1st Bootstrap Film Fest

The 1st Bootstrap Film Fest on June 26, 2008 was a huge success. Five films by Bootstrap Film members were featured:  Little Dove, Open House, Snake Pit, Mystic Cab, and Art Erotica.  Bootstrap member, B-side powered the film fest website.

We had a great turnout, people loved the films, people learned about the bootstrapping process and how it applies to film and we turned a profit.

Can't beat that. With the success, you can be assured that there will be a 2nd Bootstrap Film Festival.

You can check out the Q&A session on the podcast which was sent out to BD Tech Daily.  This BootRap Podcast includes an introduction by Bootstrap Film Subgroup lead, Brandy Rainey Amstel and a dialogue with the filmmakers: Nils Juul-Hansen (Mystic Cab - director), Jason Howell (Art Erotica), James Mays (Mystic Cab - actor) and Bijoy Goswami (Mystic Cab - writer/actor).

The bootstrap filmmakers share their stories of bootstrapping their films, leveraging social capital with an effective value 10x more than the cash budget, how constraint creates innovation, demo/sell/build, the difference between a "bootstrapper who makes films" vs a "filmmaker who bootstraps", Bootstrap vs Indie filmmaking, stages of bootstrap, and distribution.

Pictures from the festival on Facebook. 

Click below to hear podcast.

Bootstrap Film Fest gets listed in BD Tech Daily

I am very proud to announce the 1st Bootstrap Film Fest. It will be held this month on June 26 at the Arbor Cinema.

You might ask yourself, "What is Bootstrap?", which is a great question to have. At the Bootstrap Film Festival we will be screening several short films created by Bootstrap filmmakers and we will also be having an entrepreneurial workshop where we delve into that exact question of "What is Bootstrap?" as well as explaining how bootstrapping applies to film and how you can use these ideas to move your project to the next level.

The announcement just came out on BD Tech Daily from the Business District Magazine and in
Tech Bytes from the Austin Chamber of Commerce. Seems like an unlikely place to find an announcement about a film festival; however, in the press release below you will discover why this innovative festival is encompassing a larger audience than the traditional film festival.

Here is the press release:

Awaken the entrepreneur within you at Bootstrap Austin's first Bootstrap Film Fest. Step beyond the bootstrapping buzz and discover your own 'hero's journey'.
“As a hot spot for innovation and film, Austin is the incubator for the future of film. Creative talent and technological vision converge with entrepreneurial drive to explore new ways for independent filmmakers to succeed.” – Brandy Rainey Amstel, writer/director. Brandy is the leader of the Bootstrap Austin Film Subgroup, where participants delve into this conversation.


Entrepreneurs forging paths in the film industry are celebrated at this innovative film festival on Thursday, June 26, 2008, 6-10:15 PM at Regal Arbor Cinema, Austin, Texas. Taking inspiration from innovation icons, like Apple's Steve Jobs, Virgin's Richard Branson, and Whole Food's John Mackey, Bootstrappers use ingenuity to bypass the constraints of the establishment. The featured bootstrap films, Q&A with bootstrap filmmakers Nils Juul-Hansen, Brandy Rainey Amstel, and Jason Howell, and a bootstrap workshop including Bootstrap Network's founder, Bijoy Goswami, will give the audience a deep understanding of bootstrapping techniques that they can use on their film projects, start-ups, and existing companies.

“Bootstrap offers a fresh perspective to the constraints of traditional models. As a serial entrepreneur, I was able to take the bootstrapping concepts I learned from my start-up and apply them to filmmaking. The Bootstrap workshop that follows the film programming, will truly empower the audience with greater possibilities.” – Jason Howell, filmmaker.

To step beyond the bootstrapping buzz and discover your own hero’s journey, purchase tickets and view trailers at bootstrap.bside.com/2008.