On becoming a full-time independent filmmaker

If you’ve been subscribed to this newsletter for awhile, you know this past year has been busy.

I hosted, directed, and produced a weekly video podcast — 41 episodes to be exact. I produced my first short film that I am now taking on tour — next stops are Fantasia on July 28 and AAIFF New York on August 9. (More below.)

It’s been quite the ride.

Chaotic, yes.

But also… inspiring.

If you follow me beyond this newsletter, you’ll know that I worked at the production company behind one of last year’s biggest films. Helping get the stories behind the making of said film out there, was one of the great honors of my career.

I learned so much from the creativity and bravery of our leaders and colleagues. It has inspired and prepared me to take this next big leap.

Today’s letter is a freebie all about that life/work update. I’ll start with that then drop recs at the end.

After 4 incredible years at Proximity Media, I am taking the leap into independent film. I will be producing my own projects and pursuing creative work as a writer, director, and host.

I will continue to produce Veterano, which right now includes navigating our festival run and tour as well as developing the feature film with writer/director/fellow producer and my partner-in-crime Patrick Epino. It’s a lot of work and I look forward to finally having real time to work on getting our proof-of-concept short out there and the feature film made.

I am building out my producer slate. This includes some film and TV projects I’ve had cooking from before, plus some new projects to take on. When I first started independent producing, I was focused on podcasting but always had film and television in mind. I actually planned to start my own production company and was building towards that… until the pandemic hit. I know right now is a crazy moment in the business but where there is chaos, there is opportunity. I am excited to explore what this dream can and will look like now.

Amid all of this, I am writing and developing my own projects that I hope to — no, plan to — direct. Yep, I’m dusting off my old scripts and getting cracking on my own work.

Those who truly know me have known me to be a creative. I was the kid who messed with the family video camera and who spent hours writing stories. I bossed — er, directed and produced — my siblings into putting on an annual Christmas show. I acted in, wrote, directed, and produced plays. I did not go to film school but I studied film in college. I started my career interning at a film festival and working at a movie studio. I always wanted to write and direct film.

But breaking into the creative side of Hollywood proved difficult, so I found my voice and opportunity somewhere new — radio storytelling and podcasting. I still want to make work in this space, by the way. It is where I honed my voice as a storyteller and human being. (Thank you to the Long Distance listeners who have stuck with me, you know who you are.)

Now, I want to finally give myself permission to bravely pursue telling my own stories for the screen.

So yeah. I’ve got a lot cooking. And while I am well aware of the perils of independent film and the fragile state of the film industry today… I am excited and more than ready to dive in.

Which leads me to my next segment…

I’m going to miss being part of the Prox fam but I’m glad to leave this special chapter of my career and life with so many great friends and mentors. Before my last day, I wrote a short piece for my former colleagues. I’ll share a snippet here:

I’m excited to keep running as an independent producer, writer, director, and host.

Great question. I’ve been trying to take a beat but life’s been life-ing so I haven’t really had the time. But first and foremost, I want to explore what’s out there on the independent producing side.

Besides film, I’m curious about producing music videos like this.

I want get back on set.

I want to get paid to write.

I want to shadow directors.

I want to meet more filmmakers, artisans, craftspeople. Build my crew and tribe.

I want to learn all I can about filmmaking and the business (both in Hollywood and in the international market) before making my first feature.

I may be open to consulting work starting in the fall.

(If you have opportunities or suggestions on any of the above, do get in touch.)

That said, for the rest of the summer, my focus is on our next batch of festivals and developing the feature, while getting back into writing and developing my own work.

And perhaps, most importantly, I am trying to prioritize health and rest. I’m learning the hard way about the importance of all that right now.

I’ve been grinding hard and nonstop over the last decade. Once I navigate my way through some personal matters, I will be taking the time to truly focus on myself.

Since I’m chronicling the Veterano film tour, here’s what we’ve been working on lately (including our poster and trailer!), what’s in store for our summer tour, and what I’m looking forward to.

Veterano was selected for Official Competition, Best International Short Film.

One, Fantasia is a legendary international genre film festival with roots in Asian cinema. This year’s lineup includes works by Nicolas Winding Refn, Hannah Einbinder, Jane Schoenbrun, and Takashi Miike. Fantasia fans include the likes of Tarantino and Del Toro.

So, yes, I’m pumped (and maybe a little scared? lol) to see some wild, creepy, thrilling, wacky, out-of-this-world films.

Two, I grew up in different countries — the Philippines, Malaysia, and the U.S. to be exact — and I worked in international film publicity, so being welcomed into this global film community is truly special.

I’ll be attending the Frontières Market as well as the festival. I’m gearing up to learn all about genre film, the international film industry, and what it takes to make great, artistic, and commercial global cinema.

(If you or anyone you know is going this year, please let me know. I’d love to connect.)

Veterano is part of the “Risk It All” program at 2:15 pm on Sunday, August 9th at Village East by Angelika. Tickets and more information here.

It’s our New York and East Coast premiere!

Looking forward to finally screening our film in the big apple at this festival and in this thoughtfully curated program.

I’ll share the poster and still below.

You can head to National Film Society’s YouTube or Instagram to check out the trailer and teaser. Links below as well. And you can learn more about the film at VeteranoFilm.com or by following @NationalFilmSociety on IG. We’re a fun follow.

(NFS is the film’s production company and Patrick’s cult film pop culture YouTube channel. The video pods for Long Distance are hosted there. Real ones know.)

Patrick and I had fun making these materials. Let me know what you think and what else you’d wanna see more of as we continue our tour.

Lots of changes happening. Lots of things in the works. And you can bet I’ll be writing all about it here on SUBTITLES.

This started as an art and business newsletter of sorts, and a way for me to chronicle navigating the art and business of crafting a creative career. It’s still going to be about that, but I want to reframe it a little bit now that I’m going independent.

Moving forward, I plan to write about independent filmmaking, culture, and creativity.

That includes career and filmmaking stuff I’ve already been writing about, but also practical tips and recs about things related to said stuff. Like I want to incorporate thoughts on style and clothing as they relate to working in a creative field or being on set. I’ll continue to share my personal stories about growing up in different parts of the world and how the global worldview I developed has influenced my perspective as a filmmaker. I also think there’s ground to cover around producing film tours and attending film festivals, as well as how to incorporate an organic YouTube and social media strategy.

This is not a how-to / advicey / self-helpy thing.

This is a newsletter, with my point of view, and my experiences and perspective distilled in ways that I hope are helpful or at least entertaining to read.

I plan to write more often as well. And I know I just tried to adjust the cadence of this thing, but, like I said, life lifed. And as with everything right now, I am figuring it out as I go.

To help improve this newsletter experience, I will be pausing publishing and subscriptions for the rest of the summer. This will give me some time to plan this newsletter out more intentionally.

I started writing this while holding down a full-time job and working on my creative projects on the side. I barely had time to write a regular newsletter, but somehow I eked stuff out.

Now that I have a bit more time, I want to be more purposeful about this. I want to make sure this is something worth reading. That provides value for YOU every time you click these emails open. That one day you might actually pay for this stuff if you don’t already.

Because the truth is, writing this is work and time. And now that I am going independent, I want to make my time worth it plus dedicate a bit more strategy to building this out as part of my business model. It’s going to continue to evolve as I learn what works, but I am dedicated to making this a real, regular part of what I do.

So…

If you are a paid subscriber, you will not get charged during the pause.

If you are not a paid subscriber, consider pledging to do so to support my work. You’ll be charged once I get this thing back up and running.

By subscribing to SUBTITLES for the cost of a coffee or less than a matinee movie ticket (in LA anyway), you will help me build this newsletter and my creative slate.

Cool?

Cool.

Now, before we go… some recs.

• The Sheep Detectives (streaming on Prime). Kicking myself for not catching this in the theater. So, so, SO, so good. A cozy, philosophical murder mystery like Murder, She Wrote but if Angela Lansbury was a bunch of sheep voiced by the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Bryan Cranston. Written by Craig Mazin based on a novel that I’m quite curious about now.

• Project Hail Mary (streaming on Prime). For the record, Patrick and I were dying to see this at the theater. But schedules were crazy and by the time we had some time, it was long gone. Ugh. Anyway, we caught it on streaming and the only thing that disappointed me was that I didn’t get to see it on the big screen. Not surprised if this isn’t already in the awards conversation. Ryan Gosling is Goslinging at his best but in space. Leave it to Lord and Miller to crack space comedy with heart. And Sandra Hüller is, as always, just brilliant. That one scene… oof.

• If I Only Had My Brain. The This American Life radio story about Sarah Polley mentioned above. Sorry for the slight spoiler, but it’s worth the listen.

• Food rec: I have been dealing with some health stuff lately. On the mend but because of this I’ve had to eat certain foods and cook a lot more at home. Hence, I have revived my relationship with my NYT Cooking app. And believe me when I say this Miso Broiled Tofu recipe changed my life. Okay, maybe not, like, completely, but it did shift my perspective on cooking quick but healthy and actually bomb dinners. I made it two nights in a row (and I don’t broil it too much so it chars, I like more of a toasted caramel crunch versus carcinogenic bbq vibe).

• Shoe cleaning rec: I’m packing for a few weeks of multi-city travel. I’m gonna need to bring a solid but tight rotation of shoes for a mix of work and play. I’ll save that for another post as this rec is all about keeping the kicks looking clean. Fresh from a detailing sesh for said trip, I will not gatekeep my go-to cleaner. Sneakerheads (of which I am not one, I just watch their videos) will know… Jason Markk is the real deal. At some point I’ll figure out affiliate links, but you can just head to their site and watch their videos on YT to learn more. I use their shoe cleaner with the brush and repel spray, and I travel with the quick wipes. Told you I’ll be sharing practical tips.

Thanks, as always, for reading to the end.

For coming along for the ride

and running towards the danger with me.

H.A.G.S.

— PM