Show Notes
Meet the Guest: Screenwriter Austin Kolodny joins the podcast on a rainy LA day to discuss his captivating journey and the incredible story of getting his first movie, Dead Man's Wire, produced with legendary filmmaker Gus Van Sant.
Paying Dues on Set: Before his major breakthrough, Austin spent over a decade grinding in the film industry. He took on varying capacities to learn the ropes, including PA work, director's assistant roles, art department gigs, and even holding boom mics on indie features.
The Ultimate Film School: Austin emphasizes the immense value of hands-on set experience. By simply surrounding himself with creative professionals and observing operations, he notes that he never stepped onto a film set without learning something new.
Rising Through Sketch Comedy: While pushing to get his indie features made, Austin honed his writing and directing skills in the short-form digital space. He gained massive early traction by landing around 40 sketches on the homepage of Funny or Die.
Building Digital Momentum: His viral sketch comedy success ultimately led to signing with a manager, securing a Comedy Central digital series, and directing projects for Almost Friday TV and various music videos.
The True Cost of Indie Filmmaking: When jokingly asked if he had to sacrifice a goat to get a movie made with a major director, Austin humorously admitted that the real sacrifice to get his cinematic vision to life was his personal credit score.
Humble Beginnings: The conversation dives back to the very beginning, tracing Austin's roots growing up in Santa Clarita to explore the specific early movies and scenes that originally sparked his lifelong passion for filmmaking.
Full Transcript
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Werner is big on walking.
[00:01]
If you ever read of walking in ice,
[00:04]
he says the world reveals itself to those who travel by foot.
