Let’s put it down right now: Brook Linder has the branded content hit of the year, with his weekly promos for Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney. Vimeo put it out as its own thing, and once you turn on the compilation of promos, you can’t turn it off. It’ll be running on repeat in your head. I warned you.We go deep in this episode in getting banned from Springfield, Missouri high schools, not just for his film crew but every film crew afterwards, early Kickstarter, what it’s like making branded content, and so much more. As Brook says, let’s go ham.In this episode, Brook and I talk about:Those epic John Mulaney ads (so rewatchable) and why they are the branded success of the year;How hard was it for him to give up editing;Did his viral success surprise him or was it just the culmination of all the work he put in?How shooting on film can be a crutch;The expectations when brands call him and how it differs from his personal aesthetic; What music video shoots are really like;His origin story — fellow Missourian!;His first short, GHOUL SCHOOL (2013), its Kickstarter campaign, and the film that got him kicked out of filming in the Springfield high school system (and everyone else going forward);How he does brand work and getting his name out there without pissing his clients off;The possibility of an AI Brook Linder video?Whether this viral success has helped him with his own projects;His new documentary on the band, someone still lives you boris yeltsin, and their trip to Russia;How much we love watching trailers but the economics of it — it’s tough!Brook’s Indie Film Highlight: ARCADIAN (2024) dir. by Benjamin BrewerMemorable Quotes:“ We'd blow up a classroom, right? Go ham, and the school would kick us out. ““ You need to empower an editor and say, Hey look, you gotta make this yours. You gotta tell the story that makes sense to you and not work with the bones of whatever I thought I was gonna do.”“ I have used film instead of having a very clear concept. I'm a music video guy, so there's a lot of flash involved. Okay. So I've used film when I thought eh, can I be a filmy vibe?”“Some artists really want them and because it feels if you don't have a music video, you aren't minted in some way.”Links:Follow Brook Linder On InstagramSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/first-time-go/exclusive-content
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Indie Film Highlight: KAJAKI (2014)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: KAJAKI (2014).Director: Paul KatisWriter: Tom WilliamsCast: David Elliot; Mark Stanley; Scott Kyle; Ali CookSYNOPSISHelmand Province in Afghanistan, 2006. A company of young British soldiers encounter an unexpected, terrifying enemy: a dried-out river bed, and with every step the possibility of an anti-personnel mine that could kill.Subscribe to our YouTube channelFollow us on LetterboxdFollow us on InstagramFollow us on XFollow us on FacebookFollow us on TikTokFollow us on LinkedInSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/first-time-go/exclusive-content
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Ali Cook
You’d expect comedy out of a comedian turned actor and then director, right? Think again. My guest, filmmaker Ali Cook, turns what you’d expect upside down. So far, he’s written two short films, directed one, and is working now on his first few features. He acted in a truly phenomenal Afghanistan war film, KAJAKI (2014), sometimes known as Kilo Two Bravo, and he’s got more insight than we could possibly cover in 30 minutes. I tried to keep my laughter to a minimum, but come on. Go watch his films. Ali is talented and funny. In this episode, Ali and I discuss:What his goals are for an exquisitely filmed short film in THE PEARL COMB (2025) and previously THE CUNNING MAN (2019);How a comedian and magician in Britain became an indie film actor, writer and director; His website lists his skills as directing, writing, producing, acting — does he have a favorite?What he took away from his first short film;Whether a high profile social media account helps his indie filmmaking career — “I think it’s a little bit different in the UK”;What to expect to see when they watch THE PEARL COMB and how he structures his films like a magic trick;How he brings the showman’s ability to filmmaking;What draws him to the Victorian look for his filmsHis experience of watching his films in a theater and with an audience;The “awful” game you are playing trying to find honest feedback for a film;The clues in THE PEARL COMB that explain the ending;The best compliment you can give a short film — you have to rewatch it;How deflating it must be for a film with a big festival run to just be uploaded to YouTube;The brilliance of KAJAKI (2014) as a war film and his reflections on the film;what's next for this talented and funny filmmaker.Ali's Indie Film Highlights: KAJAKI (2014) dir. by Paul Katis; THE SCHOOL DUEL (2024) dir. by Todd Wiseman JrMemorable Quotes:“The structure of a one-man show is very similar to a film, really. And then I just realized there was a lot of inherent skills that I knew, the most brutal one being, having a pretty good sense of when people are getting bored.”“ I think my least favorite is producing. But you need to be a great multitasker and I'm not, and you have to have excellent people skills of which mine are debatable.” “ The game of a comedian and the game of a magician is to paint thoughts in the audience's mind via assumption. So every joke is when you shatter an assumption.”“I actually watch the audiences. So when the surprises are coming, I like to watch someone two or three rows in front of me, and I like to see if they're gonna jump or not.” “ The ending ideally should be surprising yet inevitable.” Links: Follow Ali On InstagramFollow THE PEARL COMB On InstagramAli Cook's WebsiteSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/first-time-go/exclusive-content
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Charles Hood
Watch This Episode On YouTubeI feel like this would be a good plotline for a gonzo Mission Impossible movie: make romcoms and comedy dramas relevant again. In one sentence, my guest, director and podcaster Charles Hood, declared “comedies and comedy dramas are dead, sadly” but also came back in the next few sentences with the announcement, I’m releasing a romcom feature later this year. This sounds exactly like a challenge, if you choose to accept it, for one of the co-hosts of the official Mission Impossible podcast. And here’s to thinking he’ll be successful. In this episode, Charles and I talk about:His journey to hosting the unofficial — and then the official — Mission Impossible podcast, “Light The Fuse”;Why more filmmakers aren’t podcasting and what it takes to be successful in the medium;How he got his start in filmmaking;Should you make a microbudget feature like Charles’ first film, FREEZER BURN (2007), or a great short film?How he found himself in the comedy-drama romcom space;The ten year anniversary of NIGHT OWLS (2015), his reflections on the film, and his focus on screenplay structure going into making the film; His work at go90, a Verizon “mobile-oriented social entertainment platform” (who knew about that?!);The value of structured, well written script;Whether the official MI podcast helped him get “above the noise”;When we should expect his next project, THERE SHE GOESHow the vote of actors participating in an indie film project is so important.Charlie’s Indie Film Highlight: Josh Greenbaum; GHOST BOY (2025) dir. by Rodney Ascher; THE NIGHTMARE (2015) dir. by Rodney Ascher; A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX (2021) dir. by Rodney AscherMemorable Quotes:“ We always talk to everybody about Tom Cruise's hairstyle, their favorite haircut from the different movies. And we also would jokingly talk about how we're in a golden age of dog cinema because there were a lot of dog movies that have come out in the last 10 years.”“ If you're gonna do a big short with a real budget, you might as well try to figure out how to squeeze that budget into a feature and do a feature.”“Comedies and comedy dramas are dead, sadly.”“ Actually if you make a romantic comedy, you get to sneak in a lot of character work that you wouldn't get to do in a lot of other genres.”“We learned a lot over those years, writing studio comedies and learning structure and that applied to this movie that is mainly just two people talking.”“So I’m still chasing that feeling again of making NIGHT OWLS.”“They always say that, you have to know the rules before you can break them. And I was breaking them on FREEZER BURN without knowing them.”“What Tom Cruise is all about is….serving the audience.”Links:Follow Charles On InstagramWatch Indie Film Highlight: NIGHT OWLS (2015)Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/first-time-go/exclusive-content
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Indie Film Highlight: PEOPLE PLACES THINGS (2015)
Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: PEOPLE PLACES THINGS (2015). Director: James C. StrouseScreenplay: James C. StrouseCast: Jermaine Clement; Regina Hall; Stephanie AllynneSYNOPSISA graphic novelist /professor (Jemaine Clement) tries to navigate the unfamiliar waters of single fatherhood and dating.Subscribe to our YouTube channelFollow us on LetterboxdFollow us on InstagramFollow us on XFollow us on FacebookFollow us on TikTokFollow us on LinkedInSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/first-time-go/exclusive-content
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