This and all other episodes of the MAKE IT podcast are brought to you in partnership with Women in Film and Television as part of the Voice of the Filmmaker Program. Please help us keep the conversation going.
In this episode, Chris joins the Creative Director of the Nashville Film Festival, Lauren Ponto, and Filmmaker Ava Leigh Stewart on a panel to discuss the best practices and pitfalls of deploying your film across festivals nationwide. We talk about the role of Film Freeway, what an “Oscar qualifying” festival actually means, how Creative Directors program festivals, the role of alternate film festivals, the value of in-person festival attendance compared to virtual, and why you should use pitch contests as practice for your big studio pitch, and much more.
About the Nashville Film Festival (NaFF, NashFilm)
NashFilm presents the best in independent film including world cinema, U.S. indies, narratives, documentaries, and numerous short form programs by veteran masters, up-and-coming directors, and first-time filmmakers.
NashFilm films have won the highest honors in the film world including multiple Academy Award nominees and Oscar awards.
With Academy Award qualifying status and numerous shorts programs, NashFilm has screened many prize-winning narrative, documentary and animated shorts.
Nashville is Music City. NashFilm emphasizes the music in films. Some of the most memorable songs in films have been written and performed by Nashville’s songwriters and artists. In addition to the many films about music and the Music Films in Music City awards, NashFilm presents showcases, workshops, and other events where these songwriters and artists come together with film professionals from Hollywood and around the world to promote collaboration.
About Lauren Ponto
Currently the Director of Programming at the Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), Lauren has over seven years of experience working in the Film Festival industry. With a background focusing on media literacy and programming, Lauren was previously the Education Manager at Cinema/Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival.
Through her experiences working with students in the Chicago Community, she developed an eye for approaching film from both entertainment and educational perspectives. An important aspect of her programming is placing both an emphasis on the craft of cinema and the power it holds to teach and promote cross-cultural understanding.
Lauren graduated with a B.A. in Media and Cinema Studies and a Minor in History from DePaul University. As a film theory professional, Lauren is passionate about executing community-driven programming, educating on the power of film, and of course, offering audiences a safe space to laugh, cry, smile, and feel all the emotions.
About Ava Leigh Stewart
Ava Leigh Stewart is a director, writer, producer, and artist. She cut her teeth at CNN, climbing the ranks of news production and then founded, Art West Film, a full service production company that specializes in film, television, commercials, and new media. She quickly established herself on the Hollywood radar after directing, producing, and writing an award winning film entitled "Keepers of the Gate" in London, England. She has worked in the Los Angeles, Atlanta, and London film industries for major studios and independent production companies in all areas of development, production, and new media. She is also an accomplished screenwriter and published author. Stewart continues to work domestically and internationally on a diverse range of projects.
About the MAKE IT Podcast
The MAKE IT podcast is a platform for the voice of independent filmmaker. We offer a variety of educational, aspirational, and entertaining content that promotes the success of creatives across the filmmaking community and the film industry.
Our Filmmaker Conversations with filmmaking professionals are dedicated to sharing the advice, knowledge, and insights of experienced filmmakers while exploring what it truly means to be an independent creative in the highly competitive world of filmmaking. Each filmmaker conversation is backed by thoughtful research that allows us to uncover the raw, authentic truths behind each filmmaker's journey.
Through our Indie Talks, we share our thoughts and perspectives on navigating independent film from the perspective of Advisory and Executive Producers. We discuss topics that are relevant to filmmakers across a wide spectrum of filmmaking perspectives, and we do our best to uncover hidden truths and new developments in the film industry. Our goal is to help filmmakers avoid the pitfalls and obstacles on the business side of film so that their filmmaking creativity can thrive.
Our Industry Insights provide bite-sized actionable advice that filmmaking professionals and creatives of all kinds can use to keep their heads up as they continue their filmmaking journeys. With advice sourced from the filmmaking community, we build upon the wisdom of our filmmaking guests to provide our audience with truly aspirational and inspirational content.
The Mistakes in the Making series gives our filmmaking friends an opportunity to speak directly to our filmmaking audience to share a specific lesson they've learned through a mistake they've made. We are firm believers that mistakes can be the gateway to success when we open our hearts and minds to learning from them, sharing them, and using them to Be Better.
The Film Investment series is a conversational series of 52 episodes geared towards the would-be film investor. Each episode, facilitated via a friendly conversation between hosts and friends Christopher Barkley and Jason McConnell, highlights a unique aspect of the film investment process. In addition to being a great resource for film investors, it serves as a reference for filmmakers regarding the many considerations that must be made when seeking film investment.
This and all other episodes of the MAKE IT podcast are brought to you in partnership with Women in Film and Television as part of the Voice of the Filmmaker Program. Please help us keep the conversation going.
Updated: Jul 4, 2022
This and all other episodes of the MAKE IT podcast are brought to you in partnership with Women in Film and Television as part of the Voice of the Filmmaker Program. Please help us keep the conversation going.
In this conversant episode, we have a conversation with Director Chris St. Croix. We talk about his films 'In The Dark,' 'Shattered,' and 'Final,' the details behind the streaming wars, working with Quentin Tarantino, how to transition from one creative dream to another, overcoming demons, self-doubt, lack of education, and addiction, the realities of Indie Film distribution, and much more.
About Chris St. Croix
Born in New York to a Brooklyn business professor and a former nun from Pennsylvania. Raised in New Jersey, Europe, Boston, L.A., and now Nashville, TN. As a teen, I was hell-bent on filmmaking until music took over, landing me in Hollywood as a long-haired heavy metal singer. A storyteller, just louder. I paid the bills by working as an extra on sets with everyone from Tarantino to Zemeckis and soaked it all in. When music shot me back across the country to Nashville, by day I worked my way up the crew ladder to Assistant Director. When the rekindling of my childhood passion couldn't be ignored any longer, I wrote and directed the short comedy "Rocco & Vinnie." Since then, I've written, directed, and released, through Gravitas Ventures, two features and directed shorts, commercials, and music videos. My period supernatural thriller, "Final," is my latest short supernatural thriller. I have multiple finished screenplays and pilots ready to produce and am always looking for collaborators to make that happen.
Chris' Films:
Final (short thriller)
Midnight (short supernatural)
In The Dark (feature horror)
Dirty Little Secret 3D (short thriller)
Shattered (feature drama/thriller)
Rocco & Vinnie (short comedy)
Commercials:
Vizio, Nutrisystem, Oakley, Wall Street Journal
About the MAKE IT Podcast
The MAKE IT podcast is a platform for the voice of independent filmmaker. We offer a variety of educational, aspirational, and entertaining content that promotes the success of creatives across the filmmaking community and the film industry.
Our Filmmaker Conversations with filmmaking professionals are dedicated to sharing the advice, knowledge, and insights of experienced filmmakers while exploring what it truly means to be an independent creative in the highly competitive world of filmmaking. Each filmmaker conversation is backed by thoughtful research that allows us to uncover the raw, authentic truths behind each filmmaker's journey.
Through our Indie Talks, we share our thoughts and perspectives on navigating independent film from the perspective of Advisory and Executive Producers. We discuss topics that are relevant to filmmakers across a wide spectrum of filmmaking perspectives, and we do our best to uncover hidden truths and new developments in the film industry. Our goal is to help filmmakers avoid the pitfalls and obstacles on the business side of film so that their filmmaking creativity can thrive.
Our Industry Insights provide bite-sized actionable advice that filmmaking professionals and creatives of all kinds can use to keep their heads up as they continue their filmmaking journeys. With advice sourced from the filmmaking community, we build upon the wisdom of our filmmaking guests to provide our audience with truly aspirational and inspirational content.
The Mistakes in the Making series gives our filmmaking friends an opportunity to speak directly to our filmmaking audience to share a specific lesson they've learned through a mistake they've made. We are firm believers that mistakes can be the gateway to success when we open our hearts and minds to learning from them, sharing them, and using them to Be Better.
The Film Investment series is a conversational series of 52 episodes geared towards the would-be film investor. Each episode, facilitated via a friendly conversation between hosts and friends Christopher Barkley and Jason McConnell, highlights a unique aspect of the film investment process. In addition to being a great resource for film investors, it serves as a reference for filmmakers regarding the many considerations that must be made when seeking film investment.
This and all other episodes of the MAKE IT podcast are brought to you in partnership with Women in Film and Television as part of the Voice of the Filmmaker Program. Please help us keep the conversation going.
Updated: Jul 4, 2022
This and all other episodes of the MAKE IT podcast are brought to you in partnership with Women in Film and Television as part of the Voice of the Filmmaker Program. Please help us keep the conversation going.
In this special Juneteenth, Pride Month, and Father’s Day episode, we have a conversation with Author & Actor Chris Haley. We talk about his #1 Amazon Best-Selling book of poetry, ‘Fists & Rainbows: With One Fist In The Air and Holla!’, the current state of American society and fairness, how he defends his uncle Alex Haley’s legacy, reparations, how he manages his anxiety, tips on how to audition and remember lines, and how self-sabotage and self-doubt cost him work with Wayne Brady.
About Chris Haley
As Director of both the Study of the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland at the Maryland State Archives Research Department and the Utopia Film Festival in Greenbelt, Maryland, Mr. Haley has served on many prestigious boards in the world of African American genealogy as well as in the Arts. They include the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation, Historic London Town Foundation, Jake Savage Foundation, Annapolis Arts Alliance Foundation and the Annapolis Film Festival among others.
Chris is well respected as a speaker at numerous venues throughout the United States where he has spoken on themes such as African American history, self-empowerment and genealogy.
He earned his B.A in English, and Drama minor at The University of Maryland - College Park, and resides in Landover, Maryland.
Fists and Rainbows is art and revolution responding to a moment in our culture that demands we hear the call of Toni Morrison that we use this moment to create and inspire; Fists and Rainbows does both!
About the MAKE IT Podcast
The MAKE IT podcast is a platform for the voice of independent filmmaker. We offer a variety of educational, aspirational, and entertaining content that promotes the success of creatives across the filmmaking community and the film industry.
Our Filmmaker Conversations with filmmaking professionals are dedicated to sharing the advice, knowledge, and insights of experienced filmmakers while exploring what it truly means to be an independent creative in the highly competitive world of filmmaking. Each filmmaker conversation is backed by thoughtful research that allows us to uncover the raw, authentic truths behind each filmmaker's journey.
Through our Indie Talks, we share our thoughts and perspectives on navigating independent film from the perspective of Advisory and Executive Producers. We discuss topics that are relevant to filmmakers across a wide spectrum of filmmaking perspectives, and we do our best to uncover hidden truths and new developments in the film industry. Our goal is to help filmmakers avoid the pitfalls and obstacles on the business side of film so that their filmmaking creativity can thrive.
Our Industry Insights provide bite-sized actionable advice that filmmaking professionals and creatives of all kinds can use to keep their heads up as they continue their filmmaking journeys. With advice sourced from the filmmaking community, we build upon the wisdom of our filmmaking guests to provide our audience with truly aspirational and inspirational content.
The Mistakes in the Making series gives our filmmaking friends an opportunity to speak directly to our filmmaking audience to share a specific lesson they've learned through a mistake they've made. We are firm believers that mistakes can be the gateway to success when we open our hearts and minds to learning from them, sharing them, and using them to Be Better.
The Film Investment series is a conversational series of 52 episodes geared towards the would-be film investor. Each episode, facilitated via a friendly conversation between hosts and friends Christopher Barkley and Jason McConnell, highlights a unique aspect of the film investment process. In addition to being a great resource for film investors, it serves as a reference for filmmakers regarding the many considerations that must be made when seeking film investment.
This and all other episodes of the MAKE IT podcast are brought to you in partnership with Women in Film and Television as part of the Voice of the Filmmaker Program. Please help us keep the conversation going.