Award winning filmmaker Jeremy Workman discusses his successful indie release of SECRET MALL APARTMENT - Hosted by Heather Lenz
Our special guest this week is the award-winning documentary filmmaker Jeremy Workman, whose work has been Emmy Nominated and Oscar short-listed. His films include LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD (Discovery), DECIDING VOTE (The New Yorker), THE WORLD BEFORE YOUR FEET (Greenwich Entertainment / Kino Lorber), MAGICAL UNIVERSE (IFC Films), and most recently SECRET MALL APARTMENT. Secret Mall Apartment premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival and went on to win 9 major film festival awards. It was released theatrically in over 250 cities in March 2025, becoming the fourth-highest grossing documentary since 2020 (excluding music concert films). Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, Secret Mall Apartment was even parodied on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Executive Produced by actor Jesse Eisenberg, the film is now being developed as both a stage play and a scripted movie. Today we’ll discuss the film and Jeremy’s success making movies that take us deep inside extraordinary worlds.
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Award winning filmmakers Elliot Kirschner & Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse discuss their documentary The Last Class featuring Robert Reich teaching about income inequality - Hosted by Heather Lenz
Today our special guests are Elliot Kirschner and Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse. Elliot Kirschner is a New York Times best-selling author and an Emmy Award-winning news and documentary producer. Elliot began his career at CBS News, reporting and producing for 60 Minutes, Sunday Morning, and The Evening News. Elliot now authors the Through the Fog newsletter. Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse is the Executive Director of Inequality Media and Inequality Media Civic Action and the founder of CoffeeKlatch Productions. She is also the co-host of “The Coffee Klatch,” a conversational podcast about the news of the week, with her longtime collaborator Robert Reich. Today we’ll discuss The Last Class, a documentary feature produced by Heather and directed by Elliot about Former Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich.
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You are the Magic: Film Funding with help from the Quantum Field
Carole Dean is Founder and President of From the Heart Productions Inc, a 501(c)3 Non-Profit. From the Heart’s mission is to help indie filmmakers and creatives, with unique projects that contribute to society, get funding. From the Heart accomplishes this through five Roy W. Dean Film Grants a year, fiscal sponsorship, education, mentorship, and free resources. Since 1993, From the Heart has assisted thousands of documentaries, features, short films, and web series in getting their films funded. From the Heart has helped filmmakers raise over $70,000,000 for their films.
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Mark Mori on The Baristas vs The Billionaires: Funding and Fighting for Change
Mark is currently directing The Baristas vs The Billionaire and Executive Producing, Exiled From Hollywood, Orson Welles’ Lost Masterpiece. His first film, Building Bombs, was an Academy Award nominee, Best Documentary Feature some of his other notable projects include: Kent State, The Day the War Came Home, Emmy Award, News and Current Affairs; Blood Ties the Life and Work of Sally Mann, Academy Award nominee, Best Documentary Short Film; The Fire This Time, Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize nominee and Writers Guild of America TV Currents Affairs Award nomination.
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Brace for Oblivion: Filmmaking on the Frontlines with Xackery Irving
“Inside Ukraine’s war zone, a filmmaker captures courage, chaos, and the cost of truth.”Xackery is a New York–based director and producer, drawn to stories that unfold in times of crisis, where resilience and identity intersect. His debut documentary, American Chain Gang, exposed controversial forced-labor prison programs in the U.S. His follow-up, Nothing Without You, explored memory, loss, and obsession.And now, with his latest film, Brace for Oblivion, he brings us an immersive chronicle from the Ukrainian frontlines, filmed over three years, following seven citizen-soldiers through the cycles of combat and rare moments of homecoming.Beyond his films, Xackery co-chairs the Producers Guild of America’s Employment Committee and actively supports the international indie film community.In our conversation, we’ll cover the power of pivoting as a producer, trusting your storytelling instincts, navigating today’s marketplace, and building strong creative teams. And of course, we’ll dive into the craft of writing, shooting, and editing documentaries under extraordinary circumstances.
Discover the secrets to funding and creating successful indie films with The Art of Film Funding Podcast. Join Carole Dean, President of From the Heart Productions and author of The Art of Film Funding, and Heather Lenz, director of the award-winning documentary Kusama-Infinity, as they chat with top film industry pros. Get practical insider tips on crowdfunding, pitching, saving on budgets, marketing, hybrid distribution, and the latest in A.I. filmmaking. Whether you’re funding your first project or navigating new trends, this podcast has everything you need to succeed. Subscribe and let’s get your film funded!
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