
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

Oct 3, 2024 • 1h 21min
Dominic Mercurio - BONUS Throwback Interview!
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 238 from November 2019 with filmmaker Dominic Mercurio who talks about making his first short film after 8 years. While Dominic and Darieus have very different stories they both talk about going back to filmmaking after taking a break, so I felt they were a good match. 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

Sep 30, 2024 • 1h 6min
Darieus Legg - Leaving Hollywood to Make Stoker Machine!
This week we welcome director Darieus Legg on the show to talk about directing his short film Stoker Machine and deciding to leave hollywood and focus on making films 100% independently. 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

Sep 26, 2024 • 54min
Nitzan Mager - BONUS Throwback Interview!
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 318 from May 2021 with actor turned director Nitzan Mager who talks about taking the leap from acting to directing during the pandemic and how they made their pandemic webseries. Alrik thought Nitzan was a good match for Brian because they are both actors who then switched to writing and directing, although they took very different paths. 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

Sep 23, 2024 • 1h 2min
Brian Silverman - Putting the Money Down for Your First Feature!
This week we welcome producer, writer, director and star of his first feature, Two Lives in Pittsburg to talk about how he made his first feature, why this was the movie he decided to make and his process for pulling it off. After that Liz aks me why is it so expensive to make a movie, 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

Sep 19, 2024 • 1h 17min
Timothy Plain and Alrik Bursell - BONUS Throwback Interview!
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the first episode where my old co-host Timothy and I talked about fundraising, way back from episode 73 from October 2016 where we talk about what we know about fundraising, back when all I had done was raise $6k for my first short film Strange Thing. This is a great match for our solo episode because it just shows how far I have come in my knowledge of fundraising. 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

Sep 16, 2024 • 1h 11min
Liz Manashil and Alrik Bursell - Fundraising and Crowdfunding for Features!
This week we welcome our producer Eric Toms to interview Alrik and I all about fundraising for our films, including my successful crowdfunding campaign for Best Friends Forever 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

Sep 12, 2024 • 1h 38min
Tony Vella - BONUS Throwback Interview!
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 173 from September 2018 with stunt coordinator/actor and stunman Tony Vella who talks about everything that goes into pulling off stunts. Alrik thought this was a nice pairing for JJ because Tony talks about stunts from an indie perspective and we get to hear about stunts from JJ at a studio level and it makes for a fun comparison. 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

Sep 9, 2024 • 1h 10min
J.J. Perry - From Stunts to Directing Studio Action Features!
This week we welcome director, 2nd unit director and stunt man JJ Perry on the show to talk about his latest film The Killers Game, how he made the jump from stunts to 2nd unit directing and how he made the jump from 2nd unit directing, to directing. 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

Sep 5, 2024 • 1h
Melanie Miller - BONUS Throwback Interview!
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 436 from about a year ago in August 2023 with producer Melanie Miller who talks about finding her way in the industry, from being a VP at Samuel Goldwyn to starting her own production and winning an Oscar! I thought Mel was a good match for Pinky Promise because they feel like they are at similar levels and making movies on their own terms. 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

Sep 2, 2024 • 1h 9min
Jessamine Burgum and Kara Durrett - Navigating the Golden Elevator with Pinky Promise Films!
This week we welcome Producers, EPs and the team behind Pinky Promise Films Jessamine Burgum and Kara Durrett on the show to talk about their latest film I Don’t Understand You starring Nick Kroll, how they got their production company started and how they manage a film finance company and a production company at the same time. 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