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PODCAST

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie Filmmaking

Liz Manashil & Alrik Bursell

Liz Manashil and Alrik Bursell discuss independent filmmaking, everything from writing, producing and directing to working as crew. But this is not just a podcast about "making it," it"s also about struggling with rejection, self-doubt and everything else that comes with pursuing a career in film. Follow along as we forge our own way through the industry and talk to guests who are also making it happen. Episodes 238-299 are available at our patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

01:20:25

John Gaspard - Writing and Learning the Lessons from...

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/03/30

This week we welcome writer and filmmaker John Gaspard on the show to talk about the 20th anniversary re-release of his book Fast, Cheap & Under Control: Lessons Learned from the Greatest Low-Budget Movies of All Time and his approach to indie filmmaking and how he changed his approach based on the lessons he learned writing his book. After that we play another round of the GAME, enjoy! Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts

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00:58:59

Hudson Phillips and Jordan Noel - BONUS Throwback...

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/03/26

On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 321 from June 2021 featuring director Jordan Noel and writer/Producer Hudson Phillips talking about making their first feature This World Alone for $30k. I thought this was a good match for our interview with Stephen Sanow from Monday because while Hudson and Jordan made a traditional narrative feature and Stephen’s is more of a mockumentary/improved feature, they both pulled their films together in a short amount of time

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00:57:06

Stephen Sanow - Transforming Real Life into Feature #1!

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/03/23

This week we welcome filmmaker, actor and director Stephen Sanow on the show to talk about his latest feature Stripper Boyz, which he wrote, directed and starred in! After that we play another round of the Game, enjoy!Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See

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00:53:30

Oz Krakowski - BONUS Throwback Interview!

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/03/19

On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 447 October 2023, featuring Oz Krakowski, CFO of DeepDub.ai on the show to talk about starting an AI based company in the film business, what DeepDub does and why AI isn’t going to be the job stealer everyone thinks it is. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy!Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts

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01:03:41

Heather Brittain - From Filmmaker to Programmer to...

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/03/16

This week we welcome filmmaker, film festival programmer and founder of Festival Fixer, the new AI driven Festival Consultant, Heather Brittain. After that we play another round of the Game, enjoy! Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about

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00:53:52

Jenn Page - BONUS Throwback Interview!

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/03/12

On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 347 from November 2021 featuring writer/director/Producer Jenn Page who talks about making her latest film at the time Playing Beethoven. I thought Jenn was a good match for our talk with Ben Hall on Monday because although Jenn didn’t work as a PA she was doing producing work while making her features and shorts, so I think they talk about similar things on how to keep their own movies going in between the corporate

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01:15:40

Ben Hall - Crewing Up on Big Budget Features and...

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/03/09

This week we welcome director/writer Ben Hall on the show to talk about how they have made their films, their process for getting them funded and how they do it all while working as crew on some of the biggest budget movies and shows like Stranger Things, Free Guy and Lion King. After that we play another round of THE GAME, enjoy! Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts

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01:00:49

Dana Kippel - BONUS Throwback Interview!

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/03/05

On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 458 from January 2024 featuring writer and director Dana Kippel who talks about making her first feature without making another project beforehand. Alrik thought this was a good match for our episode with Tamika on Monday because they both talk about directing their first projects, although it took Tamika 10 years to make Undercard. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy! Don’t forget to support us

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00:50:17

Tamika Miller - Attaching Wanda Sykes to Undercard...

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/03/02

This week we welcome director/writer Tamika Miller on the show to talk about partnering with Wanda Sykes on Undercard and directing the legendary comedian in her first dramatic role. We also answer another listener VM question and after the interview, we play another round of the game, enjoy!Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts

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01:01:41

Anna Elizabeth James - BONUS Throwback Interview!

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/02/26

On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 320 from May 2021 featuring writer/director Anna Elizabeth James! Alrik thought this was a good match for our episode with Natasha from Monday because they are both multiple time genre feature filmmakers working at similar budget levels. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy! Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts

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01:17:20

Natasha Kermani - Sustainably Directing Budgeted...

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/02/23

This week we welcome director/writer Natasha Kermani on the show to talk about her latest feature The Dreadful, how she’s managed to consistently make features and why it’s not always about the size of the budget that matters when making a feature. After that we play another round of the GAME, enjoy! Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts

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01:02:02

Brett and Drew Pierce - BONUS Throwback Interview!

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/02/19

On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 262 from April 2020 featuring brother directing duo Brett and Drew Pierce, talking about directing their 2nd feature, The Wretched. I thought this was a good match for our episode with the McManus brothers on Monday because they are both brother directing duos who have made multiple features. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy! Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast

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01:12:25

Kevin and Matthew McManus - From Home Movies to...

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/02/16

This week we welcome director/writer team Kevin and Matthew McManus on the show to talk about how they got into directing, directing their older sister Michaela in their films and how they got their latest film Redux Redux made. After that I’m going to share some thoughts on filmmaking based on this interview with the McManus Brothers and some of our other recent interviews, enjoy!Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts

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00:51:39

Leila Gorstein and Jesse Kendall - BONUS Throwback...

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/02/13

On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 464 from February 2024 featuring Writers/Actors/Producers Leila Gorstein and Jesse Kendall to talk about making their first feature Love Dump and how they came together as collaborators. I thought this was a good match for our interview from Keith Gerchak and Marisa Guterman from Monday because they both came together as actors to make their first features as writers/producers. After that we play another round of You’re

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01:01:11

Marisa Guterman and Keith Gerchak - Discovering...

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/02/09

This week we welcome director, writer and producer duo Keith Gerchack and Marisa Guterman to talk about the journey to making their first feature Lost and Found in Cleveland and how they went from actors to filmmakers throughout the 12 year process of making the film. After that we play another round of the GAME, enjoy!Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts

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00:51:17

Dawn Jones Redstone - BONUS Throwback Interview!

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/02/07

On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 416 from March 2023 featuring producer, writer and director Dawn Jones Redstone who talked about making her first feature Mother of Color. I thought this was a good match for our episode with Jesse Kuba from Monday because they both talk about pulling their features together on small budgets and both wore multiple hats in making their films. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy!Don’t forget to

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00:58:52

Jesse Kuba - Putting It All On The Line for Your...

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/02/02

This week we welcome writer/director/editor Jesse Kuba on the show to talk about making his first feature film The Moon is in Aquarius and how he pulled it off on a small budget. After that we play another round of The Game and talk about the current statuses of our projects, enjoy! Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

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01:19:19

Listener Calls - BONUS Throwback Interview!

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/01/29

On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 105 from June 2017 featuring a series of listener call in questions. Alrik thought this was a good match for our episode with Cory from Monday because Cory was probably listening to the show back then and while he didn’t call in with a question, this is an opportunity for us to hear from some other past listeners of the show. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy!Don’t forget to support us on

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01:10:42

Cory Thibert - Weaving a Personal Story into Your...

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/01/26

This week we welcome director, writer, main actor, editor, and only producer on his first feature Mild Life, Cory Thibert on the show to talk about how he approached creating a very personal first feature! Cory also has been a long time listener, way back since the Timothy days, so glad to have him on the show! After that we play another round of the GAME, enjoy! Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts

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01:12:51

Timothy Plain and Alrik Bursell Talk Directing -...

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie... ·

2026/01/23

On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the conversation from episode 171 from August 2018 featuring a conversation that my old co-host Timothy and I had about directing experience and if there is good and bad directing experience. I thought this was a good one for David Zeigers episode because this conversation might get lost to time, which is what almost happen to David’s episode, and I’m really glad we got it out into the world. After that Liz and Eric play another round of You’re

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