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Filmmaking isn't just about making a great film—it's about getting that film seen. With traditional distribution models crumbling, independent filmmakers are finding new ways to connect directly with audiences. This episode explores how the indie film landscape is shifting, with filmmakers taking control of their own distribution, marketing, and audience-building strategies. Whether you're a first-time filmmaker or a seasoned pro, this episode will inspire you to think outside the box and embrace a more grassroots approach to getting your work into the world. Jon Reiss is a filmmaker, author of the book Think Outside the Box Office, and a media strategist who runs 8 Above, a company that creates custom distribution strategies for indie films. He has consulted with filmmakers and organizations worldwide including The Gotham, IDA, and Film Independent, and has led workshops on distribution and marketing through his 8 Above Distribution Lab. Reiss is currently producing a documentary on robotic performance artist Mark Pauline, and is producing the second season of a podcast, Plantscendence, about people's psychedelic experiences. He has recently launched a Substack focused on indie film distribution and marketing. Annamaria Sofillas, a development executive and producer, is the Director of Content at Kino Lorber's MHz SVOD. She is the lead producer of the documentary "I'm “George Lucas": A Connor Ratliff Story, which premiered at Slamdance '24 and received theatrical exhibition nationwide through Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, with digital distribution by Grasshopper Film. Annamaria was instrumental in building NBCUniversal's Seeso and Gimlet Media's scripted division, where she led over 25 long-form television series and 30 stand-up specials, including the GLAAD Award-nominated Take My Wife and BAFTA Award-nominated Flowers. Scott Monahan, the filmmaker behind Anchorage, has been candid about his experience with self-distribution, highlighting the challenges and successes of taking control of a film's release. Glen Reynolds, founder of Circus Road Films, is a producer rep and festival advocate who helps indie filmmakers navigate distribution and find the right partners to bring their projects to audiences. In this roundtable discussion, No Film School's GG Hawkins speaks with Jon Reiss, Annamaria Sofillas, Scott Monahan, and Glen Reynolds to discuss: Why hybrid distribution is essential for indie filmmakers today How film festivals and events can help grow your audience Why setting clear release goals is crucial for your film's success How building your audience starts long before your film's release Real-world examples of filmmakers using grassroots promotion and festival tours Why filmmakers are taking control of their own marketing and outreach strategies How indie filmmakers are embracing a punk rock mentality to bypass traditional distribution models Links: Learn more about Scott Monahan Learn more about Glen Reynolds Follow Annamaria Sofillas on Instagram Buy or rent I'm “George Lucas”: A Connor Ratliff Story on Amazon/Apple I'm "George Lucas": A Connor Ratliff Story Website Follow I'm “George Lucas” on Instagram Follow I'm “George Lucas” on Facebook Follow I'm “George Lucas” on X 8 Above with Jon Reiss Substack 8 Above website Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web https://nofilmschool.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nofilmschool Twitter https://twitter.com/nofilmschool YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/nofilmschool Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nofilmschool Send us an email with questions or feedback: podcast@nofilmschool.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
I'm re-releasing one of my favorite episodes of the pod, my conversation with Scott Monahan, director of ANCHORAGE.Until July 18th, you can vote for ANCHORAGE on Decentralized Pictures — here's the link — and their team can win $2500 for their next project.Given that this is one of my favorite episodes, and one of my favorite dudes, how could I not re-release to support?So go vote for ANCHORAGE now. (This is assuming you've seen this great indie film. If you haven't, what are you waiting for?)Scott is a phenomenal actor, sure, but I feel like the kindness is genuine.Enjoy this episode, it's one of my absolute favorites, and see you in Anchorage.In this episode, we talk about Scott growing up with his U.S. Marine-turned middle school guidance counselor family in Japan to crowdfunding for ANCHORAGE at the beginning of the pandemic. We talk about his journey through the film festival circuit and distribution; Film Independent's role in independent film, the multi-hatting necessary for so many independent filmmakers, Scott's larger philosophy in what projects he chooses to be a part of, and what he wants to do next.Go vote on Decentralized Pictures, and I hope you enjoy revisiting my conversation with one of indie film's good guys: Scott Monahan.Scott's Indie Filmmaker Highlight: Pete Ohs Support the Podcast Through MembershipLinks:Vote now for ANCHORAGEWatch ANCHORAGEANCHORAGE Movie InstagramScott Monahan's InstagramDakota Loesch's InstagramSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/first-time-go/exclusive-content
Today I am joined by filmmaker, director, and actor Scott Monahan to talk all about his brand new feature film Anchorage.Anchorage was shot in just 5 days on a budget of barely over $50,000, but that didn't stop the film from landing a wildly successful festival tour and eventual theatrical release. Throughout the interview we take a deep dive behind the scenes look at this innovative feature.We also go in depth on the importance of telling personal stories, the production process, festival strategy, navigating rejection, and so much more.Links from the show:Anchorage Movie - InstagramScott Monahan - InstagramDakota Loesch - InstagramAnchorage - TrailerSign up for my newsletter for exclusive filmmaking insight each Sunday.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5470278/advertisement
The feature film, Anchorage, is a true indie film that was shot in 5 days and created on a self-funded, budget of only $54,000. The film, which was originally planned to be a short, has gone on to receive 11 awards and 10 nominations across 17 festivals. The film's team has been independently producing a theatrical tour, across the US and in the UK. In today's episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins speaks with Scott Monahan, Dakota Loesch, Erin Naifeh, and Spencer Showalter to discuss: Getting coverage in big publications like The Guardian Developing a short into a feature using the same budget Selling family heirlooms in order to finance the film The process of shooting in the high desert for five days Letting actors move around and do what they wanted to do Putting your crew together based on personality not talent or budget Learning how to do an assembly cut before bringing on the editor Cutting and editing depending on what feels right to the story Playing at Music Box Theater alongside Oppenheimer and Asteroid City The 3 most powerful words you can say as a director Memorable Quotes “The movie changed from a short to a feature, but the budget was the same.” [7:40] “We had structure but we also had freedom to improvise and be organic.” [9:35] “Sometimes it's more important what other people bring to your project than what you are bringing to your project.” [35:07] “We're not good will hunting, we are bad will hunting.” [41:37] Resources: Anchorage | Official Trailer Anchorage IG/FB/X: @anchoragemovie Anchorage | Deeper Into Movies Screening (FREE) YES, Manchester | September 6th 7:30pm https://dice.fm/event/gax26-anchorage-qa-6th-sep-yes-the-pink-room-manchester-tickets?lng=en-US Anchorage | Deeper Into Movies Screening (FREE) TT Liquor, London | September 9th 3:30pm https://dice.fm/event/l5d6r-anchorage-qa-9th-sep-tt-liquor-store-london-tickets?lng=en-US Anchorage | Curzon Q&A Screening September 12th Curzon Hoxton 6:40pm https://www.curzon.com/ticketing/seats/HOX1-12139/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week on the Hill Mr. Waters presents re-releases Episode 108 aka 84 : The Anchorage with Scott Monahan Part 2. Scott Monahan is a Director, Actor, Writer, and a long-time friend currently based in Los Angeles, California. We discussed being homeschooled, how he got into acting, self-awareness, the importance of growing, and his directorial debut of the Icon movie "The Anchorage"Follow him on IG: https://www.instagram.com/chipsahoyjunkie/Follow his Movie: https://www.instagram.com/anchoragemovie/Check out the Trailer for the Anchorage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcKrBLfDH1M&feature=youtu.be
This week on the Hill Mr. Waters presents re-releases Episode 108 aka 84 : The Anchorage with Scott Monahan. Scott Monahan is a Director, Actor, Writer, and a long-time friend currently based in Los Angeles, California. We discussed being homeschooled, how he got into acting, self-awareness, the importance of growing, and his directorial debut of the Icon movie "The Anchorage" Follow him on IG: https://www.instagram.com/chipsahoyjunkie/ Follow his Movie: https://www.instagram.com/anchoragemovie/ Check out the Trailer for the Anchorage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcKrBLfDH1M&feature=youtu.be
This week on the Hill Mr. Waters presents re-releases Episode 108 aka 84 : The Anchorage with Scott Monahan. Scott Monahan is a Director, Actor, Writer, and a long-time friend currently based in Los Angeles, California. We discussed being homeschooled, how he got into acting, self-awareness, the importance of growing, and his directorial debut of the Icon movie "The Anchorage"Follow him on IG: https://www.instagram.com/chipsahoyjunkie/Follow his Movie: https://www.instagram.com/anchoragemovie/Check out the Trailer for the Anchorage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcKrBLfDH1M&feature=youtu.be
This week on the Hill Mr. Waters presents Part II of Episode 84: The Anchorage with Scott Monahan. Scott Monahan is a Director, Actor, Writer, and a long-time friend currently based in Los Angeles, California. We discussed being homeschooled, how he got into acting, self-awareness, the importance of growing, and his directorial debut of the Icon movie "The Anchorage"Follow him on IG: https://www.instagram.com/chipsahoyjunkie/Follow his Movie: https://www.instagram.com/anchoragemovie/Check out the Trailer for the Anchorage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcKrBLfDH1M&feature=youtu.be
This week on the Hill Mr. Waters presents Part II of Episode 84: The Anchorage with Scott Monahan. Scott Monahan is a Director, Actor, Writer, and a long-time friend currently based in Los Angeles, California. We discussed being homeschooled, how he got into acting, self-awareness, the importance of growing, and his directorial debut of the Icon movie "The Anchorage" Follow him on IG: https://www.instagram.com/chipsahoyjunkie/ Follow his Movie: https://www.instagram.com/anchoragemovie/ Check out the Trailer for the Anchorage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcKrBLfDH1M&feature=youtu.be
This week on the Hill Mr. Waters presents Episode 84: The Anchorage with Scott Monahan. Scott Monahan is a Director, Actor, Writer, and a long-time friend currently based in Los Angeles, California. We discussed being homeschooled, how he got into acting, self-awareness, the importance of growing, and his directorial debut of the Icon movie "The Anchorage" Follow him on IG: https://www.instagram.com/chipsahoyjunkie/ Follow his Movie: https://www.instagram.com/anchoragemovie/ Check out the Trailer for the Anchorage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcKrBLfDH1M&feature=youtu.be
This week on the Hill Mr. Waters presents Episode 84: The Anchorage with Scott Monahan. Scott Monahan is a Director, Actor, Writer, and a long-time friend currently based in Los Angeles, California. We discussed being homeschooled, how he got into acting, self-awareness, the importance of growing, and his directorial debut of the Icon movie "The Anchorage"Follow him on IG: https://www.instagram.com/chipsahoyjunkie/Follow his Movie: https://www.instagram.com/anchoragemovie/Check out the Trailer for the Anchorage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcKrBLfDH1M&feature=youtu.be
We talk with actor Katie Peabody and actor/Ceaseless Fun company member Scott Monahan about the upcoming Everyone Agrees It's About To Explode, the new immersive show from Ceaseless Fun (Agnosia, Why I Want To Fuck Ronald Regan) set inside a cell of revolutionary activists. The show opens March 12th in LA.
On this special episode (18) the TTCR gang welcomes back Scott Monahan to the studio. We dive into Mother's Day advertising, top songs/bands of the early 90's and different things we used for inspiration during adolescent "alone" time. A few awful Eric Clapton jokes, a discussion about John Wayne's poo and a heaping helping of 80's/90's movie discussions and you have yourself one helluva meal. LIKE, DOWNLOAD, SHARE, SUBSCRIBE. PS - Sir Mix-A-Lot > Mumble Rap
Scott Monahan drops by and spews his knowledge about. Guinea John reads about Incels. Bruce quotes "Last Tango in Paris" for us. We discuss Pro Wrestling, Joe Pesci, Martin Scorsese's career, The Lion King, Star Wars, Opie and Anthony. We talk about the worst movies we've ever seen and tell some awful, tasteless jokes. You guys are gonna love it! Download, Like, Share and Subscribe. GET ON THAT PATREON DAWG!
Last year play collaborative arts venue, one of the producers of immersive and interactive shows in LA, was shut down by the vice squad for running a DIY performance venue. For the past month Noah--our host--has been helping out the campaign to "legitimize play" and bring performing arts back to the space that until now has been zoned as an art gallery. You've probably heard us talk about it on the show. In this episode Noah talks with the power trio at play--Nicole Rosner, Meredith Treinen, and Scott Monahan--about how the campaign came to be, the obstacles they've faced in bringing the space back, and more. Check out the play IndieGoGo campaign at https://igg.me/at/playdtla/x/7051521
Host Noah Nelson talks with the folks at Play Collaborative Arts (Retrograde, Erotica)--Cole Rosner, Meredith Treinen, and Scott Monahan--about their take on devised work, making immersive theatre with an erotic charge, and the pitfalls of running an underground venue in LA's Arts District. All that, plus the usual news, notes, and a tease of what's to come.
FAIR USE in a scholarly context is claimed for this network news report that indepedently and historically verified two archaeoastronomical solar alignments with petroglyphic carvings on equinox first filmed in Scott Monahan's KRMA-TV documentary 2 years earlier.
The introduction and some key excerpts from Scott Monahan's local PBS documentary that broke the news in 1985 about presumed Celtic inscriptions found some 175 miles southeast of Denver. This clip includes commentary from Dr. Barry Fell, a leading proponent of Old World diffusionism and a controversial epigrapher who ignited controversy in the 1980's with his book "America B.C."
The introduction and some key excerpts from Scott Monahan's local PBS documentary that broke the news in 1985 about presumed Celtic inscriptions found some 175 miles southeast of Denver. This clip includes commentary from Dr. Barry Fell, a leading proponent of Old World diffusionism and a controversial epigrapher who ignited controversy in the 1980's with his book "America B.C."
This is an abridged version of a television news report by Eve Savory, science specialist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which aired nearly 2 years following the premiere of Scott Monahan's "History on the Rocks" documentary on KRMA-TV, Denver. Ms. Savory requested and was provided film footage of the linguistic and archaeoastronomical evidence for an ancient Celtic presence in Colorado from the documentary. TransVision founder Scott Monahan believes this reproduction more than 20 years later of the archived broadcast aircheck supplied to him by the CBC qualifies as "fair use" under United States copyright law, given the context of these podcast episodes. This podcast is our first public exhibition of the CBC report, reciprocity for the courtesy we extended to the CBC in 1987 and is in no way intended to infringe on CBC's intellectual property.
This is an abridged version of a television news report by Eve Savory, science specialist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which aired nearly 2 years following the premiere of Scott Monahan's "History on the Rocks" documentary on KRMA-TV, Denver. Ms. Savory requested and was provided film footage of the linguistic and archaeoastronomical evidence for an ancient Celtic presence in Colorado from the documentary. TransVision founder Scott Monahan believes this reproduction more than 20 years later of the archived broadcast aircheck supplied to him by the CBC qualifies as "fair use" under United States copyright law, given the context of these podcast episodes. This podcast is our first public exhibition of the CBC report, reciprocity for the courtesy we extended to the CBC in 1987 and is in no way intended to infringe on CBC's intellectual property.
I conclude my conversation with the director of ANCHORAGE, Scott Monahan. How can you not be cheering for a guy who promotes others before he promotes his own film and says what he's most proud of is making this film with his friends?If you haven't listened to part 1, go ahead and listen to that. And if you have, you're in for a treat here. We talk about Film Independent's role in independent film, the multi-hatting necessary for so many independent filmmakers, Scott's larger philosophy in what projects he chooses to be a part of, and what he wants to do next. Hint: he's glad Halloween is over.See you in Anchorage is what Scott and his team use as a catchphrase for the film, but here's betting you'll see Scott in a lot of other places as well.Scott's Indie Film Highlight/Director: Pete Ohs (http://peteohs.com)Links:Part 1 of the discussion with Scott Monahan (https://www.firstgopod.com/episodes/scott-monahan)Watch ANCHORAGE link: Apple, Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft Movies and TV, Vudu, Redbox (https://geni.us/Anchorage)ANCHORAGE Movie Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/anchoragemovie/Scott Monahan's Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chipsahoyjunkie/Dakota Loesch's Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/dakotaloesch/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/first-time-go/donations
I talk with Scott Monahan, director of ANCHORAGE, in a wide-ranging conversation about his superb first feature film and the overall state of independent film.From growing up with a U.S. Marine-turned middle school guidance counselor family in Japan to crowdfunding for ANCHORAGE at the beginning of the pandemic, Scott's story is exceptional because of his reflective nature and ability to stay positive no matter the challenge.If you follow him on social media -- he's just as hilarious there as he is on the podcast -- you'll see more about him hyping other films than you will about Scott and ANCHORAGE. To me, that is the trait of the best type of person: putting the team first and everyone moving ahead together.And I didn't even mention his greatest achievement: VHS rights to ANCHORAGE in perpetuity.Part 2 will discuss what's next for ANCHORAGE; his philosophies regarding directing and what a Scott Monahan romcom looks like, and what he'd like to pursue next in film.Links:Watch ANCHORAGE link: Apple, Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft Movies and TV, Vudu, Redbox (https://geni.us/Anchorage)ANCHORAGE Movie Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/anchoragemovie/Scott Monahan's Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chipsahoyjunkie/Dakota Loesch's Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/dakotaloesch/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/first-time-go/donations