became a feature filmWriting a first draft in roughly a monthFinancing the film outside the traditional Telefilm modelMaking a sub-$2.5M indie feature in 20 shooting daysWhy their 20-day shoot effectively became 16–17 daysCasting Quebec star Emmanuel BilodeauCombining comedy and addiction without trivializing eitherWhat they learned from 12–13 cuts of the movieWhy Harrison says he’d never start another movie with car scenesThe mistakes they made on their first featureWhy they now want recognizable cast attached earlierWhat filmmakers misunderstand about theatrical distributionThe reality of trying to get an indie film onto movie screens They also talk candidly about the biggest writing problem they discovered in the edit, what they would put in their contracts next time, and the lessons they’re already applying to their next films. Subscribe to Off The Lot for conversations about what it actually takes to finance, make, finish, and release independent films outside the studio system. Follow Ken's Indie Horror Feature Remnant here: www.remnantmovie.com Follow Ken Kabatoff's newsletter here: The Film Founder Follow Anthony Epp's newsletter here: The Greenlight Report Follow Ken & Anthony on Instagram here: @ken_kabatoff @epptri

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Off The Lot is where serious indie filmmakers level up. Hosted by Ken Kabatoff and Anthony Epp, this podcast delivers real, hard-earned lessons from the frontlines of independent filmmaking. Each episode is a masterclass — featuring directors, producers, and creatives who are in the trenches, making movies happen without a safety net. If you want actionable insights, unfiltered conversations, and the blueprint to build your own career outside the studio system — this is the show.

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