Cinematic Risk-Taking: Peter Zerzan Reveals How to Thrive in Changing Industries

0:02Who's ready to rock today, Fire Nation. JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire, brought to you by High Level Level, the all in one sales and marketing marketing. Today we'll be breaking down cinematic risk-taking. Peter Zerzan reveals how to thrive in changing industries. And to drop these value bombs, I have brought Peter into EO Fire Studios. Peter is an award-winning independent director blending action, thriller, and drama. A former political organizer, he creates impactful films with realism, efficiency, and vision, now developing his first feature. And today we'll talk about breaking through a crowded pond, cracking the festival code, profiting in a shifting industry and oh, so much more.

0:43And the big thing for sponsoring today's episode goes to Peter and our sponsors. Are you ready for the ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies? Build funnels, automate follow-ups, manage clients, and even white label your own software. Say hello to our featured partner, High Level, and visit highlevelfire.com to start your free trial. today. Fire Nation, it's time to stop guessing and start winning with a proven playbook. Inside the Freedom Circle, you'll have access to my step-by-step systems for creating offers, building processes, and driving traffic all in just 90 days.

1:25Ready for freedom? Visit freedom-circle.com to learn more. Peter, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with? Hello, Fire Nation. Glad to be on the podcast, John. And as for key to being successful that other people disagree with, I would say that while talent is important, it isn't the most important thing to success. I would say determination and staying with something is actually a far greater thing to have than just being merely talented. Stick to it to NIST, Fire Nation, an underrated quality for sure. As we talk about cinematic risk taking, and I want to get a little glimpse, Peter, and we do have a lot to get to.

2:25So just a little glimpse into your journey into indie filmmaking and what exactly lit the fire for you in this space? I was interested in filmmaking ever since I went to college. I always sort of really liked, you know, watching movies. I took film classes. I was a film minor. It wasn't my main major in college. I was a political science major. And so I started out first actually as an organizer for various political campaigns, political causes. And just sort of about less than a decade ago, I was like, well, why not pursue my passion that I've had since college, even though I've been working in other fields.

3:13And so I just started doing that. And I made my first short and then I made my second short and now I've made a third short. You know, I've been probably, you know, I've been filming and doing all this stuff for like the last five years. So, but no, it's, it's always been a passion of mine and it's always been something I wanted to do, but it's not something I have, you know, like really focused on until the last decade and more specifically the last five years. Well, Peter, let's talk about breaking through in a crowded pond because let's be honest, there's more filmmakers entering the game and there's fewer opportunities out there as a result.

3:55So how does one actually stand out and make your mark? Well, I would say for, yeah, that right now, you know, the industry is very much in flux that, you know, there was a lot of thought about, you know, that streaming was going to be the next big thing. It was going to be the, you know, it was going to be bigger than anything else. And that clearly hasn't been the case. And so, and right now we are sort of in a bit of a valley. You know, this is peaks and valleys is the industry. And right now this is a valley that we're at and no one really knows what the industry is going to look like five years from now.

4:36So as for, you know, standing out, I would say, you know, a lot of people think that the best way to do that is sort of, you know, something flashy, like, you know, some sort of cool shot or some sort of, you know, plot twist or something like that in your feature. And I don't really see it that way, because I think you do something cool, and you'll discover that some filmmaker somewhere did the same thing 70 years ago. So I would say the most, the best way to do that is to show, once again, it goes back to sort of the determination that, you know, that you can, that you can keep moving forward, that you can get productions done on time under budget, that you can, um, work with actors, work with a crew that you can do these things, even in the most difficult, uh, situations and that you're not going to let all of the things that happen in a production, whether it be not getting your permits or whether or someone gets sick or you have to change your cast because something comes up, that you're not going to let that drag you down.

5:47Let's talk about cracking the festival code because I think this is interesting to a lot of people. So can you walk us through the navigation of the maze of the film festival circuit? I mean, what's the roadmap as far as like getting noticed? And then what's the secret sauce behind a successful festival run getting noticed there's you know a lot of festivals out there it's somewhat it exploded especially that there's a lot of online festivals too um and you know you submit and submit and submit and you you have to deal with rejection you have to deal with a lot of people saying no to your film you know and still knowing that you know whatever they say you're going to still keep going at it and you're going to still keep submitting regardless of how many times the door gets slammed in your face, which is quite often.

6:37And it once again goes to that determination and just, you know, keep going, keep going, keep going. And also when you're, you know, at the festivals, talking to people, interacting, because, you know, the people that you're there, they might become your next cast members. They might become, uh, you might find a crew member that you were looking for. And so, uh, uh, really there, it's just, um, you know, keeping at it. And I would say that, yeah, that submitting, submitting, submitting, and then also, you know, um, it's, uh, a floodgate sort of thing. So you get accepted to one festival, then other festivals are going to keep calling and you just got to keep moving forward.

7:21To use the football analogy, moving the chains. Well, let's talk about profiting in a shifting industry because at the end of the day, you're going to have to eke out a profit at some way, shape, or form or timeframe. So the industry, it's evolving fast. How can indie filmmakers actually monetize their work and turn their art into a thriving business? Well, you can't say no to commercial work is one thing. I would say, you know, using directing films and using films as a calling card, uh, as a way to, to show that you can, you have a cool, interesting visual style and there, you know, might be a company that wants you to, to, uh, uh, shoot a commercial for them or, you know, uh, shoot a, you know, informational video for, uh, you know, uh, training their employees.

8:14So using that to do those outlets that way. Now, the reality is most films don't make a profit on their theatrical run. So when you're talking to investors, you do have to be honest about it, that it is going to be a risk for them. But for one thing, it's a cool risk because you're making a movie. So who doesn't want to hang out with movie stars? Who doesn't want to to, to, you know, uh, you know, be the one that said, Hey, I, I made this movie, even if they lost, you know, money on it that, you know, they got to, to make a movie. It was pretty cool. And, uh, uh, once again, it's just sort of that determination pushing forward.

8:54And so that, you know, you are going to, to break through. Um, and so then when your ship comes in, you, you know what to do. Uh, but yeah, you know, that use, look for other opportunities, not just making features, not just making shorts, but also commercial work, a lot of commercial work, try and leverage the success you've had making films to make other things. And yeah, just, you know, once again, it's that determination factor. And Fire Nation, we have a lot more to talk about around collaboration, going global, Hollywood or bust, when we get back from thanking our sponsors. Okay, let's talk about a platform that's completely changing how entrepreneurs are running their business.

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12:08Can you share how working with other creatives and leaning into new platforms can actually create sustainable income and new opportunities at the same time? Well, you know, this is actually something I'm very somewhat passionate about. because I do feel that with the way technology is going is that it's a lot easier now to shoot on your own, like to do everything, that you can write a script from your idea. You can then photograph it as well as direct it. You can edit it. You can do, the technical end has made it so that you can do everything by yourself. And yet at the same time, that when you don't have someone working with you, when you don't have someone helping you with a screenplay, someone lighting the set and getting the camera ready, when you don't have someone assembling things in the editing room, when you're all on your own, then if you make a mistake that no one's going to notice and suddenly you have this big glaring mistake and something that's not working and you don't really know what to do.

13:22And so I do think even as technology encourages people to work on their own, I think that working with others is really important and more important than ever. and a lot of ideas that I have and this latest project that I was doing that there were problems with them and my collaborators, whether it was my screenwriter Melissa, my cinematographer Sean, my editor Alec, they were able to really input and they made it really work and worked better than if I had tried to do everything myself. Uh, so going forward, you know, if you want to, for profitability that, you know, maybe whatever your field is, maybe you can do it by yourself.

14:21Maybe you, uh, the technology certainly is going that way that you don't need a big team as much as you do, but you do need someone to throw ideas off of someone to tell you who maybe has more experience in the field to tell you, oh, that wouldn't work. That wouldn't, uh, this would work. that, you know, people to work with so that if you make a mistake or something's not working, that you can correct it. And so I, this is, yeah, like I said, something I'm very passionate about is teamwork and working with others. And I think that is unfortunately becoming a lost skill, where everyone sort of has this idea of being in their, you know, silo, doing their own thing.

15:08And it just, it doesn't work that way. You need to collaborate with others. Peter, let's talk about going global with film. I mean, your latest project was filmed overseas, specifically in India, which brought back memories. I was actually an extra in a Bollywood film back in 2009. So that was quite an experience. And this is with an, yeah, it's quite an experience. And this is with an international cast that you actually utilize. So what were some of the biggest benefits and, of course, the toughest challenges of going global in your productions? By making this a global production, it really sort of brought different experiences, unique ideas.

15:49You know, my lead actor is Miho. She was from Japan. My lead actor, Mathieu, he was from France. And so they brought their own experiences in life. They brought a lot to these characters. They really felt like they opened up with the characters. And discussing it, they talked about how we could have filmed it in Big Sur or something like that, but it wouldn't have looked the same. It wouldn't have felt good. It wouldn't have been as good of a movie by doing it that way. And so by shooting on location, by going overseas, by working with people halfway around the world, you do bring unique insights and unique views.

16:37And you do really create something much more unique and original than if we had shot it in California, which is where I live. You know, if we had shot it in like a green screen in Atlanta, it wouldn't have the same effect. And so right now, many productions are moving overseas. London and Budapest are becoming major destinations for filming. Even many independent films are being filmed with American directors. overseas. So this has been a trend going forward. So I do think if you want to be a filmmaker, that you definitely want to look not just filming in your community and where you are, but how to film overseas.

17:25And it goes back to sort of what I was saying with the working with other people, is that in other parts of the world, they have different terminology that they'll use for certain things. So you do have to pick up on that and, you know, different ways of doing things. But if you can work with others, if you are that sort of type of person who, you know, does value teamwork and does value collaboration, then the overseas, whatever overseas barriers you will overcome, you know, obviously going to certain places, you have to figure out what the visa rules are. You have to figure out what permit rules are.

18:08And you do want to have a producer in where you're filming who knows the lay of the land, who knows how these things work. You want to make sure if you're flying crew out, what the union rules are for actors, the Screen Actors Guild, they have very specific sets of rules. So you do have hurdles. But, But from my experience on this film, if I had filmed it here in California, it would not have been as good of a movie. And really going overseas really made it a better film. And so I think that going forward, as we have more productions overseas, you should really, as an independent filmmaker, embrace that and learn how to work overseas, whether it be India or Europe.

19:00anywhere else. On this topic, let's talk Hollywood or bust, because I think there's a myth that I would like to tackle that indie directors really want nothing to do with Hollywood. Where do you land on that spectrum and how has it specifically shaped your path? I think that, you know, everyone loves to say, you know, that they, you know, complain about Hollywood, complain about problems with Hollywood. But, you know, I think that many independent filmmakers would love the resources that Hollywood provides, would love the budgets, the access to talent, all of those elements. And I've been at film festivals, and they'll have one of these icebreaker questions, like what is the last film you've seen?

19:46And usually they'll be thinking about, oh, I saw this foreign movie or this arthouse film. And then most of the other filmmakers will be like, yeah, it was a Marvel movie or something like that. So I think that for the most part, most filmmakers are pretty active with Hollywood. So I do think at the end of the day that even most like art house directors would love to get the resources that Hollywood has and the resources of filming in the Hollywood system. but you know obviously I think most of us want you know a certain degree of creative freedom and a certain degree of control that oftentimes you don't get with these productions so I do think for the most part you know someone might try and act like oh I want nothing to do with Hollywood but in reality there's probably a project or probably something that could easily convince them to work in the studio system.

20:48Let's go with a closing value bomb. If our listeners, Fire Nation, could walk away with one golden nugget to succeed as an indie filmmaker in today's world, what would that be? I would say going back to both collaboration and determination, uh uh you know the ability to keep going even when you're you suffer setbacks when you can't get the actor you want you can't uh get the location that you want you you have to uh you know you have to wait or you have to indeed uh uh you know uh worry about for financing find a creative way around it and that yeah you can knowing that you can try your hardest and that that people can still reject your work and that's not the greatest feeling, but even with that, to know that you can still make it and that you can still working forward succeed.

21:49And so I do think the idea, both of those and also for the collaboration is knowing how to work with others, knowing how to interact with other people, knowing, you know, realizing that your success is not dependent upon someone else's failure, that everyone can lift up together. And so really it's, it's those things of learning, you know, being an effective collaborator and, you know, having a strong determination to keep moving forward, regardless of how things are going. Peter, we talked about a lot of things today. We're talking about breaking through in a crowded space, the festival code.

22:27We talked about Hollywood or bust. What is your call to action for our listeners today? If Fire Nation wanted to follow you, consume more of your content, what would you want them to do right now? Follow me on my Instagram. That's at PZerzan. You can go to my website, kuamito.com, K-U-A-M-I-T-O.com. Those would be sort of two big things to get involved, you know, in this, you know, environment, you know, you know, getting financing is kind of the biggest thing I'm right now working on trying to do a feature and if any of your listeners, uh, would be interested in, you know, helping invest, helping be part of that process, I would love to have them on board.

23:14Uh, uh, yeah, like I said, I'm a big fan of collaboration and if, you know, people want to see what filmmaking is like and film, the filmmaking process is like, um, uh, I'll gladly take their money and gladly work with them to do that. Fire Nation, you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You've been hanging out with PZ and JLD today, so keep up that heat. And for links to everything we talked about, visit eofire.com. Just type Peter in the search bar and the show notes page will pop right up. And Peter, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today.

23:50And for that, we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side. Thank you, John. Thank you for having me. Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Peter for sponsoring today's episode and Fire Nation. Over the last decade, I've interviewed more than 4 ,000 of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, and I've created a revolutionary 17-step roadmap to your financial freedom and fulfillment. I put it all into my first traditionally published book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success, personally endorsed by Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk. The common path to uncommon success is the step-by-step guidance that you need to achieve the lifestyle of your dreams.

24:27Visit UncommonSuccessBook.com. I'll catch you there or on the flip side. Are you ready for the ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies? Build funnels, automate follow-ups, manage clients, and even white label your own software. Say hello to our featured partner, high level and visit highlevelfire.com to start your free trial today. Fire Nation, it's time to stop guessing and start winning with a proven playbook. Inside the Freedom Circle, you'll have access to my step-by-step systems for creating offers, building processes, and driving traffic all in just 90 days.

25:09Ready for freedom? Visit freedom-circle.com to learn more.

25:19Thank you.