Financing Your Film Like a Pro
A few weeks ago, as I made my great escape from Las Vegas, barreling through the Mojave Desert back to LA after a “successfully schmoozy” AFM, I found myself haunted by a phrase I’ve heard roughly a bajillion times in the past decade: How do I get my film financed? Despite enduring pitches more colorful than a Vegas light show and giving enough lectures to qualify as a part-time professor, one glaring issue keeps slapping me in the face: most creatives treat good advice like kale — acknowledging it’s probably good for them but avoiding it at all costs. Warnings? Oh, those are seen as optional, like the speed limit signs I passed on my way out of Sin City.
The Gamble
If you’re in Hollywood and don’t understand how to get your cherished script or optioned property onto the big screen, you’re basically a gambler who doesn’t know how to play the odds — a surefire way to lose your chips. In the post-streaming-wars era, the stakes are higher than ever. You’ve got to be sharp enough to spot which parts of your project will appeal to investors, producers, and platforms. What makes your film valuable? Is it the star power, the IP, or that killer twist in act three? Without this savvy, you’re just…
