Empowering independent filmmakers to turn the tables on Hollywood — and get their movies made and seen.
“Adam Leipzig writes about simple truths in strong, easy-to-read prose. It’s a great, fast read and reminds you how easy and difficult it is to make good and bad movies. Inside Track is like a divining rod as it points the way for filmmakers and readers through the labyrinth of this tricky medium. Adam Leipzig loves films and filmmakers—it’s obvious in his previous writing and it’s doubly obvious in this wonderful handbook.”
“Inside Track for Independent Filmmakers is a game-changing book. Adam Leipzig expertly levels the playing field with insider knowledge so independents can get their movies financed, produced and distributed globally. If you’re planning to make a movie, this book is essential—it will only take a day to read, and it will shave years off your learning curve.”
“Want to make a movie? Then you have to read Adam Leipzig’s new how-to book, Inside Track for Independent Filmmakers. Full of insider information you won’t find anywhere else, it is an absolutely essential reference manual for aspiring filmmakers.”



Learn How To
- Get great casting for your movie
- Find the evidence to support your creative vision
- Work the festival circuit like a pro
- Pitch your project to financiers and speak the language they understand
Table of Contents
- FOREWORD
- PREFACE
- THE LANDSCAPE OF INDIE FILM
- GET YOUR MOVIE MADE
- Inside Track: Concept The core of your movie
- Inside Track: Comps Can your movie make money?
- Inside Track: Script What’s on the screen can only be as good as what’s on the page
- Inside Track: Casting Getting the right actors
- Inside Track: Cost You need to know the numbers
- Inside Track: Now You Make Your Movie The moment you’ve been waiting for
- GET YOUR MOVIE SEEN
- Inside Track: Getting Into Festivals When Your Movie’s Ready Sundance and beyond
- Inside Track: Selling at Festivals Can you make a deal here?
- Inside Track: Selling Everywhere Else for Theatrical Distribution More places to make deals
- Inside Track: Selling for Non-Theatrical Distribution The screens that make the most money
- Inside Track: Free Range Distribution The new frontier
- ESSENTIAL RESOURCES
“Great guide for someone planning to enter into their first film festival. The book is simply written without jargon. Chapters are often 2-3 pages long and simply define complex things that you’d never think about.”
“I went to film school and the complaint we all had was that the curriculum was disconnected from the “real world”. This book is grounded and practical and pretty comprehensive. I wish it existed when I was in school.”
“You could pay $100,000 to go to film school, or you can just buy this book! Clear, concise – producer Adam Leipzig will train you to think like a movie executive and distributor. “Inside Track for Independent Filmmakers” is focused and cuts to the chase.”
“This is a really wonderful book from someone who is “the real deal” in Hollywood. After working on some of the most important films in Hollywood, he certainly knows what he is talking about. I am so happy he chose to share his knowledge and insights with the rest of us with such refreshing candor and optimism.”
Author of Books and Articles on Filmmaking, Success, Leadership, Creativity, Media and More
Adam Leipzig is the CEO of Entertainment Media Partners, the past president of National Geographic Films and a former senior executive at Walt Disney Pictures. Adam has supervised more than 25 films, worked with several first-time directors, and generated over $2.1 billion in box office for a diverse mix of both indie and studio films. He feeds his passion for education by teaching at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Fine & Media Arts, UCLA’s Producing Program, the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, and as a speaker at some of the most prestigious film festivals in the world.
