The Filmmaker's Life

Joanne Butcher

The Filmmaker's Life is a live, virtual interview series with filmmakers from all corners of the industry hosted by film business coach, Joanne Butcher. The purpose of this series is to motivate and inspire those on your own filmmaking journey by telling stories of how these filmmakers started their careers so that you will be empowered to start yours. If you want to join us for the live session, please register at https://www.filmmakersuccess.com/The-Filmmakers-Life-Home

  1. Peter Bailey on "Miami Kingpins" & a Documentary Filmmaking Career | The Filmmaker’s Life Podcast 04/02/2026

    Apr 24

    Peter Bailey on "Miami Kingpins" & a Documentary Filmmaking Career | The Filmmaker’s Life Podcast 04/02/2026

    This episode features filmmaker Peter Bailey - award-winning author, journalist, and director of the hit documentary series "Miami Kingpins", which debuted on Amazon Prime in 2025 and quickly reached the Top 10 as a documentary series. Peter shares insights from his dynamic career, including: how he created "Miami Kingpins" and built an audience, starting the interview series "NiteCap, as well as the inspiration a success of his two "Paradise Discovered" documentaries. He also reveals what it's like to work with major outlets like Newsweek, TIME Magazine, NBC, and The Miami Herald and his advocacy for Caribbean storytelling and cultural ownership. His work has earned multiple awards, including Best Feature Documentary at the Caribbean Tales Film Festival and the 1261 Grenada Film Festival, as well as recognition by being named one of Miami’s most powerful and influential Black Business Leaders by Legacy Miami and recipient of the Virgin Islands Living Legend of Culture Award. ▶️ Watch the *Miami Kingpins* trailer: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2oAoYaMBZw]📌 **Join upcoming LIVE filmmaker interviews (free):**Register here: [https://www.filmmakersuccess.com/the-filmmakers-life-home]If you're a filmmaker looking to understand film funding, documentary filmmaking, and how to build a career in the industry, this series is for you.#FilmmakersLife #FilmPodcast #DocumentaryFilm #IndieFilm #Filmmaking #FilmBusiness #FilmFunding #DocumentaryFilmmaker #CaribbeanStories #joannefilm #filmbusinesscoach

    59 min
  2. The Filmmaker's Life with Writer/Producer/Director JC Wilde - 11/13/2025

    12/08/2025

    The Filmmaker's Life with Writer/Producer/Director JC Wilde - 11/13/2025

    Our guest this week was the Writer/Producer/Director/Filmmaker Success Client JC Wilde. JC's first feature film "Wild Fire" can currently be seen on TUBI, Amazon Prime, Plex and Roku. She's currently in development of the narrative film "Windows of Avalon" and the documentary "SEX | GOD". Both projects explore divinity & sexuality, love & truth, freedom & humanity, and finding the field in which they harmoniously co-exist._____________________________________________________JC's IMDB https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm6935707/Watch the trailer for "Wild Fire" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm-QUUc4gZM_____________________________________________________To watch the podcast live, register to receive a Zoom link at https://www.filmmakersuccess.com/the-filmmakers-life-homeJC Wilde is not only a published poet, but also a writer/producer/director. Her directorial debut feature film "Wild Fire" won over two dozen awards in a 10-month festival run before securing global streaming distribution. She launched her production company HalfJack Generation as an outlet for stories of her personal expression of Love, Light, and Truth.She's currently in development of the narrative film "Windows of Avalon" and the documentary "SEX | GOD". Both projects explore divinity & sexuality, love & truth, freedom & humanity, and finding the field in which they harmoniously co-exist.#femalefilmmaker #womeninfilm #queerfilmmaker #joannefilm #filmbusinesscoach #featurefilmmaker #filmpodcast

    55 min
  3. The Filmmaker's Life with Maria Petschnig - 10/30/2015

    11/20/2025

    The Filmmaker's Life with Maria Petschnig - 10/30/2015

    Our guest this week was the Writer/Producer/Director/Filmmaker Success Client Maria Petschnig. Maria's latest feature film "Beautiful and Neat Room" just had its world premiere at the 30th Split Film Festival in Croatia, where it received the Grand Prix award. This film was funded using strategies from Joanne Butcher's "Filmmaker Success" program.To obtain the Zoom link for upcoming live interviews, you must register at The Filmmaker's Life webpage at https://www.filmmakersuccess.com/the-filmmakers-life-home_____________________________________________________Maria's IMDB https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3401562/Watch the trailer for "Uncomfortably Comfortable" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkM_YUKTZKM_____________________________________________________Maria Petschnig is an award-winning Austrian born filmmaker, producer, writer and artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Maria was originally trained as a painter and gradually transitioned towards the moving image, having worked across media including live performance, photography and immersive installation, exhibiting at renowned museums and galleries. Her work has been screened and exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally including venues such as: Anthology Film Archives, New York; MoMA PS1; Mumok, Vienna; Documentary Film Week, Hamburg; IFFR Film Festival Rotterdam, Netherlands; and Schinkel Pavilion, Berlin.She has made twenty-plus experimental films and a feature documentary, “Uncomfortably Comfortable”, which earned acclaim at the 2021 Duisburger Film Woche, where it won the ARTE documentary award. It is a film (portrait) of Marc, a houseless person living in his car in Brooklyn. The film deals with the difficulties of trying to exist on the fringes of society, of trauma, and is an attempt to understand the racial realities of people of color. “Beautiful and Neat Room”, (118 min, 2025) her latest feature narrative film is inspired by her own experiences of cohabitating with other people, having shared her living space with more than 60 roommates over the course of 22 years. She has told The New York Times that sharing her apartment was “a way to survive as an artist in New York City”. The film screened in the international feature competition at the 30th Split Film Festival in Croatia and received the Grand Prix award.#femalefilmmaker #womeninfilm #artistfilmmaker #joannefilm #filmbusinesscoach #featurefilmmaker #filmpodcast

    56 min
  4. The Filmmaker's Life with Documentary Filmmaker Michael Wayne - 10/02/2025

    10/17/2025

    The Filmmaker's Life with Documentary Filmmaker Michael Wayne - 10/02/2025

    Our guest this week was Filmmaker Success Client and Documentary Filmmaker Michael Wayne. Michael's latest documentary feature film "How to Save Democracy" was funded using strategies from Joanne Butcher's Filmmaker Success Box Office S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Program. "How to Save Democracy" is an incisive and provocative film that explores the roots of democracy and its ebbs and flows over its history in the U.S., and why it is currently struggling to continue. _______________________________________________ Watch the Trailer and get screening updates for "How to Save Democray"https://savingdemocracyfilm.com/____________________________ To obtain the Zoom link for upcoming live interviews, you must register at The Filmmaker's Life webpage at https://www.filmmakersuccess.com/the-filmmakers-life-home Michael Wayne is a filmmaker, writer, and licensed acupuncturist, as well as the author of five books. His work is rooted in a deep commitment to social justice and economic democracy, and he uses storytelling across multiple mediums to inspire critical thought and drive change. His media portfolio includes a narrative feature film, two feature documentaries, a web series, an interview series, and a podcast—all aimed at challenging conventional narratives and envisioning a more just society.Michael’s most recent book, "Toward a More Perfect Union: From Scarcity to Abundance For All" (2022), explores transformative ideas for building a fairer world and served as the foundation for his latest documentary, "How to Save Democracy". He also shares ongoing essays and commentary through his Substack series, "Toward a More Perfect Union", at mwayne.substack.com #filmbusinesscoach #filmpodcasts #joannefilm #filmproducer #filmmaking #documentaryfilmmaker #savedemocracy

    59 min

About

The Filmmaker's Life is a live, virtual interview series with filmmakers from all corners of the industry hosted by film business coach, Joanne Butcher. The purpose of this series is to motivate and inspire those on your own filmmaking journey by telling stories of how these filmmakers started their careers so that you will be empowered to start yours. If you want to join us for the live session, please register at https://www.filmmakersuccess.com/The-Filmmakers-Life-Home