Category: film

A lot of people ask me for advice on how to overcome rejection and achieve success in their writing and film career. My answer is basically to never give up. I speak from experience.

My feature documentary, The Great American Family, was recently made available on Amazon Prime. I started this project in 2010, wrote a book with the same title which won an Eric Hoffer Award in 2017, and completed the documentary in 2018. The documentary won several international film festival awards. I ended up signing a shopping agreement with a producer in Los Angeles and received represenation from a production company in Beverly Hills, California. Still, the film became stagnant. Meanwhile, I continued with my other project, a script called Pomegranate (currently a feature film touring festivals) Check out Pomegranate’s Trailer and Teaser

After producing Pomegrante into a feature film, I began to submit it to festivals and realized that The Great American Family qualified for submission as well. Much of the restrictions placed on films prior to COVID no longer existed or were more lax- such as the year the film was completed and whether or not it was streaming. As a result, the film won over 8 film awards, and it’s still touring festivals. This raised the film’s visibility on IMDB and within a few months the trailer went from having around 1,600 views to today nearly one million views (941k). Simultaneously, the trailer for Pomegranate gained to-date 2.6 million views. As a result it’s now available on Amazon Prime and soon will be available on other streaming channels that focus on documentaries.

Behind the scenes of The Great Aemrican Family

This was all the result of hard work and even more importantly, persistence. As a writer and filmmaker, persistence is one of the most important traits you can possess. Whether you’re trying to get your first project off the ground or pitching a new idea to investors, the road to success in the publishing and film industry is often paved with rejection and setbacks. But, as with any creative pursuit, the power of persistence can help you overcome these challenges and achieve your goals.

The first step to harnessing the power of persistence is to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve. This means setting specific, measurable goals for your projects, whether it’s securing funding, finding the right cast and crew, or landing that elusive distribution deal. Once you have a clear vision in mind, you can start taking action towards achieving those goals, even if progress is slow at first. Be patient!

One of the biggest challenges of being a writer and filmmaker is dealing with rejection. It’s not uncommon for even the most successful filmmakers to face rejection, whether it’s from investors, film festivals, or distributors. But, the power of persistence lies in your ability to keep going, even in the face of rejection. Rather than letting rejection discourage you, use it as a learning opportunity to improve your craft and refine your approach.

Another key aspect of persistence is the willingness to adapt and pivot when necessary. As a writer and filmmaker, you need to be flexible and open to new ideas and approaches. If one strategy isn’t working, don’t be afraid to try something else.

Ultimately, the power of persistence is about staying committed to your vision and your goals, no matter how challenging or daunting the road ahead may seem. It’s about having the resilience to weather setbacks and the determination to keep going, even when the odds are stacked against you. By cultivating this mindset and approach, you can harness the power of persistence to achieve success as a filmmaker. So, keep pushing forward, stay focused, and remember that persistence pays off in the end.

Check out The Great American Family on AMAZON PRIME I would be grateful if you can leave a review. Your feedback and support is valuable to me and I apprecaite your time and effort in advance.