How Do You Finance Your Film?

How do you find investors? What are the ways to bring money into your film? How do you get a bank loan? How do you get a bond to get a bank loan? What companies do you need to know and how do those relationships make or break your film financing? And more!

To get in touch with Jim about his next class where you can learn even more about film finance email: jimholt41@gmail.com

(Episode 50)

Hosted by Director/Producer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Jenn Page.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you want to be notified when we open our doors to our green screen virtual production studio dedicated to indie filmmakers (and indie film budgets) fill out the form on our website at ⁠⁠⁠TheWorkingDirector.Pro.⁠⁠⁠

You can also go there to join our private FB group for directors so you can attend these live conversations and get your questions answered; as well as, to learn about The Working Director course that helps emerging filmmakers become working directors faster.

More on Jim:

James has 20+ years’ experience as a motion picture Finance and Production executive. 

James was the Executive VP of Finance and Production at Benaroya Picture, which recently completed Dangerous,
starring Mel Gibson and Scott Eastwood.  The picture was released by Lionsgate in 2022.

Produced and structured the financing on three pictures with Vertebra Films, a private equity investor in New York.  The pictures included Arthur Newman starring Colin Firth and Emily Blunt. The comedy was shot in North Carolina and directed by award winning commercial director, Dante Ariola, and two Eli Roth thrillers, Aftershock, shot in Santiago, Chile, and Clown, shot in Ottawa, Canada.  Clown was directed by Jon Watts, who recently completed Spiderman “Homecoming”, “Far from Home” and “No Way Home”. The pictures were released by The Weinstein Company and sold internationally by Filmnation. 

Executive V.P. of Finance and Production at Winchester Capital Management.  Produced and completed the financing for The Men Who Stare at Goats, directed by Grant Heslov. It starred George Clooney, Kevin
Spacey, Ewan McGregor and Jeff Bridges.  The picture was released by Overture Films and premiered at the Venice
and Toronto Film Festivals.

Executive V.P. of Finance and Production at Samuels Media. Produced and completed the financing for Michael
Clayton.  It was directed by Tony Gilroy and starred George Clooney, Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkerson.  The Warner Brothers release earned six Academy Awards nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Tilda Swinton won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.  Produced and completed the financing for In the Valley of Elah directed by Academy Award winner Paul Haggis starring Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron.  Mr. Jones was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in the Warner Independent release.  The pictures premiered at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals.

Executive V.P. of world-wide Finance and Production at Franchise Pictures. Managed the Finance and Production on multiple pictures released by Warner Brothers. 
Some of those pictures include The Whole 9 Yards and The
Whole 10 Yards starring Bruce Willis; The Pledge directed by Sean Penn and starred Jack Nicholson; Art of War starring
Wesley Snipes; The Heist starring Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito; 3000 Miles to Graceland starring Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell and Courtney Cox; Angel Eyes starring Jennifer Lopez; and The In Laws starring Michael Douglas.