We explore how technology is transforming filmmaking workflows with John Trefry, CEO of 4WT Media. John shares how his early experiences building content teams at tech startups like Mahalo and DocStock shaped his unique approach to production—one that merges creative storytelling with the operational efficiencies of the tech world.

The conversation dives deep into how modern tools are being used to streamline tasks across different stages of production. John outlines how these technologies are not just hype—they’re solving real problems and saving time, especially for independent filmmakers. He also shares practical use cases, like using AI to generate pitch materials or evaluate new software, and why being early to adopt these tools can be a game-changer for content creators.

We cover everything from film financing to the shifting dynamics of indie film sales and festival runs. And in a forward-looking close, John imagines a future where storytelling could become a personalized, immersive experience—without losing the human heart behind the work.

Whether you’re a filmmaker curious about AI, or a producer looking to future-proof your workflow, this episode is a must-listen.

About Wrapbook

Wrapbook is a smart, intuitive platform that makes production payroll and accounting easier, faster, and more secure. We provide a unified payroll platform that seamlessly connects your entire team—production, accounting, cast, and crew—all in one place.

Wrapbook empowers production teams to manage projects, pay cast and crew, track expenses, and generate data-driven insights, while enabling workers to manage timecards, track pay, and onboard to new projects from any device. Wrapbook brings clarity and dependability to production payroll, while increasing the productivity of your whole team.

For crew: The Wrapbook app eliminates the headaches of production payroll by providing a fast, transparent, and secure solution for workers to complete startwork, submit timecards, and track pay.

Trusted by companies of all sizes, Wrapbook powers payroll for some of the industry’s top production companies, including SMUGGLER, Tuff, and GhostRobot. Our growing team of 250+ people includes entertainment and technology experts from SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE, Teamsters, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and more.

Wrapbook is backed by top-tier investors, including Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Andreessen Horowitz, and A* Capital.

Get started at https://www.wrapbook.com/