1 Jul 2026
A heart/gut check on the current state of non-dependent filmmaking
We’re entering a new society, is what I said, and then laughed at hearing myself say something so extreme, but…
It’s what I truly believe!
Dominant narratives are losing their zing, filmmakers (and audiences!!) are more discerning than ever about Hollywood’s ultimate goals, and something new and non-dependent is rising like a perfectly baked soufflé.
For the cost of an oatmilk matcha (pre-tip), you can unlock the vault of Town Hall workshops designed ~specifically~ to help non-dependent artists build audiences.
It was an absolute pleasure to get into non-dependence, grief, the creative process, and well.. all of it with Laverne McKinnon (https://substack.com/profile/129372378-laverne-mckinnon), an executive producer, grief coach, and career strategist on her Substack Live a few weeks ago.
Below you’ll find the timestamps and 5 actions filmmakers can take right now to build their careers in the brand new world we’re creating every single day.
Timestamps & Topics
* 00:03:42 — The “coziness” of Birdman and how it helped me learn screenwriting
* 00:08:14 — The influences of seeing space shuttle launches in Florida as a kid
* 00:10:10 — Learning that artistic freedom wasn’t on my industry career path
* 00:11:11 — Accepting reality: no one’s looking for breastfeeding mom directors!
* 00:15:30 — Career coherence and a resistance to having a “marketable” identity
* 00:20:02 — The ambition it takes to chart a difference course
* 00:22:53 — Instability brought on by mergers, strikes, and AI
* 00:23:44 — Forging genuine relationships between filmmakers and audiences
* 00:24:39 — The NonDē infrastructural builds we’re currently working on
* 00:27:35 — Why my negative self-talk is none of my business
* 00:30:34 — The importance of collecting data for filmmakers
* 00:32:07 — Collaboration over competition as a necessary strategy for audience-building
* 00:32:30 — The current initiatives being run by the Non-Dependent Film Movement on and off FilmStack
* 00:37:08 — How to generate momentum when it’s lost
* 00:41:22 — What folks get very wrong about non-dependence
* 00:45:55 — Defining career grief and the language and support to process it
* 00:47:41 — My personal story of not working for 3 years
* 00:50:43 — Learning to “take the L” as a major life strategy
* 00:55:02 — How severed attachments impact the brain’s cognition
* 00:57:18 — How being with my dad in his final days impacted my work
* 01:00:13 — How holding all parts of life, including death and loss, can create meaning and even sometimes fulfillment
5 Actions for Filmmakers to Take Right Now
* Execute on one thing today. Execution is momentum. Waiting for “20/20 vision” or a perfect plan is a thinking trap because as much as I would la-hove to think my way out of every situation, situations usually require action before you can figure them out.
But action doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. You can catch a momentous wave by simply sending an email, following up with someone when a ball has been dropped or phoning in a favor. There’s always something to do, and it doesn’t have to be a big thing for it to have big impact.
* Collect whatever data you have access to right now and write it down. We all know we’re supposed to be collecting our data, but what does that mean?
It could mean:
* Your subscriber count
* Your subscriber open rate
* Your last film’s overall seat count
* Your conversion rate (for email or ticket sales or podcast eps, or…)
* Your ACV (Average Customer Value), meaning, how much does each customer/audience member typically spend with you?
* Funding raised across all projects
Collecting this kind of data puts you in the driver’s seat whether you’re going fully non-dependent or not. Because if you decide you want a traditional distribution deal down the line, when you collect your data now, having that data will give you better leverage when striking that deal.
* Strike up a radical collaboration with another filmmaker. For non-dependent filmmakers, when you focus on competing rather than collaborating, you’re kneecapping your ability to grow your audience.
You aren’t in a competitive business, you’re in a collaborative one. Audiences do not get sick of movies. If they like your filmmaker friend’s film, that is actually GOOD NEWS FOR YOU. It means they’re more likely to watch yours. So whatever you can do today to radically collaborate with someone will only benefit you. It could be as simple as a joint Substack post or as complicated as a multi-city collaborative theatrical tour. Collaboration allows artists to collapse timelines, learn from each other’s mistakes faster, and offset the risk from going it alone.
* Participate in an infrastructural build. Because the traditional Hollywood system has become an unstable place to chart a career, it’s incumbent on us to build the infrastructure we need. But we can’t build the house without the scaffolding. We need small bits of infrastructure to build the bigger, better system as a whole. Small builds could be: rounding up all of the screening venues in your neighborhood or city and sharing them with NonDē Alternative Venue List (https://darkodyssey.substack.com/p/nonde-venue-list-update), or suggesting an initiative within the NonDē 50 Films Project (https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/nd50), or writing a Substack post on your post-production workflow. Small infrastructure is still infrastructure, and we need it to build the entire ecosystem.
* Develop your career-grief literacy. The disappointment you feel in the industry (or in the speed at which you’re able to build outside of it) creates legitimate physiological events in your body that impact cognition and physical health. Take the time to grieve it. Mourn the things you thought were for you. Mourn the direction you thought you were pointed in. Integrate that loss into your identity, you don’t have to always just rise above. Sometimes you can wade directly through, and that’s a faster salve. Remember: maintaining your emotional resilience is required to continue making art. Take good care of yourself, always.
Psst. If you’ve made it this far in the post, then you deserve the insider secrets! You can grab a 7-day free trial to test drive past LGA Town Halls to see if they’re valuable, before you commit. :)
Feeling NonDē curious? Quick Ways to Get Started in the NonDē Film Movement ahead »
* Subscribe to FilmStack Daily Digest (http://filmstackdailydigest.substack.com/) and start getting your analysis and breakdown from thinkers on this platform with independent voices.
* Try non-dependence one of these 64 ways (https://letsgoagain.substack.com/p/64-ways-to-try-non-dependent-filmmaking).
* Read about the New Film Criticism (https://tedhope.substack.com/p/the-new-film-criticism-nondes-partner) and subscribe to a swath of amazing film critics who don’t just introduce us to new work, but also help us think and write about films in an altogether fresh, original, personal way. Check out Film Soup Zine (https://open.substack.com/pub/filmsoupzine)run by KLA Media Group (https://open.substack.com/users/43088698-kla-media-group?utm_source=mentions) and C. C. Simmons (https://open.substack.com/users/228098762-c-c-simmons?utm_source=mentions) who will be reviewing specifically-NonDē films.
* Join the NonDē 50 Films Project (https://letsgoagain.substack.com/p/50-films-lets-organize-for-the-2026) by signing up here (https://queensbirdfilms.myflodesk.com/nd50) and checking out the dashboard here (https://www.notion.so/queensbird/NonD-50-Films-Project-DASHBOARD-2026-2cb676017aa98018bc95e982ef82a217?source=copy_link).
* Start talking about it. Let’s bring these ideas into the conversation (https://letsgoagain.substack.com/p/the-nonde-movement-grows). At first people will say we can’t do it (https://filmstackdailydigest.substack.com/p/nonde-50-films-project-update-how). That’s fine, let’s talk about it. Let’s bring these big ideas into the rooms with us.
* Discuss with your team. Be the leader on your production team and bring non-FilmStack filmmakers into the fold. Share resources and posts with them about how to do things differently (https://letsgoagain.substack.com/p/how-to-understand-your-films-audience).
* Share about the NonDē Film Movement far and wide. A better world is inevitable if we make it so.
Read the entire NonDē series:
* It’s not too late to say you were there when it started (https://letsgoagain.substack.com/p/its-not-too-late-to-say-you-were)
* You’re invited to the table (https://letsgoagain.substack.com/p/youre-invited-to-the-table)
* If you say it, they will come (https://letsgoagain.substack.com/p/if-you-say-it-they-will-come)
* Went to Slamdance, and all I got was renewed faith in the future of film (https://letsgoagain.substack.com/p/went-to-slamdance-and-all-i-got-was)
* The (not so) hidden agenda of non-dependent film (https://letsgoagain.substack.com/p/the-not-so-hidden-agenda-of-non-dependent) (part 1 of 3)
* The love of the game is a power move (https://letsgoagain.substack.com/p/the-love-of-the-game-is-a-power-move) (part 2 of 3)
* Who gets to speak about the future of film? (https://letsgoagain.substack.com/p/who-gets-to-speak-about-the-future) (part 3 of 3)
Get full access to Let's Go Again at letsgoagain.substack.com/subscribe (https://letsgoagain.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)
