A podcast about
‍how great projects get made.

In this special episode of On Production, we welcome back film finance expert Will French to unpack a headline-grabbing development in the film world. Following a recent social media post from President Trump proposing a 100% tariff on foreign-made films, Will offers an in-depth look at the potential impact and consequences for the domestic and global film industries.

With decades of experience pioneering U.S. film tax credits and structuring finance for major productions, Will brings unique insight into the complex economics at play—from international labor costs and incentives to making the case on tax reforms that can truly bring production back to domestic soil. He explains the history of how production has shifted overseas in pursuit of more competitive tax rebates and lower costs, and how a tariff might—or might not—stem that tide.

We sit down with Jijo Reed, Emmy Award-winning producer and founder of Sugar Studios, a full-service post-production house. With a career spanning over 60 feature films, Jijo talks about how his background as a drummer informs his approach to editing, and how Sugar’s in-house team fosters trust, speed, and synergy. We also explore how emerging technologies like AI are streamlining workflows—while Jijo emphasizes that true storytelling still depends on human intuition and collaboration.

Join us to hear about the nuts and bolts of post-production and what it truly means to finish a project strong.

Emily Best, founder and CEO of Seed&Spark, shares how her journey from theater to filmmaking led to launching one of the most successful crowdfunding platforms for independent creators. We dive into what makes Seed&Spark stand out, why audience-building is essential, and how creators can build sustainable careers outside the Hollywood system. Emily also gives us a glimpse into the future of film distribution and why democratizing storytelling means more than just access—it’s about collective power.