How Having a 'Side Hustle' Buys You the Freedom to Say 'No' | with Alex Ferrari
The Zack Arnold Podcast
How to Make Money With a Short Film
"The key is a niche. If you can focus on a niche audience, the most, the more specific, the better," he says. "There's not a lot of content for that market." He wants to make a romantic comedy about a vegan chef and a barbecue pit champion.
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"In twenty years, do you want to be doing this? If the answer is no, you better figure some stuff out." - Alex Ferrari
When the pandemic shut down Hollywood, many craftspeople in the industry came to the realization their livelihood was 100% dependent on other people having work for them. I too had this realization that in order to support my family someone had to hire me for their project - I had no way to support myself with my own projects (this acute realization came one fateful night when putting my kids to bed via FaceTime for the 1000th time in a row). I knew that I did not want to continue simply trading hours for dollars. I wanted to have freedom to say yes to projects that fulfilled me, and no to projects that weren’t a good fit (or even worse were a surefire path to burnout). This may sound like a pipe dream to many people, but it's not only possible to build a “side hustle” over time that can help to support you and fill the gap during lean times, it might be absolutely essential given the changing landscape of the entertainment industry.
My guest today also had this realization, but at the early age of 21 years old. Alex Ferrari, the founder of Indie Film Hustle, is an author, blogger, speaker, serial entrepreneur, consultant, the host of the #1 filmmaking podcast on iTunes Indie Film Hustle Podcast, and an award-winning writer/director with 25 years of experience in the film industry. He has been “side hustling” since he was 12 years old, and he is sharing his decades of experience to help others gain financial freedom while pursuing their filmmaking dreams. I used to think I was productive, but after chatting with Alex I’ve realized there’s a whole lot more that can be squeezed out of the 24 hours we have available to us every single day.
Told through Alex’s animated storytelling style, this episode is wildly entertaining while simultaneously delivering sage advice from one of the great online business entrepreneurs in the film industry today.
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Here's What You'll Learn:
- Alex's story of how he started as an editor
- The illusion of autonomy in freelance work
- Why he learned multiple different crafts in the hopes of getting more financial freedom
- How he stopped relying on the "hours for dollars" situation
- What does the term “filmtrepreneur” mean that Alex has coined?
- Why you should broaden your definition of success
- Why filmmakers should consider making money outside of the traditional ways
- The importance of understanding your "niche" and who you are making content for
- The story of the filmmaker at American Film Market that proves how different the film business is compared to other businesses
- Why he gets push back from filmmakers on his business model
- The fears people have when transitioning from craftsman to making their own films
- Why our subconscious is running the show and how understanding that is the first step to overcoming your fear
- How the newer models of entrepreneurship can allow you to slowly build up a business while still paying the bills
- Ways to make time for starting your side hustle
- The story of the side hustle that paid his bills to move to Los Angeles
- How he got lost in the hustle and what he did to get out of it and back on track
- Alex had his first online business in 1997
- The 17 cents that served as the catalyst to break through his fear of starting his own business
- How he uses niche markets to make successful films and create a brand around it
- How I could've made a lot of money on my documentary if I followed Alex's Filmtrepreneur method
- Why you need to ask the right questions to stop the vicious cycle of being burned out
Useful Resources Mentioned:
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Episode Transcript
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Guest Bio:
Alex Ferrari is an author, blogger, speaker, entrepreneur, consultant, the host of the #1 filmmaking podcast on iTunes Indie Film Hustle Podcast and an award-winning writer/director with 25 years of experience in the film industry. As a director his films have screened in over 500 international film festivals.
Show Credits:
This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared by Debby Germino and published by Glen McNiel.
The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).
Note: I believe in 100% transparency, so please note that I receive a small commission if you purchase products from some of the links on this page (at no additional cost to you). Your support is what helps keep this program alive. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
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