On this episode, Kevin sits down with Ben Schmidt, an Iowa filmmaker whose projects include several short films... Nocturnal, The Last Sleepover, and Scream of the Crop. He is currently in pre-production on his first feature-length film, Ellie and Xavier.

We discuss his projects past and present, what his process is as a writer as well as a director, and we discuss our shared love for cinema overall.

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of inspiration and motivation to kick off your creative week.

When you release a project into the world, own your stuff, meaning be strong, be confident, and present your work confidently. Nobody will care about your project as much as you and no one will believe in your project if you don't. Why should they?

Chicago filmmaker Ralph Klisiewicz joins us today on Cinematic Heartland: A Filmmaking Podcast to share his insights on directing, working with actors, his latest projects, and so much more. He really gets you to think in different ways on how to approach your own processes on and off set. His down-to-earth, straight ahead approach is inspiring. After talking with Ralph, I would just love to be on set with him to watch him work. I think you’ll really enjoy this conversation.

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of inspiration and motivation to kick off your creative week.

Everybody that's done anything special has conquered the odds, otherwise it wouldn't be considered special. Why not let it be you who beats the odds?

On today’s episode, I welcome filmmaker Sarah Pirozek who wrote and directed the film #Like which tackles the tough subjects of sex trafficking, sexual harassment, and sexual exploitation.

Sarah wrote an article for Filmmaker Magazine sharing her insights on film distribution and she will be putting those thoughts to the test as she looks to distribute #Like.

On this episode, Sarah tells us about the film, her thoughts on distribution, and gives us the before snapshot of the distribution process for #Like and she will then come back on a future show to give us the after picture of how the process went. It was a very enlightening and fun conversation that I think you’ll completely enjoy.

Check out Sarah’s article in Filmmaker Magazine at the following link:

https://filmmakermagazine.com/109861-searching-for-an-independent-distribution-strategy-amidst-pandemics-and-streaming-wars/?fbclid=IwAR1tbQEmYh0ccbCmA3qBDv6jvbNiyYuDNMltF_HrMJaGZVeZY9p6p5utKrY#.XxIJzPhJEyn

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of inspiration and motivation to kick off your creative week.

Comparing yourself to others can often be a depressing moment but realize that you may not be comparing apples to apples.

The benefit of going to film festivals is discovering so many talented filmmakers. The benefit of having a podcast is that you get to talk to them. That's exactly how it came together for today's guest to appear on Cinematic Heartland. Kevin was introduced to Cinematographer / Filmmaker Bruce James Bales through his work in Knee High which he saw at an area film festival and was completely blown away. In this conversation, you will quickly realize that Bruce's outlook on life, the business, and his willingness to help other filmmakers climb the ladder is as outstanding as the work he creates.

Bruce provides his insight into working on set, what he has on his slate, as well as his advice to up-and-coming cinematographers and filmmakers in general.

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of inspiration and motivation to kick off your creative week.

A football team finds success in the adjustments it makes at halftime to all of the things it did not prepare for originally. Success in life can be found in the adjustments that you make to any unforeseen hurdles that are put in your way.

Kevin's guest on this episode is filmmaker Wes Worthing.

Wes is a board member of the Iowa Motion Picture Association and the Iowa Scriptwriters Alliance and currently has two short films on the festival circuit, Rutting Season and Wilt.

On the show, we discuss the Iowa Scriptwriters Alliance, his films, and delve into several aspects of screenwriting.

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of inspiration and motivation to kick off your creative week.

One of the keys to success is being able to create positive outcomes from negative situations and we can all learn lessons from the negative situation that we have found ourselves in this year.