The Film Industry Outside of Hollywood

As many people know, Magazine Jukebox presents a podcast, Biztainment Weekly, which discusses the in’s and out’s of starting, owning, and running a business. In a recent episode of Biztainment Weekly, host Scott Janney was joined by Danny Machado, an entrepreneur in the film industry. Danny has worked in the film industry for some time, working as a production assistant on shows like Burn Notice, Ballers, and more. Since that time, he began his own company, Danny Machado LLC, and has succeeded for himself. 

Danny speaks on the advantages and disadvantages of working outside of Los Angeles, where most other filmmakers have established themselves. While things are certainly more difficult when working outside of the geographical epicenter of the industry, there are perks too. Danny mentioned that there is an assumption that successful filmmakers only operate out of California, a stigma that he has worked hard to eliminate. The benefits far outweigh the inconveniences, though. While areas that are rich in filming, those same areas are filled with investors who have what Danny called investor fatigue. These investors have poured so much into these ventures in their area, they will probably be less inclined to put anything more into a new project that comes along. He’s found that in other areas, like Virginia and Georgia, there are far fewer ventures that will ask for investment. A pizza shop in Georgia, for example, will be far more willing to give free pizza away because they’ve only been called twice, while a pizza shop in LA will probably have been called twenty times and be more reluctant to give anything away. Danny believes that making independent films succeed takes a village of startups and small businesses taking risks for each other and collaborating on projects, whether that be directors working for lower rates, materials being donated for the production, etc.