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

Mar 27, 2025 • 56min
Tate Hanyok - BONUS Throwback Interview!
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 418 from April 2023 with actor, writer and director Tate Hanyok who talks about going from writing to directing her first feature. Alrik thought Tate was a good match for Lauren because they both started as actors and then moved on to producing as well. 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! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

Mar 24, 2025 • 1h 1min
Lauren Selman - Acting, Producing and Finding Your Film Family!
This week we welcome actress and producer Lauren Selman on the show to talk about acting in and producing the Farewelling, how she got into producing and what it’s like being part of a film cohort. After that we play another round of THE GAME and talk about what we both have been up to, 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

Mar 20, 2025 • 55min
Chelsea Christer - BONUS Throwback Interview!
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 319 from May 2021 with filmmaker Chelsea Christer who talks about making her first feature documentary which is also a music doc. We felt that Chelsea was a good match for Marc because they both met bands and ended up making a feature documentary about the band. 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! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

Mar 18, 2025 • 50min
Christian Sesma - BONUS Throwback Interview!
Apologies for the late post, this is last weeks Thursday bonus episode, I missed the deadline so now you get three this week! On our first bonus episode this week we are going to play the interview from episode 280 from August 2020 with filmmaker and restaurant owner Christian Sesma about working on his film Pay Dirt starring Val Kilmer. Alrik thought Christian was a good match for Bryant because they left their careers to make their first features, although Christian is a few films ahead of Bryant. After that we talk about the Oscars, 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

Mar 17, 2025 • 1h 6min
Marc Pilvinsky - Finding the Story for a Documentary Feature!
This week we welcome filmmaker Marc Pilvinsky on the show to talk about directing his latest documentary feature, Weirdo: The story of five eight. 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

Mar 10, 2025 • 1h 13min
Bryant Griffin - Quitting the Dream Job for Your First Feature!
This week we welcome filmmaker and VFX artist Bryant Griffin on the show to talk about directing his first feature, Young King and how he left his job, moved to LA and made his first feature length 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! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

Mar 7, 2025 • 44min
Riley Stearns - BONUS Throwback Interview!
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 367 from September 2022 with Riliey Stearns, who has made multiple studio features, including Dual which is also an action film so I thought this was a good match for Martin Campbell. 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! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

Mar 3, 2025 • 55min
Martin Campbell - The Art and Craft of a Working Director!
This week we welcome director of such features as Vertical Limit, The Foreigner, Golden Eye and Casino Royale, Martin Campbell. Martin talks about his filmmaking career, how he pick his projects and how he approached directing his latest feature, Cleaner. 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

Feb 27, 2025 • 14min
Travis White - Madison Phillips - BONUS Throwback Interview!
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 302 from January 2021 featuring the short film Why Haven’t They Fixed The Cameras Yet by filmmakers Travis White and Madison Phillips who came on the show to talk about the film. I thought this was a great match since we had Travis and Madison on the show talking about their first feature. 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! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

Feb 24, 2025 • 1h 5min
Chris Beier - Daniel Wolfman - Travis White - Madison Phillips - Making of The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia!
This week we welcome the team from The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia, including Writer/director Chris Beier, writer/co-producer Daniel Wolfman and producers (and old friends of the show) Travis White and Madison Phillips to talk about the making of the film which premiered at the Austin Film Festival. Our producer extraordinaire Eric Toms conducted this interview from the Omni Hotel in Austin so it’s sure to be a good one. 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