The Producer Is You: How Filmmakers Can Build, Fund, and Finish Their Films

The Art of Film Funding

The Art of Film Funding
The Producer Is You: How Filmmakers Can Build, Fund, and Finish Their Films
Aug 05, 2026

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Today, we are talking with Irina Chernikina, producer/director/writer, about one of the most important—and often misunderstood—roles in independent filmmaking: the producer. What does an independent producer actually do? How does a producer guide a film from its earliest development through production and post-production?

The Film Funding Group event takes place Thursday, 8-6-26 at 4pm PT / 5 pm MT / 6pm CT / 7pm ET

Learn More and Sign Up: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BiVYJfhAP/

The Event Recording will be posted in "featured" section at https://www.facebook.com/groups/filmfundinggroup

Join our new educational platform From the Heart THRIVE and get free classes on film funding: https://fromtheheartproductions.thrivecart.com/from-the-heart-thrive/
Episode Artwork The Producer Is You: How Filmmakers Can Build, Fund, and Finish Their Films 1:00:06 Episode Artwork Brace for Oblivion: Xackery Irving on Courage, Truth, and Ukraine’s Front Lines 51:39 Episode Artwork Human-Powered Filmmaking: Ben Wolf on Craft, Community and Change 54:06 Episode Artwork Bodies of Water: Transforming Grief into a Global Story 45:55 Episode Artwork Scaling a Documentary for Global Change: Nivi Jaswal’s Path from Self-Funding to 1,000 Screens 56:11 Episode Artwork Faith, Film & Funding: Jessica Wrabel's Journey with her film 49:02 Episode Artwork Production Management 101: The Real Business of Making Movies 51:58 Episode Artwork Short Films, Big Impact: A Conversation with Rae Shaw 44:13 Episode Artwork The Future of Independent Filmmaking: Inside From the Heart THRIVE 28:40 Episode Artwork The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Formula: Joanne Butcher's Seven Steps to Get Your Film Funded, Made, and Seen Worldwide 57:43 Episode Artwork How to Throw a Film Funding Party That Raises Real Money with Carole Joyce 33:32 Episode Artwork Think Outside the Box Office: Mastering Film Distribution in Today’s Market 45:55 Episode Artwork The Future of Film Funding: Predicting Audiences Before You Shoot 1:02:28 Episode Artwork The End of the Old Budget — How Two Veteran Producers Are Reinventing the Way Hollywood Manages Money 46:39 Episode Artwork Owning Your Film’s Future: Lessons in Independence from Mike Camoin 53:47 Episode Artwork Is Texas the New Hollywood? How Smart Producers Are Rethinking Where They Film 39:58 Episode Artwork The New Filmmaker’s Reality: AI, Ethics, and the Future of Storytelling 48:07 Episode Artwork From Film to Brand: How Filmmakers Can Finance and Distribute Through Branded Content 30:49 Episode Artwork Surviving the New Film Industry: AI, Studios, and the Indie Filmmaker’s Advantage 43:42 Episode Artwork Ethos Film Festival & The Power of Purpose-Driven Cinema 41:45 Episode Artwork The New Frontier of Film Distribution with Rish Aggarwal of Kinema 44:47 Episode Artwork Beyond Kickstarter: Using WeFunder to Build Investor-Driven Indie Films 43:07 Episode Artwork Format Is Power: How Scripts Get Taken Seriously in Hollywood 36:11 Episode Artwork Film Funding Mastery: How THE CROWDFUNDING QUEEN™ Raised Thousands and Built a Global Crowdfunding Model 40:11 Episode Artwork Helen Hall shares how to use MIPCOM for funding your documentary 41:18