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 $10M indie film that crushed it with 15x returns at the box office (better than Hollywood's best performers at 11x), your $150M theatrical run would only return about $75M to the distributing studio.

That's a tax write-off for the studios that need nine- and ten-figure home runs in order to chalk it up as a success.

So here's my unsolicited advice: Stop trying to change others. Instead, create the lifestyle you want for yourself. Then expand your impact to include your collaborators, your local film community, and—if you're crazy like me—the entire indie film ecosystem.

This isn't about changing what exists—it's about creating something entirely new. Something profitable. Something sustainable. Something that makes an impact for everyone involved.

This means taking complete responsibility. It means:

So stop raging against Hollywood. Instead, start small with a project you know can be profitable. Build your success on your own terms, letting profit be your permission to grow. Because while others waste energy trying to change a system that doesn't want to change, you'll be building something far more valuable: a sustainable, independent future where you control your creative destiny.

That's not just more fulfilling than trying to change Hollywood—it's how you actually change the industry.