DiscoverMONEY TALKS with JesseJ. Cole's Creative Director Reveals How To Make Money as a Filmmaker
J. Cole's Creative Director Reveals How To Make Money as a Filmmaker

J. Cole's Creative Director Reveals How To Make Money as a Filmmaker

Update: 2025-10-15
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Description

Scott Lazer is a filmmaker & creative director. He’s collaborated with top artists like J. Cole on music videos and documentary projects. His work has been featured at major film festivals like SXSW and on platforms like HBO. He’s also worked in commercial filmmaking for brands like Google and Spotify.


TIMESTAMP:

[00:00:41 ] Becoming a creative director & filmmaker.

[00:04:29 ] Making money as a creative.

[00:06:45 ] Learning how to work with clients.

[00:09:37 ] Working as a creative in NYC & LA.

[00:15:47 ] Introduction to working with J. Cole.

[00:18:37 ] Don’t box yourself in with titles.

[00:20:33 ] Evolution of working with J. Cole.

[00:22:04 ] Favorite projects with J. Cole & Dreamville.

[00:24:34 ] How does an HBO film deal work.

[00:26:35 ] More projects with J. Cole & Dreamville.

[00:29:40 ] Inevitable Audio Series.

[00:34:05 ] Things learned from doing the podcast.

[00:37:28 ] What separates J. Cole from everyone else.

[00:39:36 ] Putting the podcast behind a paywall.

[00:43:48 ] Creating hype through exclusive content.

[00:45:22 ] Using the podcast platform EVEN.

[00:47:18 ] J. Cole’s upcoming album The Fall Off.

[00:49:22 ] Having a long creative process.

[00:50:22 ] Money in the film industry.

[00:54:13 ] Funding short films.

[00:55:57 ] Funding your own creative projects.

[00:59:20 ] Getting rich making movies.

[01:01:54 ] The next iteration of short films.

[01:03:44 ] Flipping an NFT to finance a short film.

[01:07:12 ] Becoming known for original filmmaking.

[01:08:09 ] Getting financed by The New Yorker.

[01:10:39 ] Getting the rights back from The New Yorker.

[01:14:18 ] Most profitable projects.

[01:15:25 ] Surprising figures in commercial filmmaking.

[01:17:09 ] Highest budget projects.

[01:18:04 ] Big productions & wasted resources.

[01:19:47 ] Projects that never came out.

[01:21:27 ] The secret to storytelling.

[01:22:41 ] Thoughts on A.I.

[01:29:56 ] The next evolution.


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J. Cole's Creative Director Reveals How To Make Money as a Filmmaker

J. Cole's Creative Director Reveals How To Make Money as a Filmmaker

Jesse Schwarz