453 episodes

The Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast shows you how to make your screenplays bulletproof. Weekly interviews with Oscar® and Emmy® award winning screenwriters, story specialists, best-selling authors, Hollywood agents and managers, and industry insiders. We cover every aspect of the screenwriting process. This is the screenwriting podcast for the rest of us. No fluff. No BS. Just straight talk that will help you on your screenwriting journey.

Some of the past guests include 3X Oscar® Winning Writer/Director Oliver Stone, Eric Roth (Dune, Forest Gump), Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead), Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Slacker) James V. Hart (Dracula, Hook), John August (Big Fish, Aladdin), Jim Uhls ( Fight Club), Peter Rader (Waterworld), Diane Drake (What Women Want), Daniel Knauf (Carnival, Blacklist), Derek Kolstad (John Wick) and Pen Densham (Robin Hood, Backdraft) to name a few.

Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast Bulletproof Screenwriting

    • TV & Film
    • 4.3 • 230 Ratings

The Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast shows you how to make your screenplays bulletproof. Weekly interviews with Oscar® and Emmy® award winning screenwriters, story specialists, best-selling authors, Hollywood agents and managers, and industry insiders. We cover every aspect of the screenwriting process. This is the screenwriting podcast for the rest of us. No fluff. No BS. Just straight talk that will help you on your screenwriting journey.

Some of the past guests include 3X Oscar® Winning Writer/Director Oliver Stone, Eric Roth (Dune, Forest Gump), Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead), Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Slacker) James V. Hart (Dracula, Hook), John August (Big Fish, Aladdin), Jim Uhls ( Fight Club), Peter Rader (Waterworld), Diane Drake (What Women Want), Daniel Knauf (Carnival, Blacklist), Derek Kolstad (John Wick) and Pen Densham (Robin Hood, Backdraft) to name a few.

    BPS 358: Inside the Multi-Window Distribution Model with Simon Swart

    BPS 358: Inside the Multi-Window Distribution Model with Simon Swart

    Today on the show we have Simon Swart. Swart has diverse experience in all areas of film production and distribution by virtue of his 30+ years as a leading studio executive at Warner Brothers, The Walt Disney Studios, and most recently 20th Century Fox. Swart left Fox to focus on producing with his film credits including 6 Below and the most profitable Indie release of 2018 I Can Only Imagine ($83 million box-offices) among others. He brings with him a variety of global strategic partnerships in multi-window distribution.In addition to launching worldwide franchises, he championed and created new distribution markets as the market shifted to new formats (DVD, digital) and seized the opportunity to create a service organization offering distribution services to competitive smaller studios. This third-party distribution model started with Artisan/Lionsgate and grew to include MGM, Relativity, DreamWorks, and Miramax, generating substantial fees and greater efficiency.

    Enjoy my conversation with Simon Swart.

    • 1 hr 10 min
    BPS 357: Using Blockchain to Make Money With Your Film with Kim Jackson and Jake Craven

    BPS 357: Using Blockchain to Make Money With Your Film with Kim Jackson and Jake Craven

    Learning about new and improved ways to navigate archaic structures in our line of business is always very interesting. So, this week, I wanted to take you on a deep dive into blockchain entertainment financing --- refined by entrepreneurs and producers Kim Jackson and Jake Craven of Breaker.io.Kim is a member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, co-owner of SingularDTV, and CEO of its umbrella company, Breaker Studios, where Jake serves as Vice President of Content Partnerships.

    Breaker, founded in 2017, is a leading blockchain development and services company in the Media & Entertainment industry. It provides an innovative, intuitive, and user-friendly end-to-end royalty management platform for independent creators and distributors. Simply put, it uses blockchain and cloud-based technology to enable creators to maximize their revenue by automating revenue collection, backend accounting, and royalty payments while ensuring transparent reporting. I discovered Breaker when I stumbled upon Alex Winter’s award-winning feature documentary, Trust Machine: The Story Of Blockchain produced by Kim. Trust Machine trailer. The film explains how Blockchain technology is already being used to change the world, fighting income inequality, the refugee crisis, and world hunger. If you are new to Blockchain or have felt overwhelmed by all the information Google threw at you in an attempt to learn the rudimentary theory of Blockchain and cryptocurrency, check out Vinay Gupta's 'A Brief History of Blockchain, Kim referenced during our chat.Breaker's concept is definitely the future of entertainment finance and, dare I say, global financial transacting.

    Being ahead of its time, Breaker is introducing products that allow for media revenue and royalty to be tracked via blockchain technology, which allows for an open-source network of data.Basically, Breaker provides a better model for instantaneous recording and eliminating mistrust, especially for independent companies that want to sustain a business and revenue model for themselves. I wish we had more time to continue the conversation because it was packed with filmtrepreneurial and blockchain knowledge bombs, and we could all do with the extra crash course. But I made sure to ask many important questions for you guys from today’s experts.

    So, enjoy my conversation with Kim Jackson and Jake Craven.

    • 1 hr 8 min
    BPS 356: From James Cameron to Steven Spielberg, the Life of Lance Henriksen

    BPS 356: From James Cameron to Steven Spielberg, the Life of Lance Henriksen

    Today on the show we have legendary actor Lance Henriksen. I had the pleasure of work with Lance on my film Red Princess Blues: Genesis and if was a surreal experience.

    Lance has been in over 300 films through-out his remarkable career.He's mentored Tarzan, Evel Knievel and the Antichrist, and fought Terminators, Aliens, Predators, Pumpkinhead, Pinhead, Bigfoot, Superman, the Autobots, Mr. T, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal.He's worked with directors James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Kathryn Bigelow, Sidney Lumet, Francois Truffaut, John Huston, Walter Hill, David Fincher, John Woo, Jim Jarmusch and Sam Raimi, but this is just skimming the surface.An intense, versatile actor as adept at playing clean-cut FBI agents as he is psychotic motorcycle-gang leaders, who can go from portraying soulless, murderous vampires to burned-out, world-weary homicide detectives, Lance Henriksen has starred in a variety of films that have allowed him to stretch his talents just about as far as an actor could possibly hope.He played Awful Knoffel in the TNT original movie EVIL KNIEVEL, directed by John Badham and executive produced by Mel Gibson. Henriksen portrayed Awful Knoffel in this project based on the life of the famed daredevil, played by George Eads. Henriksen starred for three seasons (1996-1999) on Millennium, Fox-TV's critically acclaimed series created by Chris Carter (The X-Files).His performance as Frank Black, a retired FBI agent who has the ability to get inside the minds of killers, landed him three consecutive Golden Globe nominations for "Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama Series" and a People's Choice Award nomination for "Favorite New TV Male Star."Henriksen was born in New York City.

    His mother, Margueritte, was a waitress, dance instructor, and model. His father, James Marin Henriksen, who was from Tønsberg, Norway, was a boxer and merchant sailor.Henriksen studied at the Actors Studio and began his career off-Broadway in Eugene O'Neill's Three Plays of the Sea. One of his first film appearances was as an FBI agent in Sidney Lumet's DOG DAY AFTERNOON, followed by parts in Lumet's NETWORK and PRINCE OF THE CITY.He then appeared in Steven Spielberg's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND with Richard Dreyfuss and François Truffaut, DAMIEN: OMEN II and in Philip Kaufman's THE RIGHT STUFF, in which he played Mercury astronaut Capt. Wally Schirra.

    James Cameron cast Henriksen in his first directorial effort, PIRANHA II: THE SPAWNING, then used him again in THE TERMINATOR and as the android Bishop in the sci-fi classic ALIENS. Sam Raimi cast Henriksen as an outrageously garbed gunfighter in his quirky western THE QUICK AND THE DEAD. Henriksen has also appeared in what has developed into a cult classic: Kathryn Bigelow's NEAR DARK, in which he plays the head of a clan of murderous redneck vampires. He was nominated for a Golden Satellite Award for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in the TNT original film THE DAY LINCOLN WAS SHOT.In addition to his abilities as an actor, Henriksen is an accomplished painter and potter. His talent as a ceramist has enabled him to create some of the most unusual ceramic artworks available on the art market today.

    His new film is called Alpha Rift.

    Nolan Parthmore was just a regular guy, hanging with friends, working his game store, flirting with his co-worker, then one day, destiny came calling. A courier delivers a mysterious antique helmet with no note or description. When Nolan puts it on, his whole world changes. The helmet comes to life and calls out to an evil demon, Lord Dragsmere, who was imprisoned by Nolan's deceased father. Nolan soon discovers he is next in the bloodline, heir to The Nobleman, destined to become a hero whether he wants to be or not. Since the Dark Ages, the Noblemen have been guardians against the 13 Devil's Apostles: dark forces escaped from hell and let loose upon on earth. Generations later, it's...

    • 1 hr 12 min
    BPS 355: How to Build a Production Company with Michael D. Ratner

    BPS 355: How to Build a Production Company with Michael D. Ratner

    Today on the show we have entrepreneur and filmmaker Michael D. Ratner.Michael founded OBB Pictures in 2016 and under his leadership the company has grown into OBB Media, an award winning production company and studio with divisions in film, TV, digital, podcasts, branded content, and social good.In addition to running OBB and expanding the business, Ratner continues to act as a multi-hyphenate leading creative on OBB’s marquee projects. Ratner recently directed and executive produced the Amazon Studios Justin Bieber: Our World film.

    Enjoy my inspiring conversation with Michael D. Ratner.

    • 52 min
    BPS 354: Making Money in Niche Filmmaking with Adam Schomer

    BPS 354: Making Money in Niche Filmmaking with Adam Schomer

    Adam Schomer is a conscious filmmaker, president of i2i Productions and is known for going to extreme lengths to follow stories that empower us. Feature documentaries include THE HIGHEST PASS (2012), THE POLYGON (2014), ONE LITTLE PILL (2015). WOMEN OF THE WHITE BUFFALO (2022) and the #1 iTunes Best-Seller and NETFLIX hit, HEAL (2017).

    His recent docuseries is a heart pounding and spirit driven quest to find freedom on motorcycles in the Himalayas, THE ROAD TO DHARMA (2020) and its companion online course for Living a Life of Freedom. In addition to making films, he has been a documentary distribution consultant for select films including CHASING THE PRESENT and produced their online summit as well as the online summits for FANTASTIC FUNGI and HEAL.

    Adam is also a certified Master Sattva Yoga and Meditation Teacher, and really Adam has this history of using pilgrimage and life’s adventures to reveal deeper truths. His company i2i Productions mission is to Unite Through Wisdom and Entertainment.

    Please enjoy my conversation with Adam Schomer.

    • 1 hr 17 min
    BPS 353: How to Make an Indie Film Against All Odds with Tzvi Friedman

    BPS 353: How to Make an Indie Film Against All Odds with Tzvi Friedman

    As filmmakers we all have challenges to make our films. Today's guest had to deal with obstacles that most of us would never have to. We have on the show filmmaker Tzvi Friedman and he has on heck of a story to tell.Tzvi is a writer and director based in NYC. He was born and raised in an ultra-religious community where almost all cinema was contraband. Growing up he secretly watched countless movies under his covers and sneaking off to the cinemas.

    At 18 he started making films, becoming a social outcast, but that didn't stop him.He has since directed multiple short films. At 21 he crowdfunded $10,000 dollars and made his first feature Man.Tortured by his inability to feel emotional or physical pain, a man finds murder to be his only respite - until he meets a lonely woman whose compassion awakens something inside.After he finished shooting the film, by some miracle, veteran producer Cary Woods (Swingers, Scream, Godzilla, and Rudy) discovered his film and jumped on as an executive producer to help Tzvi finish the film.

    Enjoy my inspirational conversation with Tzvi Friedman.

    • 53 min

Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5
230 Ratings

230 Ratings

medderlove ,

Good content. Too many ads

I really do understand that ads are how they make their revenue, but the sheer amount of ads in one episode is rough. Especially when they are repeating the same ads over and over. Also, would also love if they had more women, gender expansive, and people of color on. That aside, the host is very good at letting the interviewees speak and tell stories. It’s a pleasure to do a deep dive into someone’s creative brain.

KrlozRuben ,

Too many commercials

Host sometimes seems uninterested in what the guest is talking about.

BuffaloBoyz ,

Waaaay too many ads.

I get it. This is a business. But you can tell that the business is more important than the experience. You will be inundated with all sorts of stuff you don’t need. And their recent choice of guest makes me wonder why I bothered listening at all. Kevin Sorbo? Seriously? Lol.

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