Find Makayla here:
Check out this past episode:
How to Build Your Network & Career Momentum, with Emmy-Nominated Director Sonja O’Hara
Come watch me make a movie!
I sat down with indie filmmakers Jillian Smith and Reagan Yorke — two total forces who are making films their own way and bringing a community along with them.
We talk about the messy magic of indie film, why authenticity matters more than polish, and how they’re building something bigger than just movies. If you’re into unfiltered stories about carving your own path, this one’s for you.
+ our FREE masterclass on feature film funding: My producing partner and I are breaking down the three biggest lessons we’ve learned this year about getting investors to say yes and building confidence in your team. Don’t miss it. Sign up here:
On today’s episode we catch up in the middle of a whirlwind week—prep for another film Beck is producing, investor reach outs, and money mindset deep dives. Between juggling schedules, wine recs, and building the community in Watch Me Make a Movie, this episode captures the real texture of being in the trenches of indie filmmaking.&& we even get into AI.
Reese Witherspoon recently talked about how women are adopting AI at far less of a rate than men are, and that's a problem...so let's talk about it!We talk about how we want to use AI as a tool—not to replace creativity, but to amplify it—and why resisting it outright can put indie filmmakers further behind.🪩
Want more? Join the waitlist for "Watch Me Make a Movie"—your front row seat to every decision, detour, and win as we bring our feature film to life.
The #1 Q we get: how do you pay for a film?Day 5 of "5 Days of Bringing our Feature Film to Life", and we’re going out with a BANG—and by bang...we mean money talk.We promised to keep it real, so here's the truth: we’re not nepo babies. We don’t come from money. We don’t have a major studio pulling strings behind the curtain. And yet, we’re still raising the capital to get our indie feature made, creatively and strategically.This episode is about pulling back the curtain on film funding. From budgets to investor talks to the mindset it takes to go from dreaming to funded, we’re telling you exactly how we’re navigating the financial side of making a movie.Inside this episode, you’ll hear:🪩 How much it actually costs to make an indie film (and why it’s always more than you think).🪩 The creative ways we’re raising money without industry privilege.🪩 What budgets really mean in practice (spoiler: they’re not static).🪩 The mindset shifts every filmmaker needs to go from “dreaming” to “funded.”Want an even deeper look into how we’re getting this film made?? Join the waitlist for Watch Me Make a Movie, our behind-the-scenes program where you’ll see every step of how this film comes to life.
If you think your film is “for everyone,” it’s probably for no one. DAY 4 of "5 Days of Building our Feature Film" is all about the brutal truth about how creative vision can MEET marketability, instead of pitting those two things against one another.Every filmmaker hits the tension between creative vision and marketability. Do you make the thing in your heart, or the thing that sells? The answer, of course, is messy—and if you’re not navigating this balance, your project probably isn’t moving.In this episode, we unpack:🪩 Why most filmmakers get stuck in the “creative vs. commercial” debate.🪩 How marketability doesn’t have to kill your originality.🪩 The messy middle: staying true to your art and making something people want to watch.🪩 How we’re navigating this in the development of our own feature.Want an even deeper look into how we’re getting this film made?? Join the waitlist for Watch Me Make a Movie, our behind-the-scenes program where you’ll see every step of how this film comes to life.
Welcome to Day 3 of our five-day drop: BRINGING OUR INDIE FILM TO LIFE
Here’s the truth: filmmaking in a silo will burn you out. The second we stopped trying to “do it all ourselves” and leaned into collaboration, everything shifted. Our careers started to take off when we decided that two is better than one—and that community isn’t optional, it’s the whole engine.
In this episode, we talk about:
🪩 Why making films in isolation slows you down.
🪩 How community accelerates your projects (and your sanity).
🪩 The behind-the-scenes of our own partnership & how it changed everything.
🪩 Where to find people who are in the trenches with you, not just cheering from the sidelines.
Want an even deeper look into how we’re getting this film made?? Join the waitlist for Watch Me Make a Movie — our behind-the-scenes program where you’ll see every step of how this film comes to life!
Welcome to this very special series: 5 DAYS OF BRINGING OUR FEATURE FILM TO LIFE 🎥🪩🎬
This is DAY 1 of our five-day podcast drop, a.k.a. a true behind-the-scenes ride through the making of our feature film. Fresh off a Boston investor trip, we sat down to pull back the curtain on what it actually looks like to build an indie feature from scratch (without family money or nepo baby status!!).
In this episode, you’ll hear us talk about:
🪩 How a friendship became a partnership (and why that matters more than waiting to be “discovered”).
🪩 The messy, exhilarating reality of pitching your film face-to-face.
🪩 Why we’re choosing the scrappy, grassroots path instead of waiting for studio approval.
🪩 The real conversations happening between a director and a producer when the cameras aren’t rolling.Think of this as your invitation into our preverbal production house—unfiltered, a little chaotic, and very real.
If you’ve ever wondered how indie films actually get made, or you just like eavesdropping on two creatives figuring it out in real time, this one’s for you!!
Want an even deeper look into how we’re getting this film made?? Join the waitlist for Watch Me Make a Movie — our behind-the-scenes program where you’ll see every step of how this film comes to life.
We’re not here to play it safe.
In Episode 2 of 5 DAYS OF BRINGING OUR FEATURE FILM TO LIFE, we spill why we scrapped the whole “proof of concept” route and dove headfirst into making a full feature.
It’s risky, it’s bold, and if we're being totally real, it's the only move that made sense for us.We also pull back the curtain on our Sundance experience—the panels, the energy, the behind-the-scenes buzz that reminded us why we’re doing this in the first place.
Spoiler: it’s not about chasing approval. It’s about making the film that only we can make.
Inside this episode, you’ll hear:
🪩 The real reason we ditched the “short first” strategy.
🪩 What Sundance taught us about how we pitch & who we pitch to.
🪩 Why playing small never gets you where you want to go.
🪩 How we’re building our feature film our way.If you’ve ever been told to “start small” or “wait for permission,” this episode is your official permission slip to ignore that advice.
Want an even deeper look into how we’re getting this film made?? Join the waitlist for Watch Me Make a Movie — our behind-the-scenes program where you’ll see every step of how this film comes to life.
Free Audio Training: 11 Mistakes To Avoid To Get Your $1-3mil Indie Feature Film Funded This Year: https://indiespunk.myflodesk.com/film-funding-mistakes
Join me in FILM CLUB: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/film-club/
Or Go *All-In* Inside FREEDOM CREATOR: https://indiespunk.com/freedom-creator
SPUNKY SALES WAITLIST: https://indiespunk.myflodesk.com/spunky-sales
Get a TASTE of Freedom Creator ($27): https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/freedom-formula/
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Become Visible: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/become-visible/
Get your b00ty inside Spunky Sales: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/spunky-sales/
Get a TASTE of Freedom Creator ($27): https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/freedom-formula/
Freedom Creator: https://indiespunk.com/freedom-creator
Become Visible: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/become-visible/
Get your b00ty inside Spunky Sales: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/spunky-sales/
Get a TASTE of Freedom Creator ($27): https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/freedom-formula/
Freedom Creator: https://indiespunk.com/freedom-creator
Become Visible: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/become-visible/
Get your b00ty inside Spunky Sales: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/spunky-sales/
Get a TASTE of Freedom Creator ($27): https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/freedom-formula/
Freedom Creator: https://indiespunk.com/freedom-creator
Become Visible: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/become-visible/
Get your b00ty inside Spunky Sales: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/spunky-sales/
Get a TASTE of Freedom Creator ($27): https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/freedom-formula/
Freedom Creator: https://indiespunk.com/freedom-creator
Become Visible: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/become-visible/
SPUNKY SALES WAITLIST: https://indiespunk.myflodesk.com/spunky-sales
Get a TASTE of Freedom Creator ($27): https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/freedom-formula/
Freedom Creator: https://indiespunk.com/freedom-creator
Become Visible: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/become-visible/
Get your b00ty inside Spunky Sales: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/spunky-sales/
Get a TASTE of Freedom Creator ($27): https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/freedom-formula/
Freedom Creator: https://indiespunk.com/freedom-creator
Become Visible: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/become-visible/
Get your b00ty inside Spunky Sales: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/spunky-sales/
Get a TASTE of Freedom Creator ($27): https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/freedom-formula/
Freedom Creator: https://indiespunk.com/freedom-creator
Become Visible: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/become-visible/
Get your b00ty inside Spunky Sales: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/spunky-sales/
Get a TASTE of Freedom Creator ($27): https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/freedom-formula/
Freedom Creator: https://indiespunk.com/freedom-creator
Become Visible: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/become-visible/
Get your b00ty inside Spunky Sales: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/spunky-sales/
Get a TASTE of Freedom Creator ($27): https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/freedom-formula/
Freedom Creator: https://indiespunk.com/freedom-creator
Become Visible: https://indiespunk.thrivecart.com/become-visible/
