Happy Friday, friends. ☀️
It’s been a great week over here. I’m currently in Mammoth Lakes (attempting) some time off with my family. I may or may not be typing this from a toddler-induced Thursday evening. Turns out cookies and ice cream too close to bedtime is NOT advisable. Time is such a remarkable thing. Theo was due the Friday before Memorial Day two years ago... and simply opted to come a week later. Meu amorzinho (my love) was own timeline from the the jump.
But I digress! I couldn’t let Friday come and go without dropping into your inbox. I’ve been giddy and eager to share this chat since we recorded.
Brit MacRae is a sharp producer who sees around corners. She’s got that left brain/right brain quality and refuses to sit around waiting for permission. Is she my long lost sister? Time will tell.
She is also the Chief Marketing Officer of KINO, a new company taking the indie scene by storm. They’re reimagining what it means to finance, market, and release independent film in a moment when so many of the old models are cracking under pressure.
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Brit and I first crossed paths briefly at Cannes last year when she attended my fireside chat with Eva Longoria. Having a proper sit down was a long time a coming.
We recorded on the heels of Undertone, the A24 film that KINO helped finance — a $500K film that went on to gross $18 million at the box office with a first-time writer-director and no star attachments. The kind of result that makes people pay attention and validates a whole philosophy about how you make, fund, and get films seen in this industry.
It’s always special to capture a convo with someone mid-upswing! Over coffee, we discussed:
How KINO is changing the game for indie filmmakers
Tips on marketing a film in 2026
What it looks like to co-finance with a distributor like A24
Brit’s POV on building a brand with no playbook
Why the old model of “make it and they will come” is over
And here’s a taste of what’s waiting on the other side: Undertone ended up in a six-studio bidding war. One studio said they’d do it if KINO agreed to reshoot the whole thing with a name attached. They said no. Brit also shares her 2026 hot take on what every filmmaker needs beyond a script and a deck that most have never thought about it.
This one is for paid subscribers only.
The cafecito format is intimate by design. If you’re already a paid subscriber, thank you. Truly. Your support is what makes this possible, and I can’t wait to hear your takeaways. Wishing you a beautiful long Memorial Day weekend. Hope you do something that fills you up…just keep an eye on the sugar.
And as always, thanks for doing this life thing with me!
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