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...So, What is the Film Funding Blueprint?
Your script is done. Or your doc is ready to shoot. Now what?
You know that feeling?
Whether you're sitting on a finished screenplay or you've got a documentary subject ready to go—vision's crystal clear. Funding plan? ...crickets.
Here's what nobody tells you when you're out there pitching to investors, sending cold emails, writing grant applications at 2am:
The film industry wants you confused about funding.
Confused filmmakers don't compete for resources.
They give up.
But there's an order of operations that takes scripts and doc outlines sitting on hard drives and turns them into films people actually see.
Once you know it?
You stop spinning your wheels.
The Film Funding Blueprint
Your Step-by-Step System to Film Finance
(Even if you don't have Hollywood connections)
Step 1: Know What Kind of Money You're Looking For
The way you fund a $200K impact doc is completely different from how you fund a $2M horror film. Most filmmakers waste years chasing the wrong funding sources because no one told them this up front.
Step 2: Get Your Materials Pitch-Ready
What investor-ready actually means. (Spoiler: it's not about making everything look fancy. It's about making everything clear.)
Step 3: The Order Matters More Than You Think
Who you approach first, who you save for later, how you sequence your asks... mess this up and you burn your best prospects before you even get started. Get it right? Doors start opening.
Step 4: How to Talk About Money Without Sounding Desperate
The conversations that turn "I'll think about it" into "Let's do this." Not scripts. Not robotic. Just the language that works in the room.
Step 5: You Already Know More People Than You Think
How to find connections already sitting in your phone or LinkedIn network. (No, you don't need to move to LA. You just need to stop overlooking what's already there.)
BONUS: The 3 Words That Kill a Pitch
Never say these in a funding conversation. I learned this one the hard way so you don't have to.
This Blueprint Is Your Lifeline If:
☑️ You've succeeded everywhere except your own creative projects
☑️ Your day job is slowly killing your soul (we both know it)
☑️ You have a finished script or shoot-ready documentary concept but the funding side feels like a foreign language
☑️ You're done asking for permission
☑️ Your project budget is under $2M
❌ Skip This If:
⛔️ You're waiting for the "perfect time." (Spoiler: it doesn't exist.)
⛔️ You think funding should find you if you're talented enough.
⛔️ You're not willing to treat your art like a business.
The Film Funding Blueprint shows you exactly how to position your project so funders see it as a real opportunity—not just another pitch.
DON'T TAKE our WORD FOR IT. watch REAL STORIES OF SUCCESS from actual clients
"MY FILM HAS ACTUALLY BEEN PICKED UP!"
From Finished Script to Greenlight in 12 Weeks
-Zaq
"i GOT FINANCING FOR MY FILM!"
From Laid-Off Producer to Freelance Success
-Simone
"i FINISHED MY FEATURE FILM SCRIPT."
from Doc Producer to Narrative Features Writer/Director
-Fabia
"I WAS ABLE TO GET THAT JOB OFFER!"
From Laid-Off THREE times to Dream Development Producer Role in 12 Weeks
-Haruka
"I Got a whole other level of confidence."
From overworked producer to Confident Showrunner
-Monique
"i was REALLY BETTING ON MYSELF."
from Imposter Syndrome to Creative Leader
-Champ
still unsure if this will work for you?
look at the proof of success from people who were once in your exact position
I WENT FROM STUCK CREATIVE TO FULLY FUNDED AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER - AND I MAKE MEANINGFUL IMPACT TELLING STORIES THAT MATTER TO ME
Hi, I’m Joyce Mishaan
I’m an indie film Director, Producer and TV Showrunner with 15+ years in TV and independent film. As a coach, I draw from my experience as a leader in the TV and Film industry to help my clients take the leap into work that truly ignites them. That may be your next big film project, podcast or creative idea, or it may be taking a leap in your career into a role that’s bigger and better than anything you’ve done before.
My feature film, Lee Fields: Faithful Man, which I directed and produced with Jessamyn Ansary, was released in February 2024 on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Google Play and similar platforms. We screened at film festivals across the globe, including our New York Premiere at DOC NYC and our World Premiere at Charlotte Film Festival, where we won the audience award for Best Documentary Feature.
That was alongside 15+ years of experience creating unscripted content for major TV networks, including TLC, Discovery+, National Geographic, HBO, IFC, Food Network, Animal Planet, A&E, OWN, Fusion and HGTV. I was an Executive Producer and Showrunner on Ciao House for Food Network, and a Documentary Producer for MAKERS, a Yahoo media brand that accelerates the women's movement through stories of real life experiences that ignite passion and action. I was one of the Executive Producers on TLC’s 90 Day Fiancé franchise and I spent many years as a Producer for Food Network's hit show Chopped.
In 2017 I produced three short documentary films covering global climate challenges for former Vice President Al Gore’s 24 Hours of Reality broadcast, and I was part of the producing team for the 2014 Emmy-nominated feature doc Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare.
I'm also the producer and Co-EP of Brooklynification, a scripted digital comedy series about gentrification in Brooklyn, created by writer Christopher Poindexter and director Keith Miller, commissioned by BRIC TV and distributed by Amazon Prime.
These days, when I'm not working with clients, I'm producing a narrative feature with director Keith Miller, in post-production.
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