Episode #1

Behind the Scenes at AFM:
Our Crash Course in the Film Market Jungle

Attending the American Film Market (AFM) for the first time felt a little like stepping into a real-life Game of Thrones—only instead of swords and dragons, everyone was armed with pitch decks, distribution dreams, and wildly unpredictable energy. Every conversation had the potential to make or break a deal. You quickly realized you were either the hero of your own indie saga… or someone else's stepping stone.

For us, though, it wasn’t just about the hustle—it was about the people we were doing it with. Wyatt and Gayle had already been working together for years on films and commercial work in the U.S., but AFM marked the first time the two of them joined forces with Gil, who came all the way from Australia. Our shared love of film brought us together, and that chance encounter grew into a cross-continental creative partnership that’s still going strong.

Our AFM experience ran the full spectrum—from sitting across from distributors who gave us that Game of Thrones side-eye, to handing off DVDs to people who clearly had no interest beyond adding it to their free swag pile. There were meetings we politely walked away from because we’d heard too many shady stories… and others where we walked in with high hopes, only to leave with a free copy of Poultrygeist and a “thanks but no thanks.”

One especially memorable moment came when Gil pitched his film The Pool Cleaner to a company that seemed like a perfect match—right down to their own horror film poster in the hallway. But once they saw his trailer (which, in all honesty, had a bit more polish than their project), the tone shifted fast. They escorted him out so quickly, you’d think he’d tried to sell them a haunted camera.

Still, those weird, awkward, sometimes disappointing experiences are exactly what shaped us. We figured out how the game was played, what kinds of partnerships we didn’t want, and how to back each other up—especially when it felt like we were surrounded by sharks.

We didn’t walk away from AFM with a million-dollar deal… but we did walk away with something arguably more valuable: each other. That lobby bar became our unofficial office. That week became the origin story for a creative team that’s still in motion.

And that’s the kind of stuff you can’t plan. You just show up, stay curious, and see what happens next.

Want the full story—with all the twists, laughs, and behind-the-scenes moments?
🎙 Listen to Episode 1 of the Cinematic Perspective Podcast, where we share exactly how we met, what really went down at AFM, and how a few indie filmmakers became lifelong friends.

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