A special Easter essay for you on this holy day. Have you ever felt distant from God? Maybe you've experienced moments of profound connection with Him, followed by periods where that connection feels weaker or even lost. This pattern isn't just common—it's part of our mortal experience. But understanding Christ's Atonement can teach us...

The next wave of film industry wealth won't come from betting on individual movies. It will come from building systems that transform how independent films are funded, created, and distributed. While Hollywood studios fight over streaming subscribers and slash budgets, a silent revolution is happening in independent film. The old model...

Have you ever finished a workday feeling completely drained, despite checking everything off your to-do list? I had this experience constantly until I watched Dan Sullivan give a talk that transformed my understanding of growth and success. Speaking at a Genius Network event, Sullivan shared a deceptively simple insight: "Energy makes ...

Worried about AI replacing creators? Here's the counterintuitive truth I discovered while raising my film fund: As AI floods the market with content, the real value isn't in what you create—it's in who you connect with. The math behind this insight will transform how you build your creative business. Most creators misunderstand the AI ...

As AI-generated images flood the entertainment landscape, many filmmakers are asking the wrong question. Instead of "How do we compete with synthetic content?" we should be asking "What can AI never replace?" The music industry's battle over the last few decades gives us our answer: the irreplaceable power of human connection. The most...

In our most difficult moments - when darkness feels heaviest and our path least certain - we forget. And in that forgetting lies the root of our deepest struggles. We forget who we truly are. We forget the wisdom we've gained through past trials. We forget our deep connection to others, and sometimes, we even forget ourselves. We forge...

Every day I watch another filmmaker rage against Hollywood online. They're demanding change, reform, a return to "the way things used to be." Here's the truth: We can't change Hollywood. We can't turn back time. And we're wasting precious energy trying. The real goal is to be profitably independent. Here's the math: Even if you made a ...

What's the single most important factor in economic success? It might surprise you. The Economic Freedom Index tells a concerning story: The US has fallen from 81% in 2005 to 70% in 2024. This decline isn't just a number—it represents a fundamental shift in how freely people can make economic decisions for themselves. But why does this...

There are two paths in creative business: chase quick wins, or build lasting value. Here's why I'm choosing the latter. Disney started with a single animated short. Today, they own the IP of hundreds of their own films, as well those from Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar. That's what playing the long game looks like. Most filmmakers chase ...

Creators are caught in a value trap: the easier it is to distribute your work, the less you can charge for it. Digital platforms have one business model: make creative work abundant, then profit from controlling access. Spotify devalued music. Streaming gutted film economics. Social media commoditized celebrity. Their secret? They don'...

I sat across from a filmmaker who was trying to get their project funded. "I don't get it," they said, frustration etching lines around their eyes. "Everyone says it's great. The pitch deck is solid. Why isn't it happening?" I asked a simple question: "How long have you been actively pitching?" Their answer: "Three months. Isn't that e...

We don't buy products. We buy the resolution of tension. I discovered a simple truth watching two identical film pitches play out with drastically different results. The successful one raised millions; the other remains unfunded. The difference wasn't in the quality of the idea but in how tension was created and resolved. Think of a bo...

If I’ve earned an honorary doctorate in any subject due to my deep and extensive experience, it’s budgeting with inconsistent income. I’ve owned my own business since 2007, and aside from a two-year stint producing a TV show, I’ve never had a consistent, reliable income that was the same from month to month. Yet, here I am, 15 years la...

When you’re starting your own creative business, one of the most important things you need to focus on is cash flow. Cash flow refers to the movement of money into and out of your business. Your inflows are your revenues, and your outflow is your expenses. Each month you want to have **positive** cash flow for your business. Operate to...

One of the downsides often cited about owning your own business is that you don’t get benefits like a 401k. It’s recommended by many financial advisors to max out as many retirement accounts as possible each year, and when you’re an employee you can often have the company match your contribution, sometimes doubling the contribution to ...

One main reason why creatives fail at becoming professionals – making a full-time living from their work – is because they are not financially literate. Financial literacy can be summed up like this: • know how much money you need, how much money you make, and how much money you spend. • understand how to make more or spend less and wh...

One of the downfalls of many creators who want to turn their craft into a business is investing in the wrong things. Assets are investments that generate more money for you, while a liabilitycosts you money. Your office is not an asset – you have to pay for it every month. Your computer, your equipment, anything you own outright that y...

Here’s the deal – you gotta pay taxes, and you gotta prepare for tax season so you’re not caught off guard. If you have set your business up as an LLC, you’ll want to pay quarterly estimated taxes. The IRS likes their money, and they like it early. Work with an accountant, even for just a single call, to ensure your business is set up ...

Take profit FIRST and then pay everything else, or else you won’t have any profit left. Profit is often defined as what’s left when you subtract your expenses from your revenue. Say you make $10,000 in a month, and then spend $9,000. You’d have $1,000 left, or a 10% profit margin. In theory that works great, but in practice, that profi...

Simple answer: charge enough to make enough to have the kind of life you want to have. Longer answer: there are a few ways to think about this – Hourly, Project Based, and Ownership. To work out an hourly rate, you can figure out what the industry rate is for your type of work in your area, and charge somewhere around there. You’ll lik...

If you don’t plan for profit at the start, it’s harder to try and create it later. Profit, as mentioned in an earlier essay, is what’s left between what you sell something for and what it costs to make it. If you sell a physical album recording for $15 and it cost you $5 to create the CD and the packaging, then your profit is $10. Howe...

The patterns & habits of your life determine your experience and results. Picture two different creators: One is pure artist - they create in bursts when the muse inspires them. Their passion attracts many people to follow them. They believe that money devalues art so they don’t charge for their work, ever. They have no regular income,...

How much should you pay yourself? How much should you set aside for taxes? How much does your business actually need to make to be profitable? A few years ago I read the book Profit First by Mike Michalowicz, and it outlines a great starting point for thinking about your business budget. Since most solo-creatives are making between $0-...

Years ago, I had a 110-ish old hand saw mounted above my office door with the word SIMPLIFY below it. It was a nice reminder every time I walked out to simplify as much as I could around everything I'm doing. Just this week that reminder struck me again as I was thinking about the flywheel concept recently popularized (coined?) by Jim ...