In this first writing-focused episode, we talk about the kind of rejection that lives inside the writing process itself.

We talk about writing for hire versus writing for yourself. About rejecting each other’s ideas in a partnership, not placating each other for the sake of harmony, and navigating notes that don't necessarily make something “better,” just different. 

We get into the energy of a writer’s room and that very real feeling when a story stalls, and the equally real rush when something finally clicks. We talk about using voice notes to capture ideas before they evaporate, commissioned development work versus building something from scratch, and Sasha shares a bit about the project she’s developing out of her deal with New Metric. This one is less about public rejection and more about the private negotiations that happen in the work itself.

Also: in honour of our writing episodes, we’ve updated our Everyday, People Resource & Reference Library with 2 new screenplay drops. This includes scripts from this year’s Oscar-nominated films including Sinners, F1, and Sentimental Value. lPlus a second collection of recent studio releases like Materialists, Is This Thing On?, and No Other Choice.

And yes. One day Sasha will figure out a camera angle where her hair isn’t chaotic and her glasses don’t reflect her screen the entire episode. But not today.

Enjoy Part 1.

Earlier this year, creator @gracefullygabbie started publicly tracking her goal of collecting 1,000 rejections. She logs the auditions, brand pitches, and submissions she makes - with the understanding that more no’s inevitably increase the odds of a few meaningful yeses.

That framing stuck with us.

In this episode, we talk about what it would look like to actively pursue rejection instead of quietly structuring our lives around avoiding it. If we’re honest, most of us structure our creative lives around minimizing embarrassment, not maximizing possibility. So we’re trying something different as a way of expanding the range of what we’re willing to ask for.

So we’re setting a goal: more swings, more risk, more visible asks.

We get into how we’re thinking about casting and packaging our next projects, and who we’re reaching for. Plus what we’re calling our “rejection slate” - the specific asks we’re intentionally setting ourselves up to potentially hear no on.

It’s less about tallying losses and more about loosening our grip on outcome. Reexamining what success looks like. Letting ourselves try without pre-rejecting ourselves first.

We’ll be tracking what happens as we go!

Enjoy the episode!

This episode is a direct response to a question we received from one of our viewers, Gavin, who is currently in post on his feature: What has your experience with Filmhub actually been like?

In this Distro Dump, we break down our journey with Filmhub so far - why we chose it, how the onboarding process works in practice, what’s felt promising, what’s been less clear, and where it sits within our broader distribution strategy for Dinner With Friends.

We talk honestly about expectations versus reality, what Filmhub is (and isn’t) designed to do, and how we’re thinking about aggregators as one tool among many rather than a silver bullet. We’ll keep updating with any useful news as our journey with them evolves. As always, appreciate everyone who’s listening and turning up for the process, not just the headlines.

Thanks for following along. Full film and resource library on Patreon. For episodes and essays and writing reflections on filmmaking visit our Substack.

Everyone talks about premieres and sales. Almost no one talks about what comes after.

In this episode, we share our first monthly distribution update on Dinner With Friends — the decisions and some of the trade offs. The journey of getting this film out into the world is far from over but we wanted to share the messy middle, while we’re still in it.

If you curious about new paths for independent films, you’re exactly who this episode is for. We dig into festivals, theatrical releases, and working with aggregators.

TL;DR: We started a podcast and episode one is all about awards. Jump to 29:10 if you want our thoughts on this year's Oscars. 

Welcome to the Everyday, People Podcast (EPP), we’re excited to share this first episode where we get into awards culture: do they matter, what it’s actually like to win, the CSAs, the Oscars, and the narratives that form around them.

We don’t get into who the fuck called Delroy Lindo “emerging” — but we do talk about his very well-deserved Best Supporting Actor nomination. We also touch on the resurgence of Tim Tim’s white boy rap era, who exactly is "everyone" when we describe a movie as one that “everyone must watch”, and what we'd like to think Sinners and Dinner with Friends have in common.

This episode is free for all members. For our Studio and Screening Room members, we have two more episodes coming shortly, including our first monthly distribution update for Dinner With Friends and a conversation about why Sasha has become a very reluctant writer.

If there’s something you want us to hear us talk about next, let us know. The more specific the better FYI! Here's a few things we're already cooking up:

• Slate Series — what we’re writing next, developing with others, and building internally

• Writers’ Rooms — how they actually work

• Top 5 — Sasha or Tania pick our top five scenes, sequences, lines, or films

• Marketing a Movie — how success is actually measured and what we’re trying

Thanks for listening and watching,

Sasha & Tania