NonDē Uprising

jen harrington is an exemplar of the NonDē movement. She wrote and directed the horror movies Shook and Housekeeping, and has sold her scripts Hell’s Belles to Amazon Studios and The End of Liz As We Know It to Sony Pictures. She’s also had an impressive documentary career, editing Gaga: Five Foot Two, Banksy Does New York, Source Family, and Bogalusa Charm, for which she wrote as well. In her Substack, Inspired, Jen delves into the art of screenwriting.

In Episode #017 of NonDē Uprising, Jen dips into the nerve-wracking world of microbudget filmmaking. She gives pointers on how to think about your (micro)budget when you’re writing your script without hindering your creativity, when to fold in absurdity into your process, and why she hopes horror loses its grip as the microbudget genre of choice.

If you’re in the NonDē world, the FilmStack community, or have some knowledge of what it means to produce a movie, then you know of Ted Hope. He’s of course the brains behind Hope For Film, his Substack that helped launch the NonDē movement. So it’s quite appropriate for him to come back to the podcast and talk about the paradox of starting a leaderless movement.

In Episode #016 of NonDē Uprising, Ted chats about how working in corporate filmmaking informed how he thinks about NonDē, why it’s important to engage with people who don’t agree with you, and the crucial key to making NonDē a movement with lasting power.

Fawnia Soo Hoo is a freelance fashion and entertainment journalist whose bylines have appeared in Vanity Fair, The Hollywood Reporter, Elle, W Magazine, GQ, CNN, and more. She writes Whatever Nevermind on Substack, which explores Gen X pop culture through the lens of modern fashion, beauty, and entertainment.

In Episode #015 of NonDē Uprising, Fawnia offers insight into the ultimate business-in-the-front-party-in-the-back style statement: the mullet. She dives into the surprisingly political history of the mullet, what kind of characters tend to sport the style, and why people love to hate the hairdo.

Kate Wilson is the author of the Substack Kate Wilson Has Zero F***s to Give, where she writes essays on films. She’s also the author of the 2024 novella Prospects, which is about a woman who shows up in Los Angeles to work “in the industry” and which one reviewer described as having “made me laugh out loud many times, and moved me to tears in others.” She is the co-founder of the Call It! App, which empowers people to create a safer workplace. She’s a 25-year veteran of the film industry and lives in London with her family.

In Episode #014 of NonDē Uprising, Kate analyzes the joy and profundity of the zero- and one-star review. She explains why schmoozy, swanky press tours are ruining critical reviews, uncovers the secret joy of the lowest reviewed flicks, and urges viewers to watch movies “blind” more often.

jillian vogel has worn many hats throughout her career. She’s a development executive now but she’s also been a producer (she’s one of the producers behind the rom-com Fire Island), a studio executive at Imagine Entertainment director of development at Jax Media, which helped create Russian Doll and Emily in Paris. Jillian also writes Chicken Scratch, her Substack where she offers a “peek inside her notebook” – her treasured Moleskine.

In Episode #013 of NonDē Uprising, Jillian recalls Quibi. Remember Quibi? Jillian does. She breaks down how company execs lost the plot on what viewers actually wanted, why she’s obsessed with Quibi’s “fail big” philosophy, and why artists have to think like business people — and vice versa.

Evan Shapiro is an Emmy- and Peabody-award winning producer of TV, films, and podcasts. He served as President of IFC and Sundance Channels and has become known as the “Cartographer of the Media Universe.” He currently runs the Substack Media War & Peace and co-hosts the Media Odyssey Podcast. He also recently collaborated with his daughter to make Skit, a $65k film that had distribution planned before production even started—a tried and true blueprint that’s as NonDē as it gets.

In Episode #012 of NonDē Uprising, Evan shares his vast knowledge of emerging media trends and explains why the creator economy is here to stay. He predicts how big brands will try to act more like creators, why Taylor Swift is the ultimate NonDē icon, and why everyone should be hunting down their 100 biggest fans.

Having worked as an entertainment journalist and film critic, Charlotte Simmons now writes for her publication, The Treatment, while also writing screenplays, designing games, and being extremely modest about her creative output. Charlotte is without a doubt one of the sharpest, most introspective film critics on Substack. In her review of Saltburn, she essentially introduces a new method of film criticism, which she brilliantly puts on display in her review of One Battle After Another.

In Episode #011 of NonDē Uprising, Charlotte Simmons demonstrates her infamous “new film criticism” by applying it to comic book movies. With a profoundly philosophical lens, she analyzes the cultural significance of comic book movies, explores their interconnectedness to genre, and offers points of contemplation that may offer audiences a way to enhance their cinematic experiences.

Kate Casey is the host of Reality Life with Kate Casey, a daily podcast about unscripted television with over 1,500 episodes that is in the Top 10 in TV & Film on Apple Podcasts. She’s also the creator of What to Watch This Week With Kate Casey, where she shares the best in new unscripted TV, covering sports docs, true crime, deep-cut documentaries, reality gems, and everything in between.

In Episode #010 of NonDē Uprising, Kate Casey makes a convincing argument that the smartest people watch reality TV. She dissects how celebritydom has become more democratized and accessible, the shockingly endearing humanity of Ozzy Osbourne, and why reality TV is one of our culture’s best tools for the study of human behavior.

Courtney Daniels has written and directed three feature films: What Other Couples Do, Bedroom Story, and It’s Not You, It’s LA. She’s also published a book about microbudget filmmaking called Yes You Can – How to Make a Movie for Almost No Money, as well as a short novel, A Blind Date in NYC. And if that weren’t enough, she also hosts the podcast Gen X at Midlife.

In Episode #009 of NonDē Uprising, Courtney Daniels talks candidly about her journey in developing a proactive, healthy work ethic. She explains the interconnectedness of action and pride, how she’s managed to overcome doubt to reclaim a productive attitude, and what’s keeping her motivated in 2026.

Richard Lorber is the Chairman and CEO of Kino Lorber, a leading independent film distributor in North America bringing films to audiences in theaters, on streaming with Kino Film Collection, and in physical home entertainment. Kino Lorber and Kino Film Collection are known for curating critically acclaimed arthouse films, documentaries, and international titles, including recent release Mr. Nobody Against Putin, which just received an Oscar nomination last week.

In Episode #008 of NonDē Uprising, distribution legend, Richard Lorber breaks down the misguided distinctions between independent and nondependent distribution strategies. He addresses the frustrations both indie and NonDē filmmakers face when seeking distribution, explains Kino Lorber’s current efforts to address these frustrations, and urges filmmakers to look closer for common ground among their peers.