He made a crypto movie called $Positions, and while it premiered at South By Southwest, scammers were busy launching meme coins in its name and rug pulling his fans.
Brandon Daley is an independent filmmaker who spent 14 years selling power tools on the internet while self funding short films for $5,000 each. No Hollywood connections, no nepotism, no family money. He stayed in the Midwest, ground it out on the film festival circuit, and finally got a sub million dollar feature financed by Chicago indie investors. He paid himself $10,000 for four years of work.
Brandon and Ivan Patriki get into how indie films actually get funded, the moral quandary of taking money from first time investors, why influencer follower counts now decide which movies get made, and the strange saga of scammers launching $Positions meme coins off his trailer while he stayed clear of the whole thing.
We cover:
How a power tool merchandising director self funded his way into feature film
Why he purposefully stayed in the Midwest instead of moving to LA
The "arbitrage" between Chicago indie film and Hollywood
Why he refused to bring a first time investor onto his first feature
Roger Corman's exploitation thesis and the "Instagram Reels playbook" for shock value
"What if I released the whole movie in 30 second chunks on Instagram?"
Casting strangers off the street versus working with real actors ("it's like Bang Bus but with independent film")
Would he cast Andrew Tate? (and why it might hurt his Sundance chances)
Why a $20M budget is actually less scary than a six figure one
Paying himself $10,000 for four years of work so the crew could get paid
Vomiting every morning during pre production, and why the actors could never know
Why AI aids storytellers but threatens camera teams and actors
The $Positions meme coins, the rug pulls, and the scammer in Indonesia he felt "connected to"
Why crypto is the new lottery ticket for people looking for hope out of poverty
Real advice on chasing an idea before someone else grabs it
RESOURCES & LINKS:
Watch $Positions:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0GXZPXD4F?ref_=atv_dp_share_cu_r
Apple TV: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/positions/umc.cmc.3yhlyu51vf1jdcrgoe87goidz
Youtube Movies:
MORE OF BRANDON DALEY:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coolbrandond/
Twitter: https://x.com/CoolBrandonD
MORE OF ON THE MARGIN:
Website: https://www.themargin.tv
Spotify:
Main Site: https://www.on-the-margin.com
MORE OF BOAZ SOBRADO:
Twitter: https://x.com/sobradob
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sobradob
Website: https://themargin.tv/boaz-sobrado
MORE OF IVAN PATRIKI:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/artizt
Substack: https://substack.com/@artizt
Twitter: https://x.com/Ivan_patriki
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artizt/?hl=en
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ascended
Telegram: https://t.me/ivanpatriki
Timestamps:
00:00 - How do you raise money and work with movie stars?
00:18 - 14 years selling power tools while self funding short films.
02:44 - How Chicago investors caught wind of his script and funded it.
04:37 - Meeting Eddie Linker, the "godfather of Chicago indie film."
05:48 - The moral quandary of tricking someone into indie film investing.
07:14 - Grinding the festival circuit from $5,000 shorts to South By.
09:15 - No nepotism, no connections, and the Roger Corman shock value thesis.
11:42 - The Instagram Reels playbook and releasing a movie in 30 second chunks.
12:17 - The plan to scale up with name talent on a sub million dollar budget.
14:29 - Would he cast Andrew Tate?
15:53 - Do influencers and follower counts belong in Hollywood?
16:55 - Casting strangers off the street ("it's like Bang Bus with indie film").
17:54 - The worst part of working with big actors.
20:08 - Why a $20M budget is less scary than a six figure one.
21:51 - Paying himself $10,000 for four years of work.
22:46 - Keeping a day job to keep the art pure.
24:29 - Is AI going to harm the film industry?
27:11 - AI aids storytellers but threatens camera crews and actors.
29:02 - The last time he cried at a movie.
29:59 - The $Positions meme coins and the rug pulls.
33:26 - Why he refused to launch his own coin.
34:56 - Crypto as a lottery ticket for people in poverty.
37:33 - Future plans: theatrical, digital, and chasing Netflix.
38:22 - Can you tell it's not a Hollywood movie?
39:20 - Real advice on chasing a ripe idea before someone else does.
41:59 - Vomiting every morning during pre production.
43:14 - On luck, hard work, and getting into South By.
44:07 - Smash the like button (and the meme coin bit).
Make sure to like, comment, and share, and I'll see you in the next one.
