The Zack Arnold Podcast [CASE STUDY] How to Make Your Dream Project a Reality | with Matt Allen and Matthew Gentile
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Today I have not one, but two guests - Matt Allen and Matthew Gentile. Matt, a former student of the Optimizer program, is a Los Angeles based editor, filmmaker and recipient of the American Cinema Editor's prestigious Eric Zumbrunnen Fellowship. Matt recently edited his first feature film AMERICAN MURDERER, which was written and directed by my second guest, Matthew. Matthew is an award-winning filmmaker who holds a passion for true-crime, action, and thriller genres.
In today’s conversation, Matt, Matthew and I dive deep into the key mindsets necessary to create your own independent film successfully. Whether you are a starter or a finisher (as Matt and Matthew call their roles), this conversation is packed with practical tools you can adopt and apply to your journey of making your film idea (or any other creative idea or project you might have) a reality. As both Matt and Matthew share here, so much of your potential success comes down to your mindset as well as your ability to do proper cold outreach.
Matt shares the exact processes he continues to use from the Optimizer program that have led to so much of his success (and Matthew shares why he originally made fun of the Optimizer cold outreach formula…and also why he now is a big fan of using it). As we discuss in our conversation, there is a huge rise in the number of people making films for the first time right now. If you’re the kind of person who wants to join in on the fun, this conversation is the perfect place to start.
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Here's What You'll Learn:
- The two specific factors that mark the difference between making a multi-million dollar box office hit and an independent film (that have nothing to do with funding)
- Why more people are making films now for the first time and why that’s beneficial to everyone
- Putting together a film crew for the first time? Look for this one specific trait in people (it has nothing to do with experience)
- The one thing you can do to maintain a positive mindset and reach your goals amidst ANY obstacle that appears
- The number one quality you need to have if you want to become successful in any leadership position
- The key elements of the Optimize Yourself program that Matt used in the real world that directly led him to success
- How cold outreach (when done in the proper ways we discuss) is the key to connecting and building relationships with experts in your industry
- The one thing you can do in your cold outreach emails that will drastically increase your response rate
- Why Matthew originally made fun of the Optimize Yourself cold outreach formula…and why he now uses it so often
- What it means to “tell your story” and how that is the secret to working with experts
Useful Resources Mentioned:
Los Angeles Post Production Group - Previs on an Indie Budget
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Stop Waiting For Permission to Make Sh*t Happen | with Mark Gantt
Guest Bio:
Matt Allen
Matt Allen is a Los Angeles based filmmaker and recipient of the American Cinema Editor's prestigious Eric Zumbrunnen Fellowship. Matt recently edited his first feature film AMERICAN MURDERER (starring Tom Pelphrey, Ryan Phillippe and Jacki Weaver). He also served as the film's pre-vis editor, music editor and score producer. Matt began his movie journey in the studio offices of CBS Films and Voltage Pictures. After falling in love with the process of film editing, Matt began working as an assistant editor. Some of his credits include Hollywood Feature films Disney's Christopher Robin, A Man Called Otto starring Tom Hanks, Bloodshot starring Vin Diesel, and Sweet Girl starring Jason Momoa. Matt holds an MFA in film editing from the American Film Institute and is an Associate Member of American Cinema Editors.
Guest Bio:
Matthew Gentile
Matthew Gentile is an award-winning filmmaker. His narrative feature debut, AMERICAN MURDERER, stars Emmy-nominee Tom Pelphrey, Ryan Phillippe, Idina Menzel, Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver, Shantel VanSanten, Moises Arias, Paul Schneider, and Kevin Corrigan. A graduate of the prestigious directing program at the AFI Conservatory, Matthew’s thesis film FRONTMAN won the Student Emmy for Best Directing and his second thesis LAWMAN played over 100 festivals worldwide and won the Dolby + Vizio Vision Award at AFI Fest. Currently, Matthew is prepping his second feature, a thriller/noir titled THE SOCIALITE (based on the nonfiction book A SOCIALITE SCORNED) and is developing multiple projects in the true-crime, action, and thriller genres.
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).
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