The Honest Filmmaker

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Building a 600K YouTube Audience for an Independent Sci-Fi Series | AI, Film Marketing & Indie Filmmaking

2026-10-2725:58

Send us Fan Mail What happens when you stop waiting for Hollywood to give you a chance and start building an audience yourself? On this episode of The Honest Filmmaker, I’m joined by writer, director and producer Dempsey Tillman, who is taking an unconventional approach to independent filmmaking with his sci-fi horror series, The Bad Ones. Instead of waiting for a streamer or distributor to come knocking, Dempsey is releasing his series on YouTube, using paid promotion to reach viewers and bu...

Dewey Allen: Why Indie Film Marketing Matters as Much as Making the Movie

2026-10-2024:40

Send us Fan Mail Making an independent film is only half the battle. Finding an audience, marketing your movie and making your money back are challenges every indie filmmaker needs to plan for. In this episode of The Honest Filmmaker, Jim speaks with prolific independent filmmaker Dewey Allen about his journey from buying a camera at a pawn shop to producing multiple feature films on tight budgets. Dewey shares practical lessons from shooting features in as little as six to eight days, writin...

Nicki Micheaux: The Truth About Indie Film Distribution, Festivals & Marketing

2026-10-1331:09

Send us Fan Mail What happens after you've made your independent film? Finding a distributor might feel like the finish line, but for many filmmakers, it's where the next challenge begins. In this episode of The Honest Filmmaker, Jim Eaves talks to actress, writer, director and producer Nicki Micheaux about her journey from acting in television to making her own independent feature, Summer of Violence. Nicki shares how she found investors, built a successful festival run and secured distribut...

Steve Barton: The Story Behind TERRIFIER, Dread Central & 30 Years in Horror

2026-10-0643:05

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Honest Filmmaker, I'm joined by filmmaker, producer and horror industry veteran Steve Barton. Steve has spent around 30 years in the film business, from working in journalism and founding Dread Central to making films and working alongside some of the biggest names in horror, including George A. Romero and Sid Haig. We talk about the long, messy reality of building a career in independent film, learning on the job, dealing with rejection, working with friends...

How to Make, Distribute & Release a £33K Feature Film with Kevin Walls

2026-09-2926:33

Send us Fan Mail How do you make a feature film for around £33,000 and get it into cinemas without a traditional distributor? In this episode of The Honest Filmmaker, Jim talks to filmmaker Kevin Walls about his feature film Premature , from writing the first draft in just two weeks and bootstrapping the production, through to crowdfunding, a 23-day shoot and the challenge of distributing the finished film. Kevin explains why the film cost around £16,000 to produce, how crowdfunding helped ta...

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